Designing persuasive health materials using processing fluency: a literature review <s> Design materials with readability: physical perceptual fluency <s> It is estimated that 1 out of 5 American adults lacks the literacy skills needed to function effectively in todays society and as patients they present a challenge to health instruction. This book provides teaching strategies to aid in making self-help and self-management a reality for the patient with low literacy skills. The magnitude of the problem is explored and myths about illiteracy are exemplified. Two chapters deal with comprehension of written materials from theory to practical proven testing techniques including the cloze technique and the word-recognition test. Another chapter offers 2 formulas for testing the readability of written materials: the SMOG formula and the Fry index. Once a problem is identified a 4-step teaching strategy gives tips on teaching the low-literacy patient. For those pamphlets and booklets commonly given to patients suggestions for writing and rewriting to simplify the text are given along with examples of comprehension level. The use of audiotapes for teaching is explored in depth for those who learn better by listening. A chapter on the use of visuals stresses simplification to reduce the amount of text reading to emphasize instruction and to motivate and appropriate examples are given. Where written material audiotapes and visuals are drafted and produced according to the guidelines in the book the last chapter is devoted to pretesting to determine whether intended concepts are coming through. It defines the components of pretesting describes procedures discusses possible stages for production and provides examples of results. Although the book is aimed at providing teaching methods for the low-literate patient the suggestions also apply to the learning disabled. <s> BIB001 </s> Designing persuasive health materials using processing fluency: a literature review <s> Design materials with readability: physical perceptual fluency <s> Abstract Statements of the form “Osorno is in Chile” were presented in colors that made them easy or difficult to read against a white background and participants judged the truth of the statement. Moderately visible statements were judged as true at chance level, whereas highly visible statements were judged as true significantly above chance level. We conclude that perceptual fluency affects judgments of truth. <s> BIB002 </s> Designing persuasive health materials using processing fluency: a literature review <s> Design materials with readability: physical perceptual fluency <s> People are more likely to engage in a given behavior the less effort it requires. As numerous studies have indicated, high perceived effort is a major impediment to behavior change, from adopting an exercise routine (e.g., DuCharme & Brawley, 1995) to changing one's diet (e.g., Sparks, Guthrie, & Shepherd, 1997). Although previous research has shown that task type (e.g., Buehler, Griffin, & Ross, 1994) and previous experience (e.g., Thomas, Handley, & Newstand, 2007) influence the accuracy of effort predictions, little is known about how people estimate the effort involved in a novel behavior. One possibility is that people run a mental simulation of the behavior and infer effort from the <s> BIB003 </s> Designing persuasive health materials using processing fluency: a literature review <s> Design materials with readability: physical perceptual fluency <s> Experiencing difficulties during information processing can either be used as signal for the increased need of cognitive effort (“try harder”), or as avoidance signal for future action selection (“avoid and switch”). These alternative ideas are currently reflected in two seemingly opposing theories of anterior cingulate cortex function, namely the conflict monitoring versus the outcome evaluation account. Botvinick (2007) recently suggested that both positions might converge on the detection of aversive signals. Here, we will show that low perceptual fluency, which is known to evoke negative affective reactions, triggers the mobilization of cognitive effort even in the absence of response conflicts. More precisely, in three experiments effort adjustments in reaction to fluency manipulations as indicated by significant interactions of Fluency N × FluencyN−1 were found. It follows that an aversive signal (here: low fluency) is not only used for effort prediction but also for effort adjustments. <s> BIB004 </s> Designing persuasive health materials using processing fluency: a literature review <s> Design materials with readability: physical perceptual fluency <s> Processing fluency is known to affect a variety of cognitive assessments, but most research has not examined such effects in the context of a real-life experience. In the first experiment, college students, enrolled in either a statistics or cognitive psychology course, read a course syllabus which varied in the clarity of its font and frequency of its vocabulary. Based on the syllabus, students then forecasted their final course grade and the course's difficulty. Despite methodological similarity to other fluency experiments and adequate statistical power, there were no significant differences in forecasts across fluency conditions. Fluency may be discounted in a task which provides information that affects people's lives. This interpretation was bolstered by a second experiment whose participants were students in a statistics course. These students read the cognitive course's syllabus and forecasted better grades and less difficulty in the cognitive course when the font of the syllabus was more clear th... <s> BIB005 </s> Designing persuasive health materials using processing fluency: a literature review <s> Design materials with readability: physical perceptual fluency <s> Consumers increasingly use various Internet-enabled devices for online shopping; thus, a critical topic for both research and practice is the visual characteristics of the information presented in this medium. This study builds on fluency theory within an environmental psychology framework. Specifically, this research examines how consumers' perceived fluency of the verbal online information affects their perceived cognitive effort and positive affect within a choice context. The experimental results show that (1) perceptual fluency affects both cognitive effort and positive affect experienced during online shopping and (2) cognitive effort and positive affect influence judgments about the perceived decision quality of the choice made. This research is notable in its simultaneous (as opposed to consecutive) examination of the relationship among the three dimensions of processing fluency (perceptual fluency, positive affect, and cognitive effort) and their impact on consumers' choice satisfaction with an online shopping task. <s> BIB006 </s> Designing persuasive health materials using processing fluency: a literature review <s> Design materials with readability: physical perceptual fluency <s> Abstract Research from the sensory science literature reveals that product information has an influence on the hedonic taste rating. Studies from social cognitive research have shown that processing fluency influences decision-making and evaluation processes. The present field study (N = 123) applied a 2 × 2-between-subject design to explore whether the processing fluency of the label information (low versus high) or the consumption domain (everyday versus special-occasion) have an effect on the subsequent hedonic taste rating of a wine. Fluency was manipulated via an easy- or difficult-to-read font. Results showed that there was no effect of the consumption domain. However, the wine was liked more in the high-fluency condition compared to the low-fluency condition. Thus, the results indicate that a wine tastes better if the labeled visual information can be processed relatively fluently. This research therefore adds to the literature on processing fluency because it suggests that fluency transfers across modalities. To give reliable recommendations to marketing specialists and label designers, further research is required to confirm the observed findings. <s> BIB007
Assessment tools for written materials propose guidelines regarding fonts and type size to make materials easy to read BIB001  . Doak et al. BIB001 states that type size and fonts can make text easy or difficult for readers at all skill levels, and they recommend that text be in a serif font in 12 point or larger. That study also recommends a good contrast between the text and background BIB001 . As indicated in the "Results" section, high physical perceptual fluency (e.g., an easily legible font with high background contrast) increases positive judgments and enhances recipients' willingness to do a given task BIB003 BIB004 BIB007 BIB005 BIB002 BIB006 . Health materials should be designed with perceptual fluency to generate positive judgments among recipients.