Message frames interact with motivational systems to determine depth of message processing.
Although several theoretical perspectives predict that negatively framed messages will be processed more deeply than positively framed messages, a recent meta-analysis found no such difference. In this article, the authors explore 2 explanations for this inconsistency. One possibility is methodological: the statistics used in the primary studies underestimated framing effects on depth of message processing because the data were maldistributed. The other is theoretical: the absence of a main effect is veridical, but framing interacts with individual differences that predispose individuals to greater or lesser depth of processing. Data from 2 experiments (Ns = 286 and 252) were analyzed via tobit regression, a technique designed to overcome the limitations of maldistributed data. One study showed the predicted main effect for framing, but the other did not. Both studies showed the anticipated interaction: Depth of processing correlated positively with a measure of the behavioral activation system in the advantage framing condition, whereas depth of processing correlated positively with the behavioral inhibition system in the disadvantage framing condition.
Shen
Lijiang
L
Department of Speech Communication, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. lshen@uga.edu
Dillard
James Price
JP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009341:Negativism; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult