Narratives are Persuasive Because They are Easier to Understand: Examining Processing Fluency as a Mechanism of Narrative Persuasion
Theory suggests that people are more persuaded by information presented within a narrative. We argue there is room for greater understanding about why this may be the case. Accordingly, we 1) examine whether narratives are indeed more persuasive than non-narratives and 2) evaluate two theoretical me...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Communication |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.719615/full |
| _version_ | 1819147279849750528 |
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| author | Olivia M. Bullock Hillary C. Shulman Richard Huskey |
| author_facet | Olivia M. Bullock Hillary C. Shulman Richard Huskey |
| author_sort | Olivia M. Bullock |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Theory suggests that people are more persuaded by information presented within a narrative. We argue there is room for greater understanding about why this may be the case. Accordingly, we 1) examine whether narratives are indeed more persuasive than non-narratives and 2) evaluate two theoretical mechanisms that could be responsible for these effects. Results from a laboratory-based, preregistered experiment (N = 554) support our primary argument that narratives are processed more fluently (easily) than non-narratives, and when processing is eased, persuasion becomes more likely. This work offers a parsimonious and powerful explanation for the advantages of providing persuasive information within a narrative format and advances theory in narrative persuasion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:27:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6dbc4d70d78e44a087f76fbba36e7801 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-900X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:27:18Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-6dbc4d70d78e44a087f76fbba36e78012022-12-21T18:24:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2021-09-01610.3389/fcomm.2021.719615719615Narratives are Persuasive Because They are Easier to Understand: Examining Processing Fluency as a Mechanism of Narrative PersuasionOlivia M. Bullock0Hillary C. Shulman1Richard Huskey2School of Communication, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United StatesSchool of Communication, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United StatesDepartment of Communication, Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesTheory suggests that people are more persuaded by information presented within a narrative. We argue there is room for greater understanding about why this may be the case. Accordingly, we 1) examine whether narratives are indeed more persuasive than non-narratives and 2) evaluate two theoretical mechanisms that could be responsible for these effects. Results from a laboratory-based, preregistered experiment (N = 554) support our primary argument that narratives are processed more fluently (easily) than non-narratives, and when processing is eased, persuasion becomes more likely. This work offers a parsimonious and powerful explanation for the advantages of providing persuasive information within a narrative format and advances theory in narrative persuasion.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.719615/fullnarrative persuasionprocessing fluencyidentificationstrategic communicationsocial cognition |
| spellingShingle | Olivia M. Bullock Hillary C. Shulman Richard Huskey Narratives are Persuasive Because They are Easier to Understand: Examining Processing Fluency as a Mechanism of Narrative Persuasion Frontiers in Communication narrative persuasion processing fluency identification strategic communication social cognition |
| title | Narratives are Persuasive Because They are Easier to Understand: Examining Processing Fluency as a Mechanism of Narrative Persuasion |
| title_full | Narratives are Persuasive Because They are Easier to Understand: Examining Processing Fluency as a Mechanism of Narrative Persuasion |
| title_fullStr | Narratives are Persuasive Because They are Easier to Understand: Examining Processing Fluency as a Mechanism of Narrative Persuasion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Narratives are Persuasive Because They are Easier to Understand: Examining Processing Fluency as a Mechanism of Narrative Persuasion |
| title_short | Narratives are Persuasive Because They are Easier to Understand: Examining Processing Fluency as a Mechanism of Narrative Persuasion |
| title_sort | narratives are persuasive because they are easier to understand examining processing fluency as a mechanism of narrative persuasion |
| topic | narrative persuasion processing fluency identification strategic communication social cognition |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.719615/full |
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