A Process Analysis of Message Style and Persuasion: The Effects of Gain-Loss Framing and Emotion-Inducing Imagery

Abstract

An experiment (N = 455) was conducted to examine the persuasive effects of two stylistic elements: gain-loss framing and emotionally evocative imagery. The theoretical model specified that perceived message valence is a direct result of the two elements and that valence subsequently influences emotional and cognitive responses and ultimately behavioral intention. With two positive, attractive message topics (free travel to the Caribbean and free tablet PC), three message conditions varied the coupling of frame and image (matched, mismatched, and no image). Results from structural equation modeling largely indicate that gain framing with matched image led to stronger effects on mediators and persuasion.

Acknowledgments

We wish to express our appreciation to Yerheen Ha, who contributed to the study by providing expert judgments of the visual stimuli based on her training with the Facial Action Coding Scheme, and to Lijiang Shen for his advice on analyses.

This project is based on the first author's dissertation. A partially overlapping portion of the data set is reported in Seo and Dillard (in press).

Notes

¹ MANOVAs (within message) showed small mean differences for message order. However, structural equation analyses, run with and without order, showed no differences in the path coefficients. Accordingly, we opted for simpler solution and report analyses without order.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kiwon Seo

Kiwon Seo is an assistant professor (PhD, Pennsylvania State University) in the Department of Mass Communication at Sam Houston State University. His research centers on the examinations of persuasive effects of various message characteristics, including visual image and framing. E-mail: [email protected]

James Price Dillard

James Price Dillard (PhD, Michigan State University) is Distinguished Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University. His research emphasizes theory and empirical research on the role of emotion in persuasion. He has received the John E. Hunter Award for Meta-Analysis and is a fellow of the International Communication Association. His previous edited books include Seeking Compliance: The Production of Interpersonal Influence Messages and The Persuasion Handbook (the first edition with Michael Pfau, the second edition with Lijiang Shen).