How much did it cost to develop and implement an eHealth intervention for a minority children pop... more How much did it cost to develop and implement an eHealth intervention for a minority children population that overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic?
Background: Although physical activity (PA) has been shown in helping prevent and treat obesity, ... more Background: Although physical activity (PA) has been shown in helping prevent and treat obesity, current PA interventions are still not effective in ameliorating the obesity epidemic. Additional forms of PA need to be investigated to improve PA engagement and outcomes. We hypothesize that pairing a narrative (i.e., story) with an active video game (AVG), a less traditional form of PA, will increase participant engagement in PA. This paper presents the rationale, implementation, and pilot results of a study assessing the effect of narrative's impact on PA and a series of other health outcomes. Objective: This paper presents the rationale, implementation, and pilot results of a study assessing the effect of narrative's impact on PA and a series of other health outcomes. Methods/design: The Active Video Game Study is a six-month randomized controlled single-blind trial projected to include 210 participants. The intervention strategy will pair a narrative to an active video game (AVG). Participants will be randomized into 3 groups: condition A [Narrative + AVG], condition B [AVG Only], and condition C [Control]. Participants will undergo three in-person data collection visits over the course of six months. Inclusion criteria are that children are between the ages of 8-12 and have a BMI ≥ 85%. The primary outcome is change in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Secondary outcome measures include change in BMI percentile, fasting insulin and glucose, lipid panel, C-reactive protein, and cognitive function. A pilot trial of n = 6 was conducted to help develop procedures and address problems that could arise in the main trial. Discussion: Successful completion of this study will provide the empirical basis for novel intervention and design strategies to enhance the impact of AVGs on longterm MVPA.
Background Physical activity is crucial for child obesity prevention and intervention. Narratives... more Background Physical activity is crucial for child obesity prevention and intervention. Narratives embedded in active games can increase children’s physical activity. Objective Little is known about the narrative characteristics that would motivate children to exercise. We attempted to fill the gaps in understanding regarding narrative design for active video games. Methods In this exploratory study, four animated narratives of different genres were professionally generated. Children (N=41) between the ages of 8 and 12 years were interviewed to identify their preferences. Sessions were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using exploratory thematic analysis. Results Findings revealed that the children rated the dystopian science fiction story as their favorite across all weight, race, and gender groups. The physical activity-friendly narrative strategies included virtuous characters, extraordinary character actions, interesting plots, super powers, and engaging cliffhangers....
Research has supported the effectiveness of narratives for promoting health behavior, but differe... more Research has supported the effectiveness of narratives for promoting health behavior, but different narrative presentation formats (serial vs. episodic) have seldom been compared. Suspense theories suggest that serial narratives, which do not provide a full resolution at the end of an episode, may create higher motivation for continued engagement with a story. Forty-four 8 to 12-year-old children were randomly assigned to watch an animation series designed for an existing active video game in which the plot was delivered either continuously across multiple episodes (serial) or in multiple yet relatively independent self-contained episodes (episodic). Controlling for social desirability, children who watched the serial narrative had significantly more moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and step counts while the episodic group's gameplay duration decreased, especially during later visits. There was no difference in self-reported narrative immersion or physical activity intention. Serial narratives can result in more time spent in MVPA behaviors than episodic narratives.
This paper summarizes a study as to whether individual differences are significant factors that s... more This paper summarizes a study as to whether individual differences are significant factors that should affect the design of consumer decision support over the web. Our study postulates two orthogonal dimensions appear to be of relevance – Need for Cognition and Purchase Preference (ie, lifestyle vs. utilitarian), and that consumers can be sorted into one of 4 cells of a 2x2 matrix of these dimensions. The Need for Cognition is a well-researched dimension with its own instrument for measuring it, while we had to develop and validate an instrument for measuring the Purchase Preference. Applying these instruments to two study groups totaling 175 users forced us to reject the null hypothesis that individual differences are unimportant (90 % confidence), and accept that 3 matrix groupings are distinct (two of them are clustered together in our sample). The study concludes with design implications that might best support the decision support needs of each of the categories of consumers in...
