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Reactance, autonomy and paths to persuasion: Examining perceptions of threats to freedom and informational value

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Abstract

Autonomy, often associated with an open and reflective evaluation of experience, is sometimes confused with reactance, which indicates resistance to persuasion attempts. Two studies examined a path model in which autonomy and reactance predicted motivation following the provision of anonymous or source-identified health-risk information, via the mediation of perceived threat to decision-making freedom and of perceived informational value. Study 1 (N = 122) investigated alcohol consumption. The results showed that autonomy was positively related to autonomous motivation and intentions to drink responsibly. Reactance negatively predicted autonomous motivation in the source-identified information condition but positively predicted autonomous motivation and intentions in the anonymous information condition. Reactance negatively predicted attitudes through the mediation of perceived threat to decision-making freedom. Study 2 (N = 145) tested our hypothesized model for smoking behavior and replicated several of the Study 1 findings. Implications for our understanding of autonomy, reactance, and responses to risk-information are discussed.

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Notes

  1. There was also a neutral condition used in Study 1, in which participants (N = 60) read information unrelated to alcohol consumption. However, given that this data would not have fitted our hypothesised model, data from participants in the neutral information condition were removed. No neutral condition was used in Study 2.

  2. Adding alcohol consumption over the past seven days as a covariate in the model did not significantly affect the results of the model in Study 1.

  3. Adding the number of cigarettes smoked per week as a covariate in the model did not significantly effect the results of the model in Study 2.

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Acknowledgment

This research was funded by a UK Economic and Social Research Council grant to Louisa Pavey.

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Correspondence to Louisa Pavey.

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Pavey, L., Sparks, P. Reactance, autonomy and paths to persuasion: Examining perceptions of threats to freedom and informational value. Motiv Emot 33, 277–290 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-009-9137-1

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