is an assistant professor of management information systems and a codirector of the center for Applied Social research at the university of Oklahoma. he earned his Ph.D. in management information systems at the university of Arizona. he researches computer-aided decision making, knowledge management/expert systems, human-computer interaction, and computer-mediated communication. he is part of a multidisciplinary research team investigating credibility and deception in online interaction and has published several articles and chapters related to credibility attribution in online interactions. Dr. Jensen's research has been published in Journal of Management Information Systems, Group Decision and Negotiation, and in various IEEE journals. Joshua M. averbeck is an assistant professor of communication at western Illinois university. he holds a Ph.D. in communication from the university of Oklahoma. he researches language strategies, expectancies, and irony and their effects on persuasive message design. Dr. Averbeck's research has been published in Journal of Communication, Communication Monographs, and Human Communication Research.Zhu Zhang is assistant professor of information systems at the university of Arizona. he received his Ph.D. in computer and information science from the university of Michigan. his research interests include data and text mining, business intelligence, machine learning, and Internet computing. his work has appeared in kevin b. wright is a professor of communication at george Mason university. he holds a Ph.D. in communication from the university of Oklahoma. his teaching and research interests include computer-mediated communication, health communication, and interpersonal communication. Dr. wright has a particular interest in social support processes and health outcomes in both face-to-face and computer-mediated contexts.

The efficacy of inoculation theory has been confirmed by decades of empirical research, yet optimizing its effectiveness remains a vibrant line of investigation. The present research turns to psychological reactance theory for a means of enhancing the core mechanisms of inoculation—threat and refutational preemption. Findings from a multisite study indicate reactance enhances key resistance outcomes, including: threat, anger at attack message source, negative cognitions, negative affect, anticipated threat to freedom, anticipated attack message source derogation, perceived threat to freedom, perceived attack message source derogation, and counterarguing. Most importantly, reactance‐enhanced inoculations result in lesser attitude change—the ultimate measure of resistance.

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Contemporary inoculation scholarship has focused on the process of resistance to persuasion, and recently begun to examine various incidental effects that may accompany inoculation treatments. This study considers how talk fits within both of these areas, not only as a byproduct of inoculation, but also as a potentially important contributor to the process of resistance. Results indicate inoculation not only enhances talk about the target issue, but such talk appears to bolsters resistance to subsequent counterattitudinal messages.

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