When Freedom of Choice Leads to Bias: How Threat Fosters Selective Exposure to Health Information
This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review [What does this mean?].
Author(s) / Creator(s)
Wedderhoff, Oliver
Chasiotis, Anita
Rosman, Tom
Abstract / Description
Selective exposure to online health information can be ascribed to two related defense motives: the motivation to confirm one’s subjective perceptions, and the motivation to protect relevant parts of the self-image, such as physical integrity. Our aim was to identify how these motives come into effect in the context of a health threat (risk of developing a heart disease). In a preregistered online study with N = 763 individuals, we analyzed the impact of perceived and suggested risk on the degree of bias in selecting risk-related information on an alleged Google search result page. Applying a 2x2 design with the experimental factor ‘risk feedback’ and the quasi-experimental factor ‘perceived risk’, we formulated six hypotheses. First, we expected a main effect of perceived risk on selective exposure to information suggesting no risk and second, we hypothesized a main effect of perceived risk on mean quality rating of information suggesting a risk. Third, we proposed a main effect of risk feedback on selective exposure to information which suggests no risk and fourth, we proposed a main effect of risk feedback on mean quality rating of information suggesting a risk. Fifth, we expected an interaction effect between perceived and suggested risk in and sixth, we proposed an interaction effect between perceived and suggested risk in different forms for each of the four conditions on quality ratings. Only the third hypothesis was confirmed: Receiving information which suggested a health risk increased the tendency to select information denying the risk. Additional exploratory analyses revealed a moderator effect of health information literacy on the relationship between risk feedback and selective exposure. In sum, our results underline the crucial role of defense motives in the context of a suggested health threat.
Keyword(s)
selective exposure health information experimental studyPersistent Identifier
Date of first publication
2022-03-30
Publisher
PsychArchives
Is version of
Citation
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Wedderhoff_Chasiotis_Rosman_SelectiveExposure_PrePrint.pdfAdobe PDF - 552.99KBMD5: bb0db0d676d0f3da7bd7f7738df95992Description: Manuscript incl. Figures, Tables and References
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There are no other versions of this object.
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Wedderhoff, Oliver
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Chasiotis, Anita
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Rosman, Tom
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PsychArchives acquisition timestamp2022-03-30T09:49:49Z
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Made available on2022-03-30T09:49:49Z
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Date of first publication2022-03-30
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Abstract / DescriptionSelective exposure to online health information can be ascribed to two related defense motives: the motivation to confirm one’s subjective perceptions, and the motivation to protect relevant parts of the self-image, such as physical integrity. Our aim was to identify how these motives come into effect in the context of a health threat (risk of developing a heart disease). In a preregistered online study with N = 763 individuals, we analyzed the impact of perceived and suggested risk on the degree of bias in selecting risk-related information on an alleged Google search result page. Applying a 2x2 design with the experimental factor ‘risk feedback’ and the quasi-experimental factor ‘perceived risk’, we formulated six hypotheses. First, we expected a main effect of perceived risk on selective exposure to information suggesting no risk and second, we hypothesized a main effect of perceived risk on mean quality rating of information suggesting a risk. Third, we proposed a main effect of risk feedback on selective exposure to information which suggests no risk and fourth, we proposed a main effect of risk feedback on mean quality rating of information suggesting a risk. Fifth, we expected an interaction effect between perceived and suggested risk in and sixth, we proposed an interaction effect between perceived and suggested risk in different forms for each of the four conditions on quality ratings. Only the third hypothesis was confirmed: Receiving information which suggested a health risk increased the tendency to select information denying the risk. Additional exploratory analyses revealed a moderator effect of health information literacy on the relationship between risk feedback and selective exposure. In sum, our results underline the crucial role of defense motives in the context of a suggested health threat.en
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Publication statusother
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Review statusnotReviewed
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Persistent Identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/5066
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Persistent Identifierhttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5668
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Language of contenteng
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PublisherPsychArchives
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Is version ofhttps://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.937699
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Is related tohttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2435
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Is related tohttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2770
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Keyword(s)selective exposure
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Keyword(s)health information
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Keyword(s)experimental study
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Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)150
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TitleWhen Freedom of Choice Leads to Bias: How Threat Fosters Selective Exposure to Health Informationen
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DRO typepreprint
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Leibniz institute name(s) / abbreviation(s)ZPID