Does it matter if a story character lives or dies?: a message experiment comparing survivor and death narratives

Lillie, Helen M.; Pokharel, Manusheela; John, Kevin K.; Christy, Katheryn R.; Upshaw, Sean J.; Giorgi, Elizabeth A; Jensen, Jakob D.

doi:10.1080/08870446.2021.1873337

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Liu and Yang ( 40 ), in a study using different frames of narrative persuasion to curb e-cigarette use among university students, reported that in a gain-framed narrative, the elicitation of a negative emotion such as anger was associated with an increasing risk perception and decreasing intention to use e-cigarettes. Some recent studies testing the effect of negative emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness in narrative persuasion interventions for health were conducted by Lillie et al ( 41 , 42 ), Jensen et al ( 43 ), and Krakow et al ( 44 ). They demonstrated that story outcome (e.g., whether the main character lives or dies) can impact audience behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intention to Screen for Hepatitis C Among University Students: Influence of Different Communicative Scenarios

et al. 2022

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This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different narrative scenarios regarding students' intentions to undergo diagnostic screening for hepatitis C, and whether gender identification with the characters of the scenario could influence the students' intentions to undergo a medical test. A sample of 600 participants was administered three narrative scenarios with different frames (positive, negative, and ambivalent), including two gender options (male and female) for the main character of the story. A statistically significant three-way interaction between scenario, gender identification, and time resulted. There were significant simple main effects on the intention to have a diagnostic test for hepatitis C for the scenarios with the protagonist of the same gender as the participant and after the administration of the negative scenario. The use of a negative scenario with the same gender character was always more effective than the use of a positive framed scenario, even though there was a high level of knowledge regarding the disease. Personal diagnostic testing was not directly associated with knowledge regarding the infection. The findings of this study can ultimately help policymakers develop communication campaigns adapted to target populations such as college students, in order to raise awareness of the risk, promote prevention and behavioral change, and encourage medical screening.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intention to Screen for Hepatitis C Among University Students: Influence of Different Communicative Scenarios

et al. 2022

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“…Several studies found that survivor narratives were more effective (Krakow et al, 2017). However, Lillie et al. (2021) found that death narratives were more effective than survivor narratives and that this effect was mediated through increased transportation and decreased counter-arguing.…”

Section: Health Testimonialsmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Several studies found that survivor narratives were more effective (Krakow et al, 2017). However, Lillie et al (2021) found that death narratives were more effective than survivor narratives and that this effect was mediated through increased transportation and decreased counter-arguing. Ooms et al (2017) found that fear (but not other emotions) evoked by breast cancer narratives was related to transportation and stronger intentions to perform self-breast exams.…”

Section: Fearmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Fear and Shame in Health Testimonial Videos on Identification and Health Beliefs

Cohen,

Atad,

Mevorach

2024

Journal of Media Psychology

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Two online experiments (Study 1 N = 310; Study 2 N = 967) using video testimonials manipulated the degree of fear and shame experienced by viewers by varying the degree of risk and stigma associated with the illnesses endured by the protagonists. Results showed that increasing risk and stigma intensified identification, which in turn affected story-consistent beliefs. Trait empathy, expected to increase identification did not predict higher identification. Both studies, using different videos depicting different illnesses, found similar results suggesting a general pattern. Results are discussed in the context of persuasion theory and implications for message design are suggested.

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“…The death of the main character was foreshadowed, potentially triggering replotting during story consumption. Past research has found that death narratives are more persuasive when they include foreshadowing (e.g., Lillie, Pokharel, et al, 2021). It is possible that replotting is one of the mechanisms that makes foreshadowed death narratives more effective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Power was calculated using G*Power (Faul et al, 2009). Past research in this area (Jensen et al, 2017; Lillie, Pokharel, et al, 2021) has identified small main effects. Consistently detecting small effects requires relatively large sample sizes guided by a priori power analysis (Cohen, 1992).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Encouraging Replotting to Promote Persuasion: How Imagining Alternative Plotlines Influences Message Processing and Intentions

Lillie

Ratcliff

Pokharel

et al. 2022

Communication Research

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This set of studies investigated replotting as a mechanism of narrative persuasion. Replotting involves both the cognitive act of imagining alternative plot lines to avoid an undesirable story outcome and an accompanying emotion such as anger, anxiety, or sadness. Both studies utilized a 2 (story outcome: death vs. survivor) × 2 (efficacy appeal: present vs. absent) message experiment design. Study 1 ( N = 1,207) tested a non-narrative efficacy appeal appended to the story and assessed replotting anger. Study 2 ( N = 716) tested an efficacy appeal embedded within the narrative and assessed replotting anger, anxiety, and sadness. Death narratives generated greater replotting sadness across efficacy conditions and greater replotting anger and anxiety when a narrative efficacy appeal was not included in the story. Replotting was negatively related to counterarguing and positively related to message elaboration. Replotting influenced behavioral intention either via counterarguing or message elaboration dependent on the efficacy condition.

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Does it matter if a story character lives or dies?: a message experiment comparing survivor and death narratives

Cited by 9 publications

References 72 publications

Intention to Screen for Hepatitis C Among University Students: Influence of Different Communicative Scenarios

Intention to Screen for Hepatitis C Among University Students: Influence of Different Communicative Scenarios

The Effects of Fear and Shame in Health Testimonial Videos on Identification and Health Beliefs

Encouraging Replotting to Promote Persuasion: How Imagining Alternative Plotlines Influences Message Processing and Intentions

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