Compliance with mass marketing solicitation: The role of verbatim and gist processing
Abstract Introduction Mass marketing scams threaten financial and personal well‐being. Grounded in fuzzy‐trace theory, we examined whether verbatim and gist‐based risk processing predicts susceptibility to scams and whether such processing can be altered. Methods Seven hundred and one participants r...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Brain and Behavior |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2391 |
| _version_ | 1818405957485461504 |
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| author | Julia Nolte Yaniv Hanoch Stacey A. Wood Valerie F. Reyna |
| author_facet | Julia Nolte Yaniv Hanoch Stacey A. Wood Valerie F. Reyna |
| author_sort | Julia Nolte |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction Mass marketing scams threaten financial and personal well‐being. Grounded in fuzzy‐trace theory, we examined whether verbatim and gist‐based risk processing predicts susceptibility to scams and whether such processing can be altered. Methods Seven hundred and one participants read a solicitation letter online and indicated willingness to call an “activation number” to claim an alleged $500,000 sweepstakes prize. Participants focused on the solicitation's verbatim details (hypothesized to increase risk‐taking) or its broad gist (hypothesized to decrease risk‐taking). Results As expected, measures of verbatim‐based processing positively predicted contact intentions, whereas measures of gist‐based processing negatively predicted contact intentions. Contrary to hypotheses, experimental conditions did not influence intentions (43% across conditions). Contact intentions were associated with perceptions of low risk, high benefit, and the offer's apparent genuineness, as well as self‐reported decision regret, subjective vulnerability to scams, and prior experience falling for scams. Conclusions Overall, message perceptions and prior susceptibility, rather than experimental manipulations, mattered in predicting scam susceptibility. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T09:04:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0d98c65b0b4e44edb09832360797332e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2162-3279 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T09:04:18Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain and Behavior |
| spelling | doaj.art-0d98c65b0b4e44edb09832360797332e2022-12-21T23:08:44ZengWileyBrain and Behavior2162-32792021-11-011111n/an/a10.1002/brb3.2391Compliance with mass marketing solicitation: The role of verbatim and gist processingJulia Nolte0Yaniv Hanoch1Stacey A. Wood2Valerie F. Reyna3Department of Human Development Cornell University Ithaca New York USASouthampton Business School University of Southampton Southampton UKDepartment of Psychology Scripps College Claremont California USADepartment of Human Development Cornell University Ithaca New York USAAbstract Introduction Mass marketing scams threaten financial and personal well‐being. Grounded in fuzzy‐trace theory, we examined whether verbatim and gist‐based risk processing predicts susceptibility to scams and whether such processing can be altered. Methods Seven hundred and one participants read a solicitation letter online and indicated willingness to call an “activation number” to claim an alleged $500,000 sweepstakes prize. Participants focused on the solicitation's verbatim details (hypothesized to increase risk‐taking) or its broad gist (hypothesized to decrease risk‐taking). Results As expected, measures of verbatim‐based processing positively predicted contact intentions, whereas measures of gist‐based processing negatively predicted contact intentions. Contrary to hypotheses, experimental conditions did not influence intentions (43% across conditions). Contact intentions were associated with perceptions of low risk, high benefit, and the offer's apparent genuineness, as well as self‐reported decision regret, subjective vulnerability to scams, and prior experience falling for scams. Conclusions Overall, message perceptions and prior susceptibility, rather than experimental manipulations, mattered in predicting scam susceptibility.https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2391consumer fraudfuzzy‐tracemass marketing solicitation |
| spellingShingle | Julia Nolte Yaniv Hanoch Stacey A. Wood Valerie F. Reyna Compliance with mass marketing solicitation: The role of verbatim and gist processing Brain and Behavior consumer fraud fuzzy‐trace mass marketing solicitation |
| title | Compliance with mass marketing solicitation: The role of verbatim and gist processing |
| title_full | Compliance with mass marketing solicitation: The role of verbatim and gist processing |
| title_fullStr | Compliance with mass marketing solicitation: The role of verbatim and gist processing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Compliance with mass marketing solicitation: The role of verbatim and gist processing |
| title_short | Compliance with mass marketing solicitation: The role of verbatim and gist processing |
| title_sort | compliance with mass marketing solicitation the role of verbatim and gist processing |
| topic | consumer fraud fuzzy‐trace mass marketing solicitation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2391 |
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