Framing in Entertainment-Education: Effects on Processes of Narrative Persuasion.
Nowadays, entertainment-education (E-E) is often used as a persuasive strategy to stimulate prosocial behavior. Although E-E is mostly regarded as a persuasive strategy in itself, in an increasing number of E-E programs several persuasive strategies are used to communicate the educational message to the audience. This study investigates the effects of a strategy widely used in health communication, but not previously studied in the field of E-E: framing. To this means we examined the effect of two different ways an E-E message can be framed: by emphasizing either the losses of not performing the behavior in question or the gains of performing this behavior. A serial multiple mediation model showed that framing affected intention to refrain from drunk cycling via counterarguing and attitude toward drunk cycling; the use of a gain frame decreased counterarguing, which decreased the attitude toward drunk cycling. This subsequently resulted in a higher intention to refrain from this behavior. Implications of these results are discussed.
a Amsterdam School of Communication Research , University of Amsterdam.
Elsbeth D Asbeek
EDA
Brusse
a Amsterdam School of Communication Research , University of Amsterdam.
Marieke L
ML
Fransen
a Amsterdam School of Communication Research , University of Amsterdam.
Edith G
EG
Smit
D000328:Adult; D002359:Cartoons as Topic; D005260:Female; D058015:Health Communication / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D033262:Narration; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D012309:Risk-Taking