Browsing by Author "Isler, Ozan"

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    Effective health communication depends on the interaction of message source and content: two experiments on adherence to COVID-19 measures in Türkiye
    (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2024) Fatih Bayrak; Bengi Aktar; Berke Aydas; Onurcan Yilmaz; Sinan Alper; Ozan Isler; Aydas, Berke; Isler, Ozan; Aktar, Bengi; Yilmaz, Onurcan; Alper, Sinan; Bayrak, Fatih
    ObjectiveFollowing the COVID-19 outbreak authorities recommended preventive measures to reduce infection rates. However adherence to calls varied between individuals and across cultures. To determine the characteristics of effective health communication we investigated three key features: message source content and audience.MethodsUsing a pre-test and two experiments we tested how message content (emphasizing personal or social benefit) audience (individual differences) message source (scientists or state officials) and their interaction influence adherence to preventive measures. Using fliers advocating preventive measures Experiment 1 investigated the effects of message content and examined the moderator role of individual differences. Experiment 2 presented the messages using news articles and manipulated sources.ResultsStudy 1 found decreasing adherence over time with no significant impact from message content or individual differences. Study 2 found messages emphasizing 'protect yourself' and 'protect your country' to increase intentions for adherence to preventive measures. It also revealed an interaction between message source and content whereby messages emphasizing personal benefit were more effective when they came from healthcare professionals than from state officials. However message source and content did not affect vaccination intentions or donations for vaccine research.ConclusionEffective health communication requires simultaneous consideration of message source and content.
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    Citation - Scopus: 3
    Reflection predicts and leads to decreased conspiracy belief
    (Elsevier B.V., 2025) Fatih Bayrak; Vahdet Sümer; Burak Doǧruyol; Selahattin Adil Saribay; Sinan Alper; Ozan Isler; Onurcan Yilmaz; Sümer, Vahdet; Saribay, S. Adil; Isler, Ozan; Dogruyol, Burak; Alper, Sinan; Yilmaz, Onurcan; Bayrak, Fatih
    Recent research indicates a generally negative relationship between reflection and conspiracy beliefs. However most of the existing research relies on correlational data on WEIRD (Western Educated Industrialized Rich Democratic) populations. The few existing experimental studies are limited by weak manipulation techniques that fail to reliably activate cognitive reflection. Hence questions remain regarding (1) the consistency of the negative relationship between conspiracy beliefs and cognitive reflection (2) the extent of cross-cultural variation and potential moderating factors and (3) the presence of a causal link between cognitive reflection and conspiracy beliefs. In two preregistered studies we investigated the association between cognitive reflection and conspiracy beliefs. First we studied the correlation between two variables across 48 cultures and investigated whether factors such as WEIRDness and narcissism (personal and collective) moderate this relationship. In the second study we tested the causal effect of reflection using a reliable and effective manipulation technique—debiasing training—on both generic and specific conspiracy beliefs. The first study confirmed the negative association between reflection and belief in conspiracy theories across cultures with the association being notably stronger in non-WEIRD societies. Both personal and collective narcissism played significant moderating roles. The second study demonstrated that debiasing training significantly decreases both generic and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in a non-WEIRD context with more pronounced effects for general conspiracy beliefs. Our research supports that reflection is a consistent cross-cultural predictor of conspiracy beliefs and that activating reflection can reduce such beliefs through rigorous experimental interventions. © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.