A FUZZY-TRACE THEORY ACCOUNT OF CONTRADICTORY RELATIONS BETWEEN RISK PERCEPTION AND RISK-TAKING IN VACCINATION DECISIONS

Purpose: Different studies have documented opposite relations between perceived risk and behavior (i.e., risk perception is negatively and positively correlated with risk-taking behavior).  The present study tested a fuzzy-trace theory prediction that reconciles these conflicting results in vaccination decisions. 

Method: Participants (N=826) completed alternative measures of risk perception that differed in cue specificity and response format in order to vary reliance on gist versus verbatim representations.  Gist measures were designed to draw on global attitudes and less precise mental representations, whereas verbatim measures were designed to elicit more specific or quantitative judgments.  The gist measures included a Gist Representation question about the risk of vaccination as some or no risk, a Gist Principles about flu vaccination scale, a Global Risk of getting the flu question, and a Global Benefits of getting the flu vaccine question.  Prior research has indicated that specific cues and precise response formats are more likely to elicit verbatim representations from memory, such as specific memories of behaviors that are relevant to the judgment (e.g., episodes of flu).  Verbatim measures included a Specific Risk scale about flu, a Specific Risk scale about flu vaccine, a Quantitative Risk scale about flu, and a Quantitative Risk scale about flu vaccine.  Scores on the preceding scales were related to a behavioral measure of whether participants were vaccinated in the past year and a scale that measured intentions to vaccinate.

Result: As predicted by fuzzy-trace theory, measures that emphasized verbatim processing produced negative correlations between perceived risk and risky behavior; that is, risk perceptions reflected the extent to which participants engaged in more risk-taking behavior and behavioral intentions (to avoid vaccination).  In contrast, measures that assessed global, gist-based judgments of risk produced positive correlations; higher risk perceptions were associated with less risk-taking for both behavior and intentions.  Endorsement of simple values about vaccination (e.g., Better to get the flu vaccine than to risk getting the flu) was the most highly correlated, consistent with a protective rather than reflective relation.

Conclusion: Simply shifting the retrieval cues in questions from verbatim to gist produced opposite correlations between risk perceptions and risk-taking supporting a fuzzy-trace theory interpretation.  This reverse pattern replicates and extends the findings from Mills et al. (2008) and Reyna et al. (2011) to vaccination decisions.