... Next, this chapter compares the Transportation-Imagery approach to persuasion with dual-proce... more ... Next, this chapter compares the Transportation-Imagery approach to persuasion with dual-process models of rhetorical persuasion, specifically it contrasts the authors' theory with theElaboration-Likelihood Model. Selected research implications are discussed. ...
Persuasion research often focuses on how source characteristics affect attitude change in respons... more Persuasion research often focuses on how source characteristics affect attitude change in response to a message; however, message characteristics may also alter perceptions of the source. The Message-Based Impression Formation effect (M-BIF) suggests that perceivers use features of messages to infer characteristics of the source, and that such inferences may have a variety of consequential outcomes. In particular, the choice of narrative versus statistical evidence may have implications for the perceived warmth and competence of a source. In five experiments, narrative arguments led to greater perceptions of source warmth and statistical arguments led to greater perceptions of source competence. Across the two behavioral studies, a matching effect emerged: participants preferred to work on cooperative tasks with partners who had provided narratives, and competitive tasks with partners who had provided statistical evidence. These results suggest that the evidence type chosen for everyday communications may affect person perception and interpersonal interaction.
Becker and Neuberg (this issue) present a theory of archetypes as a consequence of evolutionary d... more Becker and Neuberg (this issue) present a theory of archetypes as a consequence of evolutionary dynamics and personal experience. In particular, they suggest that archetypes are tendencies that have evolved to provide adaptive responses to social problems. For example, the goal of seeking nurturance leads to the archetype of the Caretaker; the challenge of social exchange leads to the archetype of the Cheater. Moreover, these tendencies are highly dependent on one’s prior experiences, and these internal archetype representational systems are dynamic, multimodal, and subsymbolically grounded. Although Becker and Neuberg primarily discuss archetypes as mental structures (patterns of perception, memory, and action), this theory resonates well with work on narratives and literature. It complements and provides new depth for narrative theories addressing issues such as the purpose of fiction, the links between fiction and social skills, and the repetition of certain types of characters and narrative structures across time and cultures. Furthermore, the archetype perspective may be a useful springboard for developing new hypotheses about narrative effects.
Innovative interventions addressing childhood obesity are needed to capture the attention of yout... more Innovative interventions addressing childhood obesity are needed to capture the attention of youth living in a multi-media environment. The purpose of this paper is to describe the qualitative study that was conducted to inform the development of an appealing manga comic (Japanese comic art) to promote fruit consumption in youth and the process of creating the comic. Seven focus groups and two interviews (N=28) were conducted with middle-school students to better understand such topics as enjoyable components of manga comics and important health concepts. Two researchers independently analyzed each transcript using ATLAS.ti. Inductive and deductive processes were used to identify codes (ideas emerging from text); similar codes were grouped into themes. Most frequently mentioned themes related to enjoyable components of manga comics were detailed graphics and artistic style of text used to convey sound effects. The majority said eating fruits and vegetables was the most important nut...
The current work provides evidence for a psychological obstacle to the resolution of divisive soc... more The current work provides evidence for a psychological obstacle to the resolution of divisive social issues (e.g., affirmative action, drug legalization); specifically, people approach discussions of these issues with a threatened mind-set. Across three studies, it is shown that the prospect of discussing topics which divide social opinion is associated with threatened responding (the dissensus effect). Divisive discussion topics are associated with both a greater level of self-reported threat (Studies 1 and 3) and a greater tendency to perceive neutral faces as threatening (Study 2). Furthermore, the effect is shown to be robust across manipulations of social opinion (ratings of multiple social issues in Studies 1 and 2; fictional polling data in Study 3), and was not reducible to individual attitude extremity (Studies 1 and 3) or a valence effect (Study 2).
