According to psychology, the use of media campaigns in health promotion, particularly through public information films on television, can successfully decrease chip pan accidents. In a significant study conducted by Cowpe (1989) called “Chip pan fire prevention 1976-84,” the objective was to investigate the influence of TV ads that addressed the hazards associated with chip pan fires. This experiment used an independent groups design and specifically chose certain regional TV stations while excluding others.
The sample consisted of potential viewers from various regions who were surveyed before the campaign to assess their behavior regarding chip pan fires. Despite claiming that they always used chip pans safely, their perception of “Safe” behavior contradicted fire brigade statistics, suggesting that they were not actually practicing safe methods. To tackle this issue, a TV campaign was developed incorporating impactful visuals illustrating the escalation of fires and effective handling techniques. The objective was to offer both preventative measures and containment procedures for dealing with chip pan fires. Conventional information campaigns solely instructing individuals on what to do tend to be ineffective as people often ignore them.
Both advertisements showed the origin of the fire and the required actions to put it out: turning off the heat, putting a wet cloth over the pan, and letting it cool down. The commercials used a combination of real-time and slow-motion footage to enhance their impact. Each ad ended with a reminder that by not overfilling or leaving the chip pan unattended, one can completely avoid these situations. This emphasizes the importance of prevention.
The campaign was implemented from January to March/April on a regional basis in ten areas from 1976 to 1984. A comparison was made between the areas where the messages were broadcasted and areas where they were not. The results indicated that in the areas where the adverts were shown, chip pan fires decreased by 7% to 25%, resulting in an overall reduction of 12% throughout all the campaign areas. A post-campaign survey revealed that people had a better understanding of how to handle a chip pan fire and were more likely to follow safe practices.
Psychology has discovered that utilizing fear arousal in health promotion has shown that the overall effectiveness of communicating health promotion can be diminished by employing a powerful fear appeal. According to Janis and Feshbach, this occurs because when fear is strongly provoked but the reassurances provided in the communication do not fully alleviate it, the audience will be motivated to overlook or downplay the significance of the threat. It is more likely that a relatively low level of fear arousal will be optimal for encouraging health.
Janis and Feshbach (1953) conducted a study to investigate the impact of fear arousal on motivational responses in health promotion communications. Their goal was to determine whether fear-induced emotional tension results in behavioral changes or if individuals opt for avoidance strategies instead. To examine this, a Connecticut high school freshman class was randomly split into four groups. The study included both male and female participants with an average age of 15. An experimental design employing independent groups was utilized.
The study involved 200 participants who were divided into four groups of 50. There were three experimental groups and one control group. The purpose of the experiment was to examine how dental hygiene can be used as a method of promoting health. Each group received a 15-minute lecture on dental health, which included illustrations. However, the content of the lectures varied for each group in terms of fear arousal.
For form one, the focus was on highlighting the negative consequences of neglecting tooth care, such as decay and gum disease. Messages like “this could happen to you” were used to create fear arousal. Form two presented factual information about tooth decay in a less intense manner compared to form one, and it did not specifically target the audience’s fears. Form three had minimal fear arousal.
In contrast, the control group received a similar lecture but on the topic of human eye function instead.
To collect data, participants completed a self-report questionnaire at three different times: one week before the study began, on the day they attended their respective lectures, and one week after attending them. The results showed that all three experimental groups demonstrated equal levels of knowledge about dental hygiene following their respective lectures.
The participants in the strong fear group were more inclined to perceive their lectures as engaging. The group experiencing minimal fear reported a 36% alteration, while the group experiencing strong fear reported an 8% alteration. This demonstrates that minimal fear yields better results than strong fear. Psychology has gained knowledge about the implementation of laws in promoting health. Cote et al’s (1992) study aimed to examine the influence of both health promotion and legislation on the usage of cycle helmets compared to scenarios involving education without legislation or neither legislation nor education.
They examined three counties in Maryland. Firstly, in Howard County, the wearing of approved cycle helmets became mandatory for children under 16 in 1990. Secondly, Montgomery County sponsored a community education program to promote the use of cycle helmets. And thirdly, in Baltimore County, there was no legislation or promotion regarding helmet use. In Howard County, school children were educated about the law on helmet use by the police before it was enforced. The usage of helmets before and after the law was observed in Howard County and the two control counties. Before the law, helmet use in Howard County was only 4%, but after the law, it increased to 47%. This increase can be attributed to both the publicity and legislation surrounding the issue.
A study by Montgomery examined the impact of publicity on helmet use among Howard county children. Before the implementation of a law, helmet usage was only at 8%. However, after enforcement of the law, helmet usage increased to 19%. This study revealed that compared to other children at that time, Howard county children had the highest rate of bicycle helmet use.
The method used in a study is an important factor to consider as it can affect the findings. In this case, Cote et al’s study is a field experiment conducted in a natural everyday setting. Although this type of study lacks control over the situation, it has benefits such as being more ecologically valid due to taking place in a natural environment.
However, some studies use lab experiments, such as the one conducted by Janis and Feshback which focuses on fear arousal. These studies also employ a control group to compare data. Lab studies have the advantage of being easily replicated, like Janis and Feshback’s study with four 15-minute lectures. Conversely, field experiments have high ecological validity compared to lab studies. It is important to note that all three studies use an independent groups design to avoid any potential confounding effects from presentation order.
Using an independent groups design enables the establishment of both an experimental and a control condition, allowing for comparison between groups. However, biases in data gathering methods can impact the study’s reliability, making replication and obtaining similar results unlikely. For example, if the original study utilized self-report measures to collect data and participant responses were potentially influenced by demand characteristics or social desirability bias, the reliability of replication results is compromised.
For instance, the self-report data gathering method utilized by Janis and Feshbach may have led to participants responding to demand characteristics or shaping their answers to appear more socially desirable. The diminishing validity suggests that social, cultural, or technological changes have taken place that render an exact replication of the original study impossible, or that the study has become outdated and unlikely to produce reliable results in a contemporary retest. For instance, since Janis and Feshbach were conducted in 1953, it is possible that society and culture have undergone changes.
