Research
On this page, you find more information about current research projects being conducted at the Health and Risk Communication Lab (HRCL). In our research, we develop evidence-based and easy-to-understand health information for medical practice. Other research projects are dedicated to the question of how to motivate people to adopt a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Our research uses a variety of research methods (including surveys, eye-tracking, and Ecological Momentary Assessment). Below you can also find a detailed list of our publications.
Current Research Projects
In pimary care, an increasing number of graphics and illustrations are used to show patients health risks such as the risk of suffering a stroke. Often so-called "icon arrays" are included, which present statistical information. Previous research shows that different icons can influence risk perception (e.g., geometric shapes vs. smileys vs. pictogram of people), so that the same disease may be perceived differently depending on the icon selection. Also, the color scheme of the icons could affect risk perception. In online experiments, we test the influence of color (vs. black and white) and icon types (smileys vs. pictogram) on risk perception and intention to take action to reduce health risks (e.g., change lifestyle or take medication).
Contact persons: Rebecca Blase, Julia Meis-Harris, Birgitta Weltermann, Simone Dohle
Research funding: Own funds
Switching to a meat-free diet is one of the most effective steps to reduce individual carbon footprint. Converting to a (nearly) meatless menu is therefore an important step toward sustainable catering at the Bonn University Hospital. For many patients, hospital food is a central aspect of their stay in hospital that can influence patient satisfaction. The switch to meat-free catering should therefore be carefully planned and evaluated, and patients should be involved in the change process. This project aims to provide evidence-based advice to support a smooth transition to a (nearly) meat-free catering in the Bonn University Hospital. Previous studies have shown that small changes in menu design (e.g., presenting vegetarian dishes and non-vegetarian dishes together) can increase the choice of vegetarian options. Therefore, we will test the modification of the current menu in online experiments as a first step. Then, the modified menu will be introduced and tested in the Bonn University Hospital to test whether the new menu design leads to a reduction in meat consumption. These modifications have the potential to directly reduce meat consumption at the Bonn University Hospital.
Contact persons: Julia Meis-Harris, Alice Seffen, Simone Dohle
Research funding: Intra-university funds
Many people aim to eat healthier and in a more sustainable manner. It usually includes eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat. Whereas some people achieve this goal, others fail. In this research project, we investigate how self-control strategies can help people achieve their nutrition goals. Which self-control strategies support people to reduce meat consumption? And, which strategies are particularly suitable for whom? To find answers to these questions, we will conduct an experimental study using a smartphone-based method called Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI). EMI allows us to deliver tips about self-control strategies directly to participants’ smartphones via an APP, where they can also fill in their daily meat consumption. This allows us to study the effect of self-control strategies on meat consumption in people's daily lives. The results of this project offers theoretical implications as well as relevant insights to design interventions that support a healthy and sustainable diet.
Contact persons: Alice Seffen, Simone Dohle
Research funding: Own funds
People struggle to meet prevention goals, such as waste reduction and CO2 saving, because behaviors that are required to achieve such goals are rarely perceived as effective and influential. This research project addresses the question of how information should be designed to promote environmental prevention goals. Information that illustrates the effectiveness and relevance of preventive behaviors is called Explicated Counterfactual Effectiveness Information (ECEI) and should motivate preventive behaviors. In this project, we investigate how to design illustrations that encourage people to use reusable cups (e.g. RECUP) instead of disposable cups. The illustrations demonstrate the positive consequences of a person’s action, e.g. show how many disposable cups one could save per month if one used a reusable cup. We test how different features of the illustrations (time period, accumulation, outcome object) affect motivation. Findings from this research project help to design better communication materials to promote environmentally friendly behaviors.
Contact persons: Maayan Katzir, Alice Seffen, Simone Dohle
Research funding: GIF
Whereas some people believe their own health is stable and fixed, others think health is changeable and can be influenced. Previous research has shown that individuals who strongly believe that their own health is changeable hold more positive health-related attitudes and also engage in more health-promoting behaviors in everyday life. However, less is known about the interpersonal implications of such a "changeability theory" of health. A strong changeability theory might also have negative effects, for example, by increasing blame and decreasing social support toward others who are ill. In this project, we examine when and under what circumstances a health-related changeability theory can lead to negative consequences and how to prevent them.
