Research ReportNeural Correlates of Message Tailoring and Self-Relatedness in Smoking Cessation Programming
Section snippets
Methods and Materials
This is a within-subjects design. All participants received high- and low-tailored blocked messages as well as high-tailored (“smokes 20 cigarettes a day,” “smokes when talking on the phone”), low-tailored (“smokes a lot of cigarettes,” “smokes during daily routines”), and generic smoking cessation event-related statements (“quitting is not easy,” “stress is a part of all of our lives”) (Supplement 1).
Figure 1 presents the paradigm. Blocked conditions were always followed by event-related
Post-Scan Ratings Data
We examined participants' ratings of high-tailored, low-tailored, and generic smoking cessation statements in the event-related conditions in terms of perception of personally written for them. We found, consistent with past research (7), a main effect of the degree of tailoring on the subjective ratings [F(2,44) = 6.66, p < .005]. Participants rated high-tailored smoking cessation statements as more personally written for them than low-tailored smoking cessation statements, means 5.68 (SD =
Discussion
Tailored smoking cessation statements overall engaged rMPFC and precuneus/posterior cingulate, relative to generic smoking cessation statements. High-tailored messages also showed greater activity in the same areas relative to low-tailored messages, in both the blocked and event-related conditions. Participants subjectively rated the high-tailored smoking cessation messages as being more personally written for them.
Although rMPFC and precuneus/posterior cingulate activations might be involved
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