Citation

Lang A, Yegiyan N. J. Health Commun. 2011; 16(10): 1072-1087.

Affiliation

Institute for Communication Research, Department of Telecommunications, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10810730.2011.571336

PMID

21644166

Abstract

In this article, the authors investigated responses to pictures of products whose use is socially or legally restricted for teens and young adults (e.g., beer, liquor, cigarettes). The authors theorized and found that these pictures are motivationally relevant and therefore elicit automatic activation in the appetitive/approach or aversive/defensive motivational systems, which leads to increased attention, arousal, emotional response, and memory for the risky products. The authors also found that these responses are mediated by individual differences in motivational reactivity. The authors suggest that placing images of these products in prevention messages may work against the prevention goal by increasing appetitive activation and positive emotion in populations more inclined to take risks.

Language: en