The Mediating Roles of Identification and Perceived Persuasive Intent in Narrative Persuasion

Theories on narrative message processing, such as Extended Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion (Slater & Rouner, 2002) and Entertainment Overcoming Resistance Model (Moyer-Guse, 2008), suggest that narrative messages are persuasive because how absorbed into narratives (i.e., transportation) reduces the resistance to the message. Specifically, greater transportation results in fewer counterarguments (CA) and lower psychological reactance (PR) among message recipients. This study proposes and tests these explanations on how transportation reduces resistance to narrative in the context of binge drinking. Participants were asked to carefully evaluate narrative appeals after reporting their overall attitude on the given topics. Data from hierarchical regression analyses supported the hypothesized models. Results from a sample of undergraduate participants reveal that both perceived persuasive intent and identification mediate the relationship between transportation and message resistances (PR and CA). The implications and limitations of this study are discussed.