Blackwell Reference Online

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Message effects fall into at least three categories: behavioral (actions caused by a message), cognitive (thoughts caused by a message), and emotional (feelings caused by a message). By message, we mean any kind of symbol perceived by an individual to have some sort of meaning, be it through the printed, spoken, or felt word via intrapersonal, interpersonal, mass media, or other means. A message can affect behavioral, cognitive, or emotional outcomes separately or simultaneously. The large body of research on fear appeals, for example, shows that a message produces thoughts about a threat, feelings of emotional arousal, and behavioral actions ( Witte & Allen 2000 ). A message contains (1) content, (2) stylistic, and (3) extra-message features. The content of a message refers to the words and/or symbols used in the message. For example, message content can focus on anecdotal versus statistical evidence, or loss versus gain frames (→  Framing Effects ; Instrumental Actualization ). Often, the content of message research focuses on latent constructs, such as susceptibility, severity, response efficacy, self-efficacy, barriers, norms, social capital, and so forth. Latent constructs cannot be directly measured and thus must be clearly defined and operationalized before being used in a message (→  Content Analysis, Qualitative ; Content Analysis, Quantitative ). Stylistic features ... log in or subscribe to read full text