How The Visualization Of Sudden Risk Affects Individual Risk Perception And Behavior Intention

Almost all human decisions are made in risk situations,and how to effectively transmit risk information becomes the key to affect risk communication.Although risk information can be accurately expressed with numbers,image has the advantages of arousing attention and enhancing memory,so more and more researches begin to explore the influence of risk visualization with images.However,what kind of image visualization form should be adopted for different types of risks?How will different types of image visualization affect risk perception and related behavioral intentions?These problems are not only of great practical significance,but also the focus of attention in the field of risk communication and behavior,and they have not been well explained at present.The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of visualization of sudden risks with narrative images on individual risk perception and related behavioral intentions,such as insurance purchase intention,explain the internal information processing mechanism of this influence with fuzzy-trace theory and provide empirical support with eye movement data,and discuss the applicable scope of the influence with cognitive flexibility as a moderator.Study 1 found that the visualization image of sudden risk has a significant impact on individual perception of risk likelihood and severity.Compared with the "initial" type and "peak" type images representing the risk is about to happen and happening,the individuals’perception of the risk severity of the "release" type image representing the risk has occurred is the highest,while the perception of the risk likelihood is the lowest.Study 2 found that the visualization image of sudden risk has a significant impact on the individuals’ purchase intention of the insurance related to risk,and perceived risk severity plays a mediator role in it.Compared with the "initial" type and "peak" type images,the individuals’ purchase intention of the insurance of the "release" type image is also the highest because of the highest perceived risk severity.Study 3 showed that cognitive flexibility has a moderating effect on this effect.Individuals with low cognitive flexibility will have significantly higher perceived risk severity for the "release" image than the "initial" and "peak" images.However,there is no such effect on individuals with high cognitive flexibility.This study applies fuzzy-trace theory and visual narrative grammar to the fields of risk visualization and image information processing and delivers essential contributions:(1)From a theoretical perspective,this study puts forward a new form of risk visualization,explores the influence mechanism and a moderator of this mechanism on risk perception and behavior intention,and enriches the application fields of risk visualization,image narrative and fuzzy-trace theory.(2)From a practical perspective,the conclusion of this study can help related enterprises to formulate marketing strategies,and provide reference and suggestions on the conditions for the use of strategies,and also provide guidance for information communication under risk scenarios.