Dp. Mackinnon et A. Lapin, EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL WARNINGS AND ADVERTISEMENTS - A TEST OF THE BOOMERANG HYPOTHESIS, Psychology & marketing, 15(7), 1998, pp. 707-726
Two experiments examined the effects of warnings and advertisements on
memory, intentions, and benefit and risk perceptions. The experiments
were designed to replicate an important recent study (Snyder & Blood,
1992), where it was suggested that an alcohol warning may have a boom
erang effect such that drinkers perceive alcohol as having more benefi
ts when the warning is present. In Experiment 1, a planned comparison
did not support the boomerang effect. A larger sample size was used in
Experiment 2 to increase the statistical power to detect the boomeran
g effect, but the effect was not observed. In both experiments there w
as evidence that advertisements led to greater perceived benefits and
lower perceived risks. There was some evidence that warnings increased
perceived risk and reduced advertising effects on perceived benefits.
Subjects' sex and alcohol use were often strongly related to the depe
ndent measures. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.