Citation

Sangalang A, Ophir Y, Cappella JN. J. Commun. 2019; 69(3): 298-319.

Affiliation

Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, International Communication Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1093/joc/jqz014

PMID

31205334

PMCID

PMC6544903

Abstract

Misinformation can influence personal and societal decisions in detrimental ways. Not only is misinformation challenging to correct, but even when individuals accept corrective information, misinformation can continue to influence attitudes: a phenomenon known as belief echoes, affective perseverance, or the continued influence effect. Two controlled experiments tested the efficacy of narrative-based correctives to reduce this affective residual in the context of misinformation about organic tobacco. Study 1 (N = 385) tested within-narrative corrective endings, embedded in four discrete emotions (happiness, anger, sadness, and fear). Study 2 (N = 586) tested the utility of a narrative with a negative, emotional corrective ending (fear and anger).

RESULTS provide some evidence that narrative correctives, with or without emotional endings, can be effective at reducing misinformed beliefs and intentions, but narratives consisting of emotional corrective endings are better at correcting attitudes than a simple corrective. Implications for misinformation scholarship and corrective message design are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

Attitudes; Belief Echoes; Emotions; Misinformation; Narrative Persuasion