Doing What Makes You Happy: Health Message Framing for Younger and Older Adults

Health appeal appraisal and memory in older adults: the effects of goal and valence framing

Relative to younger adults, older adults have a preference and memory advantage for appeals framed to focus on emotion goals (e.g., loving or caring) or positive outcomes (e.g., benefits of health behaviors). Here we examined whether combining goal (emotion vs. future) and valence framing (positive vs. negative) could optimize older adults' appraisal and memory for health appeals. Sixty younger (ages 18-29) and 60 older (ages 64-87) adults viewed, rated and recalled one of the four versions of a health pamphlet, each with a unique combination of goal and valence framing. The results showed a memory advantage for pamphlets focusing on emotion over future goals in both age groups. Older adults also showed a more favorable appraisal and a weak memory advantage for the positively- and emotion-framed pamphlet, relative to younger adults. Thus combining goal and valence framing could optimize the effectiveness of older adults' health appeal communication..

Emotion, Aging, and Decision Making: A State of the Art Mini-Review

Over the past few decades, interest has begun to surge in understanding the role of emotion in decision making, and more recently in studies across the adult life span. Relevant to age-related changes in decision making, theoretical perspectives in judgment and decision making draw critical distinctions between deliberative versus intuitive/affective processes, as well as integral versus incidental affect. Empirical findings demonstrate the central role of affect in various decision-related domains such as framing and risk taking. To situate this review within an adult life-span context, we focus on theoretical perspectives in adult development regarding emotion and motivation. As a result of age differences in deliberative and emotional processes, taking a life-span perspective is critical to advance a comprehensive and grounded understanding of the role of affect in decision making. Age-related shifts in information processing from negative toward positive material also have consequential implications. By taking a life-span perspective, not only will decision theorists and researchers benefit, but so too will practitioners who encounter individuals of various ages as they make consequential decisions.

Investigating message framing to improve adherence to technology-based cognitive interventions

A cognitive intervention study was conducted with the purpose of exploring methods to improve adherence to a technology-based cognitive intervention and uncover individual differences that predict adherence (N = 120). The study was divided into two phases: Phase 1, in which participants were asked to follow a prescribed schedule of training that involved gamified neuropsychological tests administered via tablet, and Phase 2, in which participants were asked to play as frequently as they wished. Positive- and negative-framed messages about brain health were delivered via the software program, and measures of cognition, technology proficiency, self-efficacy, technology attitudes, and belief in the benefits of cognitive training were collected. Generalized linear mixed-effects models revealed that positive-framed messages encouraged greater adherence over negative-framed messages, but this effect was restricted to Phase 2 of the study in the absence of social pressure. Measures of memory and self-efficacy demonstrated some, but limited, ability to predict individual differences in adherence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Getting to the Heart of the Matter in Later Life: The Central Role of Affect in Health Message Framing

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Adopting healthy behaviors is often influenced by message framing; gain-framed messages emphasize the benefits of engaging in a behavior, whereas loss-framed messages highlight the consequences of not engaging in a behavior. Research has begun to uncover the underlying affective pathways involved in message framing. In the current study, we examined the role of affect in message framing to encourage exercise program enrollment among older adults.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We mailed flyers to 126 volunteers assigned to a gain- or loss-framed condition and measured their affective reactions to the flyer and enrollment intentions. After the call, participants had the opportunity to contact us to enroll.

RESULTS

Gain versus loss framing led to more positive affect toward the flyer, which predicted intentions and enrollment effort. In indirect effect analyses, frame indirectly influenced intentions and enrollment effort via positive affect.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Although message framing plays an indirect role in influencing behavior, affect plays a central role.

The psycholinguistic and affective processing of framed health messages among younger and older adults

How health-related messages are framed can impact their effectiveness in promoting behaviors, and messages framed in terms of gains have been shown to be more effective among older adults. Recent findings have suggested that the affective response to framed messages can contribute to these effects. However, the impact of demands associated with psycholinguistic processing for different frames is not well understood. In this study, exercise-related messages were gain or loss framed and with a focus on either desirable or undesirable outcomes. Participants read these messages while their eye movements were monitored and then provided affective ratings. Older adults reacted less negatively than younger adults to loss-framed messages and messages focusing on undesirable outcomes. Eye-movement measures indicated both younger and older adults had difficulty processing the most complex messages (loss-framed messages focused on avoiding desirable outcomes). When gain-framed messages were easily processed, they engendered more positive affect, which in turn, was related to better recall. These results suggest that affective and cognitive mechanisms are interdependent in comprehension of framed messages for younger and older adults. An implication for translation to effective health communication is that simpler message framing engenders a positive reaction, which in turn supports memory for that information, regardless of age. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Promoting Strength Training Among Baby Boomers: Message Framing Effects on Motivation and Behavior

BACKGROUND

Regular participation in strength training significantly enhances older adults' physical and functional health, yet only 14% of adults over age 50 report engaging in strength training at least twice per week. Exercise messages about why and how older adults should engage in strength training could influence their perceptions of and participation in the behavior. This study was designed to promote strength training among adults aged 50-70 and to determine whether the message frame accompanying a brief workout would have an impact on participants' motivation, self-efficacy, and/or physical activity behavior.

METHODS

Participants (N = 308) were randomly assigned to one of four message conditions: Easy Intrinsic, Hard Intrinsic, Easy Extrinsic, or Hard Extrinsic. Immediately after completing baseline measures of motivation and physical activity, participants received the recommended strength training workout and corresponding motivational message. They completed follow-up measures of motivation and physical activity 2 weeks later.

RESULTS

Controlled regulation was higher at follow-up among participants exposed to an extrinsic message relative to an intrinsic message (F(3,208) = 3.08, p = .03). Strength training (Z = - 5.95, p < .001) and moderate physical activity (Z = - 3.23, p = .001) increased among participants not engaging in regular strength training at baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest message framing may have a short-term impact on Baby Boomers' physical activity motivation, such that emphasizing extrinsic goals (i.e., weight loss and appearance) may contribute to controlled motivation. However, repeated measurements are needed to determine the longer-term maintenance and influence of these effects.