10 24 12 The Extended Parallel Process EPPM Fear appeals Quite popular Used by doctors advertisers and religious leaders alike Persuasive strategy trying to scare people and make them think if they don t adopt the recommended behavior a terrible thing will happen to them Successful Depending on the appeal What scientists first thought Inverted U shaped graph When it peaks people will ignore the message because the threat is too high Will not pursue behavioral change This was not the case because human behavior is much more complicated than that EPPM Kim Whitte Based on fear appeal Fear Appeal process inputs Focuses on how to channel fear in a positive protective direction instead of a negative maladaptive direction Fear fear appeal Threat Perceived severity of the threat AIDS leads to death Perceived susceptibility You re at risk of AIDS because you share needles while using intravenous drugs Response efficacy I believe condoms prevent HIV contradiction Self Efficacy I think I can easily use condoms to prevent HIV contradiction Fear Appeal process Outputs Message acceptance attitude intention or behavior change Defensive avoidance looking away from the message not thinking about the message after being exposed to it Reactance I ll show them that they can t manipulate me I m going to smoke even more EPPM is complex but not perfect Recent research suggests that fear appeals produce multiple affective responses beyond fear Fear appeals also produce significant levels of surprise puzzlement anger sadness irritations disgust and feelings of impotence tension and energy and varying degrees of emotional instability including anxiety loss of pleasure and depression Theoretical Stuff Primary Goal of this theory is to predict when health messages are and are not going to be successful But we also want to see a change in behavior and attitudes More of a social scientific theory 10 31 12 Uncertainty Reduction Theory Historical Perspective Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese 1975 o Initial interaction theory First interpersonal communication theory grounded in the discipline Communication researchers were at the time interested in social interaction self presentation and self disclosure URT was inspired by the work of several renowned researchers including Leon Festinger CDT social comparison theory Fritz Heider na ve psychology attribution theory Kurt Lewin Claude Shannon information theory Warren Weaver Goal of URT To explain How uncertainty in initial encounters between strangers is reduced by communication To predict communication behavior of strangers in initial encounters NOTE URT is a laws axiom theory Concepts of URT Cognitions beliefs and attitudes Uncertainty o Cognitive uncertainty doubts people harbor about their own beliefs attitudes and those of others o Behavioral uncertainty doubts about their own actions as well as the actions of others Relates to extent of predictability of behavior Related Concepts person URT is related to these communication concepts o Verbal Output language and what we say how we are talking to a o Non verbal warmth non verbal behaviors things that make people feel more comfortable smile hugs touch o Information seeking question asking o Self disclosure talking about ourselves with another person o Reciprocity of disclosure trading information back and forth o Similarity how similar we are commonality o Liking how much we like the other individual not physical or romantic Assumptions of URT In interpersonal settings people experience uncertainty Uncertainty is aversive resulting in cognitive tension stress In initial encounters strangers are mainly concerned with reducing uncertainty increasing predictability Interpersonal communication is developed entry personal and exit phases The main way to reduce uncertainty is through interpersonal communication The amount and type of information people share changes with time Behavior can be predicted in a law like manner Explanation of URT When strangers meet they are unsure about their own thoughts cognitive uncertainty and actions behavioral uncertainty and those of others Because the uncertainty is aversive people are motivated to reduce it through communication so that they are better able to explain and predict their own actions and those of others URT Axioms and Theorems The original URT has 7 axioms and 21 theorems Axiom self evident or universally recognized truth Theorem general proposition not self evident but proved by a chain of reasoning a truth established by means of accepted truths Axiom 1 Given the high level of uncertainty present at the onset of the entry phase as the amount of verbal communication between strangers increases the level of uncertainty for each interactant in the relationship will decrease As uncertainty is further reduced the amount of verbal communication will increase negative relationship verbal comm increase uncertainty decrease As nonverbal affiliative expressiveness increases uncertainty levels will decrease in an initial interaction situation In addition decreases in uncertainty level will cause increases in nonverbal affiliative expressiveness negative relationship nonverbal affiliative exp Increases uncertainty decreases High levels of uncertainty cause increases in information seeking behavior As uncertainty levels decline information seeking behavior decreases positive relationship uncertainty increases information seeking increases High levels of uncertainty in a relationship cause decrease in the intimacy level of communication content Low levels of uncertainty produce high levels of intimacy negative relationship uncertainty increases intimacy level of comm content decreases High levels of uncertainty produce high rates of reciprocity Low levels of uncertainty produce low reciprocity rates positive relationship uncertainty increases reciprocity increases Similarities between persons reduce uncertainty while dissimilarities produce increases in uncertainty negative relationship similarity increases uncertainty decreases Axiom 2 Axiom 3 Axiom 4 Axiom 5 Axiom 6 Axiom 7 Increases in uncertainty level produce decrease in liking decreases in uncertainty level produce increases in liking negative relationship uncertainty increases liking decreases Development of URT Theorems Deductive logic if A is related to B and B is related to C then A is related to C Berger and Calabrese used every possible pair of the 7 axioms to develop the 21 theorems A theorem is formed by
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