Abstract
Abstract
Katrina Pfaffenbach
Dr. Amanda Brouwer
The need for organ donors is consistent and enduring; every day in the United States, 17 individuals die waiting for a transplant, and while 90% of U.S. adults state they support donation, only 60% are registered donors (Health Resources & Services Administration, 2021). Organ donation promotional campaigns are routinely done in the realm of public health, yet the most effective approach remains disputed. In this study, separate appeals to reason and emotion were explored to provide a better understanding of how different types of promotion affect attitudes and misconceptions of organ donation. It was hypothesized that since the majority of participants were from a university setting, that a rational video, one providing information about organ donation and addressing misconceptions, would increase positive attitudes more than an emotional video across time. Participants were 131 individuals (M= 22.02, SD= 7.87) who answered questions about their views on organ donation before and after watching either an educational or emotional organ donation video. A 2x2 mixed design ANOVA was computed to test whether there were differences in attitudes before and after watching the videos and whether those differences were the same or different for each video group. Results indicated that there were main effects of feeling more educated (F(1,125) = 55.51, p < .001), decreased “ick” factor (F(1,125) = 10.79, p = .001), increased beliefs that other people should register as donors (F(1,7.61) = 10.79, p = .007), and decreased medical mistrust (F(1,125) = 13.92, p < .001) after watching the videos. Additionally, there was an interaction effect found for education (F(1,125) = 13.60, p < .001). After watching the video, the educational group reported feeling more educated (M=6.47, SE= 0.11) than those who watched the emotional video (M=5.949, SE= 0.12: t(125)=3.28, p < .001). For those who watched either video, there was a significant increase in knowledge after watching the video (Educational: t(125)=8.20, p < .001; Emotional t(125)=2.57, p = .01). The number of individuals who were not previously registered and agreed to be registered organ donors also increased after watching the videos (c2(N=127), =5.14, p =.016). No significant changes were observed for overall views on organ donation, perceived benefit, bodily integrity, or the “jinx” factor. These results give insight on how organ donation campaigns regardless of approach can positively influence some attitudes, but potentially not significantly affect others. The attitudes that were impacted by education were feeling educated, the “ick” factor, believing other people should register, as well as medical mistrust. An educational video increased feeling educated more than that emotional video, but both groups increased across time. Additionally, the educational group results in higher rates of registration and feeling potentially more satisfied with the video than did the emotional group. Therefore, the rational approach appeared more successful in increasing registration rates although both videos positively impacted this population of primarily college students in some way.
Keywords: promotional appeals, reason versus emotion, organ donation, education, attitudes about organ donation.
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department
Psychology
Location
Winona, Minnesota
Breakout Room
26
Start Date
4-14-2021 1:00 PM
End Date
4-14-2021 1:45 PM
Presentation Type
Video (Live-Zoom)
Included in
Effectiveness of Promoting Organ Donation with Appeal to Reason Versus Emotion
Winona, Minnesota
Abstract
Katrina Pfaffenbach
Dr. Amanda Brouwer
The need for organ donors is consistent and enduring; every day in the United States, 17 individuals die waiting for a transplant, and while 90% of U.S. adults state they support donation, only 60% are registered donors (Health Resources & Services Administration, 2021). Organ donation promotional campaigns are routinely done in the realm of public health, yet the most effective approach remains disputed. In this study, separate appeals to reason and emotion were explored to provide a better understanding of how different types of promotion affect attitudes and misconceptions of organ donation. It was hypothesized that since the majority of participants were from a university setting, that a rational video, one providing information about organ donation and addressing misconceptions, would increase positive attitudes more than an emotional video across time. Participants were 131 individuals (M= 22.02, SD= 7.87) who answered questions about their views on organ donation before and after watching either an educational or emotional organ donation video. A 2x2 mixed design ANOVA was computed to test whether there were differences in attitudes before and after watching the videos and whether those differences were the same or different for each video group. Results indicated that there were main effects of feeling more educated (F(1,125) = 55.51, p < .001), decreased “ick” factor (F(1,125) = 10.79, p = .001), increased beliefs that other people should register as donors (F(1,7.61) = 10.79, p = .007), and decreased medical mistrust (F(1,125) = 13.92, p < .001) after watching the videos. Additionally, there was an interaction effect found for education (F(1,125) = 13.60, p < .001). After watching the video, the educational group reported feeling more educated (M=6.47, SE= 0.11) than those who watched the emotional video (M=5.949, SE= 0.12: t(125)=3.28, p < .001). For those who watched either video, there was a significant increase in knowledge after watching the video (Educational: t(125)=8.20, p < .001; Emotional t(125)=2.57, p = .01). The number of individuals who were not previously registered and agreed to be registered organ donors also increased after watching the videos (c2(N=127), =5.14, p =.016). No significant changes were observed for overall views on organ donation, perceived benefit, bodily integrity, or the “jinx” factor. These results give insight on how organ donation campaigns regardless of approach can positively influence some attitudes, but potentially not significantly affect others. The attitudes that were impacted by education were feeling educated, the “ick” factor, believing other people should register, as well as medical mistrust. An educational video increased feeling educated more than that emotional video, but both groups increased across time. Additionally, the educational group results in higher rates of registration and feeling potentially more satisfied with the video than did the emotional group. Therefore, the rational approach appeared more successful in increasing registration rates although both videos positively impacted this population of primarily college students in some way.
Keywords: promotional appeals, reason versus emotion, organ donation, education, attitudes about organ donation.
