NEGATIVE EMOTION AND MESSAGE PROCESSING

This research examined the hypothesis that negative emotional arousal leads to less careful processing of persuasive material. Patients about to receive a dental filling were randomly assigned to hear either a graphic (high fear) description of their upcoming procedure or filler (low fear) information. Patients then heard either a high- or low-quality message reaffirming the efficacy of fluoridated water as a preventative for tooth decay. Results indicated that, contrary to prior research (e.g. Baron, Inman, Kao, & Logan, 1992), high-fear subjects showed evidence of more careful message processing than low-fear patients. Cross study comparisons suggest that the discrepant results between this study and prior findings are due to whether or not the message topic is fear-relevant. These results imply that prior reports of less careful emotional processing are due to attention allocation processes rather than to a diminution of capacity. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.