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Decomposing fear control within the Extended Parallel Process Model
Abril, E. P., Szczypka, G., & Emery, S. L. (2017). LMFAO! Humor as a response to fear: Decomposing fear control within the Extended Parallel Process Model. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 61(1), 126-143. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2016.1273921
This study seeks to analyze fear control responses to the 2012 Tips from Former Smokers campaign using the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). The goal is to examine the occurrence of ancillary fear control responses, like humor. In order to explore individuals’ responses in an organic setting, we use Twitter data—tweets—collected via the Firehose. Content analysis of relevant fear control tweets (N = 14,281) validated the existence of boomerang responses within the EPPM: denial, defensive avoidance, and reactance. More importantly, results showed that humor tweets were not only a significant occurrence but constituted the majority of fear control responses.
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