DOCTORAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH IN DRMS: Disgust-Driven Prosocial Behavior: Message Processing and Persuasive Effects Over Time

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation research aims to understand the influence of disgust-evoking imagery on prosocial decision making and behavior. Grotesque visuals are frequently used in persuasive messages to depict dire need and influence concern for the welfare of others. Yet, little is known about the potential for disgust to motivate prosocial behavior. Increasing reliance on the goodwill of private citizens to mitigate social ills, and the important role persuasive messages play in motivating such behavior, heightens the need for inquiries into the effects and potential consequences of persuasive strategies employing visceral emotion. In addition to informing our understanding of the persuasive potential of disgust, this research contributes to basic knowledge about how moral action is motivated within individuals by exploring the interaction of emotive and cognitive factors. Emotion research has often connected disgust to anti-social judgments and rejection behavior. Disgust inductions in these studies are, however, usually incidental or irrelevant to the decision task. In contrast, integral emotion inductions, such as the depiction of disease in a persuasive appeal, are triggered by the decision situation and are relevant to the decision task. Therefore, integral disgust may have different effects on message processing and behavioral outcomes. This research explores processes by which disgust may trigger prosocial responses. A key features of these controlled experiments include the use of the classic "dictator game" to measure behavior and social judgment tasks to explore potential unintended consequences of disgust in the context of prosocial persuasion. A first experiment tests the assumption that disgust is insensitive to context by examining information processing effects when disgust cues are used in a prosocial persuasive message (integral emotion) compared to when disgust cues are not connected to the decision-making context (incidental emotion). A subsequent experiment compares the differential effects of grotesque versus clean portrayals of need and tests for a sleeper effect of disgust. Whereas, study 1 addresses the question of whether persuasive arguments may alter emotional appraisals, study 2 examines whether these responses change over time.