The Boomerang Effect
Explaining and avoiding
resistance to health
messages
Sahara Byrne
Assistant Professor
Cornell University
Department of Communication
[email protected]
Under investigation
When and why do health messages
backfire?
 Specific populations:
Children (developmental perspective)
Adults (motivational perspective
Health messages - Predictions
• Prevent or reduce an unhealthy behaviors
• Change attitudes toward target/behaviors
• Enhance healthy/preventative behaviors
• Increase awareness of medical options
Strategic Messages
 Clear, well defined ‘intended’ effect
 Three possible outcomes
1. Intended Effect
2. No Effect
3. Unintended Effect
• Boomerang
Pattern of Boomerang effects
 Positive health behavior modification attempts
Increased smoking behaviors
 Grandpre, 2003; Wakefield et al., 2006
Increased alcohol consumption
 Wechsler, Nelson & Lee, 2003; Bensley & Wu, 1999
Increased likelihood of using drugs
 Fishbein et al, 2002; Rosenbaum & Hanson, 1998
Decreased healthy behaviors
 Kline, 1995
Suicide Risk
 Gould, Jamison, Romer, 2003; Chambers 2005
Boomerang effects
Advertising
Dislike for product
Petrova & Cialdini, 2005; Campbell, 1995; Cotte,
Coulter & Moore, 2005
Political Ads
Negative ads can result in greater liking
• King & McConnell, 2003
• Kahn & Geer, 1994
“Ad-Watches” that critique political ads result in
positive attitudes toward issues
• Ansolabehere & Iyengar, 1996
Boomerang effects
Entertainment-Education
 Reinforce stereotypes
“All in the Family” Study - Vidmar & Rokeach, 1974
 Reinforce rape myth beliefs
“She said no!” – Wilson, Linz, Donnerstein & Stipp 1992
 Consequences - Winkel & DeKluever, 1997
Boomerang effects
 Strategic efforts to reduce negative effects of the
media
Media literacy Interventions
• Byrne, in press; Byrne & Hart, in press; Cantor & Wilson,
2003; Dolittle, 1980; Nathanson, 2004; Nathanson & Yang,
2003, Byrne, 2005
Restrictions on exposure
• Nathanson, 1999; Nathanson, 2002; McLeod et al., 1972
Ratings, Warnings, Advisories
• Wilson, Linz & Randall, 1990; Cantor, 1998; Krcmar & Cantor,
1997; Sneegas & Plank, 1998; Bushman & Stack, 1996
TV Co-Viewing with children
• Buerkel-Rothfuss & Buerkel, 2001; Grusec, 1973; Nathanson,
1999; Chaffee & Tims, 1976; Rothschild & Morgan, 1987
Theoretical Explanations
Theoretical Explanations
 Psychological reactance
 Ironic process theory
 Engaging in fear control
 Priming/Accessibility
 Social cognitive theory
 Reliance on attributions
 Ambiguity reduction
 Peripheral processing
 Social Norms
Theoretical Explanations
A
 Psychological reactance
 Ironic Unintended
process theory
Constructs Activated
 Engaging in fear control
 Priming/Accessibility
 Social cognitive theory
 Reliance on attributions
 Ambiguity reduction
 Peripheral processing
 Social Norms
B
Intended Constructs
Activated
Intended Elements in the Message
 Intended Elements
 Elements in intervention that
should lead to healthy behavior
(activation of intended
constructs)
 Eating fast food is unhealthy
 Eating healthy makes you
stronger
 Boomerang: Reactance
Unintended Elements in the Message
 Unintended Elements
 Elements in intervention that
could lead to unhealthy
behavior (activation of
unintended constructs)
 Visual depictions used as
examples during intervention
 Boomerang: Priming
First path to Boomerang
Intended Construct Activation
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Competitive
Processing
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Competitive
Processing
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Competitive
Processing
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Competitive
Processing
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Don’t Eat
That!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Don’t Eat
That!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Don’t Eat
That!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Don’t Eat
That!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Don’t Eat
That!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Don’t Eat
That!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Construct
No Effect
Activation
Strategic
Message
Unintended
Effect
Don’t Eat
That!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Construct
No Effect
Activation
Strategic
Message
Unintended
Effect
Don’t Eat
That!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Construct
No Effect
Activation
Strategic
Message
Don’t Eat
That!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Second path to Boomerang
Unintended Construct Activation
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Competitive
Processing
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Competitive
Processing
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
Competitive
Processing
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
That looks
Yummy!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
That looks
Yummy!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
That looks
Yummy!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
That looks
Yummy!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
That looks
Yummy!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Effects
Decision
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
That looks
Yummy!
Unintended
No Effect
Construct
Activation
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
That looks
Yummy!
Unintended
No Effect
Construct
Activation
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
That looks
Yummy!
Unintended
No Effect
Construct
Activation
Unintended
Effect
Intended Effect
Intended
Strategic
Message
Construct
Effects
Activation
Decision
No Effect
Unintended
Effect
That looks
Yummy!
Unintended
Construct
Activation
No Effect
Avoiding resistance
Turn processing resources toward
intended elements
Avoid unintended elements
END>>>>
Sahara Byrne
[email protected]