Persuasive Effects of Fictional Narratives Increase Over Time

By Markus Appel, Tobias Richter. Media Psychology, 2007

380 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Fact-related information contained in fictional narratives may induce substantial changes in readers' real-world beliefs. Current models of persuasion through fiction assume that these effects occur because readers are psychologically transported into the fictional world of the narrative. Contrary to general dual-process models of persuasion, models of persuasion through fiction also imply that persuasive effects of fictional narratives are persistent and even increase over time (absolute sleeper effect). In an experiment designed to test this prediction, 81 participants read either a fictional story that contained true as well as false assertions about real-world topics or a control story. There were large short-term persuasive effects of false information, and these effects were even larger for a group with a 2-week assessment delay. Belief certainty was weakened immediately after reading but returned to baseline level after 2 weeks, indicating that beliefs acquired by reading fictional narratives are integrated into real-world knowledge.

Subfields: Literature and Literary Theory, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/37479ea0431c0ccc49b371969d0cdb8aa92a139f

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Citations in the corpus

Explaining the Effects of Narrative in an Entertainment Television Program: Overcoming Resistance to Persuasion (2010, result): “This sleeper effect argument is consistent with recent research demonstrating that the effects of reading a fictional narrative on related beliefs increase over time (Appel & Richter, 2007).”
Transportation and Need for Affect in Narrative Persuasion: A Mediated Moderation Model (2010, background): “Research has demonstrated persuasive effects in response to the central theme of a narrative (eg, a dangerous psychiatric patient; Green & Brock, 2000 ) as well as in response to information that was no central part of the plotline (eg, Prentice et al, 1997 ; Wheeler, Green, & Brock, 1999 ), and ”
The Effects of Metaphorical Framing on Political Persuasion: A Systematic Literature Review (2017, background): “Such fictional stories are not true, but can contain much information that can be applied to the real world (Appel & Richter, 2007, p. 113).”
Changing Real‐World Beliefs With Controversial Movies: Processes and Mechanisms of Narrative Persuasion (2012, background): “Numerous studies have shown that it is possible to persuade people by exposure to written (Appel & Richter, 2007; Green & Brock, 2000) or audiovisual (Slater, Rouner, & Long, 2006) fictional narratives.”
Story Perspective and Character Similarity as Drivers of Identification and Narrative Persuasion (2016, positive): “Appel and Richter (2007) have shown that these persuasive effects are not Corresponding author: Hans Hoeken; e-mail: j.a.l.hoeken@uu.nl short-lived and may even increase over time.”
The Influence of Paratext on Narrative Persuasion: Fact, Fiction, or Fake? (2012, background): “Persuasive effects of narratives appear to be rather durable and may even increase over time (Appel & Richter, 2007; Jensen, Bernat, Wilson, & Goonwardene, 2011; see also Appel, 2008a).”
The role of dimensions of narrative engagement in narrative persuasion (2009, background): “However, previous research finds that changes in beliefs closely related to a story (that were mentioned explicitly in the story) were persistent and strong (Appel and Richter, 2007), something that would not be expected if they were merely priming effects.”
The Role of a Narrative's Emotional Flow in Promoting Persuasive Outcomes (2015, neutral): “A substantial body of evidence attests to the power of narratives to change attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors (e.g., Appel & Richter, 2007; Escalas, 2004; Green, 2004; Green & Brock, 2000; Hormes, Rozin, Green, & Fincher, 2013; Marsh & Fazio, 2006; Morgan, Movius, & Cody, 2009; Strange & Leung,…”
Playing With Prejudice: The Prevalence and Consequences of Racial Stereotypes in Video Games (2011, background): “Research has shown that those exposed to false information in fictional stories are persuaded by it and that persuasion persists over time (Appel & Richter, 2007).”
Identification as a Mechanism of Narrative Persuasion (2012, background): “It is by now well-established that narratives can have effects on readers’ real-world beliefs and attitudes (e.g., Appel & Richter, 2007; Diekman, McDonald, & Gardner, 2000; Strange & Leung, 1999).”
Transportation Across Media: Repeated Exposure to Print and Film (2008, background): “Need for cognition does not reliably predict narrative persuasion (Appel & Richter, 2007; Green & Brock, 2000), but it tends to have a low to moderate positive correlation with transportation.”
Effects of Literature on Empathy and Self-Reflection: A Theoretical-Empirical Framework (2015, positive): “Appel and Richter (2007) suggest that persuasion through reading narrative fiction needs an incubation period, some time to sink in.”
Fictional Narratives Cultivate Just‐World Beliefs (2008, background): “…dropouts to individual circumstances in the real world as well (Strange & Leung, 1999), whereas people who read about someone who thinks that wearing a seat belt is unsafe are less convinced about wearing seat belts themselves, and so forth (e.g., Appel & Richter, 2007; Prentice et al., 1997).”
Can’t We Just Disregard Fake News? The Consequences of Exposure to Inaccurate Information (2018, background): “The problem is that reading inaccurate information can reduce people’s confidence in the accuracy of their knowledge, including when it is correct and despite any general propensity toward overconfidence (Appel & Richter, 2007).”