Three-in-1,000 and dynamic norms: A mixed-method investigation of novel appeals for influencing organ donor registration.

The current research investigated two rarely used appeals for increasing organ donor registration-both with the potential to backfire. The three-in-1000 appeal explains that less than one percent of people will die in such a way that their organs can be donated. This appeal could heighten awareness that donor registration is needed, but it can also convey that registering is futile. The dynamic norms appeal emphasizes the increasing number of people who are becoming registered donors. This appeal could increase the perceived normative nature of registration, but doing so can also lead potential donors to conclude that enough people are already registered. In Studies 1 and 2, participants recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk were randomly assigned to either one of these appeals, and their attitudes toward donor registration and intentions to register as a donor were compared to participants in a no-message control group. Study 2 included a qualitative component where participants were asked to describe their perceptions as to why the message was or was not influential. In both experiments, intentions to register were higher for those in both messaging conditions compared to the control group. Positive attitudes toward organ donation were higher in the three-in-1000 condition compared to the control group for both studies. Those in the dynamic norms condition reported more positive attitudes than the control group in Study 1, but not Study 2. In both studies, there was scant evidence of the messages backfiring. In the qualitative component of Study 2, self-reported reasons for the influence of each method provided insight into how and why these appeals were influential, and indicated signs of underdetection for the dynamic norms message.

Organ donation and departments of motor vehicles: Multiple messages, implementations, and replications.

OBJECTIVE: To reduce uncertainty about the effectiveness of Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMV) interventions, we assessed the influence of several DMV-based media campaigns on organ donor registration. METHOD: Across 4 studies, campaigns were implemented in 8 (Studies 1-3) or 9 (Study 4) New Mexico DMVs. Three theories guided message development (i.e., efficacy, altruism, vested interest). Donor registration was the outcome measure. RESULTS: In Study 1, both the efficacy (OR = 1.14) and altruism (OR = 1.11) campaigns resulted in significantly more registrations than the control condition and the vested interest campaign. In Study 2, the efficacy campaign (OR = 1.13) again resulted in significantly more registrations than the control and vested interest campaign. In Study 3, a new version of the efficacy campaign (OR = 1.21) and 2 new versions of the vested interest campaigns (OR = 1.12; 1.14) all resulted in significantly more registrations than the control condition. In Study 4, neither the efficacy campaign (OR = 1.06) nor a campaign that combined efficacy and vested interest materials (OR = 1.03) significantly increased registrations. A single-paper meta-analysis assessing these studies indicated all 3 appeals resulted in significantly greater registrations than the control (OR ranged from 1.06 to 1.13). CONCLUSION: Results indicate donor registration rates can be increased through DMV-based media campaigns; however, the appeal used, and the implementation of that appeal, can determine the likelihood of success. These results can guide the development and implementation of campaigns seeking to influence donor registration and other prosocial behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

It's all relative: Increasing organ donor registration intentions by maximizing family-relevant vested interest.

Guided by vested interest theory, the impact of educating potential organ donors about the beneficial experiences afforded to families of deceased donors was assessed. Participants were informed about these benefits by taking a survey that asked them to indicate both their awareness, and the appeal, of numerous existing benefits (e.g. grief services). We employed a double-sided mixed design. Both the true experimental design and the quasi-experimental repeated assessment indicated increased registration intentions. Only the quasi-experimental design indicated significant attitude change. This study provides evidence supporting the potential utility of focusing interventions on the benefits afforded to donor families.