2

Rationale of the poster designs

Our group designed two posters to promote the notion in support of reducing carbon

emissions. These two posters were of rational and emotional appeals. In the designing process,

we considered how our audience’s thinking would be shaped or following the dual system

approach to thinking by Kahneman (2011). Kahneman’s theory indicates that humans have two

thinking systems: System 1 and System 2. System 1 refers to thinking that is intuitive and

sensorially connected, utilized for automatic and quick decision-making, whereas System 2 is

thinking that requires more effort in nuanced decision-making for judgement formalization

(Kahneman, 2011).

For our emotional poster, we aimed to captivate and present visually stimulating imagery

to invoke an emotional response in readers. This is consistent with the application of our

understanding of System 1, which has a heavy influence on human reasoning. Due to its

spontaneous and uncontrollable nature, System 1 sparks an automatic response in an individual

instead of requiring conscious effort in analysing the validity or correctness of an information

(Kannengiesser & Gero, 2019). This also explains why we attempted to elicit an emotional

response from readers when designing the poster. According to Kotler & Armstrong (1994, p.

468), the emotional appeal “stirs up either positive or negative emotions that may motivate

purchase or habit changes. These include feelings of fear, guilt, and shame to get people to start

doing things they should, or stop doing things they should not”. This is true in our case, where

we aimed to have readers become more aware of the detrimental effects of the extensive amount

of carbon emissions. Similarly, marketing researchers Albers‐Miller & Stafford (1999) illustrate

that the emotional appeal is grounded in the experiential and emotional aspects of consumption,

seeking to rely on audiences’ feelings to establish effectiveness.

 3

After researching the carbon emission effects, we decided to narrow our focus on the

effects on polar bears in the Arctic for our emotional poster. We considered this as an effect

unknown by the general public, and thus intended to bring more awareness. We used an image of

a severely malnourished polar bear on the verge of death due to not being able to find a food

source, as it had been forced out of its habitat as a result of melting ice caps. We hoped to evoke

strong empathetic feelings among the audience on the sufferings that polar bears are

experiencing because of humankind’s selfishness. We decided to use the image of a polar bear

because humans usually have empathy towards animals, especially when we perceive they are

experiencing human-like feelings (Picó & Gadea, 2021), and further amplify these emotions

through guilt appeals which are useful in initiating voluntary behaviour (Z. Basil & Basil, 2006),

in this case, to reduce carbon emission to save polar bears.

On the other hand, for our rational poster, we wanted to attract the attention of readers to

invoke a more judgemental reaction from them. Our reasoning for this was to make them realize

the effects of carbon dioxide emission and decide for themselves whether their negative actions

will destroy the earth and whether they would change to save it. Rational messages provide

information to persuade the reader through a logical appeal and work effectively to convince

them to make positive decisions (Kim et al., 2020). In our case, we wanted the readers to view

the negative effects of carbon emissions and influence them to adopt a more

environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Therefore, we provided solutions to reduce carbon emission,

including reducing energy usage, limiting the purchase of fast fashion and travelling green.

In Cacioppo and Petty’s (1984) Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion, the ‘routes’

to persuasion are the central and the peripheral routes. Individuals who process information via

the central route are usually cautious and always give thoughtful consideration by analysing the
 4

message content. With active participation in considering the message, attitudes that are changed

through this route of persuasion last longer with higher resistance to change. Thus, much

information which was well-supported by research was included in our rational poster to

convince our audience who adopt this thinking process. Conversely, those who adopt the

peripheral route to persuasion, tend to agree with messages based on cues such as the

attractiveness of the visuals instead of the content. In order to serve such an audience, we

designed our poster attractively, with a catchy title “A Mission to Reduce Emission”, hoping to

garner their attention.

