The question is addressed whether identification with a story character can evoke emotions that subsequently influence the audience's attitude. Study 1 (N = 145) manipulated identification and found it to influence the evoking of emotions as well as the audience's attitude. Study 2 (N = 115) examined whether emotions are evoked by the extent to which the story's outcome is perceived as just. The main character's culpability was manipulated thereby influencing the extent to which a bad ending was considered just. Mediation analyses attested to the greater importance of identification for evoking emotions compared to the perception of justice. The studies reveal the mediating role of emotions in narrative persuasion as well as how identification can evoke these emotions.
There is ample empirical evidence for the fact that narratives can influence an audience’s attitudes. In this study, we address the question as to whether the persuasive impact of stories can be explained by the emotions evoked as a result of the audience identifying with the protagonist. In an experiment, the extent to which participants identified with a character was manipulated through portraying the character as more or less sympathetic. The resulting difference in identification with this character did not only result in experiencing more intense emotions but also in a more favorable attitude. Mediation analyses revealed that the impact on the attitude was mediated by the extent to which emotions were evoked, which in turn was mediated by the extent to which participants identified with the character. The extent to which participants perceived the story as realistic proved a mediating variable as well in explaining the impact on the attitude. The results of this study shed more light on an important mechanism of narrative persuasion.
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