TY - JOUR
T1 - When the Frame Fits the Social Picture
T2 - The Effects of Framed Social Norm Messages on Healthy and Unhealthy Food Consumption
AU - Mollen, Saar
AU - Holland, Rob W.
AU - Ruiter, Robert A.C.
AU - Rimal, Rajiv N.
AU - Kok, Gerjo
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was in part funded by the Netherlands organization for health research and development (ZonMW; Project no. 60040004) and in part by the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2016.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - We investigated the influence of framed norm messages about food consumption on motivation to consume, and actual consumption of, healthy and unhealthy foods. We proposed that the effects of positive and negative message frames would vary by the type of underlying norms (i.e., injunctive, descriptive). More specifically, based on information processing theories, it was expected that injunctive norms would be more effective when framed negatively compared with positively, while the opposite was expected for descriptive norms. In both experiments, participants were randomly assigned to one of four framed social norm conditions or a no-norm control condition. In Experiment 1, motivation to consume healthy and unhealthy foods was assessed by means of both indirect and self-report measures. In Experiment 2, actual food consumption was assessed. In both experiments, the predicted interaction was found. Results show that injunctive norms benefit from a negative (vs. positive) frame, while preliminary evidence suggests the opposite for descriptive norms.
AB - We investigated the influence of framed norm messages about food consumption on motivation to consume, and actual consumption of, healthy and unhealthy foods. We proposed that the effects of positive and negative message frames would vary by the type of underlying norms (i.e., injunctive, descriptive). More specifically, based on information processing theories, it was expected that injunctive norms would be more effective when framed negatively compared with positively, while the opposite was expected for descriptive norms. In both experiments, participants were randomly assigned to one of four framed social norm conditions or a no-norm control condition. In Experiment 1, motivation to consume healthy and unhealthy foods was assessed by means of both indirect and self-report measures. In Experiment 2, actual food consumption was assessed. In both experiments, the predicted interaction was found. Results show that injunctive norms benefit from a negative (vs. positive) frame, while preliminary evidence suggests the opposite for descriptive norms.
KW - approach-avoidance task
KW - descriptive norms
KW - food intake
KW - framing
KW - health behavior
KW - injunctive norms
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U2 - 10.1177/0093650216644648
DO - 10.1177/0093650216644648
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85102524968
SN - 0093-6502
VL - 48
SP - 346
EP - 378
JO - Communication Research
JF - Communication Research
IS - 3
ER -