Distraction during persuasive communication: A meta‐analytic review

Abstract

Research on the effect of distraction has produced conflicting results and competing theoretical explanations. Nonetheless, distraction has been cited as the process by which violations of conversational expectations influence the outcomes of persuasive communications. In this study, results from 38 studies examining distraction were subjected to meta‐analysis. The results indicate it is necessary to distinguish between communication relevant distraction (produced by behaviors of the source) and communication irrelevant distractors. The former, including violations of conversational expectations, produce attitude change via source valence effects, while the latter, in general, reduce attitude change by reducing message comprehension. The counterarguing hypothesis receives little support, though questions concerning counterargument measures suggest that it may not have been put to a fair test. The type of communication irrelevant distraction influences the reduction in attitude change perhaps due to the cognitive load required to overcome the distraction. Overall, the effect of communication irrelevant distraction on attitude change is moderate at best.

Notes

David B. Buller is Assistant Professor of Speech Communication, Texas Tech University. He would like to thank Judee Burgoon, Michael Burgoon, Gerald Miller, Peter Monge, John Hunter, and Joseph Cappellafor their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.