Media Literacy & Public Awareness Flashcards

A school-based prevention program wants to use 'social norms marketing.' This approach corrects:

Answer: False beliefs that most peers use substances when actual use rates are lower

Social norms marketing corrects misperceptions by showing students that substance use among their peers is less common than they believe, reducing the perceived 'everyone is doing it' pressure.

Which ethical principle is MOST relevant when a prevention specialist uses fear appeals in media campaigns?

Answer: The message should be scientifically accurate and not exaggerate risk to manipulate

Fear appeals must be truthful and accurately calibrated; exaggerated fear messages can cause reactance, desensitization, or unintended harm.

In developing culturally competent prevention media, a specialist should FIRST:

Answer: Engage community members from the target group in message development

Authentic community engagement in the design process ensures messages resonate culturally and are not merely translated but truly adapted.

Which media channel typically offers the HIGHEST degree of targeting precision for a prevention campaign aimed at young adults aged 18-25?

Answer: Digital/social media advertising with demographic targeting

Digital and social media platforms offer precise demographic, behavioral, and interest-based targeting, allowing campaigns to reach specific age groups efficiently.

When reporting on a celebrity's recovery from addiction, media coverage is MOST likely to serve prevention goals when it:

Answer: Emphasizes recovery as possible and highlights the treatment process

Coverage that emphasizes recovery and the treatment pathway reduces stigma and models help-seeking behavior for audiences who may be struggling.

The 'dose-response relationship' in media exposure for prevention campaigns suggests that:

Answer: Greater exposure frequency to a prevention message generally increases its impact up to a point

Research shows that campaign effectiveness generally increases with message frequency up to a saturation point, after which additional exposures yield diminishing returns.

A CPP professional reviewing a substance use prevention website should flag which of the following as problematic?

Answer: Detailed instructions for safely using illicit substances (harm reduction framed as prevention)

Publishing detailed instructions for illicit substance use — even harm-reduction framed — on a prevention site conflates prevention with harm reduction and may undermine abstinence-oriented prevention goals.