Eye Movement Patterns in Response to Antibinge Drinking Messages

• In Event: Antialcohol Messages

Abstract

Health message design combines selected visual and textual components that are thought to work in concert to produce an intended effect. Most health message effects research assumes rather than determines that message recipients attend to all necessary components. In contrast, the present research mapped viewing patterns of 50 participants in response to a set of anti-binge drinking print messages using eye tracking methodology. Results showed that participants primarily viewed faces of persons portrayed in the messages as well as alcohol use cues and cryptic one-liners. Textual components, e.g., information about consequences of heavy drinking, were viewed infrequently and briefly. Men, for whom anti-binge drinking messages were self-relevant, viewed message components more often and longer than women. These findings suggest that when message recipients for whom a message is self-relevant view health messages, they may attend primarily to a subset of components that not necessarily convey the full message.

Authors

• Marco C. Yzer, U of Minnesota

• Jiyoung Han, University of Minnesota

• Kelvin Choi, U of Minnesota