PERSUASIVE TECHNOLOGY AND GAMIFICATION AT THE WORKPLACE: ENGAGING EMPLOYEES IN EFFECTIVE DOCUMENTATION OF ANALYSIS AND EVALUATIONS

The availability of rich and high-quality data gives organizations the opportunity to make strategic decisions and a competitive edge over their competitors. However, documentation has been known to be a repetitive and tedious task and employees who perform this task may not be inherently motivated and suffer from fatigue, which reflects poorly on the quantity and quality of documentation. This thesis addresses this problem and proposes to use Persuasive Technology and Gamification to engage employees in documentation. Persuasive technology aims to change behaviours and attitudes through the art of persuasion without the use of coercion. Gamification is a type of Persuasive Technology that leverages the persuasive power of games to cause behaviour change in people. A lot of existing research and practice have focused on using Persuasive Technology and Gamification to achieve workplace engagement, motivation and productivity. However, there is little research on the use of Persuasive Technology and Gamification to engage employees in effective documentation of analysis and evaluations. This research aims to fill this gap and explore the feasibility of leveraging Persuasive Technology to encourage employees in documentation of analysis and evaluations. A Requirement-Focused Design Science Research approach was adopted to define requirements for the implementation of a persuasive gamified system to encourage employees in documentation of analysis and evaluations. Two studies were conducted to investigate employee motivation and the susceptibility of employees to various persuasive strategies. The first study was conducted among 20 Applied Behaviour Analysis front-line staff. ABA is data driven, however, front-line staff do not provide sufficiently rich data which is a critical part of the success of ABA. The second study was carried among 55 Graduate Assistants (markers) from the University of Saskatchewan. Providing feedback on assignments is a quintessential part of the learning cycle of students and the availability of feedback that students can understand and execute is required. However, students find feedbacks provided to them often vague, insufficient, or difficult to comprehend. Especially, in the second study, the results depicted a workforce whose engagement in tasks was not self-determined and a description of a perceived low satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs; Competence, Relatedness and Autonomy. This presents a workforce that will engage in the minimum amount of work required of them without an extra effort in performance. The results of our studies showed that both ABA front-line staff and Graduate Assistants are most susceptible to two persuasive strategies - Commitment and Reciprocity, followed by Authority and least susceptible to Consensus and Scarcity among Cialdini’s persuasive principles. Among the social influence persuasive strategies, employees from both studies were most susceptible to Trustworthiness. Whilst there was no statistically significant difference between the other social influence persuasive strategies (Reward, Competition, Social Comparison, Social Learning) among ABA employees, Graduate Assistants were more susceptible to Reward and Competition and least susceptible to Social Comparison and Social Learning. However, gender and continent of origin influenced the susceptibility of Graduate Assistants to Trustworthiness and Social Learning. North American Males are not influenced by Social Learning in contrast to African Males who influenced by it. Although North American females are least susceptible to Social Learning, they are still influenced by it. These results imply the investment in a persuasive gamified system that will facilitate the satisfaction of the Basic Psychological Needs of employees to increase their intrinsic motivation in effective documentation of analysis and evaluations. Persuasive and game elements that support Rewards, Competition, Trustworthiness, Commitment, Reciprocity and Authority could be used to achieve this. To make these results actionable, requirement guidelines have been recommended for both workplaces based on the insights gathered from the user studies. However, these requirements have not been evaluated. Therefore, future work will involve the design, development and evaluation of a persuasive gamified system based on the requirements specifications. Also, to draw definite conclusions on tailoring persuasive strategies to individuals and groups, future research should consider the impact of other workplace diversity factors that may impact susceptibility to these persuasive strategies

Scarred Images: Using Appearance as a Motivator to Reduce Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