The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to a manga comic (Japanese comic art)... more The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to a manga comic (Japanese comic art) with messages promoting fruit consumption influenced psychosocial variables associated with increased fruit intake in middle-school youth. A three-group, randomized, single-session study was conducted in two public middle schools in central North Carolina. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (a) comic (manga comic promoting fruit consumption, (b) newsletter (newsletter about fruit), or (c) attention-control (newsletter about ancient Greece). Participants included N = 263 youth, with a mean age of 13.18 years (SD = 1.12). Outcome expectations, self-efficacy, and knowledge related to fruit intake were measured at baseline and immediately after reading. Secondary outcomes included transportation (degree to which participants are immersed in their media) and enjoyment, measured at posttest. Data were analyzed using regression analyses. Comic group participants tended...
Tell me a fact and I'll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story an... more Tell me a fact and I'll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever." -Indian Proverb Once upon a time, long ago and far away (or perhaps not so long ago), teachers did not use fancy PowerPoint presentations, overhead projectors, or even chalkboards. They simply shared their knowledge through stories. Think back over your years of sitting in classrooms. What are the moments that you most remember? For me, one of those moments was my professor in introduction to psychology spinning the tale of Rosenhan's pseudopatients, perfectly sane individuals who checked into a mental institution and proceeded to act in normal ways. It seemed like an amazing adventure -what was going to happen to these people in the mental hospital? The class was hanging on his every word. The odds are that your memorable moments, too, have to do with stories -not theories or definitions or dates, but an unfolding narrative, complete with su...
Research has demonstrated the ability of fictional narratives to educate about social and health ... more Research has demonstrated the ability of fictional narratives to educate about social and health issues. Although some entertainment-education efforts have used live theater as a mechanism for social change, very few use social science methods to demonstrate exposure effects. This project used live theater to increase understanding and knowledge about intimate partner violence, a pervasive and costly social and health problem. Audiences watched either a play about abusive relationships-emphasizing psychological abuse and the role of coercion and control-or a control play. Compared with controls, those who watched the abuse play were more knowledgeable and less accepting of myths about abusive relationships in a way that mirrored play content. Although both plays were highly transporting, transportation did not explain a significant amount of variance in the attitudes toward intimate partner violence. These results provide rare evidence for theater as a tool for social change.
ABSTRACT Interactive narratives are stories that allow readers to determine the direction of the ... more ABSTRACT Interactive narratives are stories that allow readers to determine the direction of the plot, often at key decision points. Unanswered questions remain about the types of psychological processes evoked by these “Choose Your Own Adventure” style narratives, as well as the relative persuasive influence of interactive narratives compared to traditional narratives. The current paper reviews the existing literature and provides a theoretical framework to guide future research on interactive narratives, particularly as a tool for entertainment-education efforts. Specifically, we highlight increased user control and looser narrative structure as key elements of interactive narratives, and discuss possible effects of these differences on engagement variables (e.g., transportation, identification, perceived realism), self-related variables (responsibility), and outcomes (e.g., enjoyment, attitude change, health behaviors).
“Transportation into a narrative world” is a psychological mechanism through which narrative comm... more “Transportation into a narrative world” is a psychological mechanism through which narrative communication can affect beliefs (Green & Brock, 2000). Transportation, or psychological immersion into a story, entails imagery, emotionality, and attentional focus. Two studies (N = 92 and 126) suggested that when readers’ pre-reading emotional states match the emotional tone of a narrative, transportation into that narrative is increased. Low-arousal positive emotions (contentedness, thoughtful) also increase transportation. Transportation is also associated with greater story-consistent emotional response, even if the emotions evoked by the ending of the story are different from the emotional tone at the start of the story (and readers’ pre-reading emotions). Furthermore, labeling a narrative as fact versus fiction does not affect the intensity of emotional response.
