Goal of the research.

1
Goal of the research.

• To determine the influence of
• message format (narrative versus factual)
• message modality ( written versus audio)
• On the persuasiveness of a health message.

2
Study 1 Study 2

• Topic of the message
• Diet (Study 1)
• Drinking water can help you to loose weight.
• College binge drinking (Study 2)
• Moderating drinking during college parties

3
Method Independent variables

• Relevance and importance assessment.
• Is it important for you to change your diet?
  (Study1)
• Is it important for you to change your drinking
  habits (Study 2)
• Message about drinking water to loose weight
  (Study1) / about harmful consequences of
  overdrinking (Study 2)
• Dry facts
• Narrative.
• Modality
• Written text
• Audio recording

4
MethodDependent variables

• Persuasion
• How convincing the message was?
• Do you believe,
• drinking water is helpful for loosing weight?
  (Study1)
• drinking too much is harmful (Study 2)
• Do you intend to
• start drinking more pure water? (Study 1)
• moderate your drinking (Study 2)
• Transportation
• (A level of story absorption) (Study 2)

5
Hypotheses

• Participants who are highly interested in the
  topic will be more convinced by the factual
  message than by the narratives and vice versa.
• Narratives will be more convinced in an audio
  format.

6
ResultsStudy 1
7
Main effects
Both types of message (factual and narrative)
are equally convincing.
People concerned about their weight were more
convinced in general.
F(1,183) 14.45 p lt .001
p .609
8
Message type and modality
F (1,183) 4.75 p lt .04
Written factual is more persuasive Audio
narrative is more persuasive
9
Modality and importance
F (1,183) 10.11 p lt .01
High relevance written message is more
persuasive Low relevance audio message is more
persuasive
10
Message type and Importance
F (1,183) 2.78, p lt.1)
High importance factual is more persuasive Low
importance - vignettes
11
Message type, importance and modality.

• Low involved people are more convinced by
  narratives, especially in an audio format.
• Highly involved people are more convinced by
  factual message, especially in a written format.

12
ResultsStudy 2
13
Main effects
Factual message is more convincing than a
narrative message
People concerned about their drinking were more
convinced in general.
F(1,186) 11.287 p lt .002
F(1,186) 3.726 P lt .06
14
Message type and modality
F (1,186) 3.194 p lt .08
Written factual is more persuasive Audio same
15
Message type and Importance
F (1,186) 2.78 p lt .1
High relevance factual is more persuasive Low
relevance no difference
16
Who should be the target population?

• Those who dont drink cannot moderate their
  drinking.

17
Message type and modality (Drinkers only)
F (1,116) 3.76 p lt .06
Written factual is more persuasive Audio
narrative is more persuasive
18
Message type and Importance (Drinkers only)
F (1,116) 4.26 p lt .05
High relevance factual is more persuasive Low
relevance narrative is more persuasive
19
Transportation(Level of story absorption) (Green
Brock, 2002)

• Narratives gt Factual (F (186) 7.14 , p lt .01)
• Transportation is correlated with persuasion
• (r (186) .26 , p lt .01 )
• However

r
High importance .308 (p lt .01)
Low importance .03 (p .8)
Only for low involved participants
20
Conclusions and recommendations

• If you can use two different channels
• Do audio recording for narratives and write
  facts.
• If you know your audience
• For highly involved people
• Use text
• For low involved people (to draw attention)
• Use audio

21
Conclusions and recommendations

• If you can vary everything (audience, channel and
  message type)
• Use audio narratives for low involved people.
• Use written facts for highly involved people.