In response to continued driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) amongst young adults and increased drinking and driving amongst females, the current study aimed to decrease such risky behavior using threats to appearance as a deterrent. One hundred and thirty-three undergraduates at the University of Southern Mississippi completed a threepart study after sequential assignment to one of three groups, a no-photo group, a crash scene photo group, or a personalized-photo group. Baseline measures were taken concerning participants\u27 alcohol-related behaviors. One week later all groups were given statistical information commonly available in DUI prevention pamphlets together with strategies to avoid DUI. The no-photo group was not shown photographs; the crash-scene photo group was shown a photo of a serious car crash taken from the Mother\u27s Against Drunk Driving (MADD) website, and each participant of the personalized-photo group was shown his or her facial photograph altered to mimic the scarring and bruising common to DUI accidents. Post-intervention measures revealed a significant conditionby- trial interaction for riding with a drinking driver (RDD), however it reflected significant post-intervention increases in RDD for the no-photo group. As expected, the combination of sensation seeking, importance of appearance, alcohol expectancies, social desirability, aggressive driving, and risky driving were significant predictors of RDD, DUI, alcohol use in a car, and, seatbelt use. All groups reported less enjoyment from riding with a drinking driver following intervention and all groups experienced greater tension arousal following intervention. These unexpected findings are discussed as are the ancillary findings for decreased positive alcohol expectancies and increased negative alcohol expectancies across groups. A prior study using a similar approach (McNabb, 2000) found attitude and intention change for the personalized-photo group. While no significant behavior changes in DUI-related behaviors were found in this study, secondary analyses suggested that efforts to increase self-efficacy in performing risk-avoidant behaviors were not strong enough. Further, trends towards decrease DUI in the photo group and increased seatbelt use in that group provide support for further investigation in the use of these vivid personal appeals

Transcending the status quo: a communication perspective for improving health behaviors at Eastern Washington University

There is a belief known as the \u27college experience;\u27 an experience that some understand as a right of passage. This notion continues to be passed from generation to generation; what happens without our noticing is that the demands of that \u27college experience\u27 are changing. Survey results indicate that this \u27experience\u27 continues to perpetuate, that college students have skewed perceptions of vulnerabilities and are willing to take unhealthy risks, all as part of the \u27college experience.\u27 Through a mixed methods approach, this research demonstrates that advances in remedial health education are positively affecting students \u27abilities\u27 to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health\u27\u27 (World Health Organization, as cited in Nutbeam, 2000, p.264 and Ratzan, 2000, p. 210). This research also identifies the disparity between having the \u27ability\u27 and having the \u27motivation\u27 to mitigate risk. This research further substantiates an exigent need for a holistic approach to improving health literacy, and designing health messages for improving health behaviors at Eastern Washington University --Document

To Use or Not to Use: The Role of Affect and Cognition in Changing Attitudes toward Using Condoms among African American Women

The current project involved three studies designed to examine which characteristics of persuasive communications change condom use attitudes. Study 1 investigated the effect of message type (affective versus cognitive) and source (male versus female) on attitude change among a sample of African American women attending college. In Study 1 (N = 146), the affective message and female source produced the most positive change in condom use attitudes. Study 2 examined whether message type and source were associated with favorable condom attitudes in a community sample and whether these findings differed from a college sample. Twenty-seven women participated in group discussions and completed measures of attitudes and intentions. Similar to Study 1, the pattern of means in Study 2 showed the affective message delivered by the female source resulted in the most positive condom use attitude change. These results were not significant likely due to the small sample. Focus groups were also conducted to better understand the types of condom use messages African American women find effective. Several themes emerged: condom used primarily for pregnancy prevention; negative condom use attitudes; communicating messages through internet, TV, and radio; creating fun, catchy, and informative messages; using celebrities and peers to deliver messages; and increasing the frequency of messages to equal importance of topic. The third study assessed the effectiveness of an attitude change pilot intervention that was based on the results of Studies 1 and 2. The study used a 2 (intervention vs. control) X 3 (pretest, posttest, follow-up) mixed factorial design to examine whether women’s attitudes changed after a pilot session and whether the change persisted over time. African American women (N = 115) were recruited through Craigslist and community agencies. There were no significant differences across time for the intervention and the control group. Reasons for the lack of an effect in Study 3 are discussed. Taken together, these studies provide evidence that, under certain conditions an affective message delivered by a female source can change attitudes toward using condoms. The results of these studies could potentially enhance existing interventions by renewing a focus on changing attitudes as well as behavior

A Quantitative Exploration of Conflict Potential and Perceptions of Threats, Benefits and Barriers: Toward Conflict Prevention When Dogs Visit Nature Trails