Results

A total of 75 participants were recruited in this study to complete a survey regarding the

posters of ‘A Mission to Reduce Emission’ from the emotional and rational perspectives. Among

those who participated, 46 were females and 29 were males. Among the ethnic groups of our

participants were 48 Chinese, 4 Malays, 9 Indian, and 14 Punjabi. As for their highest level of

education, 6 participants completed Form 5, SPM, IGCSE, O Level, 40 completed STPM, A

level, Pre-University, 26 completed Bachelor’s Degree, 2 completed Postgraduate Degree, and 1

completed Diploma.

‌According to Table 1, the mean and standard deviation reported on the valence of

emotional and rational posters are (M= -2.05, SD= 1.84) and (M= 1.51, SD= 1.73) respectively.

Furthermore, the arousal for each poster is (M= -1.44, SD= 2.33) and (M= 1.00, SD= 1.92).

Sequentially, attention keeping scored (M= 2.49, SD= 1.38) and (M= 1.80, SD= 1.71) whereas

comprehension reported (M= 1.77, SD= 2.28) and (M= 2.61, SD= 1.49) for both posters. Next,

the assimilation of the emotional and rational posters is (M= 1.24, SD= 2.32) and (M= 3.01,

SD=1.18), while attitude towards the issue scored (M= 3.21, SD= 1.08) and (M= 3.11, SD= 1.05)
 5

accordingly. Lastly, the item discussing a shift in participant’s personal behaviour is (M= 2.19,

SD= 1.41) and (M= 2.13, SD= 1.33), and the item expressing the likelihood of participants

giving financial support is (M= 1.56, SD= 1.55) and (M= 1.23, SD= 1.52) respectively.

Table 1

Participants’ Evaluation of the Emotional and Rational Posters

Parameters Emotional Poster Rational Poster

Mean SD Mean SD

Valence

Very unpleasant -4; -2.05 1.84 1.51 1.73

Very pleasant 4

Arousal

Not exciting -4; Very -1.44 2.33 1.00 1.92

exciting 4

Attention keeping

Not interesting -4; 2.49 1.38 1.80 1.71

very interesting 4

Comprehension

Unclear message -4; 1.77 2.28 2.61 1.49

Clear message 4
 6

Assimilation

Could not explain

message -4; 1.24 2.32 3.01 1.18

Could explain

message 4

Attitude toward issue

Strongly oppose -4; 3.21 1.08 3.11 1.05

Strongly support 4

Change personal

behaviour
2.19 1.41 2.13 1.33
Will not change -4;

Will change 4

Give financial support

Never -4; 1.56 1.55 1.23 1.52

Definitely 4

Discussion

Our group expected participants to feel sorrowful and unpleasant when viewing the

emotional poster whereas, they were expected to feel pleasant and excited when viewing the

rational poster. We aimed to provide a clear message to bring attention to the raised issue with an

impactful design. The increased attention is from the perceived severity and fear from the
 7

environmental risk shown (Mrkva et al., 2021). Viewers are predicted to change their attitude on

the issue and provide financial aid.

Almost all expectations were achieved for both posters. The emotional poster gathered

significant negative responses in ‘valence’ and ‘arousal’, whereas the rational poster received

almost neutral scores instead of the expected positive response. Reasoning could be the

participants’ perception of the rational poster as lacklustre due to the earth toned

palette. Gemayel (2018) argues that a lighter colour background would further contrast the

darker font and spotlight the poster’s contents. Nonetheless, participants agreed that the rational

poster’s message was clear, but the attentive element fell short, whereas the emotional poster’s

responses were almost neutral for message clarity, albeit more attention-catching. This is

portrayed in ‘attention-keeping’, ‘comprehension’, and ‘assimilation’. Participants showed equal

support, along with behaviour changes after viewing both posters, but they showed a mundane

response when asked for financial support, displayed in ‘attitude towards issue raised’, ‘change

personal behaviour’, and ‘provide financial support’. The lack of support for financial aid could

be due to COVID-19 financial circumstances. The unemployment escalation owing to the

pandemic (Estrada et al., 2021), plausibly caused people to be mindful with their spendings.