Contact person: Simone Dohle
Research funding: DFG
Many misleading information circulates around the topic of health and nutrition., often spread through social media. To ensure individuals are well-informed, it is important to debunk such misinformation. An interesting method has been developed for this: the „Truth Sandwich“. In this approach, true information is presented in the first paragraph, followed by false information in the second paragraph, which is then debunked through an explanation. The third paragraph restates the true information. We investigate whether the Truth Sandwich can effectively debunk false information related to plant-based diets. Additionally, we study how this approach affects people's attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Our goal is to provide people with the most accurate information, so they can make informed decisions about their health and nutrition.
Contact person: Alice Seffen, Nina Weingarten, Simone Dohle
Research funding: German Psychological Society, Division of Health Psychology
Methods
Eye tracking is a method that allows registering and recording a person's eye movements. Both fixations (focusing of the gaze on one position) and saccades (movement of the gaze from one position to the next) are measured. We use eye tracking to test the effect of texts and images commonly used in health communication to answer questions such as which information is only skimmed and which is actually read, or how much attention is paid to illustrations. Insights from eye tracking studies help to design better health information. Our lab uses a Tobii Pro Fusion (Tobii Pro Fusion), a screen-based eye-tracker.
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA; Shiffman, Stone, & Hufford, 2008) captures people’s experiences and behavior in their daily lives by repeatedly collecting data (e.g. via Smartphones). This can be done automatically by sensors or by notifications sent at prespecified intervals to prompt users to answer questions. In contrast to retrospective self-report questionnaires, EMA allows for minimizing retrospection biases and social desirability biases. One of the biggest advantages of EMA is that it enables researchers to explore the dynamic nature of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings as they unfold over time. This method can also be used for behavioral interventions delivered via mobile technology. Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMI) are treatments that are provided to people during their everyday lives (i.e., in real time) and in natural settings (i.e., real world).
In a Fake Food Buffet study, participants are presented with a buffet containing a variety of food replicas. Participants are then asked, for example, to select a plate with the foods they would like to eat from this buffet. Studies have shown that the choices made at the Fake Food Buffet are comparable to a food selection at a real buffet (Bucher et al., 2012). This method allows us to investigate the effects of contextual factors and nutritional knowledge (e.g., labels) on food choices under controlled laboratory conditions.
Publications
In press
Altenmüller, M. S.*, Wingen, T.*, & Schulte, A. (in press). Explaining polarized trust in scientists: A political stereotype-approach. Science Communication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10755470231221770
*shared first authorship
Graczyk, T.*, Wingen, T.*, Wingen, S., & Dohle, S. (in press). Do mindsets shape intentions to help those in need? Unraveling the paradoxical effects of mindsets of poverty on helping intentions. European Journal of Social Psychology.
