Comments on: Does Shock Therapy Work When Teaching about Safety?

By: Hans de Zwart

Hans de Zwart — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:27:31 +0000

Interesting link about this topic: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/06/24/gruesome-anti-smokin.html

By: e p training

e p training — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:45:35 +0000

Extensive advertising has been carried out on TV regarding killing your driving speed. Also drink/driving. The ads are really shocking but not sure if they change habits.

By: Virility

Virility — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:19:43 +0000

LOL!!!!! the ad about smoking is hilarious, well many experts says that smoking can cause decreasing of men virility or testosterone, hope smokers can see or visualize the bad effects of smoking

By: Job

Job — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:13:55 +0000

Hi Hans,
Very interesting thought, learning by shocking. I think in some cases to shock learners can be very effective. But I do think you have to be very carefull by using this kind of teaching-technique. Not in the last place because I think that people get used to shocking learningmaterial and get ‘resistant’. A good example is the warning messages against smoking. Most people are shocked when they see the messages for the first time but when they get used to it most of the effect is gone. So what are we going to do next? Shock them more?

By: Gertrude Dudink

Gertrude Dudink — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:50:07 +0000

Hi Hans,

I would suggest possible age differences as well. When the warning messages on cigarette packages were made mandatory, I remember reading a reaction from a teenage girl that was in no way shocked by the perspective of getting lung cancer and dying from it, but indicated that the fact that smoking was bad for your skin was far more likely to change her behaviour.

Gertrude