ABSTRACT The study of narrative persuasion has increased dramatically in the past decade. Whereas... more ABSTRACT The study of narrative persuasion has increased dramatically in the past decade. Whereas much of this research focuses on story and character involvement, the role of emotion—and emotional flow specifically—has been understudied. In this article, we explore the multiple ways that the desire for and the experience of emotional shifts may promote the persuasive influence of narratives. First, we propose that the desire for an emotional shift (e.g., mood management) can guide message selection. Then, the emotional flow, or the series of emotional shifts in response to the unfolding story, may promote and sustain continued engagement with the narrative world. As such, influence of the narrative is likely enhanced. We then argue that the heightened state of narrative engagement and its associated emotional states have implications for post-message attitudes, both short-term attitude change as well as over-time change via emotion-driven topic involvement and social sharing. A research agenda for greater integration of emotion into narrative research is proposed.
In three studies (total N = 619), the authors tested an evolutionary hypothesis: Men are more bot... more In three studies (total N = 619), the authors tested an evolutionary hypothesis: Men are more bothered by sexual than emotional infidelity, whereas the reverse is true of women. More diverse samples (in age) and measures than is typical were used. In Study 1, the authors found across gender, sample, and method that sexual infidelity was associated with anger and blame, but emotional infidelity was associated with hurt feelings. The evolutionary effect was replicated with undergraduates but not with the nonstudent sample. In Study 2, narrative scenarios were used; it was found that nonstudent men and women were more hurt and upset by emotional infidelity but were made angrier by sexual infidelity. In Study 3, using Likert-type scales, scenarios, and a nonstudent sample, it was found that both genders were more upset, hurt, and angrier about sexual than emotional transgressions when rating one kind without hearing the opposite type. The implications for how emotional responses evolved...
One popular concept to capture the experience of being immersed into the world of a story is the ... more One popular concept to capture the experience of being immersed into the world of a story is the concept of transportation. This paper examines the factorial validity of the Transportation Scale (TS) and introduces a short and psychometrically sound alternative for the assessment of transportation. Exploratory bifactor modeling in Study 1 (N = 179) provided support for the hypothesized factor structure of the original TS with three facets and a general transportation factor. Based on these analyses, a six-item short version of the scale, the Transportation Scale-Short Form (TS-SF), was developed. Study 2 (N = 131 and N = 246) as well as Study 3 (N = 301) corroborated the short form's factorial structure, reliability, and validity.
International Journal of Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies, 2013
Examining the subjective aspects of online social interaction can help explain contradictory resu... more Examining the subjective aspects of online social interaction can help explain contradictory results about the consequences of such interaction. The authors posit a new theoretical construct, the perceived reality of online interactions, defined as the extent to which an individual believes online interactions are suitable for the maintenance and formation of close relationships. Higher perceived reality of online interactions is theorized to lead to more investment and effort in computer-mediated communication, thus increasing benefits such as perceived social support from online relationships. An experiment using an Amazon Mechanical Turk sample (n = 169) and undergraduate students (n = 88) found correlational evidence that perceived reality of online relationships predicted perceived social support from online sources. Additionally, patterns of correlations between perceived reality, personality traits, and general attitudes toward the Internet point at differential implications ...
How much did it cost to develop and implement an eHealth intervention for a minority children pop... more How much did it cost to develop and implement an eHealth intervention for a minority children population that overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic?
Background: Although physical activity (PA) has been shown in helping prevent and treat obesity, ... more Background: Although physical activity (PA) has been shown in helping prevent and treat obesity, current PA interventions are still not effective in ameliorating the obesity epidemic. Additional forms of PA need to be investigated to improve PA engagement and outcomes. We hypothesize that pairing a narrative (i.e., story) with an active video game (AVG), a less traditional form of PA, will increase participant engagement in PA. This paper presents the rationale, implementation, and pilot results of a study assessing the effect of narrative's impact on PA and a series of other health outcomes. Objective: This paper presents the rationale, implementation, and pilot results of a study assessing the effect of narrative's impact on PA and a series of other health outcomes. Methods/design: The Active Video Game Study is a six-month randomized controlled single-blind trial projected to include 210 participants. The intervention strategy will pair a narrative to an active video game (AVG). Participants will be randomized into 3 groups: condition A [Narrative + AVG], condition B [AVG Only], and condition C [Control]. Participants will undergo three in-person data collection visits over the course of six months. Inclusion criteria are that children are between the ages of 8-12 and have a BMI ≥ 85%. The primary outcome is change in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Secondary outcome measures include change in BMI percentile, fasting insulin and glucose, lipid panel, C-reactive protein, and cognitive function. A pilot trial of n = 6 was conducted to help develop procedures and address problems that could arise in the main trial. Discussion: Successful completion of this study will provide the empirical basis for novel intervention and design strategies to enhance the impact of AVGs on longterm MVPA.