*shared first authorship
2024
Pförtner, T. K., Schippel, L., Gube, M., Koch, T., Michels, J., Rathmann, K., & Dohle, S. (2024). Der familiäre Bildungsstatus und eine empfohlene sonderpädagogische Bedarfsprüfung: Eine Trendanalyse mit den jährlichen Daten der Schuleingangsuntersuchung der Städteregion Aachen der Jahre 2015 bis 2019. ZSE Zeitschrift für Soziologie der Erziehung und Sozialisation, 44(1), 54- 69. https://doi.org/10.3262/ZSE2401054
2023
Håkonsen, H., Dohle, S., Rhedin, H. & Hedenrud, T. (2023). Preferences for medicines with different environmental impact – a Swedish population-based study. Environmental Advances, 12, Article 100358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2023.100358
Hinssen, M., & Dohle, S. (2023). Personal protective behaviors in response to COVID-19: A longitudinal application of Protection Motivation Theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1195607. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1195607
Korbmacher, M., Azevedo, F., Pennington, C., Hartmann, H., Pownall, M., Schmidt, K., ..., Wingen, T., ... & Evans, T. (2023). The replication crisis has led to positive structural, procedural, and community changes. Communications Psychology, 1, Article 3 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-023-00003-2
Pownall, M., Azevedo F., König L., Slack, H., Evans, T., … Wingen, T., … FORRT. (2023). Teaching open and reproducible scholarship: a critical review of the evidence base for current pedagogical methods and their outcomes. Royal Society Open Science, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221255
Ruggeri, K., Stock, F., Haslam, S. A., Capraro, V., Boggio, P., Ellemers, N., … Wingen, T., … Willer, R. (2023). A synthesis of evidence for policy from behavioural science during COVID-19. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06840-9
Schreiber, M., & Dohle, S. (2023). A smartphone-based implicit theories intervention for health behavior change: Randomized trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 11, Article e36578. https://doi.org/10.2196/36578
Seffen, A. E., & Dohle, S. (2023). What motivates German consumers to reduce their meat consumption? Identifying relevant beliefs. Appetite, 187, Article 106593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.106593
Speckmann, F.*, Wingen, T.* (2023). Same question, different answers? A comparison of web data and traditional data. Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 231(1), 30-38. https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000515
*shared first authorship
2022
Doernemann, A., Boenisch, N., Schommer, L., Winkelhorst, L., & Wingen, T. (2022). How do good and bad news impact mood during the Covid-19 pandemic? The Role of Similarity. Journal of European Psychology Students, 13(1), 107-116. https://doi.org/10.5334/jeps.566
Kwasnicka, D., Keller, J., Perski, O., Potthoff, S., ten Hoor, G. A., Ainsworth, B., Crutzen, R., Dohle, S., van Dongen, A., Heino, M.,Henrich, J. F., Knox, L., König, L. M., Maltinsky, W., McCallum, C.,Nalukwago, J., Neter, E., Nurmi, J., Spitschan, M., Van Beurden, S. B., Van der Laan, L. N., Wunsch, K., Levink, J. J. J., Sanderman, R. (2022). White Paper: Open Digital Health – accelerating transparent and scalable health promotion and treatment. Health Psychology Review, , 16(4), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2022.2046482
Pförtner, T. K., Dohle, S., & Hower, K. I. (2022). Trends in educational disparities in preventive behaviours, risk perception, perceived effectiveness and trust in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. BMC Public Health, 22, Article 903. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13341-3
Wingen, T. (2022). How to start a replication crisis. Nature Reviews Psychology , 1(317). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-022-00069-5
Wingen, T., Berkessel, J. B., & Dohle, S. (2022). Caution, preprint! Brief explanations allow nonscientists to differentiate between preprints and peer-reviewed journal articles. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/25152459211070559
Wingen, T., Lecuona, O., & Dohle, S., (2022). Attitudes towards science during the COVID-19 pandemic: A psychological network approach. European Journal of Health Communication, 3(1), 98-118. https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2022.105
2021
Dohle, S., Duncan, M. J., & Bucher, T. (2021). Development and validation of the diet-related beliefs of exercisers scale (DBES). Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 43(2), 115-124. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2020-0027
Dohle, S., Schreiber, M., Wingen, T., & Baumann, M. (2021). Blaming others for their illness: The influence of health-related implicit theories on blame and social support. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 52(4), 210-219. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12844
Wingen, T., & Dohle, S. (2021). Exploring negative beliefs about power: The role of autonomy and influence. Social Psychology, 52(4). https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000453
2020
Bucher, T., Frey, E., Wilczynska, M., Deroover, K., & Dohle, S. (2020). Consumer perception and behaviour related to low-alcohol wine: Do people overcompensate? Public Health Nutrition, 23(11), 1939-1947. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019005238
