Department of Health Promotion, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
International Trade, Statistics Netherlands, Heerlen, Netherlands.
J Med Internet Res. 2020 Oct 28;22(10):e14783. doi: 10.2196/14783.
Information provided in an interactive way is believed to be engaging because users can actively explore the information. Yet empirical findings often contradict this assumption. Consequently, there is still little known about whether and how interactivity affects communication outcomes such as recall.
The aim of this study was to investigate mechanisms through which interactivity affects recall of online health information. We tested whether and how cognitive involvement, perceived active control, and cognitive load mediate the effects of interactivity on recall. In addition, we examined need for cognition and health literacy as potential moderators of the mediation effects. Given the increasing popularity of dietary supplement use, our health website focused on this topic.
In an online between-subjects experiment (n=983), participants were randomly assigned to control condition (no interactive features), moderate interactivity (dropdown menus), and high interactivity (dropdown menus and responsive infographics). Two weeks before the experiment, background characteristics and moderating variables were measured. During website visit, data on users' online behavior were collected. Recall was measured postexposure.
Participants recalled significantly less information in the moderate (mean 3.48 [SD 2.71]) and high (mean 3.52 [SD 2.64]) interactivity conditions compared with the control condition (mean 5.63 [SD 2.18]). In the mediation analysis, we found direct, negative effects of moderate (b=-2.25, 95% CI -2.59 to -1.90) and high (b=-2.16, 95% CI -2.51 to -1.81) levels of interactivity on recall as well. In the relationship between interactivity and recall, cognitive involvement had a partial negative mediation effect (moderate interactivity: b=-.20; 95% CI -0.31 to -0.10; high interactivity: b=-.21, 95% CI -0.33 to -0.10) and perceived active control had a partial positive mediation effect (moderate interactivity: b=.28, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.40; high interactivity: b=.27, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.40).
Interactivity decreased recall. In addition, through interactivity participants were less involved with the content of the information, yet they felt they had more control over the information. These effects were stronger in the high need for cognition and high health literate groups compared with their counterparts.
人们认为以互动方式呈现的信息更具吸引力，因为用户可以主动探索信息。然而，实证研究的结果却常常与这一假设相矛盾。因此，目前我们对于互动性是否以及如何影响信息回忆等沟通效果知之甚少。
本研究旨在探讨互动性影响在线健康信息回忆的机制。我们检验了认知投入、感知主动控制和认知负荷是否在互动性对回忆的影响中起中介作用。此外，我们还考察了认知需求和健康素养作为中介效应的潜在调节因素。鉴于膳食补充剂的使用越来越普及，我们的健康网站专注于这一主题。
在一项在线的被试间实验（n=983）中，参与者被随机分配到对照组（无互动功能）、中度互动组（下拉菜单）和高度互动组（下拉菜单和响应式信息图）。在实验前两周，测量了背景特征和调节变量。在网站访问期间，收集了用户在线行为的数据。在暴露后测量回忆。
与对照组（平均 5.63 [SD 2.18]）相比，参与者在中度互动（平均 3.48 [SD 2.71]）和高度互动（平均 3.52 [SD 2.64]）条件下回忆的信息量明显较少。在中介分析中，我们发现中度（b=-2.25，95%CI-2.59 至-1.90）和高度（b=-2.16，95%CI-2.51 至-1.81）互动水平对回忆有直接的负面影响。在互动性与回忆之间的关系中，认知投入有部分负向中介效应（中度互动：b=-.20；95%CI-.31 至-.10；高度互动：b=-.21，95%CI-.33 至-.10），感知主动控制有部分正向中介效应（中度互动：b=.28，95%CI.18 至.40；高度互动：b=.27，95%CI.16 至.40）。
互动性降低了回忆。此外，通过互动，参与者对信息的内容参与度降低，但他们感觉对信息的控制度增加。与认知需求和健康素养较低的群体相比，这种影响在认知需求和健康素养较高的群体中更强。
