Daniel J. O'Keefe

The relative persuasiveness of gain-framed and loss-framed messages for encouraging disease prevention behaviors : A meta-analytic review

A meta-analytic review of 93 studies (N = 21,656) finds that in disease prevention messages, gain-framed appeals, which emphasize the advantages of compliance with the communicators recommendation, are statistically significantly more persuasive than loss-framed appeals, which emphasize the disadvantages of noncompliance. This difference is quite small (corresponding to r = .03), however, and appears attributable to a relatively large (and statistically significant) effect for messages advocating dental hygiene behaviors. Despite very good statistical power, the analysis finds no statistically significant differences in persuasiveness between gain- and loss-framed messages concerning other preventive actions such as safer-sex behaviors, skin cancer prevention behaviors, or diet and nutrition behaviors.

Two Concepts of Argument.

Students of argumentation rarely acknowledge that the term “argument” has two importantly different senses. This essay attempts to show the importance of distinguishing these senses, taking as a fo...

The Advantages of Compliance or the Disadvantages of Noncompliance? A Meta-Analytic Review of the Relative Persuasive Effectiveness of Gain-Framed and Loss-Framed Messages

A meta-analytic review of the relative persuasiveness of gain-and loss-framed messages (based on 165 effect sizes, N=50,780) finds that loss-framed appeals are not generally more persuasive than gain-framed appeals. For encouraging disease prevention behaviors, gain-framed appeals are more persuasive than loss-framed appeals; for encouraging disease detection behaviors, gain-and loss-framed appeals do not differ significantly in persuasiveness. The relative persuasiveness of differently framed appeals seems little influenced by (a) whether the gain-framed appeals emphasize the attainment of desirable states or the avoidance of undesirable states or (b) whether the loss-framed appeals emphasize the attainment of undesirable states or the avoidance of desirable states.

Colloquy: Should Familywise Alpha Be Adjusted? Against Familywise Alpha Adjustment

Type I error is a risk undertaken whenever significance tests are conducted, and the chances of committing a Type I error increase as the number of significance tests increases. But adjusting the alpha level because of the number of tests conducted in a given study has no principled basis, commits one to absurd beliefs and practices, and reduces statistical power. The practice of requiring or employing such adjustments should be abandoned.

Do Loss-Framed Persuasive Messages Engender Greater Message Processing Than Do Gain-Framed Messages? A Meta-Analytic Review

Greater fear arousal is associated with greater engagement with persuasive messages, and negative information and events are more potent than their positive counterparts. Hence loss-framed persuasive appeals, which emphasize the undesirable outcomes of noncompliance with the communicators recommendations, should elicit greater message processing than do gain-framed appeals, which emphasize the desirable outcomes of compliance. But a meta-analytic review (based on 42 effect sizes, N = 6,378) finds that gain-framed messages engender slightly but significantly greater message engagement than do loss-framed messages. This effect is apparently not a result of whether the appeals refer to obtaining or averting negative (e.g., “skin cancer”) rather than positive (e.g., “attractive skin”) outcomes.

Logical empiricism and the study of human communication

The logical empiricist philosophy of science which underpins the bulk of contemporary communication research is outlined and recent criticisms of this view are surveyed. Two implications concerning the conduct of communication theory and research are drawn from these criticisms: (i) maximally productive research involves the systematic extension, elaboration, and defense of a theoretical framework and (ii) theoretical and conceptual analysis should be recognized as an important element in the achievement of a satisfactory theoretical account.

Justification explicitness and persuasive effect: A meta-analytic review of the effects of varying support articulation in persuasive messages

This meta-analytic review discusses research evidence concerning the persuasive effects of three variations in the articulation of an advocates supporting argumentation. Greater explicitness in id...

Adapting consumer advertising appeals to cultural values: A meta-analytic review of effects on persuasiveness and ad liking

It is a truism that successful persuasive messages should be adapted to audience values. A substantial research literature—not previously systematically reviewed—has examined whether advertisements with appeals adapted to the audience’s important cultural values (e.g., individualism for North Americans) are more persuasive and better liked than appeals that are unadapted to such values. A meta-analytic review of that research finds that adapted ads are only slightly more persuasive (mean r = .073, 67 cases) and slightly better liked (mean r = .082, 66 cases) than unadapted ads. Moreover, these effects were mainly limited to North Americans and Asians and to values related to individualism-collectivism. In this chapter, we discuss explanations for these results and identify directions for future research.

The relative persuasiveness of gain- and loss-framed messages for promoting vaccination: a meta-analytic review.

Vaccination against disease is a powerful public health tool, and persuading people to be vaccinated is a correspondingly important challenge. A number of studies have compared the effectiveness of gain-framed and loss-framed appeals in this domain, often expecting gain-framed appeals to be more persuasive. A meta-analytic review (k = 32, N = 11,814), however, finds no significant difference in the persuasiveness of gain- and loss-framed appeals for encouraging vaccination. This conclusion is unaffected by differences in the phrasing of the outcomes invoked or by differences in the specific vaccination advocated. But the results contain a hint that parents might be more persuaded to vaccinate their children by loss-framed than by gain-framed appeals. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Standpoint Explicitness and Persuasive Effect: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Varying Conclusion Articulation in Persuasive Messages

Argumentative explicitness is normatively good, because it opens viewpoints to critical scrutiny. But advocates might justifiably fear that such explicitness will compromise persuasive effectivenes...