Background Physical activity is crucial for child obesity prevention and intervention. Narratives... more Background Physical activity is crucial for child obesity prevention and intervention. Narratives embedded in active games can increase children’s physical activity. Objective Little is known about the narrative characteristics that would motivate children to exercise. We attempted to fill the gaps in understanding regarding narrative design for active video games. Methods In this exploratory study, four animated narratives of different genres were professionally generated. Children (N=41) between the ages of 8 and 12 years were interviewed to identify their preferences. Sessions were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using exploratory thematic analysis. Results Findings revealed that the children rated the dystopian science fiction story as their favorite across all weight, race, and gender groups. The physical activity-friendly narrative strategies included virtuous characters, extraordinary character actions, interesting plots, super powers, and engaging cliffhangers....
Research has supported the effectiveness of narratives for promoting health behavior, but differe... more Research has supported the effectiveness of narratives for promoting health behavior, but different narrative presentation formats (serial vs. episodic) have seldom been compared. Suspense theories suggest that serial narratives, which do not provide a full resolution at the end of an episode, may create higher motivation for continued engagement with a story. Forty-four 8 to 12-year-old children were randomly assigned to watch an animation series designed for an existing active video game in which the plot was delivered either continuously across multiple episodes (serial) or in multiple yet relatively independent self-contained episodes (episodic). Controlling for social desirability, children who watched the serial narrative had significantly more moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and step counts while the episodic group's gameplay duration decreased, especially during later visits. There was no difference in self-reported narrative immersion or physical activity intention. Serial narratives can result in more time spent in MVPA behaviors than episodic narratives.
This paper summarizes a study as to whether individual differences are significant factors that s... more This paper summarizes a study as to whether individual differences are significant factors that should affect the design of consumer decision support over the web. Our study postulates two orthogonal dimensions appear to be of relevance – Need for Cognition and Purchase Preference (ie, lifestyle vs. utilitarian), and that consumers can be sorted into one of 4 cells of a 2x2 matrix of these dimensions. The Need for Cognition is a well-researched dimension with its own instrument for measuring it, while we had to develop and validate an instrument for measuring the Purchase Preference. Applying these instruments to two study groups totaling 175 users forced us to reject the null hypothesis that individual differences are unimportant (90 % confidence), and accept that 3 matrix groupings are distinct (two of them are clustered together in our sample). The study concludes with design implications that might best support the decision support needs of each of the categories of consumers in...
... Next, this chapter compares the Transportation-Imagery approach to persuasion with dual-proce... more ... Next, this chapter compares the Transportation-Imagery approach to persuasion with dual-process models of rhetorical persuasion, specifically it contrasts the authors' theory with theElaboration-Likelihood Model. Selected research implications are discussed. ...
Persuasion research often focuses on how source characteristics affect attitude change in respons... more Persuasion research often focuses on how source characteristics affect attitude change in response to a message; however, message characteristics may also alter perceptions of the source. The Message-Based Impression Formation effect (M-BIF) suggests that perceivers use features of messages to infer characteristics of the source, and that such inferences may have a variety of consequential outcomes. In particular, the choice of narrative versus statistical evidence may have implications for the perceived warmth and competence of a source. In five experiments, narrative arguments led to greater perceptions of source warmth and statistical arguments led to greater perceptions of source competence. Across the two behavioral studies, a matching effect emerged: participants preferred to work on cooperative tasks with partners who had provided narratives, and competitive tasks with partners who had provided statistical evidence. These results suggest that the evidence type chosen for everyday communications may affect person perception and interpersonal interaction.
