The Temporal Effects of Story and Statistical Evidence on Belief Change
Authors:
- E. James BaeslerEBE. James Baesler
- Judee K. BurgoonJBJudee K. Burgoon
- 1 October 1994
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Communication Research
- Vol. 21 (5) , 582-602
Abstract
An experiment investigated characteristics of evidence that influenced beliefs across multiple time periods. Respondents, after reading one of four written messages that crossed evidence type (story or statistical) with vividness (vivid or nonvivid), completed belief measures at one of three time intervals (immediate, 48-hour delay, or 1-week delay). Statistical evidence was found to be more persuasive than story evidence. Vivid and nonvivid statistical evidence were persuasive relative to the control at 48 hours, and vivid statistical evidence remained persuasive through 1 week. Neither form of story evidence was persuasive relative to the control at delayed time intervals.Keywords
This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- Remembering1995
- The Utility of Exemplars in Persuasive CommunicationsCommunication Research, 1994
- The vividness effect: Elusive or illusory?Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1988
- The Impact of Enriching Case and Statistical Information on Consumer JudgmentsJournal of Consumer Research, 1982
- Insensitivity to sample bias: Generalizing from atypical cases.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1980
- The effects of base rates and individuating information on judgments about another personJournal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1980
- Predicting belief and belief change using a cognitive theory of argument and evidenceCommunication Monographs, 1979
- The Differential Impact of Abstract vs. Concrete Information on Decisions1Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 1977
- Judgments of recidivism risk: Conflicts between clinical strategies and base-rate information.Law and Human Behavior, 1977
- Experiments on Story Understanding and RecallQuarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1976