The managers of natural settings, that welcome visitors with dogs, often post regulations requiring dog waste to be collected and dogs to be leashed, but noncompliant behavior persists. Using an outdoor-recreation conflict model (ORCM) dog-walking practices were positioned as potential sources of conflict. The overarching purpose of this study was to explore the utility of pairing the ORCM with an expectancy decision-making model (the health belief model, HBM) when developing a persuasive message to promote the collection of dog waste. As a cross-sectional, descriptive, online survey, responses from 284 trail visitors who walk with a dog were used to test for relationship between self-reported dog-walking practices and respectively perceptions of antecedent conflict factors, conflict potential and/or HBM factors. Some antecedent conflict factors were related to dog-walking behaviors. Conflict potential related to dog-waste collection and to attachment, visit frequency and tolerance. The usefulness of applying the HBM to promote dog-waste collection was questioned because only one HBM factor related to dog-waste collection. By using ORCM factors as stratifying variables, the significant relationship between HBM barrier and dog-waste collection was attributed to specific levels of visit frequency, tolerance for human-dog interactions, and conflict potential. Strength of relationships were typically weak. For land-managers, these findings suggest that visitors who walk with a dog may be more varied than one might assume of a same-activity group; and they justify further exploration of perceptions of conflict potential rooted in human-dog interactions for the purpose of fostering positive experiences and resource preservation in shared natural settings

Correcting Fear-arousing Disinformation on Social Media in the Spread of a Health Virus: A Focus on Situational Fear, Situational Threat Appraisal, Belief in Disinformation, and Intention to Spread Disinformation on Social Media

Disinformation is prevalent in the current social media environment and circulated just as quickly as truthful information. Research has investigated what motivates the spread of disinformation and how to combat it. However, limited research focuses on how fear-arousing disinformation during crises affects individuals’ belief in disinformation and to what extent corrective information can subdue the persuasive effects of fear-arousing disinformation. To address this gap, this research tests the effects of fear-arousing disinformation and different types of corrective information (i.e., no corrective information, simple corrective information, or narrative corrective information) on belief in disinformation and intentions to spread disinformation on social media, during a crisis—the spread of an unknown health virus. Furthermore, adapting the important roles of situational fear and threat appraisal in predicting people’s health behavioral changes, this research examines the underlying psychological mechanisms of fear and threat appraisal of a crisis in the effects of fear-arousing disinformation and different types of corrective information on belief in disinformation and intentions to spread disinformation on social media. Study 1 tests the interaction between fear-arousing disinformation and the presence of corrective information. Therefore, a 2 by 2 experiment was conducted in Study 1: disinformation (fear-neutral disinformation vs. fear-arousing disinformation) × corrective information (no corrective information vs. simple corrective information). Study 2 advances Study 1 by testing whether narrative corrective information decreases belief in disinformation. Study 2 conducted a 2 by 2 experiment (disinformation: fear-neutral disinformation vs. fear-arousing disinformation × corrective information: simple corrective information vs. narrative corrective information). A total of 419 data collected between January and February 2019 from Amazon MTurk were analyzed (205 for Study 1 and 214 for Study 2). The current research notes several key findings: 1) Fear-arousing disinformation does not make people believe the disinformation under risky situations and it can even make people avoid the disinformation content as a coping strategy when there is no corrective information presented. 2) Simple corrective information serves as an effective corrective information strategy when fear-neutral disinformation is shown but can backfire when fear-arousing disinformation is presented. 3) Corrective information that features individual narratives does not differ from simple alerts on their abilities to reduce misperceptions, situational fear, situational threat appraisal, and intentions to spread disinformation on social media. 4) Across individual differences, social media usage (i.e., social media use for news, social media use for fact-finding, and social media use for social interaction, health blog usage) emerges as significant factors that decide disinformation and corrective information processing. By testing effects of disinformation in terms of fear-arousal, which reflects a crisis of the spread of a health virus, this research addressed how fear-arousing disinformation and different forms of corrective information affect beliefs in disinformation and willingness to spread disinformation on social media, and how situational fear and situational threat appraisal may play their roles in the belief in disinformation mechanism

Right, No Matter Why: AI Fact-checking and AI Authority in Health-related Inquiry Settings

Previous research on expert advice-taking shows that humans exhibit two contradictory behaviors: on the one hand, people tend to overvalue their own opinions undervaluing the expert opinion, and on the other, people often defer to other people's advice even if the advice itself is rather obviously wrong. In our study, we conduct an exploratory evaluation of users' AI-advice accepting behavior when evaluating the truthfulness of a health-related statement in different "advice quality" settings. We find that even feedback that is confined to just stating that "the AI thinks that the statement is false/true" results in more than half of people moving their statement veracity assessment towards the AI suggestion. The different types of advice given influence the acceptance rates, but the sheer effect of getting a suggestion is often bigger than the suggestion-type effect

Development and Persuasion Processing: An Investigation of Children\u27s Advertising Susceptibility and Understanding

