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“To donate or not to donate – a question of frame and focus?”: een onderzoek naar de effecten van een regulatieve fit op het donatiegedrag van de consument

Zomerdijk, Marije (2012) “To donate or not to donate – a question of frame and focus?”: een onderzoek naar de effecten van een regulatieve fit op het donatiegedrag van de consument.

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Abstract:The Regulatory Focus Theory of Higgins (1997) poses that people can find themselves in a promotion focus or prevention focus. A person with a promotion focus is oriented towards the achievement of ideals and attaining gains. This person is sensitive to positive consequences that can result from actions. A person with a prevention focus is oriented towards fulfilling duties and avoiding losses. This person is sensitive to negative consequences that can result from actions. Someone is experiencing a ‘regulatory fit’ when goal pursuit means are used or activities are undertaken that fit the regulatory focus of that person. A regulatory fit makes people ‘feel good’ about what they are doing and therefore has a great influence on judgments, decision making, attitude and behavior change. The frame (formulation) of an advertisement or text can also fit the focus of a person and in that way create a regulatory fit. The two studies in the current research investigated whether a ‘fit’ between the frame of a fundraising message and the regulatory focus of the reader can result in more willingness to donate to charity. In the first study, a regulatory fit was created by measuring the chronic regulatory focus of the person and matching the frame of the advertisement to the chronic focus. This study also investigated which mechanisms are possible mediators in the relationship between (non-)fit and behavioral intention. In the second study, a regulatory fit was created by priming the focus of the person and matching the frame of the message to the primed focus. The first study showed that a regulatory fit between chronic focus and advertisement frame results in a higher processing fluency. This effect was only found in the advertisement with the positive frame and did not result in a higher intention to donate. The second study did not find any effects of a regulatory fit. Instead, the second study showed that a primed focus can be dominant in such a way that no interaction between the focus and the frame is taking place. A primed promotion focus (vs. a primed prevention focus) resulted in a higher persuasiveness, higher processing fluency, a more positive attitude and a higher intention to become a regular donor of the organization. The frame did not play any role in this case. The discussion of the report considers implications of findings and gives suggestions for further research.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:05 communication studies
Programme:Communication Studies MSc (60713)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/61538
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