A researcher studied the effect of fear appeals on attitude change. One group experienced no fear while the other group experienced a very high level of fear. Results showed no difference in the amount of attitude change in the two groups. Which one of the following is the most reasonable conclusion?

A. third group with a mod fear level of fear should be usedB. a less reliable measure of attitude change should be usedC. there should be a stronger manipulation of fearD. all of these are equally reasonable

(A) Third group with a moderate fear level of fear should be used

Explanation:

Fear appeal is a term used in psychology, sociology, and marketing. It is defined as a persuasive message that can change someone's behavior through evoking fear. Fear is generally known as a reaction in the form of emotions to certain dangers. Fear can cause emotional anomalies, such as anger, desire to scream, shivering, paranoia, and another emotion. That is why fear appeal becomes material for many parties to study in order to achieve certain goals.

Since the control and treatment group is showing similar response, using a third group with fear levels that have been moderated to show a less extreme fear response should uncover whether attitude change can only occur on moderate-levels of fear instead of extreme levels. (B) should be avoided since a less reliable measurement means that the measurement would not be correctly measuring what it should be measuring. (C) is also not a problem since high level of fears have already been displayed by the treatment group.