Over the past 40 years, research on children\u27s understanding of commercial messages and how they respond to these messages has tried to explain why younger children are less likely to understand these messages and are more likely to respond favorably to them with varying success (Kunkel et al., 2004; Ward, Wackman, & Wartella, 1977), however this line of research has been criticized for not adequately engaging developmental research or theorizing to explain why/how children responde to persuasive messages (Moses & Baldwin, 2005; Rozendaal, Lapierre, Buijzen, van Reijmersdal, 2011). The current study attempts to change this by empirically testing whether children\u27s developing theory of mind, executive function, and emotion regulation helps to bolster their reaction to advertisements and their understanding of commercial messages. With a sample of 79 children between the ages of 6 to 9 and their parents, this study sought to determine if these developmental mechanisms were linked to processing of advertisements and understanding of commercial intent. Moreover, the current study tested whether these aspects of cognitive and affective development explain children\u27s understanding of and reaction to advertisements above and beyond age and cognitive ability as earlier researchers have proposed (e.g., Chernin, 2007; Kunkel et al., 2004). The results suggest that children and media researchers would be well advised to consider how these more recent advancements in developmental research influence persuasion understanding and responses to commercial messages. In particular, this study found that children with less developed theory of mind are less likely to understand why advertisements are shown on television, that children who struggled to control their reactions to emotionally exciting stimuli asked for more consumer products and fought with their parents more about these requests, and children with less developed executive function were more likely to ask their parents for more consumer goods. However, with this last set of findings, they should be interpreted with caution due to the large number of hypothesis testing. These results also offer important insights into how developmental mechanisms influence consumer behavior along with new entry points for the study of how individuals develop as consumers of persuasive messages. Moreover, while the results of this study are not uniformly conclusive, there are interesting implications for how children are sold to and what constitutes fair practice based on these developmental differences

DECISION-MAKING FOR THE RECEIPT OF INFLUENZA VACCINATION IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS

The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the factors that influence community dwelling older adults in deciding to take or not take the seasonal influenza vaccine. Thirty-one receivers and six non-receivers (aged 67-91 years) living in assisted and unassisted urban residences participated in six focus groups in London, Ontario. Informed by van Manen’s phenomenological approach, an inductive content analysis was performed to analyze the transcripts from focus groups. The major facilitators of taking the vaccine were the recommendation by and trust in health professionals, and a belief in vaccine efficacy. The major barriers were a fear of adverse reactions anct the belief in resilience of an older adult. The decision-making process regarding seasonal influenza vaccination is now better understood in older adults and can,easily be fit within the conceptual framework of the Health Belief Mode

Pilot Study Of Safe Sisters: A Sexual Assault Prevention Program For Sorority Women

Sexual violence is a serious problem that can have lasting, harmful effects on victims and their family, friends, and communities (CDC, 2014). Approximately one in five women will become a victim of sexual violence at some point in their lifetime (RAINN, 2009). College women are at a greater risk for rape and other forms of sexual assault than women in the general population (Fisher, Cullen & Turner, 2000). During an academic school year, approximately three percent of college women became a victim of sexual violence (Tijaden & Thoennes, 1998). Sorority women are four times more likely to experience sexual violence compared to other college women (Minow & Einolf, 2009). To date, only one study has assessed a sexual violence prevention program targeting sorority women (Moynihan, Banyard, Arnold, Eckstein, & Stapleton, 2011). This study assessed the effectiveness of Safe Sisters, a sexual violence prevention program for sorority women that is based on the Health Belief Model. Four sororities (2 for experimental program group, 2 for comparison group) were recruited via email to organization presidents. The study evaluated Health Belief Model constructs and knowledge, via questionnaires, at two time-points: pre-test and post-test. Of 283 participants contacted, at pretest there were 176 participants (a 62% response rate) and at post-test there were 137 participants (a 48% response rate). Difference in differences regression was used to compare interventions and dependent variables from pre-test to post-test. There was a significant difference in decisional balance (β = .655, 95% CI [.145, 1.16], p =.012), knowledge (β = 2.09, 95% CI [β = 1.55, 2.64], p =.000), and bystander self-efficacy (β = .343, 95% CI [.031, .655], p = .032) from pre-test to post-test. Participants in the treatment group shoa significant increase in knowledge of alcohol as a rape drug and the UWF Sexual Misconduct Policy. There was also significant increase in one\u27s belief that intervening can prevent someone from being hurt. The Safe Sisters program is a promising tool for educating sorority women about sexual violence