TY - JOUR
T1 - Narrative Persuasion, Transportation, and the Role of Need for Cognition in Online Viewing of Fantastical Films
AU - Zwarun, Lara
AU - Hall, Alice
N1 - Two studies examine narrative persuasion in the context of fantastical narratives viewed on a computer. In Study 1, participants ( N = 160) used a personal computer to watch one of two short films that dealt with a contemporary social issue (privacy or the environment) set in an imaginary future.
PY - 2012/1/7
Y1 - 2012/1/7
N2 - Two studies examine narrative persuasion in the context of fantastical narratives viewed on a computer. In Study 1, participants ( N = 160) used a personal computer to watch one of two short films that dealt with a contemporary social issue (privacy or the environment) set in an imaginary future. Neither film resulted in those who viewed it holding stronger story-consistent beliefs. However, viewers of the film about privacy who experienced higher levels of transportation were more likely to possess story-consistent privacy beliefs than those less transported or than viewers of the environmental film. Additionally, higher need for cognition was associated with stronger beliefs and intentions across both films, and viewers of the privacy film who were higher in need for cognition were most likely to endorse story-consistent privacy beliefs, perhaps due to extra cognitive effort demanded by the online delivery mode of the narrative. To explore this, in Study 2 ( N = 126), participants were shown the privacy-themed film in either a low or high distraction condition. This successfully manipulated transportation, but in high distraction conditions, transportation was not significantly related to endorsement of story-consistent beliefs.
AB - Two studies examine narrative persuasion in the context of fantastical narratives viewed on a computer. In Study 1, participants ( N = 160) used a personal computer to watch one of two short films that dealt with a contemporary social issue (privacy or the environment) set in an imaginary future. Neither film resulted in those who viewed it holding stronger story-consistent beliefs. However, viewers of the film about privacy who experienced higher levels of transportation were more likely to possess story-consistent privacy beliefs than those less transported or than viewers of the environmental film. Additionally, higher need for cognition was associated with stronger beliefs and intentions across both films, and viewers of the privacy film who were higher in need for cognition were most likely to endorse story-consistent privacy beliefs, perhaps due to extra cognitive effort demanded by the online delivery mode of the narrative. To explore this, in Study 2 ( N = 126), participants were shown the privacy-themed film in either a low or high distraction condition. This successfully manipulated transportation, but in high distraction conditions, transportation was not significantly related to endorsement of story-consistent beliefs.
UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15213269.2012.700592
U2 - 10.1080/15213269.2012.700592
DO - 10.1080/15213269.2012.700592
M3 - Article
VL - 15
JO - Media Psychology
JF - Media Psychology
ER -