Becker and Neuberg (this issue) present a theory of archetypes as a consequence of evolutionary d... more Becker and Neuberg (this issue) present a theory of archetypes as a consequence of evolutionary dynamics and personal experience. In particular, they suggest that archetypes are tendencies that have evolved to provide adaptive responses to social problems. For example, the goal of seeking nurturance leads to the archetype of the Caretaker; the challenge of social exchange leads to the archetype of the Cheater. Moreover, these tendencies are highly dependent on one’s prior experiences, and these internal archetype representational systems are dynamic, multimodal, and subsymbolically grounded. Although Becker and Neuberg primarily discuss archetypes as mental structures (patterns of perception, memory, and action), this theory resonates well with work on narratives and literature. It complements and provides new depth for narrative theories addressing issues such as the purpose of fiction, the links between fiction and social skills, and the repetition of certain types of characters and narrative structures across time and cultures. Furthermore, the archetype perspective may be a useful springboard for developing new hypotheses about narrative effects.
Innovative interventions addressing childhood obesity are needed to capture the attention of yout... more Innovative interventions addressing childhood obesity are needed to capture the attention of youth living in a multi-media environment. The purpose of this paper is to describe the qualitative study that was conducted to inform the development of an appealing manga comic (Japanese comic art) to promote fruit consumption in youth and the process of creating the comic. Seven focus groups and two interviews (N=28) were conducted with middle-school students to better understand such topics as enjoyable components of manga comics and important health concepts. Two researchers independently analyzed each transcript using ATLAS.ti. Inductive and deductive processes were used to identify codes (ideas emerging from text); similar codes were grouped into themes. Most frequently mentioned themes related to enjoyable components of manga comics were detailed graphics and artistic style of text used to convey sound effects. The majority said eating fruits and vegetables was the most important nut...
The current work provides evidence for a psychological obstacle to the resolution of divisive soc... more The current work provides evidence for a psychological obstacle to the resolution of divisive social issues (e.g., affirmative action, drug legalization); specifically, people approach discussions of these issues with a threatened mind-set. Across three studies, it is shown that the prospect of discussing topics which divide social opinion is associated with threatened responding (the dissensus effect). Divisive discussion topics are associated with both a greater level of self-reported threat (Studies 1 and 3) and a greater tendency to perceive neutral faces as threatening (Study 2). Furthermore, the effect is shown to be robust across manipulations of social opinion (ratings of multiple social issues in Studies 1 and 2; fictional polling data in Study 3), and was not reducible to individual attitude extremity (Studies 1 and 3) or a valence effect (Study 2).
The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to a manga comic (Japanese comic art)... more The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to a manga comic (Japanese comic art) with messages promoting fruit consumption influenced psychosocial variables associated with increased fruit intake in middle-school youth. A three-group, randomized, single-session study was conducted in two public middle schools in central North Carolina. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (a) comic (manga comic promoting fruit consumption, (b) newsletter (newsletter about fruit), or (c) attention-control (newsletter about ancient Greece). Participants included N = 263 youth, with a mean age of 13.18 years (SD = 1.12). Outcome expectations, self-efficacy, and knowledge related to fruit intake were measured at baseline and immediately after reading. Secondary outcomes included transportation (degree to which participants are immersed in their media) and enjoyment, measured at posttest. Data were analyzed using regression analyses. Comic group participants tended...
