Department of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Faculty of Sport Science, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2013 Apr;35(2):119-31. doi: 10.1123/jsep.35.2.119.
Targeted communication about health behaviors seems to be more effective than mass communication in which undifferentiated audiences receive identical messages. Regulatory focus is psychological variable that can be used to build two target groups: promotion-focused or prevention-focused people. It is hypothesized that targeting messages to an individual's regulatory focus creates regulatory fit and is more successful to promote a physically active lifestyle than nonfit messages. Two different print messages promoting a physically active lifestyle derived from regulatory focus theory (promotion message vs. prevention message) were randomly assigned to N = 98 participants after measuring their regulatory focus. It was examined whether regulatory fit between the regulatory focus and the assigned print message would lead to more positive evaluations in the dependent variables inclination toward the message (preference for the message), intention to perform the behavior, prospective and retrospective feelings associated with the behavior (positive and negative), and perceived value of the behavior directly after reading the message. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that regulatory fit led to stronger intentions in the prevention-message condition and more prospective positive and retrospective positive feelings associated with the behavior in the promotion-message condition in contrast to the nonfit conditions. Prospective positive feelings associated with the behavior mediated the effect of regulatory fit on intention. The results partly provided support for the regulatory fit concept. Matching print messages to the regulatory focus of individuals seems to be a useful approach to enhance physical activity motivation. Future studies should include an objective measure of physical activity behavior.
目标式的健康行为传播似乎比大众传播更有效，因为大众传播中，未区分的受众会收到相同的信息。调节焦点是一种心理变量，可以用来构建两个目标群体：促进焦点人群和预防焦点人群。有假设认为，将信息与个人的调节焦点相匹配会产生调节契合，并且比不匹配的信息更能成功地促进积极的生活方式。两种不同的促进积极生活方式的印刷信息源自调节焦点理论（促进信息与预防信息），在测量了 98 名参与者的调节焦点后，随机分配给他们。研究的问题是，调节焦点与所分配的印刷信息之间的调节契合是否会导致对依赖变量的更积极评价（对信息的偏好）、行为意向、与行为相关的预期和回顾性感受（积极和消极）以及直接阅读信息后对行为的感知价值。分层线性回归分析表明，与不匹配的条件相比，在预防信息条件下，调节契合会导致更强的意图，而在促进信息条件下，与行为相关的预期积极感受和回顾性积极感受会更强。与行为相关的预期积极感受在调节契合对意图的影响中起中介作用。研究结果部分支持了调节契合的概念。将印刷信息与个人的调节焦点相匹配似乎是增强身体活动动机的一种有效方法。未来的研究应该包括身体活动行为的客观衡量。
