Table_1_The Effectiveness of Online Messages for Promoting Smoking Cessation Resources: Predicting Nationwide Campaign Effects From Neural Responses in the EX Campaign.DOCX

What are the key ingredients that make some persuasive messages resonate with audiences and elicit action, while others fail? Billions of dollars per year are put towards changing human behavior, but it is difficult to know which messages will be the most persuasive in the field. By combining novel neuroimaging techniques and large-scale online data, we examine the role of key health communication variables relevant to motivating action at scale. We exposed a sample of smokers to anti-smoking web-banner messages from a real-world campaign while measuring message-evoked brain response patterns via fMRI, and we also obtained subjective evaluations of each banner. Neural indices were derived based on: (i) message-evoked activity in specific brain regions; and (ii) spatially distributed response patterns, both selected based on prior research and theoretical considerations. Next, we connected the neural and subjective data with an independent, objective outcome of message success, which is the per-banner click-through rate in the real-world campaign. Results show that messages evoking brain responses more similar to signatures of negative emotion and vividness had lower online click-through-rates. This strategy helps to connect and integrate the rapidly growing body of knowledge about brain function with formative research and outcome evaluation of health campaigns, and could ultimately further disease prevention efforts.

探讨何种关键因素使得某些具有说服力的信息能够与受众产生共鸣并激发行动，而其他信息则未能奏效。每年数十亿美元被投入于改变人类行为的研究中，但难以预知哪些信息在特定领域将最具说服力。通过融合创新的神经影像技术和大规模在线数据，本研究审视了与健康传播相关的关键变量在规模性激发行动中的作用。在真实世界活动中，我们向一组吸烟者展示了戒烟网络横幅广告信息，并通过功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）测量信息引发的脑部反应模式，同时收集了每个横幅的主观评价。基于先前的科研和理论考量，我们推导了基于以下两点的神经指标：（一）特定脑区信息引发的活性；（二）空间分布的反应模式。随后，我们将神经和主观数据与独立、客观的消息成功结果相连接，即真实世界活动中每个横幅的点击率。结果显示，引发与负面情绪和生动性特征相似脑部反应的信息，其在线点击率较低。此策略有助于将关于脑功能的知识体系与健康教育活动的形成性研究和结果评估相结合，并最终有助于加强疾病预防工作。