Interestingly, the emotional poster’s standard deviation for ‘arousal’ is relatively high as

compared to the rational poster’s. This may be due to a misinterpretation of the word “excited”

amongst the participants, i.e., whether the sight of the polar bear invoked excitement or the

overall excitement of the poster. This correlates with findings from Ahlbom and Alfredsson

(2005) and how one word possesses several contextual meanings.

In relation to Kahneman’s (2011) theory, we elicit that the poster results correspond with

System 1 and System 2 in varying activation degrees. Participants reported feeling relatively
 8

unpleasant and unexcited after viewing the emotional poster depicting a frail polar bear. These

mental olympics occur naturally and effortlessly, demonstrating the activation of System 1

thinking where knowledge is ingrained in memory and retrieved unintentionally (Kahneman,

2017), and thus, invokes such sentiments towards the suffering animal. The participants also

reported being unable to assimilate the emotional poster message as compared to the rational

poster, and this is similarly displayed in their comprehension scores respectively. When viewing

the rational poster, participants were required to utilize more time and effort to decipher the

information before making judgements, which is salient for System 2 thinking. Conversely,

viewing the emotional poster required less time deciphering and thus, participants did not

necessarily engage more with the poster to fully assimilate and comprehend its message,

indicating System 1 thinking.

Participants reported that the attention-keeping for the emotional poster is higher than the

rational poster. This shows the System 1 activation as the melancholy image captured the

participant’s attention. Furthermore, attention-keeping in the rational poster displays lower

activation as it contains more information, requiring a longer attention span. Additionally,

participants reported highly supportive attitudes towards the climate concern, showing a high

degree of both System 1 and System 2 activation. As carbon emission is a critical issue, it

activates unconscious supportive thinking whereas solutions to reduce carbon emission in

System 2 allow participants to critically analyse their stance towards the matter. Participants also

reported a low degree activation of willingness to change personal behaviour for both posters.

This demonstrates the activation of System 2 thinking for both posters as the participants

critically thought about the impact they could contribute towards reducing climate change for the

emotional poster and the ways they can change their behaviour in the rational poster.
 9

Furthermore, when asked about offering financial support, participants were more likely

to donate after viewing the emotional poster, substantiating the notion that humans are emotional

creatures, and simultaneously proves the relevance of System 1 thinking—quick and effortless

(Kahneman, 2017). However, when participants viewed the rational poster, donating was more

unlikely due to System 2’s complex analysis (Kahneman, 2017), which may have led participants

to deliberate their financial constraints before donating to the climate cause.

Therefore, we conclude that Kahneman’s (2011) theory effectively explains information

processing. Although the activation degree varied, the posters achieved to activate both thinking

systems. However, we believe that with poster modifications, the activation degree of System 1

and System 2 would increase for both posters and be more impactful.

To improve information processing, future posters should induce fear by increasing

anxiety levels among individuals. Studies have shown that individuals’ sense of relatedness to a

threat of health-risk is positively affected by their self-affirmation (Griffin & Harris, 2011).

Additionally, Berggren (2020) found that there would be heightened spatial attention in

individuals when viewing a threatening stimulus. Ergo, in relation to the emotional appeal poster,

the new poster should include images of people suffering from breathing difficulty in a heavily

polluted environment rather than an image of a dying polar bear. Reason being, people would

have a higher sense of relatedness to the suffering of other human beings than the suffering of

animals.

According to Tham et al. (2020), English-speaking participants generally associated the

colour brown, which coincidentally was the theme of our rational appeal poster, with dullness

and boredom, whereas red increased readers’ attention. The association of the colour red and

increased attention in individuals might be a product of classical conditioning which can be

 10

further explained by Elliot et al. (2007). Their study found that the colour red was often used on

objects that might engender negative outcomes, promoting the association of red to danger and

thus, increases their level of attention toward a red stimulus. Therefore, the use of a brighter

theme such as red on the rational appeal poster would improve information processing.

