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Processes and mechanisms of narrative persuasion in entertainment-­‐‑education interventions through audiovisual fiction. The role of identification with characters

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Jair Vega Casanova
Jair Vega Casanova

TEEM’14 Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality Salamanca, October 1-3, 2014 Track 6: “Communication, Education and Health Promotion”

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Processes  and  mechanisms  of  narrative  persuasion  in   entertainment-­‐‑education  interventions  through   audiovisual  fiction.   The  role  of  identification  with  characters Juan-José Igartua1 & Jair Vega2 1 University of Salamanca (Spain) – 2 Universidad del Norte (Colombia) TEEM’14 Techological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality Salamanca, October 1-3, 2014 Track 6: “Communiction, Education and Health Promotion”
Main  goal To improve our knowledge of the explanatory processes of narrative persuasion in the field of health communication using data obtained in a study of entertainment-education based on audiovisual fiction.
Introduction Empirical study: •  Experimental research. •  208 participants. •  Mediation analysis. Theroretical background: •  Narrative persuasion. •  Entertainment-Education approach and health communication. •  TV series: “Revelados, desde todas las posiciones” (Colombia).
Narrative  persuasion •  How exposure to (fictional) narratives designed to entertain can cause persuasive effects (Green & Brock, 2000). •  Narratives (such as television series or movies) are processed differently from traditional persuasive messages (such as commercial advertisements), (Slater & Rouner, 2002).
Traditional  persuasive  messages   versus  narratives Persuasive messages Narratives •  Contain list of arguments in an explicit way. •  Show a clear educational or attitudinal goal. •  Processing goal: to develop a correct attitude. •  Illustrate through the presentation of events. •  Action is focused on the main characters. •  Designed for enjoyment. •  Processing goal: to become involved in the story and on the characters.
Dual  models  versus  narrative   persuasion  models •  Main process in dual models of rethorical persuasion (e.g., ELM): cognitive elaboration (reflection, issue-relevant thoughts). •  Main process (mechanisms) of narrative persuasion: transportation and identification with the characters.
Identification  with  characters Identifying  with  characters  is  an  imaginative  process   that  involves  the  temporal  replacement  of  own’s   identity  with  that  of  a  character  from  an  affective  and   cognitive  point  of  view  (Cohen,  2001). Emotional  empathy  (the  ability  to  feel  what  the   characters  feel). Cognitive  empathy  (adopting  the  point  of  view  of  the   characters). Merging  (a  temporal  loss  of  self-­‐‑awareness  and   imagining  the  story  as  if  one  were  one  of  the   characters).
Narrative  models  in  Health   Communication •  Extended Elaboration Likelihood Model, E-ELM, (Slater & Rouner, 2002). •  Entertainment Overcoming Resistance Model, EORM (Moyer-Gusé, 2008). Identification   with  the   characters Counterarguing   AKitudinal   impact -­‐‑ -­‐‑ BUT,  empirical  research  into  this  topic   is  in  its  early  stages  and  has  shown   contradictory  findings.
TV  series  and  Entertainment-­‐‑ Education •  Even though narrative formats do not explicitly present arguments from an external source, these can appear in dialogues taking place among characters during certain moments of the story. Fictional  narrative  formats   (e.g.,  TV  series)  designed   to  bring  about  positive   social  change  show  a  clear   educational  component.  
Identification  and  cognitive   processes   Two possible relationships between identification and cognitive processes. ①  Identification (empathy dimension) can stimulate involvement with the messages “(…) which, in turn, increases the elaboration of messages and their potential persuasive effects” (Cohen, 2001, p. 260). ②  Identification (which also involves a temporary loss of self-awareness) most likely would lead to a less critical reading of the message.
Our  main  objective To test to what extent the attitudinal impact caused by exposure to fictional audiovisual contents designed as entertainment- education platforms (through the Colombian television series “Revelados, desde todas las posiciones”) is explained because identification leads to a greater reflection or rather to a greater counterarguing.
Hypotheses Hypothesized  Mediation  Model:  indirect  effects  of  identification   with  the  characters  on  aKitudes  through  cognitive  elaboration  and   counterarguing  
Method •  N = 208 participants (age 14-20, mean = 15.85; 51.9% women). •  An experimental study (in Cololmbia, 2013). •  TV series “Revelados, desde todas las posiciones” (RDTP). https://www.youtube.com/user/REVELADOSDTP •  Participants were randomly divided in three groups (each group a different RDTP episode). •  The impact of viewing the episodes was assessed though a questionnaire containing scales to measure reception processes and attitudinal impact.
