Int.J. Behav. Med. (2010) 17(Suppl 1):S1-S329 HR in NT and newly detected HT groups showed different patterns in reactivity respective recovery. These results are in accordance of some earlier research and show that optimizing the use of cardiovascular data requires that these different patterns are taken into account in the predictions of health risks. The current study examined the changes in parameters underlying blood pressure in relation to anticipation, reactivity and recovery to stress. Further, it was examined how these vascular and myocardial parameters relate to cognitive appraisal in a real-life stressful situation. 24 men aged 19-28 (mean age: 23.5; SD: 2.5) participated in this study. Ambulatory blood pressure was recorded on a beat-to-beat basis before and during performance of a real life speech. Vascular and myocardial hemodynamic parameters (total peripheral resistance (TPR) and cardiac output (CO), respectively) were derived from the blood pressure waveform. Participants' appraisals were obtained prior to the stressor. Evidence was obtained suggesting a myocardial reaction pattern during the stressor. This finding is consistent with the hypotheses as the stressor is an active coping task. The anticipation was hypothesized to be a relatively passive situation and therefore expected to engender a vascular response. However, the reaction pattern during anticipation was myocardial. Finally, recovery was slower in the vascular than in the myocardial variables. Multilevel regression models (MLwiN v2.2) were used to analyze the relationships between appraisal and CO and TPR. During the anticipation period prior to the stressor, increased challenge was associated with decreased vascular resistance (Z=2.70 p<.01) and increased myocardial reactivity (Z=2.43 p<.01). During the stressor increases in challenge were associated with further increases in myocardial responding (Z=2.03 p<.05) but relationships between appraisal and vascular resistance were not significant (Z=1.82, n.s.). This study is among the first to examine the hemodynamic reactivity and recovery patterns to a real life stressor in conjunction with stressor appraisals. Furthermore, our findings suggest that challenge appraisals to real-life stressors contribute to an, arguably healthier, myocardial reaction pattern. This ambulatory study was followed up by a study aimed at changing appraisals and appraisal related hemodynamic reactivity patterns. With advances in visual media technologies, health communications and interventions can now incorporate a variety of sophisticated images and pictures. Optimal use of these technologies requires that we advance our understanding of how individuals respond to health imagery, particularly since information processes for imagery differ markedly from those involved with linguistic information. This symposium reviews recent research on techniques using visual images to motivate behavior change. The speakers represent multidisciplinary teams of experts in psychology, sociology, communications, graphics, and information technology. Gerry Humphris will present research on using graphic warning labels on cigarette packets to motivate smoking cessation. Using data from a large community survey, his team found that images evoking disgust responses are potent triggers of motivations to quit. Gareth Hollands will present research on an intervention in which aversive images are used to condition responses that reduce motivations to eat unhealthy foods. This technique, based on implicit cognition and evaluative conditioning principles, altered implicit attitudes about foods and increased healthy food choices. Susan Persky will present research in which immersive virtual environment (IVE) technologies are used to motivate protective behavior. The studies demonstrate how IVEs can instill experiential knowledge of behavioral consequences and enhance understanding of complex concepts such as genebehavior interactions. Brian Williams will present research on a framework for developing theoretically-guided interventions involving visual media. The four-stage process was tested in the development of an intervention incorporating 3D animation about links between obesity and arteriosclerosis. Throughout the symposium, discussion will address how the research informs theory on visual imagery processes in health behavior as well as the use of imagery in interventions. Background: A growing body of research suggests that communicating associations between aversive health-related images and a given behaviour may diminish the likelihood of that behaviour. However, there is limited experimental evidence of this relationship. The current study examines the behavioural and attitudinal effects of communicating images of energy-dense snacks, paired with images of the body indicative of health risk.