Dohle*, S., Wingen*, T., & Schreiber, M. (2020). Acceptance and adoption of protective measures during the Covid-19 pandemic: The role of trust in politics and trust in science. Social Psychological Bulletin, 15(4), Article e4315, https://doi.org/10.32872/spb.4315
*shared first authorship
Hofmann, W., Dohle, S., & Diel, K. (2020). Changing Behavior Using Integrative Self-Control Theory. In M. Hagger, L. Cameron, K. Hamilton, N. Hankonen, & T. Lintunen (Eds.), The Handbook of Behavior Change (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 150-163). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/97811086773180.011
Landy, J. F., Jia, M., Ding, I. L., Viganola, D., Tierney, W., … Dohle, S., … Uhlmann, E. L. (2020). Crowdsourcing hypothesis tests: Making transparent how design choices shape research results. Psychological Bulletin, 146(5), 451–479. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000220
Mötteli, S., & Dohle, S. (2020). Egocentric social network correlates of physical activity. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 9(4), 339-344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2017.01.002
Schreiber, M., Bucher, T., Collins, C., & Dohle, S. (2020). The Multiple Food Test: Development and validation of a new tool to measure food choices and applied nutrition knowledge. Appetite, 150, Article 104647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2020.104647
Schreiber, M., Job, V., & Dohle, S. (2020). Is your health malleable or fixed? The influence of implicit theories on health-related attitudes and behaviour. Psychology & Health, 35(12), 1421-1439. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2020.1761975
2019
Dohle, S., & Hofmann, W. (2019). Consistency and balancing in everyday health behavior: An Ecological Momentary Assessment approach. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 11(1), 148–169. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12148
Prinsen, S., Dohle, S., Evers, C., de Ridder, D. T. D., & Hofmann, W. (2019). Introducing functional and dysfunctional self-licensing: Associations with indices of (un)successful dietary regulation. Journal of Personality, 87(5), 934–947. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12445
2018
Dohle, S., Diel, K., & Hofmann, W. (2018). Executive functions and the self-regulation of eating behavior: A review. Appetite, 124, 4–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2017.05.041
Dohle, S., & Hofmann, W. (2018). Assessing self-control: the use and usefulness of the Experience Sampling Method. In D. de Ridder, M. Adriaanse, & K. Fujita (Eds.), Handbook of self-control in health and well-being (pp. 100–111). New York, NY: Routledge.
2017
Dohle, S., & Bucher, T. (2017). Whether people believe that overweight is unhealthy depends on their BMI. European Journal of Public Health, 27(4), 781–783. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckx042
Dohle, S., & Dawson, I. G. J. (2017). Putting knowledge into practice: Does information on adverse drug interactions influence people’s dosing behaviour? British Journal of Health Psychology, 22(2), 330–344. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12231
Dohle, S., & Hofmann, W. (2017). Toward a mechanistic understanding of the impact of food insecurity on obesity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40, Article e116, 23–24. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X16001412
Dohle, S., & Montoya, A. K. (2017). The dark side of fluency: Fluent names increase drug dosing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 23(3), 231–239. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000131
2016
Dawson, I. G. J., & Dohle, S. (2016). Towards an understanding of adult judgments of synergistic health benefits. British Journal of Health Psychology, 21(1), 204-223. lhttps://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12158
Dohle, S., Rall, S., & Siegrist, M. (2016). Does self-prepared food taste better? Effects of food preparation on liking. Health Psychology, 35(5), 500–508. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000315
Vogel, S. E., Keller, C., Koschutnig, K., Reishofer, G., Ebner, F., Dohle, S., Siegrist, M., & Grabner, R. H. (2016). The neural correlates of health risk perception in individuals with low and high numeracy. ZDM, 48, 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-016-0761-4
2015
Dohle, S., Wansink, B., & Zehnder, L. (2015). Exercise and food compensation: Exploring diet-related beliefs and behaviors of regular exercisers. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 12(3), 322-327. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2013-0383
Gmuer, A., Siegrist, M., & Dohle, S. (2015). Does wine label processing fluency influence wine hedonics? Food Quality and Preference, 44, 12–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.03.007
Hartmann, C., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2015). A self-determination theory approach to adults’ healthy body weight motivation: A longitudinal study focussing on food choices and recreational physical activity. Psychology & Health, 30(8), 924–948. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2015.1006223
2014
Bevelander, K. E., Kaipainen, K., Swain, R., Dohle, S., Bongard, J. C., Hines, P. D. H., & Wansink, B. (2014). Crowdsourcing novel childhood predictors of adult obesity. PLoS ONE, 9, Article e87756. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0087756
Dohle, S., Hartmann, C., & Keller, C. (2014). Physical activity as a moderator of the association between emotional eating and BMI: Evidence from the Swiss Food Panel. Psychology & Health, 29(9), 1062–1080. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2014.909042
