The goal of this five year research program is to better understand how to design mass communication campaigns to reduce the intention to use illicit drugs. Two theories primarily guide thinking: (1) Fishbein & Ajzen's Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and (2) a theory of media effects called """"""""media priming (MP)"""""""". The research proposed includes laboratory and field components. The study begins with intensive interviews and a follow-up survey of 600 12-18 year olds, to discover which specific beliefs about the outcomes of drug use and which beliefs about the expectations for one's behavior by important others predicts attitudes, subjective norms and behavioral intentions. On that basis a series of experiments will be mounted with varied treatments involving anti-drug advertisements to change important outcome or normative beliefs (TRA), and/or to increase the weight of such beliefs in determining behavioral intentions (MP). Treatment comparisons will include examining the effects of outcome-focused versus normatively-focused messages, the effects of weak versus strong messages, and the effects of single or clustered belief messages versus multiple or diffuse belief messages. The laboratory experiments will then serve as the basis for a six media market field experiment over one year. This study, based on a rolling panel design will include 1800 young people interviewed four times apiece during the year. Each media market will receive a different treatment in each six month period, and be paired with a second media market which gets the same treatments in reverse order. Measurement will include two pre and two post measures for each treatment. These studies will contribute to the refinement of anti-drug media strategies, providing specific advice about how to choose and combine advertisements to maximize effects.
| Zhao, Xiaoquan; Strasser, Andrew; Cappella, Joseph N et al. (2011) A Measure of Perceived Argument Strength: Reliability and Validity. Commun Methods Meas 5:48-75 |
| Zhao, Xiaoquan; Sayeed, Sarah; Cappella, Joseph et al. (2006) Targeting norm-related beliefs about marijuana use in an adolescent population. Health Commun 19:187-96 |
| Yzer, Marco C; Cappella, Joseph N; Fishbein, Martin et al. (2003) The effectiveness of gateway communications in anti-marijuana campaigns. J Health Commun 8:129-43 |
