Kevin R. Betts

Group Marginalization Extending Research on Interpersonal Rejection to Small Groups

An extensive research literature has examined the reactions of individuals facing interpersonal rejection. Small groups can also be rejected, but current research tells us little about the experiences of groups and their members directly. We integrate findings from various literatures to gain insight into shared rejection experiences and their outcomes. Of most practical importance, we argue that groups can be expected to react with more hostility than individuals when rejected. Four existing models that account for how group processes might alter such reactions are examined: a need-threat model, a rejection-identification model, a multimotive model, and a dual attitudes model. Aspects of these models are then integrated into a unifying framework that is useful for understanding hostile reactions to group marginalization. Implications for natural groups such as terrorist cells, school cliques, racial and ethnic minorities, and gangs are discussed.

Correction of misleading information in prescription drug television advertising: The roles of advertisement similarity and time delay

Background: Prescription drug television advertisements containing potentially consequential misinformation sometimes appear in the United States. When that happens, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can request that companies distribute corrective advertisements to address misinformation and inaccurate claims. Previous research has demonstrated effectiveness in corrective advertising for various products. Objectives: The present article builds on that work with a randomized experimental study (n = 6454) of corrective advertising investigating the extent to which visual similarity matters between violative and corrective ads and the extent to which time delay matters between violative and corrective advertisement exposure. Methods: Our study sample included overweight or obese U.S. adults recruited from an existing online consumer panel representative of the U.S. adult population. We created a brand for a fictitious prescription weight‐loss drug and produced corresponding direct‐to‐consumer (DTC) television ads. All participants viewed the same violative ad, but were randomly assigned to view corrective ads with different levels of visual similarity and exposure time delay using a 4 × 4 between‐subjects factorial design. Results: Results suggest corrective ad exposure can influence consumer perceptions of drug efficacy, risks, and benefits previously established by violative ads that overstated drug efficacy, broadened drug indication, and omitted important risk information. Corrective ads also can weaken consumer intentions to consider and investigate a drug. However, ad similarity does not appear to affect consumer perceptions and preferences. Although we found that the effects of violative ad exposure tend to diminish over time, the length of the delay between violative and corrective ad exposure has limited influence. An exception to this was observed with regard to recall of drug benefits and risks, where the impact of corrective ad exposure increases with greater time delay. Conclusions: These results extend previous research to a new health condition and hold implications for regulatory policy.

An Empirical Examination of the FDAAA-Mandated Toll-Free Statement for Consumer Reporting of Side Effects in Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertisements

This research investigates how the inclusion of the “toll-free statement” (a message about a toll-free number by which consumers can report drug side effects to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration) in direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertisements for prescription drugs affects consumers’ comprehension of product risks and benefits, as well as their comprehension and memory of the toll-free statement. Participants viewed one of nine mock television advertisements across which elements of the toll-free statement varied. Presenting the statement in both text and audio resulted in better processing of the statement than text-only presentations. When the statement was shown in text alone, presenting it during the entire advertisement or after the statement of risks resulted in better processing than a placement before the risk information. The placement, duration, and prominence of the statement did not affect risk or benefit comprehension. These findings suggest that the toll-free statement can be added to DTC television advertisements without significantly affecting risk and benefit comprehension and that certain presentations are preferable for communicating the statement. The appropriate inclusion of the toll-free statement in DTC television advertisements may increase the visibility of the adverse event reporting system, without cost to the understanding of benefits or risks.

Disease Information in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Print Ads

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements sometimes include information about the disease condition in addition to information about the advertised product. Although the intent of such information is to educate about the disease condition, in some cases consumers may mistakenly assume that the drug will address all of the potential consequences of the condition mentioned in the ad. We investigated the effects of adding disease information to DTC prescription drug print ads on consumer product perceptions and understanding. Participants (4,064 adults) viewed 1 of 15 DTC print ads for fictitious prescription drugs indicated to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, anemia, or lymphoma that varied in disease information presence, type, and format. Participants answered questions that assessed risk and benefit memory, perception, and behavioral intention. Results indicate that exposure to disease information as part of DTC prescription drug ads can promote the impression that the drug addresses consequences of the condition that are not part of the drugs indication.

