Can narrative help people engage with and understand information without being persuasive? An empirical study.
| Autor: | Freeman ALJ; Winton Centre for Risk & Evidence Communication, DPMMS, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK., Tanase LM; Winton Centre for Risk & Evidence Communication, DPMMS, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK.; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK., Schneider CR; Winton Centre for Risk & Evidence Communication, DPMMS, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK.; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.; School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand., Kerr J; Winton Centre for Risk & Evidence Communication, DPMMS, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK.; Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, 29 Brandon Street, Wellington 6011, New Zealand. |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Zdroj: | Royal Society open science [R Soc Open Sci] 2024 Jul 10; Vol. 11 (7), pp. 231708. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 10 (Print Publication: 2024). |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rsos.231708 |
| Abstrakt: | Stories have been shown to be engaging and aid the comprehension and retention of information. However, the persuasive power of storytelling is well-recognized. Is this an inherent property? Can a narrative be constructed that helps people engage with information but does not persuade them? We presented participants ( n = 1309) with information about a fictional new drug and asked them whether they would license it on the basis of this. All saw the same information, in either a bullet-pointed list or as a 'process narrative'-a journalist's 'journey of discovery', designed to avoid persuasive language. Participants rated the narrative format a little more engaging than the non-narrative ( p = 0.033, d = 0.12) and remembered the information in it slightly better ( p = 0.040, d = 0.11). They did not rate the narrative version as more persuasive, but those reading it were on average more opposed to licensing the drug than those reading the non-narrative ( p < 0.001, d = 0.18). Based on participants' responses to other questions, we speculate this may be owing to the increased salience of risks of the drug, arising from subtle differences in wording. Thus, while narratives may have useful properties, they must be carefully constructed to avoid unintentional effects. Competing Interests: We declare we have no competing interests. (© 2024 The Authors.) |
| Databáze: | MEDLINE |
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