Abstract
This paper describes the effects of an anti-smoking film on level of arousal and anxiety in a group of smokers and nonsmoking control. The aims of the study were threefold: to determine whether a fear appeal of this kind would increase arousal; to examine the relationship between self-reported, behavioral, and somatic responses to this type of fear appeal; and to assess the extent to which responses were influenced by consistent individual differences in the reporting of emotional states. The results indicated that a close correspondence existed between the self-reported and somatic measures of anxiety and that smokers showed a greater increase in anxiety than nonsmokers. Individual differences in reporting of emotional state were not related to somatic responses. Over-all, fear appeals of the type used here may be useful in manipulating level of anxiety and attitudes towards smoking.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.