Who Said It Better? A Test of Wording Differences in the MedWatch “Toll-Free Statement” for Consumer Reporting of Side Effects in Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertisements

Background: A toll-free statement alerting consumers how to report side effects to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is required for both prescription drug labeling and direct-to-consumer (DTC) print ads. Because of different regulatory requirements between these materials (the Toll-free Number for Reporting Adverse Events on Labeling for Human Drug Products Rule [TFNR] versus the FDA Amendments Act [FDAAA], respectively), the wording of this statement differs. We studied how statement wording for reporting side effects to FDA in DTC television ads affects comprehension of product risks and benefits, comprehension of and memory for the toll-free statement, and perceived statement clarity. Methods: Participants viewed 1 of 8 mock prescription drug television ads that varied the wording and placement of the toll-free statement, and then responded to a questionnaire. Results: The FDAAA statement was more noticeable, clear, and more participants were able to recall and recognize its correct purpose. Comprehension of product risk and benefit information did not differ based on statement wording. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the FDAAA toll-free statement wording is superior to that of the TFNR.

Strong shared representations promote schema-consistent memory errors in groups

We created the conditions necessary for cognitive representations to develop by presenting individuals and groups with word lists consisting of items high and low in associative strength. Strong cognitive representations were found to promote more schema-consistent memory errors than weaker representations. Moreover, strong cognitive representations resulted in more of these errors for groups than individuals. Weak cognitive representations, in contrast, resulted in fewer of these errors for groups than individuals. We find that variation in the frequency of memory errors between individuals and groups is influenced by the strength of shared representations that interfere with the ability of groups to correct schema-consistent memory errors among their members. Further analyses suggest that strong shared representations also aid correct recall relative to weak shared representations. We conclude that despite general advantages of collaboration, select circumstances that allow for strong shared representations may promote schema-consistent memory errors in groups.

Professional online community membership and participation among healthcare providers: An extension to nurse practitioners and physician assistants

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Professional online communities allow healthcare providers to exchange ideas with their colleagues about best practices for patient care. Research on this topic has focused almost exclusively on primary care physicians and specialists, to the exclusion of advanced practice providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. We expand this literature by examining membership and participation on these websites among each of these provider groups. METHODS Participants (N = 2008; approximately 500 per provider group) responded to an Internet-based survey in which they were asked if they use professional online communities to dialogue with colleagues and if so, what their motivation is for doing so. CONCLUSIONS Nearly half of the participants in our sample reported utilizing professional online communities. Select differences were observed between provider groups, but overall, similar patterns emerged in their membership and participation on these websites. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Nurse practitioners and physician assistants utilize professional online communities in similar proportion to primary care physicians and specialists. Providers should be cognizant of the impact this use may have for both themselves and their patients. Researchers are urged to take into account the various professional roles within the healthcare community while developing research on this topic.

Consumer perceptions of prescription and over-the-counter drug advertisements with promotional offers

ABSTRACT Information on the effects of promotional offers in direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads is limited. In two studies, we examined the effect of promotional offers (e.g., money-back guarantee) and ad type (creating prescription and over-the-counter drug ads by varying the presence of benefit and risk information). We found little effect of promotional offers. Adding benefit (risk) information to the ad increased consumers’ knowledge of the benefit (risk) information and their efficacy (risk) perceptions. In most cases, adding risk information to an ad with benefit information increased risk knowledge and perceptions without decreasing benefit knowledge or perceptions.

Important Safety Information or Important Risk Information? A Question of Framing in Prescription Drug Advertisements:

The summary of risks in a prescription drug print advertisement is typically headlined either “Important Safety Information” or “Important Risk Information.” Research has shown that words used to frame information can influence interpretation of the information. We examined the impact of headline framing on risk perception among consumers viewing prescription drug ads. Participants (N = 2000) were randomly assigned to see the title “Important Safety Information” or “Important Risk Information” before reading a description of risks for a fictitious drug. Participants then answered questions about the perceived risk of the drug, attempted to recall the section heading, and reported demographic characteristics. Results revealed no differences between participants in the 2 conditions, suggesting that framing drug risk information in terms of its safety or risk does not differentially affect consumer risk perception.

The (Modified) In Game: An Experimental Paradigm for Manipulating Interpersonal Rejection

We offer a unique paradigm for manipulating interpersonal rejection that models the complexities of real-life rejection, allows for significant participant immersion in the rejection experience, and requires limited materials. Our approach modifies an existing paradigm, the In Game, to encourage the development of coalitions whereby two individuals are included and one is rejected. The original In Game was developed to reflect real-life situations that involve the exchange of resources or use of power, legitimacy, and obligation. We fuse these elements with new features involving coalition formation to produce a powerful rejection manipulation. Results demonstrate that the modified In Game effectively and reliably produces coalitions that result in one randomly assigned individual being rejected. Moreover, rejection in this paradigm is linked to thwarted psychological need fulfillment and reduced positive affect. Implications of this unique paradigm for studying interpersonal rejection are considered along with suggestions for its successful implementation in other research.