Tell me a fact and I'll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story an... more Tell me a fact and I'll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever." -Indian Proverb Once upon a time, long ago and far away (or perhaps not so long ago), teachers did not use fancy PowerPoint presentations, overhead projectors, or even chalkboards. They simply shared their knowledge through stories. Think back over your years of sitting in classrooms. What are the moments that you most remember? For me, one of those moments was my professor in introduction to psychology spinning the tale of Rosenhan's pseudopatients, perfectly sane individuals who checked into a mental institution and proceeded to act in normal ways. It seemed like an amazing adventure -what was going to happen to these people in the mental hospital? The class was hanging on his every word. The odds are that your memorable moments, too, have to do with stories -not theories or definitions or dates, but an unfolding narrative, complete with su...
Research has demonstrated the ability of fictional narratives to educate about social and health ... more Research has demonstrated the ability of fictional narratives to educate about social and health issues. Although some entertainment-education efforts have used live theater as a mechanism for social change, very few use social science methods to demonstrate exposure effects. This project used live theater to increase understanding and knowledge about intimate partner violence, a pervasive and costly social and health problem. Audiences watched either a play about abusive relationships-emphasizing psychological abuse and the role of coercion and control-or a control play. Compared with controls, those who watched the abuse play were more knowledgeable and less accepting of myths about abusive relationships in a way that mirrored play content. Although both plays were highly transporting, transportation did not explain a significant amount of variance in the attitudes toward intimate partner violence. These results provide rare evidence for theater as a tool for social change.
ABSTRACT Interactive narratives are stories that allow readers to determine the direction of the ... more ABSTRACT Interactive narratives are stories that allow readers to determine the direction of the plot, often at key decision points. Unanswered questions remain about the types of psychological processes evoked by these “Choose Your Own Adventure” style narratives, as well as the relative persuasive influence of interactive narratives compared to traditional narratives. The current paper reviews the existing literature and provides a theoretical framework to guide future research on interactive narratives, particularly as a tool for entertainment-education efforts. Specifically, we highlight increased user control and looser narrative structure as key elements of interactive narratives, and discuss possible effects of these differences on engagement variables (e.g., transportation, identification, perceived realism), self-related variables (responsibility), and outcomes (e.g., enjoyment, attitude change, health behaviors).
“Transportation into a narrative world” is a psychological mechanism through which narrative comm... more “Transportation into a narrative world” is a psychological mechanism through which narrative communication can affect beliefs (Green & Brock, 2000). Transportation, or psychological immersion into a story, entails imagery, emotionality, and attentional focus. Two studies (N = 92 and 126) suggested that when readers’ pre-reading emotional states match the emotional tone of a narrative, transportation into that narrative is increased. Low-arousal positive emotions (contentedness, thoughtful) also increase transportation. Transportation is also associated with greater story-consistent emotional response, even if the emotions evoked by the ending of the story are different from the emotional tone at the start of the story (and readers’ pre-reading emotions). Furthermore, labeling a narrative as fact versus fiction does not affect the intensity of emotional response.
ABSTRACT The study of narrative persuasion has increased dramatically in the past decade. Whereas... more ABSTRACT The study of narrative persuasion has increased dramatically in the past decade. Whereas much of this research focuses on story and character involvement, the role of emotion—and emotional flow specifically—has been understudied. In this article, we explore the multiple ways that the desire for and the experience of emotional shifts may promote the persuasive influence of narratives. First, we propose that the desire for an emotional shift (e.g., mood management) can guide message selection. Then, the emotional flow, or the series of emotional shifts in response to the unfolding story, may promote and sustain continued engagement with the narrative world. As such, influence of the narrative is likely enhanced. We then argue that the heightened state of narrative engagement and its associated emotional states have implications for post-message attitudes, both short-term attitude change as well as over-time change via emotion-driven topic involvement and social sharing. A research agenda for greater integration of emotion into narrative research is proposed.
