Abstract:

In order to reduce the incidence of unsafe behaviors and strengthen the effect of unsafe behaviors popularization, a novel golden monkey metaphor was constructed based on the conceptual integration theory. Taking the severity information and the metaphorical framework of unsafe behaviors as independent variables, the experimental process of the unsafe behaviors metaphor was designed to explore the influence mechanism and possible intermediary factors of golden monkey metaphor on unsafe behavior. The results show that golden monkey is a human-subjective, pervasive, and high-frequency unsafe behavior that results in relatively small transient losses. Low severity messages increase willingness to change behavior. The use of golden monkey metaphors to imply unsafe behaviors is more persuasive than nonmetaphors and increases willingness to change behavior. Severity and negative emotions play a suppression effect and a fully mediating effect between severity message and willingness to change behavior respectively, and degree of cognitive fine processing partially mediates the effect between metaphorical framing of unsafe behavior and willingness to change behavior.

Key words: risk zoo, golden monkey, unsafe behavior, metaphorical experiment, conceptual integration, mediating effect