Inoculation Information Against Contagious Disease Misperception About Flu with Heuristic Vs. Systematic Information and Expert Vs
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INOCULATION INFORMATION AGAINST CONTAGIOUS DISEASE MISPERCEPTION ABOUT FLU WITH HEURISTIC VS. SYSTEMATIC INFORMATION AND EXPERT VS. NON-EXPERT SOURCE SangHee Park A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December 2015 Committee: Gi Woong Yun, Advisor Laura A. Landry-Meyer Graduate Faculty Representative Sung-Yeon Park Srinivas R. Melkote © 2015 SangHee Park All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Gi Woong Yun, Advisor This study applied the heuristic-systematic model (HSM) and inoculation theory in order to explore risk perceptions of flu and the flu vaccination. The HSM explains individual’s information processing as an antecedent to attitude. Inoculation theory deals with how and why existing attitudes can be strengthened to resist counterarguments when confronted with persuasive messages. This study examined how people process different types of risk information, and how risk campaigns can inoculate people against attacks to preexisting beliefs. This study applied a 2 (Message framing: heuristic information message vs. systematic information message) by 2 (expert source vs. non-expert source) online experiment. The experiment was conducted at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Bowling Green, Ohio. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions: (1) heuristic information message from expert source, (2) heuristic information message from non-expert source, (3) systematic information message from expert source, and (4) systematic information message from non-expert source. In order to measure the effect of heuristic and systematic information messages, this study was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, participants received one of the manipulated messages. The manipulated messages were presented as an inoculation message against flu myths. After one week from Phase 1, Phase 2 was conducted and provided an attack message about the side effects of the flu vaccination. Participants were asked to answer a series of items measuring their attitudes and behaviors towards the flu vaccination. This study found that different types of media had different effects on the risk perception of flu illness and benefit perception of the flu vaccination. Risk perception of flu illness was iv positively related to benefit perception of the flu vaccination. This study also found that heuristic messages affected risk perception of the flu vaccination, but not flu illness perception. Although this study found mixed results of inoculation effects, the heuristic message from an expert source generated higher resistance against the attack message. Implications of these findings are discussed. Limitations and future research also are addressed. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to recognize my advisor, Dr. Gi Woong Yun, for his exhaustive efforts in guiding me. I really appreciate his time, energy, and honesty in leading me down my academic path. He has taught me innumerable skills along my scholarly development. He always led me to think critically and encouraged me to go further. I am fortunate to have had him as my advisor. I would also like to extend my appreciation to my committee members, Dr. Sung-Yeon Park and Dr. Srinivas Melkote, as well as my graduate faculty representative, Dr. Laura A. Landry-Meyer, for serving on my committee. Their insightful comments helped me improve my dissertation. I am especially indebted to Dr. Park for all of her assistance during the course of my graduate program. She inspired me during my dissertation writing and through our shared work on research projects. She always encouraged me to complete my doctoral program and has served as a female international scholar mentor. I would like to thank Brett Labbé and Clarie Youngnyo Joa for their help with analyzing data. I am grateful to Brett Labbé. I really appreciate his time, energy, and encouragement. Without his help, it would not have been possible to make it through this journey. Finally, I must acknowledge my family for helping and supporting me. Without my parents, I would not have started or made it down this road. They never doubted what was possible in my life. I am forever dedicated to my parents for their infinite support and love. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1 Theoretical Significance of Risk Perception, Heuristics versus Systematic Model, and Inoculation Theory…………………………………………. ............................. 6 Risk Perception .............................................................................................. 6 Heuristics-Systematic Model (HSM) ............................................................. 8 Inoculation Theory ......................................................................................... 9 Role of Risk Communication in Risk Perception of Flu ........................................... 10 Purposes of This Study .............................................................................................. 11 Research Method ....................................................................................................... 14 Organization of the Dissertation ................................................................................ 16 CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................. 17 Perception of Flu Illness and the Flu Vaccination ..................................................... 17 Knowledge vs. Myths about the Flu Vaccination ...................................................... 21 Individual Characteristics and Psychological Barriers against the Flu Vaccination . 28 Demographic Factors against the Flu Vaccination ........................................ 28 Psychological Barriers against the Flu vaccination ....................................... 30 Risk Perception .......................................................................................................... 32 Experts Risk Perception vs. Experiential Risk Perception ............................ 35 Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) .......................................................................... 38 Inoculation Theory ..................................................................................................... 44 Strategic Communication in Risk Perception ............................................................ 47 vii CHAPTER III. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES ………………………. 50 Relationship between Media Exposures and Risk Perception of Flu and the Flu Vaccination ................................................................................................................ 52 Relationship between the Perceptions of Flu and the Flu Vaccination ..................... 53 Effects of Heuristic-Systematic Messages ................................................................. 54 Effects of Expert vs. Non-Expert Sources ................................................................. 55 Interaction Effects between Heuristic-Systematic Messages and Expert vs. Non-Expert Sources ...................................................................................................................... 57 Effects of Inoculation Treatment ............................................................................... 58 CHAPTER IV. METHOD ......................................................……………………………. 62 Procedure ................................................................................................................... 62 Web-Based Design......................................................................................... 65 Sample............................................................................................................ 66 Manipulated Message Framing Stimuli ..................................................................... 66 Heuristic-Systematic Message Stimuli Operationalization ........................... 67 Information Sources ....................................................................................... 69 Pre-testing Questionnaires ......................................................................................... 70 Measurement .............................................................................................................. 70 Media Exposure ............................................................................................. 70 Knowledge of the Flu Vaccination ................................................................ 70 Attitude toward the Stimuli Messages ........................................................... 71 Risk Perception of Flu Illness ........................................................................ 72 viii Benefit Perception of the Flu Vaccination ..................................................... 72 Risk Perception of the Flu Vaccination ......................................................... 73 Attitude toward an Attack Message ............................................................... 73 Intention of the Flu Vaccination .................................................................... 73 Past Flu Vaccination ...................................................................................... 73 Demographic Variables ................................................................................. 74 Strategies for Statistical Analysis .............................................................................