RDTP •  RDTP is a television series addressed to young people between the ages of 12 and 19, produced by the Fundación Imaginario in Colombia. •  Educational contents: sexual relation, sexual diversity and gender violence. •  First season: 20 episodes lasting about 15 minutes each and presents a story with continuity from one episode to another. The  main  characters:   Camila,  Juan  Carlos,   Vanessa  and  Sebastián.  
RDTP:  Episodes  and  topics Episode  8:  Adolescent  sexuality:  this  episode   aKempts  to  reinforce  positive  beliefs  about  sexual   decision-­‐‑making. Camila  is  the  main  character  of  the  episode   transmiKing  the  educational  message. Episode  10:  Gender  violence:  to  reinforce  an   aKitude  of  rejection  of  gender  violence. Vanessa    is  the  main  character  of  the  episode   transmiKing  the  educational  message. Episode  17:  Expressing  homosexual  feelings:  to   reinforce  a  positive  aKitude  toward  gay  men  who   decide  to  openly  express  their  sexual  orientation  . Juan  Carlos  is  the  main  character  of  the  episode   transmiKing  the  educational  message.
Instruments  and  variables •  Identifiction with the main characters (11 items scale; αCamila = .86, αVanessa = .89, αSebastian = .91, αJuan Carlos = . 89). •  Cognitive elaboration (4 itmes scale; α= .83). •  Counterarguing (4 items scale; α= .72). •  Attitudinal impact: different topics (adolescent sexuality, gender violence and sexual diversity). •  A questionnaire administered to the participants immediately after they viewed the episode.
Results •  Macro PROCESS for SPSS (Hayes, 2013). •  A mediation model with two mediating variables that operate in sequence (model 6). •  The indirect effect was calculated using 10,000 bootstrap samples for bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. •  An indirect effect is considered statistically significant if the confidence interval established (CI at 95%) does not include the value 0.
Mediation  model:  Chapter  8 Identification   with  Camila Cognitive   elaboration Positive  aKitude   toward  sexual   decision-­‐‑making Counterarguing Indirect  effect Identification  -­‐‑>  Cognitive  elaboration  -­‐‑>  AKitudes B  =  .28,  SE  =  .14,  95%  CI  [.01,  .65] .72  *** .40  * .51  *** Direct  effect    =  .23 -­‐‑.07 -­‐‑.16 *  p  <  .05,  ***  p  <  .001 Total  effect  =  .47  **
Mediation  model:  Chapter  10 Identification   with  Vanessa Cognitive   elaboration Negative  aKitude   toward  gender   violence Counterarguing Indirect  effect Identification  -­‐‑>  Cognitive  elaboration  -­‐‑>  AKitudes B  =  .33,  SE  =  .13,  95%  CI  [.10,  .65] .57  *** .58  ** .34  ** Direct  effect    =  -­‐‑.12 .28  * -­‐‑.17 *  p  <  .05,  **  p  <  .01,  ***  p  <  .001 Total  effect  =  .12
Mediation  model:  Chapter  17 Identification   with  Juan  Carlos Cognitive   elaboration Positve  aKitude   toward  gay  men   coming  out Counterarguing Indirect  effect Identification  -­‐‑>  Cognitive  elaboration  -­‐‑>  AKitudes B  =  .18,  SE  =  .12,  95%  CI  [.02,  .54] .48  * .37  * .18 Direct  effect    =  -­‐‑.31 .05 .36  + +  p  <  .10,  *  p  <  .05,  ***  p  <  .001 Total  effect  =  -­‐‑.07
Discussion  and  conclusions •  This study confirm the important role of identification with characters as one of the mechanism of narrative persuasion. •  A greater identification with the main character was associated with a greater cognitive elaboration, in turn leading to prosocial attitudes. •  Counterarguing did not play a significant mediating role. The  models  of  narrative  persuasion   and  the  dual  models  of  rhetorical   persuasion  may  be  compatible  in   certain  contexts,  such  as  when   messages  are  designed  in  such  a  way   that  the  characters  make  explicit  the   arguments  supporting  the  prosocial   or  preventive  message  through  their   dialogues.