Dohle, S., Rall, S., & Siegrist, M. (2014). I cooked it myself: Preparing food increases liking and consumption. Food Quality and Preference , 33, 14–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2013.11.001
Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2014). Fluency of pharmaceutical drug names predicts perceived hazardousness, assumed side effects and willingness to buy. Journal of Health Psychology, 19(10), 1241–1249. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105313488974
Hartmann, C., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2014). Time for change? Food choices in the transition to cohabitation and parenthood. Public Health Nutrition, 17(12), 2730–2739. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980013003297
Hofmann, W., & Dohle, S. (2014). Capturing eating behavior where the action takes place: A comment on McKee et al. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 48(3), 289–290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-014-9625-8
L'Orange Seigo, S., Arvai, J., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2014). Predictors of risk and benefit perception of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in regions with different stages of deployment. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 25, 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2014.03.007
L'Orange Seigo, S., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2014). Public perception of carbon capture and storage (CCS): A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 38, 848–863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.017
2013
Dohle, S., Campbell, V. E. A., & Arvai, J. L. (2013). Consumer-perceived risks and choices about pharmaceuticals in the environment: a cross-sectional study. Environmental Health, 12, Article 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-12-45
Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2013). Cognitive and affective determinants of generic drug acceptance and use: Cross-sectional and experimental findings. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 1(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2013.803828
Dohle, S., & Wansink, B. (2013). Fit in 50 years: Participation in high school sports best predicts one’s physical activity after Age 70. BMC Public Health, 13, Article 1100. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-1100
Hartmann, C., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2013). Importance of cooking skills for balanced food choices. Appetite, 65, 125–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.01.016
L'Orange Seigo, S., Dohle, S., Diamond, L., & Siegrist, M. (2013). The effect of figures in CCS communication. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 16, 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2013.03.009
Visschers, V. H. M., Hartmann, C., Leins-Hess, R., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2013). A consumer segmentation of nutrition information use and its relation to food consumption behaviour. Food Policy, 42, 71–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2013.07.003
2012
Dohle, S., Keller, C., & Siegrist, M. (2012). Fear and anger: Antecedents and consequences of emotional responses to mobile communication. Journal of Risk Research, 15(4), 435–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2011.636835
Dohle, S., Keller, C., & Siegrist, M. (2012). Mobile communication in the public mind: Insights from free associations related to mobile phone base stations. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 18(3), 649–668. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2012.672900
Wallquist, L., Visschers, V. H. M., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2012). The role of convictions and trust for public protest potential in the case of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 18(4), 919–932. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2012.688719
2011
Cousin, M., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2011). The impact of specific information provision on base station siting preferences. Journal of Risk Research, 14(6), 703–715. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2011.553732
L’Orange Seigo, S., Wallquist, L., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2011). Communication of CCS monitoring activities may not have a reassuring effect on the public. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 5(6), 1674–1679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2011.05.040
Wallquist, L., Visschers, V. H. M., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2011). Adapting communication to the public’s intuitive understanding of CCS. Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, 1(1), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1002/ghg3.4
2010
Dohle, S. (2010). Zwischen Bedrohung und Chance: Über die Wahrnehmung und Kommunikation von Risiken. In-Mind Magazin, 1(3).
Dohle, S., Keller, C., & Siegrist, M. (2010). Conjoint measurement of base station siting preferences. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 16(4), 825–836. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2010.501250
Dohle, S., Keller, C., & Siegrist, M. (2010). Examining the relationship between affect and implicit associations: Implications for risk perception. Risk Analysis, 30(7), 1116–1128. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2010.01404.x