The impacts of parasocial interaction on the effectiveness of antismoking PSAs: Examining the role of parasocial interaction, metacognition, and attitude certainty in attitude change

The current dissertation explores the potential for parasocial interaction (PSI), a form of pseudo-interpersonal communication between the spectacular and the mediated personae, to enhance message processing and evaluation of anti-smoking PSAs. The outcomes measured include certainty of attitude toward smoking, attitude toward smoking, and intention to quit. This dissertation includes two studies. The first study examines the ability for addressing style of a mediated character to trigger experienced PSI (EPSI), while the second examines the link between EPSI and cognitive elaboration. Finally, a moderated mediation model was analyzed that takes metacognition or cognitive appraisal of message-relevant thoughts and perceived quality of the message into account when determining the effects of cognitive elaboration on attitude certainty. Overall, the data suggests evidence for the relationship between addressing style and EPSI, and between EPSI and cognitive elaboration. However, the moderated mediation model was only partially supported by the data. Implications for the use of EPSI as an advantageous motivational factor engaging smokers in careful thinking about antismoking messages are discussed.