Processes and mechanisms of narrative persuasion in entertainment-­‐‑education interventions through audiovisual fiction. The role of identification with characters
Thank  you  very  much! Juan-­‐‑José  Igartua  (*)   University  of  Salamanca,  Spain (*)  Contact:  jigartua@usal.es hKp://www.ocausal.es

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Processes and mechanisms of narrative persuasion in entertainment-­‐‑education interventions through audiovisual fiction. The role of identification with characters

  • 1. Processes  and  mechanisms  of  narrative  persuasion  in   entertainment-­‐‑education  interventions  through   audiovisual  fiction.   The  role  of  identification  with  characters Juan-José Igartua1 & Jair Vega2 1 University of Salamanca (Spain) – 2 Universidad del Norte (Colombia) TEEM’14 Techological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality Salamanca, October 1-3, 2014 Track 6: “Communiction, Education and Health Promotion”
  • 2. Main  goal To improve our knowledge of the explanatory processes of narrative persuasion in the field of health communication using data obtained in a study of entertainment-education based on audiovisual fiction.
  • 3. Introduction Empirical study: •  Experimental research. •  208 participants. •  Mediation analysis. Theroretical background: •  Narrative persuasion. •  Entertainment-Education approach and health communication. •  TV series: “Revelados, desde todas las posiciones” (Colombia).
  • 4. Narrative  persuasion •  How exposure to (fictional) narratives designed to entertain can cause persuasive effects (Green & Brock, 2000). •  Narratives (such as television series or movies) are processed differently from traditional persuasive messages (such as commercial advertisements), (Slater & Rouner, 2002).
  • 5. Traditional  persuasive  messages   versus  narratives Persuasive messages Narratives •  Contain list of arguments in an explicit way. •  Show a clear educational or attitudinal goal. •  Processing goal: to develop a correct attitude. •  Illustrate through the presentation of events. •  Action is focused on the main characters. •  Designed for enjoyment. •  Processing goal: to become involved in the story and on the characters.
  • 6. Dual  models  versus  narrative   persuasion  models •  Main process in dual models of rethorical persuasion (e.g., ELM): cognitive elaboration (reflection, issue-relevant thoughts). •  Main process (mechanisms) of narrative persuasion: transportation and identification with the characters.
  • 7. Identification  with  characters Identifying  with  characters  is  an  imaginative  process   that  involves  the  temporal  replacement  of  own’s   identity  with  that  of  a  character  from  an  affective  and   cognitive  point  of  view  (Cohen,  2001). Emotional  empathy  (the  ability  to  feel  what  the   characters  feel). Cognitive  empathy  (adopting  the  point  of  view  of  the   characters). Merging  (a  temporal  loss  of  self-­‐‑awareness  and   imagining  the  story  as  if  one  were  one  of  the   characters).
  • 8. Narrative  models  in  Health   Communication •  Extended Elaboration Likelihood Model, E-ELM, (Slater & Rouner, 2002). •  Entertainment Overcoming Resistance Model, EORM (Moyer-Gusé, 2008). Identification   with  the   characters Counterarguing   AKitudinal   impact -­‐‑ -­‐‑ BUT,  empirical  research  into  this  topic   is  in  its  early  stages  and  has  shown   contradictory  findings.
  • 9. TV  series  and  Entertainment-­‐‑ Education •  Even though narrative formats do not explicitly present arguments from an external source, these can appear in dialogues taking place among characters during certain moments of the story. Fictional  narrative  formats   (e.g.,  TV  series)  designed   to  bring  about  positive   social  change  show  a  clear   educational  component.  
  • 10. Identification  and  cognitive   processes   Two possible relationships between identification and cognitive processes. ①  Identification (empathy dimension) can stimulate involvement with the messages “(…) which, in turn, increases the elaboration of messages and their potential persuasive effects” (Cohen, 2001, p. 260). ②  Identification (which also involves a temporary loss of self-awareness) most likely would lead to a less critical reading of the message.
  • 11. Our  main  objective To test to what extent the attitudinal impact caused by exposure to fictional audiovisual contents designed as entertainment- education platforms (through the Colombian television series “Revelados, desde todas las posiciones”) is explained because identification leads to a greater reflection or rather to a greater counterarguing.
  • 12. Hypotheses Hypothesized  Mediation  Model:  indirect  effects  of  identification   with  the  characters  on  aKitudes  through  cognitive  elaboration  and   counterarguing  
  • 13. Method •  N = 208 participants (age 14-20, mean = 15.85; 51.9% women). •  An experimental study (in Cololmbia, 2013). •  TV series “Revelados, desde todas las posiciones” (RDTP). https://www.youtube.com/user/REVELADOSDTP •  Participants were randomly divided in three groups (each group a different RDTP episode). •  The impact of viewing the episodes was assessed though a questionnaire containing scales to measure reception processes and attitudinal impact.
