| Abstract: | In 4 experiments, 206 undergraduates and 79 homeowners, through the use of a structured scenario, were led to imagine themselves experiencing certain events and came to believe more strongly that the events would befall them. This promotive effect of the scenario procedure on probability or likelihood estimates occurred for both positive (e.g., winning a contest) and negative events (e.g., being arrested for a crime) and in both laboratory and field contexts. Crucial to its relevance for compliance, the scenario procedure influenced not only probability judgments, but behavior as well. Homeowners who imagined themselves utilizing a cable TV service were more likely to subscribe to such a service when requested to do so weeks later. It was determined that the effect of structured scenarios on compliance was not due to additional information provided by the scenario. An interpretation based on the availability heuristic is suggested. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
