Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Kacy Kim
Second Faculty Advisor
Sukki Yoon
Keywords
terror management theory; prosocial behavior; charitable campaigns; psychological distance; message frame
Publisher
Bryant University
Rights Management
CC - BY - NC - ND; CC - BY; CC - BY - SA; CC - BY - ND; CC - BY - NC - SA; CC - BY - NC
Abstract
This research aims to investigate the interplay between terror management theory, self-other message framing, and psychological distance in influencing individuals’ perceptions, judgements, and behavioral responses, particularly in context of advertisements featuring animals of varying proximity to humans. The purpose of this research is to understand how mortality sensitivity and the categorizations of ‘self’ and ‘other’ impact individuals’ attitudes and intentions towards advertisements featuring animals. The research methodology employed involves experimental designs with manipulated salience of priming conditions (birth or death) and the presentation of animals (monkey as proxy to self and frog as distal to self) to gauge participants attitudes, donation intention and donation amount. The results indicate that when mortality is insensitive, individuals resonate more effectively with the “self” framed messaging, demonstrating more favorable attitudes towards advertisements featuring animals closely related to humans, like monkeys. When mortality is sensitive, the animal distant from human experience, frogs, is more favorable as individuals want to avoid the thoughts of death close to themselves. The presence of psychological dissonance plays a pivotal role in these reactions, as individuals navigate the incongruity between their self-concept, the nature of the animals presented, and the priming conditions. Our findings highlight the significance of terror management theory and message framing in shaping individuals’ responses to advertising stimuli, revealing intricate cognitive processes that drive decision-making.
Comments
This reserach examines the influence of terror management theory and psychological factors on consumer responses to animal-themed charity ads. This study explores how mortality awareness affects attitude and donation behaviors in advertising.