Narrative Pictorial Warning Labels Experiment

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of pictorial warning labels (PWLs) featuring narrative (vs. non-narrative) content in communicating the cancer risk of alcohol. Participants were recruited from Prolific. Participants were first invited to participate in an online screening survey. Eligible participants were invited to participate in the main experiment. In the main experiment, participants first answered questions concerning baseline alcohol consumption and other background information. Then they engaged with a webcam-based eye-tracking task through Sticky by Tobii. Participants read instructions and tips related to completing the eye-tracking task. They then completed a brief calibration procedure and be presented with either three narrative PWLs or three non-narrative PWLs. Sticky by Tobii recorded participants' gaze, thereby measuring visual attention to each PWL. After viewing each PWL, participants answered a few questions (e.g., self-reported attention, reactance to warning). After viewing all three PWLs, they answered questions based on all images combined (e.g., risk perceptions, behavioral intentions). A follow-up survey was sent to participants after two weeks, which included questions about their self-reported drinking behavior change, information seeking behaviors, risk perceptions, and behavioral intentions.