  • 14. RDTP •  RDTP is a television series addressed to young people between the ages of 12 and 19, produced by the Fundación Imaginario in Colombia. •  Educational contents: sexual relation, sexual diversity and gender violence. •  First season: 20 episodes lasting about 15 minutes each and presents a story with continuity from one episode to another. The  main  characters:   Camila,  Juan  Carlos,   Vanessa  and  Sebastián.  
  • 15. RDTP:  Episodes  and  topics Episode  8:  Adolescent  sexuality:  this  episode   aKempts  to  reinforce  positive  beliefs  about  sexual   decision-­‐‑making. Camila  is  the  main  character  of  the  episode   transmiKing  the  educational  message. Episode  10:  Gender  violence:  to  reinforce  an   aKitude  of  rejection  of  gender  violence. Vanessa    is  the  main  character  of  the  episode   transmiKing  the  educational  message. Episode  17:  Expressing  homosexual  feelings:  to   reinforce  a  positive  aKitude  toward  gay  men  who   decide  to  openly  express  their  sexual  orientation  . Juan  Carlos  is  the  main  character  of  the  episode   transmiKing  the  educational  message.
  • 16. Instruments  and  variables •  Identifiction with the main characters (11 items scale; αCamila = .86, αVanessa = .89, αSebastian = .91, αJuan Carlos = . 89). •  Cognitive elaboration (4 itmes scale; α= .83). •  Counterarguing (4 items scale; α= .72). •  Attitudinal impact: different topics (adolescent sexuality, gender violence and sexual diversity). •  A questionnaire administered to the participants immediately after they viewed the episode.
  • 17. Results •  Macro PROCESS for SPSS (Hayes, 2013). •  A mediation model with two mediating variables that operate in sequence (model 6). •  The indirect effect was calculated using 10,000 bootstrap samples for bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. •  An indirect effect is considered statistically significant if the confidence interval established (CI at 95%) does not include the value 0.
  • 18. Mediation  model:  Chapter  8 Identification   with  Camila Cognitive   elaboration Positive  aKitude   toward  sexual   decision-­‐‑making Counterarguing Indirect  effect Identification  -­‐‑>  Cognitive  elaboration  -­‐‑>  AKitudes B  =  .28,  SE  =  .14,  95%  CI  [.01,  .65] .72  *** .40  * .51  *** Direct  effect    =  .23 -­‐‑.07 -­‐‑.16 *  p  <  .05,  ***  p  <  .001 Total  effect  =  .47  **
  • 19. Mediation  model:  Chapter  10 Identification   with  Vanessa Cognitive   elaboration Negative  aKitude   toward  gender   violence Counterarguing Indirect  effect Identification  -­‐‑>  Cognitive  elaboration  -­‐‑>  AKitudes B  =  .33,  SE  =  .13,  95%  CI  [.10,  .65] .57  *** .58  ** .34  ** Direct  effect    =  -­‐‑.12 .28  * -­‐‑.17 *  p  <  .05,  **  p  <  .01,  ***  p  <  .001 Total  effect  =  .12
  • 20. Mediation  model:  Chapter  17 Identification   with  Juan  Carlos Cognitive   elaboration Positve  aKitude   toward  gay  men   coming  out Counterarguing Indirect  effect Identification  -­‐‑>  Cognitive  elaboration  -­‐‑>  AKitudes B  =  .18,  SE  =  .12,  95%  CI  [.02,  .54] .48  * .37  * .18 Direct  effect    =  -­‐‑.31 .05 .36  + +  p  <  .10,  *  p  <  .05,  ***  p  <  .001 Total  effect  =  -­‐‑.07
  • 21. Discussion  and  conclusions •  This study confirm the important role of identification with characters as one of the mechanism of narrative persuasion. •  A greater identification with the main character was associated with a greater cognitive elaboration, in turn leading to prosocial attitudes. •  Counterarguing did not play a significant mediating role. The  models  of  narrative  persuasion   and  the  dual  models  of  rhetorical   persuasion  may  be  compatible  in   certain  contexts,  such  as  when   messages  are  designed  in  such  a  way   that  the  characters  make  explicit  the   arguments  supporting  the  prosocial   or  preventive  message  through  their   dialogues.
  • 23. Thank  you  very  much! Juan-­‐‑José  Igartua  (*)   University  of  Salamanca,  Spain (*)  Contact:  jigartua@usal.es hKp://www.ocausal.es