(1,998 words)
 11

References

Ahlbom, A., & Alfredsson, L. (2005). Interaction: a word with two meanings creates confusion.

European journal of epidemiology, 20(7), 563-564.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-005-4410-4

Albers‐Miller, N. D., & Stafford, M. R. (1999). An international analysis of emotional and

rational appeals in services vs goods advertising. Journal of consumer marketing, 16(1),

42-57. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363769910250769

Basil, D. Z., Ridgway, N. M., & Basil, M. D. (2006). Guilt appeals: The mediating effect of

responsibility. Psychology & Marketing, 23(12), 1035-1054.

https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20145

Berggren, N. (2020). Rapid attentional biases to threat-associated visual features: The roles of

anxiety and visual working memory access. Emotion.

https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000761

Cacioppo, J. T., & Petty, R. E. (1984). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. ACR

North American Advances.

Cho, R. (2016). The 35 Easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Journal of the

Environment, 32(1), 147-152.

Elliot, A. J., Maier, M. A., Moller, A. C., Friedman, R., & Meinhardt, J. (2007). Color and

psychological functioning: The effect of red on performance attainment. Journal of

Experimental Psychology: General, 136(1), 154–168.

https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.136.1.154
 12

Estrada, M. A. R., Koutronas, E., & Lee, M. (2021). Stagpression: The Economic and Financial

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Contemporary Economics, 1, 19.

https://doi.org/10.5709/ce.1897-9254.433

Gemayel, R. (2018). How to design an outstanding poster. FEBS Journal, 285(7), 1180–1184.

https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.14420

Griffin, D. W., & Harris, P. R. (2011). Calibrating the Response to Health Warnings.

Psychological Science, 22(5), 572–578. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611405678

How Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs Compare with Traditional Incandescents. (2012). Energy.gov.

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-

money/how-energy-efficient-light

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.

Kahneman, D. (2017). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Kannengiesser, U., & Gero, J. (2019). Design thinking, fast and slow: A framework for

Kahneman’s dual-system theory in design. Design Science, 5, E10.

https://doi.org/10.1017/dsj.2019.9

Kim, C., Jeon, H. G., & Lee, K. C. (2020). Discovering the role of emotional and rational

appeals and hidden heterogeneity of consumers in advertising copies for sustainable

marketing. Sustainability, 12(12), 5189.

Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (1994), Principles of Marketing, 6th ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood

Cliffs, NJ.

Mrkva, K., Cole, J. C., & Van Boven, L. (2021). Attention increases environmental risk

perception. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(1), 83–102.

https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000772
 13

Picó, A., & Gadea, M. (2021). When animals cry: The effect of adding tears to animal

expressions on human judgment. PLoS ONE, 16(5), 1–16.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251083

Schlossberg, T. (2017). Fig leaves are out. What to wear to be kind to the planet. The New York

Times.

Semba, T., Sakai, Y., Ishikawa, M., & Inaba, A. (2020). Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions

by Reusing and Recycling Used Clothing in Japan. Sustainability, 12(19), 8214.

Tham, D. S. Y., Sowden, P. T., Grandison, A., Franklin, A., Lee, A. K. W., Ng, M., Park, J.,

Pang, W., & Zhao, J. (2020). A systematic investigation of conceptual color associations.

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(7), 1311–1332.

https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000703

Wynes, S., & Nicholas, K. A. (2017). The climate mitigation gap: education and government

recommendations miss the most effective individual actions. Environmental Research

Letters, 12(7), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7541

 14

Appendix 1

Emotional Poster
 15

Appendix 2

Rational Poster

Eliza Berezina
Digitally signed by Eliza Berezina
DN: cn=Eliza Berezina, o, ou, email=elizab@sunway.edu.my, c=US
Date: 2021.06.09 14:26:56 +08'00'