TY - JOUR
T1 - It's the product
T2 - Do risky products compel attention and elicit arousal in media users?
AU - Lang, Annie
AU - Chung, Yongkuk
AU - Lee, Seungwhan
AU - Zhao, Xiaoquan
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - This article reports on two studies designed to measure whether the mere presence of a risky product in a mediated message (separate from executional elements of the message) elicits greater attention and arousal in media users. In the first study, participants viewed and rated 30 pictures of risky (alcohol, tobacco, drugs, condoms) and nonrisky (soda, juice, food) products while heart rate and skin conductance were measured. In the second study, participants viewed and rated 30 risky and nonrisky product words while the same measures were recorded. Results showed that the risky pictures and words elicited more emotional and physiological arousal than nonrisky pictures and words. Risky pictures elicited different orienting responses than nonrisky pictures, but there was no difference in orienting for risky and nonrisky words. Both risky pictures and words were remembered better than nonrisky pictures and words. The results of this study suggest that the mere presence of the representation of a risky product (either pictorial or verbal) elicits more arousal and more memory but not more attention in media users.
AB - This article reports on two studies designed to measure whether the mere presence of a risky product in a mediated message (separate from executional elements of the message) elicits greater attention and arousal in media users. In the first study, participants viewed and rated 30 pictures of risky (alcohol, tobacco, drugs, condoms) and nonrisky (soda, juice, food) products while heart rate and skin conductance were measured. In the second study, participants viewed and rated 30 risky and nonrisky product words while the same measures were recorded. Results showed that the risky pictures and words elicited more emotional and physiological arousal than nonrisky pictures and words. Risky pictures elicited different orienting responses than nonrisky pictures, but there was no difference in orienting for risky and nonrisky words. Both risky pictures and words were remembered better than nonrisky pictures and words. The results of this study suggest that the mere presence of the representation of a risky product (either pictorial or verbal) elicits more arousal and more memory but not more attention in media users.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=20044396757&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1207/s15327027hc1703_5
DO - 10.1207/s15327027hc1703_5
M3 - Article
C2 - 15855074
AN - SCOPUS:20044396757
SN - 1041-0236
VL - 17
SP - 283
EP - 300
JO - Health Communication
JF - Health Communication
IS - 3
ER -