Digital Commons Network^™

Emotional Responses To Opioid Public Service Announcements; Testing Trait Empathy’S Impact On Message Processing And Attitude Change, Olivia D. Cohen

ETD Archive

Addiction to opioids, including abusing prescription pain killers and using heroin, is on a dramatic rise in the United States. Communities across the country are in the process of adapting new ways of addressing the issue, which have been met with significant opposition from the general public. This study examined the impact an individual’s trait empathy has on whether persuasive public service announcements (PSAs) dealing with opioid addiction will be processed centrally or peripherally. Empathy has evolved, growing from an emotional experience, to a cognitive ability, to a function of both emotional and cognitive elements that can work both independently …