April 24, 2017

Stanton A. Glantz, PhD

Factual text vs emotional pictures in cigarette warning labels is a false dichotomy

The FDA’s initial effort to implement graphic warning labels was blocked by the courts because warnings are supposed to be “factual” not “emotional.”  Lucy Popova and colleagues just published a nice paper showing that this is a false dichotomy.  The paper, “Factual text and emotional pictures: overcoming a false dichotomy of cigarette warning labels,” was published in Tobacco Control.
 
Here is the abstract:
 
Background In reviewing the first set of pictorial warning labels in the USA, the courts equated textual labels with facts and information, and images with emotion. This study tested the differences in perceived informativeness and emotion between textual and pictorial cigarette warning labels.
Methods An online study with 1838 US adults who were non-smokers (n=764), transitioning smokers (quit smoking in the past 2 years or currently trying to quit, n=505) or current smokers (n=569). Each participant evaluated 9 out of 81 text and pictorial cigarette warning labels. Participants reported to what extent they perceived the label as informative and factual and the negative emotions they felt while looking at each label. We used linear mixed models to account for the nesting of multiple observations within each participant.
Results There were no significant differences in perceived informativeness between textual (mean 6.15 on a 9-point scale) and pictorial labels (6.14, p=0.80, Cohen’s d=0.003). Textual labels evoked slightly less emotion (4.21 on a 9-point scale) than pictorial labels (4.42, p Conclusion Our findings contradict courts’ conclusions that pictorial messages are emotional and not factual. Pictorial labels are rated as informative and factual, textual labels evoke emotion, and emotionality and informativeness are strongly correlated. These findings serve as evidence for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to counteract the claim that pictorial warning labels, by definition, are not ‘purely factual and uncontroversial’.
 
The full citation is: Popova L, Owusu D, Jenson D, et al    Factual text and emotional pictures: overcoming a false dichotomy of cigarette warning labels.   Tobacco Control Published Online First: 20 April 2017. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053563.  It is available here.

Comments

Comment: 

 
California case law calls for emotional appeal http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1009687.html";http://casel...
 
“Bunch presented testimony by Ross Buck, Ph.D., a professor of communication sciences and psychology at the University of Connecticut.   According to Buck, effective warnings “act as brakes to stop dangerous behaviors.”   Buck outlined the components of an effective persuasive warning:  it must command attention, galvanize memory, evoke emotion, contain an explicit instruction, and show a consequence.   This kind of warning is especially important for children under the age of 12.”
 
David Egilman MD, MPH
 
degilmanategilman.com

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