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Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access published online on February 21, 2008
Journal of Pediatric Psychology, doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsn011
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

"Practice What You Preach": Induced Hypocrisy as an Intervention Strategy to Reduce Children's Intentions to Risk Take on Playgrounds

Barbara A. Morrongiello and Landa Mark

Department of Psychology, University of Guelph

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Professor Barbara A. Morrongiello, Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, MacKinnon Building, 5th Floor, Guelph, ONT, N1G 2W1, Canada. E-mail: bmorrong{at}uoguelph.ca


  Abstract

Objective An intervention based on induced hypocrisy was conducted to reduce children's intentions to show fall-risk behaviors on playground equipment. Methods To induce hypocrisy participants (7–12 years) advocated for safe-play behaviors while being made mindful about past failures to play safely on playgrounds. To measure the impact of the intervention, children created posters indicating which playground behaviors they Would Do and Would Not Do; children believed they would have to demonstrate the behaviors endorsed on their posters. Results The intervention resulted in significant reductions in the risk behaviors children endorsed both for risk behaviors targeted (specific effects) and nontargeted risk behaviors (generalized effects). Assessing the mechanism by which the intervention produced changes in behavioral intentions revealed it yielded changes in cognitions that predicted subsequent reductions in risk-taking intentions. Conclusions The present intervention was successful in reducing children's intentions to engage in risky playground behaviors and it did so by changing cognitions.

Key words: children; fall prevention; playground injury; program evaluation; risk behaviors.

Received February 6, 2007; revision received January 31, 2008; accepted February 4, 2008


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