Handheld Mobile Devices Essay -- Technology

Research has shown that use of hand held mobile phones while driving can increase the risk of crash by up to 23 times (Vic Roads, 2009). In an attempt to curb the number of people taking such risks, TAC launched a campaign to bring awareness to the problem of distracted drivers, many of whom are distracted by hand held mobile phones, commonly used to talk or text while driving. Considering the statistics regarding the chance of crash when engaging in such activities and the prevalence of the problem, TAC has launched the campaign with hope of creating attitude change. The TAC advert, witnessed by participants of this study, shows various situations of distracted drivers. Two situations of specific relevance to this study, talking on a hand held mobile and texting whilst driving. In all occasions the danger is present, in the final situation the danger is realised via the crash. ‘Attitude’ can be defined as a set of beliefs, feelings, behavioural tendencies and evaluations, that are mostly enduring, and are positive or negative in nature, regarding some person, group, object, issue, event or symbol (Vaughan and Hogg, 2011). This reveals the problematic nature of any attempt to use persuasion to force attitude change. While enduring, resilient attitudes are unlikely to be easily altered, it is not impossible to do so. A dual process theory was proposed by Petty and Cacioppo (1981), the Elaboration Likelihood Model in which, attitude change can occur via two processes. The Elaboration Likelihood Model postulates two processing routes of persuasion, the Central Route, and the Peripheral Route. The former refers to more careful thought utilising more cognitive resources, while the latter, less motivated, less car... ...erely the hand held mobile. It has been speculated that laws pertaining to banning of mobiles whilst driving should include hands free mobiles. Future research should utilise this information and perhaps measure attitudes regarding all phone use whilst driving rather than only hand held phone use. This study has utilised the two processes of elaboration set out in the Elaboration Likelihood Model, to measure the success of the TAC campaign, in changing attitudes of favourability towards the dangerous practice of using a hand held mobile whilst driving. The results of the study show that attitude change is possible via both Central and Peripheral Route processing, as measured before and after viewing the TAC advertisement. Central Route processing has a clear advantage and was significantly more effective than Peripheral Route processing in attitude change.