Measurement of the persuasive effects of risk format and ambiguity from conflict risk messages by multiple information sources on the environmental communication

This study examined the effects of different quantified risk messages by multiples sources and risk formats on receivers during risk communication. This situation can be expressed as a 2^ order probability; multiple sources, as a 1^ order probability; and risk messages by them, as a 2^ order probability. Therefore, it is assumed to be an "ambiguity" situation. One hundred and eighty-seven university students participated in the 1^ experiment, and they answered the degree of preference for 12 restaurants which was presented with the reviewers' quantitative rates. Analyses of variance for the results showed that the large variances among the risk messages produced a higher persuasion effect in both probability levels. Moreover, graphical expressions of risk messages, which used stars, made this effect more salient than that of numerical expressions, which used numerical percentages. A hundred and five university students participated in the 2^ experiment, which employed hypothetical environmental advertisments. This experiment supported the effect of variances among the risk messages in both the cases-when the stimulus included merely literal messages and when it included literal as well as graphical contents. The effects of the number of raters were also significant. The results also showed that in more real situations the effects of variances and those of number of raters were relatively large. Those of expressions were relatively small and enhance the other effects.