In three studies (total N = 619), the authors tested an evolutionary hypothesis: Men are more bot... more In three studies (total N = 619), the authors tested an evolutionary hypothesis: Men are more bothered by sexual than emotional infidelity, whereas the reverse is true of women. More diverse samples (in age) and measures than is typical were used. In Study 1, the authors found across gender, sample, and method that sexual infidelity was associated with anger and blame, but emotional infidelity was associated with hurt feelings. The evolutionary effect was replicated with undergraduates but not with the nonstudent sample. In Study 2, narrative scenarios were used; it was found that nonstudent men and women were more hurt and upset by emotional infidelity but were made angrier by sexual infidelity. In Study 3, using Likert-type scales, scenarios, and a nonstudent sample, it was found that both genders were more upset, hurt, and angrier about sexual than emotional transgressions when rating one kind without hearing the opposite type. The implications for how emotional responses evolved...
One popular concept to capture the experience of being immersed into the world of a story is the ... more One popular concept to capture the experience of being immersed into the world of a story is the concept of transportation. This paper examines the factorial validity of the Transportation Scale (TS) and introduces a short and psychometrically sound alternative for the assessment of transportation. Exploratory bifactor modeling in Study 1 (N = 179) provided support for the hypothesized factor structure of the original TS with three facets and a general transportation factor. Based on these analyses, a six-item short version of the scale, the Transportation Scale-Short Form (TS-SF), was developed. Study 2 (N = 131 and N = 246) as well as Study 3 (N = 301) corroborated the short form's factorial structure, reliability, and validity.
International Journal of Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies, 2013
Examining the subjective aspects of online social interaction can help explain contradictory resu... more Examining the subjective aspects of online social interaction can help explain contradictory results about the consequences of such interaction. The authors posit a new theoretical construct, the perceived reality of online interactions, defined as the extent to which an individual believes online interactions are suitable for the maintenance and formation of close relationships. Higher perceived reality of online interactions is theorized to lead to more investment and effort in computer-mediated communication, thus increasing benefits such as perceived social support from online relationships. An experiment using an Amazon Mechanical Turk sample (n = 169) and undergraduate students (n = 88) found correlational evidence that perceived reality of online relationships predicted perceived social support from online sources. Additionally, patterns of correlations between perceived reality, personality traits, and general attitudes toward the Internet point at differential implications ...
Background: Physical activity is crucial for child obesity prevention and intervention. Narrative... more Background: Physical activity is crucial for child obesity prevention and intervention. Narratives embedded in active games can increase children’s physical activity.
Objective: Little is known about the narrative characteristics that would motivate children to exercise. We attempted to fill the gaps in understanding regarding narrative design for active video games.
Methods: In this exploratory study, four animated narratives of different genres were professionally generated. Children (N=41) between the ages of 8 and 12 years were interviewed to identify their preferences. Sessions were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using exploratory thematic analysis.
Results: Findings revealed that the children rated the dystopian science fiction story as their favorite across all weight, race, and gender groups. The physical activity-friendly narrative strategies included virtuous characters, extraordinary character actions, interesting plots, super powers, and engaging cliffhangers. Alternatively, information not related to physical activity, difficult-to-follow plot lines, passive protagonists, and repetitive narrative tropes were less appealing for physical activity.
Conclusions: This research provides preliminary evidence that narratives have characteristics that may increase child physical activity when playing active games. Future empirical studies should verify and test these design principles.
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Papers by Melanie Green
Objective: Little is known about the narrative characteristics that would motivate children to exercise. We attempted to fill the gaps in understanding regarding narrative design for active video games.
Methods: In this exploratory study, four animated narratives of different genres were professionally generated. Children (N=41) between the ages of 8 and 12 years were interviewed to identify their preferences. Sessions were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using exploratory thematic analysis.
Results: Findings revealed that the children rated the dystopian science fiction story as their favorite across all weight, race, and gender groups. The physical activity-friendly narrative strategies included virtuous characters, extraordinary character actions, interesting plots, super powers, and engaging cliffhangers. Alternatively, information not related to physical activity, difficult-to-follow plot lines, passive protagonists, and repetitive narrative tropes were less appealing for physical activity.
Conclusions: This research provides preliminary evidence that narratives have characteristics that may increase child physical activity when playing active games. Future empirical studies should verify and test these design principles.