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12. Effects of rationality and story attributes on perceptions of SARS perception

  • Shuhua Zhou , Chia-Hsin Pan and Xin Zhong
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The Social Construction of SARS
This chapter is in the book The Social Construction of SARS

Abstract

Social perception and the construction of social reality are intrinsically linked. This study tested the conjoint effects of participant rationality and two story attributes, severity and context, on perception of the SARS threat and on story evaluation. Participants’ rationality was assessed by the Rational-Experiential Inventory. Stories of SARS were manipulated to be either severe or non-severe, and with or without context. Two experiments using identical manipulations and measurement instruments were conducted, one in the US and one in China. Among high rationality individuals, contextual information was effective in assuaging apprehension, but only in China where the perceived threat was serious. However, story attributes consistently affected story evaluation. Findings were discussed in terms of how rationality affected health information processing in response to changes in perceived risks and how story attributes contribute to the effectiveness of health communication. Implications for social construction of health risks were then offered.

Abstract

Social perception and the construction of social reality are intrinsically linked. This study tested the conjoint effects of participant rationality and two story attributes, severity and context, on perception of the SARS threat and on story evaluation. Participants’ rationality was assessed by the Rational-Experiential Inventory. Stories of SARS were manipulated to be either severe or non-severe, and with or without context. Two experiments using identical manipulations and measurement instruments were conducted, one in the US and one in China. Among high rationality individuals, contextual information was effective in assuaging apprehension, but only in China where the perceived threat was serious. However, story attributes consistently affected story evaluation. Findings were discussed in terms of how rationality affected health information processing in response to changes in perceived risks and how story attributes contribute to the effectiveness of health communication. Implications for social construction of health risks were then offered.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Constructions of SARS in Hong Kong
  5. 1. Hong Kong's multiple constructions of SARS 17
  6. 2. A hero story without heroes: The Hong Kong government's narratives on SARS 33
  7. 3. "SARS" versus "atypical pneumonia": Inconsistencies in Hong Kong's public health warnings and disease-prevention campaign 53
  8. 4. Internet press freedom and online crisis reporting: The role of news web sites in the SARS epidemic 69
  9. Part II. Constructions of SARS on the Chinese mainland
  10. 5. Party journalism vs. market journalism: The coverage of SARS by the People's Daily and Beijing Youth News 93
  11. 6. Construction of nationalism and political legitimacy through rhetoric of the anti-SARS campaign: A fantasy theme analysis 109
  12. 7. SARS discourse as an anti-SARS ideology: The case of Beijing 125
  13. Part III. Constructions of SARS in Singapore and Taiwan
  14. 8. "Triumph over adversity": Singapore mobilizes Confucian values to combat SARS 145
  15. 9. Singapore at war: SARS and its metaphors 163
  16. 10. Reporting an emerging epidemic in Taiwan: Journalists' experiences of SARS coverage 181
  17. Part IV. Cross national constructions of SARS
  18. 11. Newspaper coverage of the 2003 SARS outbreak 203
  19. 12. Effects of rationality and story attributes on perceptions of SARS perception 223
  20. Index 241
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.30.17zho

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Constructions of SARS in Hong Kong
  5. 1. Hong Kong's multiple constructions of SARS 17
  6. 2. A hero story without heroes: The Hong Kong government's narratives on SARS 33
  7. 3. "SARS" versus "atypical pneumonia": Inconsistencies in Hong Kong's public health warnings and disease-prevention campaign 53
  8. 4. Internet press freedom and online crisis reporting: The role of news web sites in the SARS epidemic 69
  9. Part II. Constructions of SARS on the Chinese mainland
  10. 5. Party journalism vs. market journalism: The coverage of SARS by the People's Daily and Beijing Youth News 93
  11. 6. Construction of nationalism and political legitimacy through rhetoric of the anti-SARS campaign: A fantasy theme analysis 109
  12. 7. SARS discourse as an anti-SARS ideology: The case of Beijing 125
  13. Part III. Constructions of SARS in Singapore and Taiwan
  14. 8. "Triumph over adversity": Singapore mobilizes Confucian values to combat SARS 145
  15. 9. Singapore at war: SARS and its metaphors 163
  16. 10. Reporting an emerging epidemic in Taiwan: Journalists' experiences of SARS coverage 181
  17. Part IV. Cross national constructions of SARS
  18. 11. Newspaper coverage of the 2003 SARS outbreak 203
  19. 12. Effects of rationality and story attributes on perceptions of SARS perception 223
  20. Index 241
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