PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Georgia Alhadeff

Industrial/Organizational
December 1991

Job Involvement and Routes to Persuasion: A Naturalistic Experiment in Safe Practices
 

    Applying the Caccioppo and Petty Elaboration Likelihood Model, it was hypothesized that nurses high in job involvement would be influenced more by a safety program based on the central route to persuasion, while nurses low in job involvement would be more influenced by one based on a peripheral route.  Nurses (N = 171) were randomly assigned to either a detailed “central” program or a vivid, less detailed “peripheral” program.  Job involvement was assessed using Kanungo’s measure.  Self-reports of intention to comply provided persuasion scores.  Results did not support the Elaboration Likelihood Model, as job involvement was more influential than type of program with regard to self-reported persuasion.  Compliance was assessed by monitoring needlestick injuries three months prior to and subsequent to the program.  However, compliance was unable to be determined due to low frequency of needlestick injuries.  Further research is needed to extend the work in compliance behaviors.

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