Framing Persuasive Appeals: Episodic and Thematic Framing, Emotional Response, and Policy Opinion

Abstract

Those seeking to frame political issues to their advantage recognize the power of emotional appeals. Yet the study of framing has focused mainly on the cognitive effects of framing rather than on its emotional effects. This study presents the results of two experiments designed to explore the effect of episodic and thematic framing on emotional response and policy opinion. Participants were randomly assigned to read a column arguing against mandatory minimum sentencing that employed either a thematic or one of two episodic frames featuring a woman who received a harsh sentence under the policy. Episodic framing was more emotionally engaging. Furthermore, the specific emotions elicited by the episodic frame-sympathy and pity for the woman featured in the column-were associated with increased opposition to mandatory minimum sentencing. Yet the thematic frame was actually more persuasive once this indirect effect of frame on emotional response was taken into account. The results are consistent with the conclusion that framing effects on policy opinion operate through both affective and cognitive channels. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.Conventional wisdom tells us that emotional appeals matter. Those seeking to influence opinion and frame political issues to their advantage certainly seem to believe that appeals to emotion aid them in their attempts to gain public support. Moreover, a growing body of research demonstrates that emotion can play a crucial role in how citizens process political information and arrive at political judgments. Yet we know little about the possible effects of framing attempts on emotional response because the framing literature, with a few exceptions, has focused on cognitive reactions. This study extends Iyengar's (1991) work to examine how the use of episodic and thematic framing in a persuasive message affects emotional response and how these emotional reactions might

Judicialization and Its Effects: Experiments as a Way Forward

“…The literature is split on whether episodic or thematic frames are more likely to be persuasive (see (Iyengar 1991;cf. Aarøe 2011;Gross 2008), yet, as we have seen, Haltom and McCann, along with others who have surmised about the effects of "tort tale" coverage on attitudes, implicitly argue that episodically framed coverage that highlights (or distorts) the negative aspects of the tort system has been a particularly potent weapon of tort reformers. This suggests that episodically framed articles that are pro tort reform, at least in this case, are presumed to be more persuasive.…”

“…A second mediator of framing effects may be prior beliefs (Druckman and Nelson 2003;Gross 2008;Slothuus 2008). Accordingly, respondents were asked in the pre-test and post-test about the degree to which they agreed with four statements about the tort system.…”

“…Following the administering of the treatment, participants answered a series of post-test questions about the presence or absence of discrete emotions (pity, disgust, worry, anger, and sympathy). Research suggests that emotions may play a mediating role in the effectiveness of narrative frames (see Iyengar 1991;Gross 2008). For subjects who indicated that they felt one of these emotions after the treatment, a follow-up question was asked about the strength of the emotional response (measured on a nine-point Likert scale).…”

“…Iyengar (1991) argues that episodic and thematic frames can lead readers to differing cognitive reactions in three areas: (1) the attribution of responsibility for the problem discussed in the coverage; (2) the support of government policies designed to address the problem; and (3) the level of understanding of the problem. 7 In addition to cognitive effects, a growing body of research has found that episodic and thematic frames can lead consumers to different emotional, or affective, reactions (see Aarøe 2011;Gross 2008;Hevron 2013). …”

“…4.1.1. Narrative Frames "Narrative" frames are a subset of issue frames that concern storytelling devices, or word-by-word choices, which add up to distinctive ways of telling a story (see Iyengar 1991;Gross 2008;Hevron 2013). Two types of narrative frames, episodic and thematic, are particularly relevant to the present discussion of the effects of judicialization.…”