IMC 353 Chapter 8: narrative persuasion

transportation

is a process in which a person's mental systems and capacities become focused on the events that occur in a narrative

rhetoric

is comprised of 3 fundamental forms

Logos

refers to the arguments and logic that a message contains

Pathos

refers to the emotions or feelings that a message can arouse

advocacy messages

- which are messages whose primary purpose is to call for a specific action. EX: Advocacy messages include forms such as speeches, advertisements, sermons, and so on. Most speeches during political campaigns, for example, are advocacy messages that are intended to garner support for a candidate or an issue.

narrative persuasion

- use of stories as the primary way to persuade an audience, and the narrative can influence beliefs, attitudes, or behavior - how people can be influenced through stories instead of arguements

key component for transportation: Vivid imagery

- Lifelike pictures that are easily visualized or imagined are a hallmark of classic novels and movies. - Through vivid imagery, the audience members can imagine themselves as part of the action.

Ethos

- refers to characteristics of the communicator, such as credibility and expertise. - primarily looking at how source credibility can influence the effectiveness of arguments (logos)

poetics

- refers to drama and includes forms such as tragedy, comedy, and satire.

Not all narratives are instances of persuasion. Why?

- there must be an intent to influence attitudes and beliefs

transportation imagery model

- transportation imagery model seeks to explain how an audience's attitudes and beliefs can be changed through movies, novels, and so on. - Vivid imagery> transportation> change in beliefs

convergent process

- transportation involves all of a person's mental energies, including how a person feels, what a person thinks, and what a person remembers - transportation is a convergent process

summary

-Much of the social science scholarship in persuasion has focused on arguments and how they are presented. By contrast, narrative persuasion is a fascinating perspective on how people can be influenced through stories instead of arguments. -Narrative persuasion is the use of stories as the primary way to persuade an audience, and the narrative can influence beliefs, attitudes, or behavior. However, only narratives that were written with the intent to persuade can be considered to be instances of narrative persuasion. -Although several models of narrative persuasion have been developed, one of the best-known, and most tested, models is the transportation imagery model. Under this model, vivid imagery leads to transportation, which results in changes in a person's attitudes and/or beliefs. The model's key component is vivid imagery. -Transportation is a process in which a reader gets lost in a story and is "transported" into the narrative. Transportation, described as a convergent process, absorbs all of a reader's mental abilities, including thoughts, emotions, and the senses. In this state, the reader is more likely to accept information depicted in the narrative, even if it is false. -When people become skeptical or critical, they become less transported, and the narrative's effect is weakened. However, if the narrative has particularly vivid imagery, people can be transported anyway. -Vivid images can become associated with a network of attitudes, beliefs, and emotions in a person's memory. When this happens, just a reminder of the image will cause the related concepts to become more accessible temporarily in that person's mind. These accessible attitudes and beliefs can then influence how that person will respond in a specific situation. -Naturally, some people are more readily transported than other people; this is referred to as transportability. Likewise, some people have better imaginations than others, which is referred to as imagery skill. So, the effects of vivid imagery on transportation depend on a person's levels of transportability and imagery skill.

learning objectives

-Summarize a brief history of persuasive narratives. -Distinguish and define rhetoric and poetics. -Explain how the transportation imagery model works. -Discuss the key variables in a person being transported by a narrative. -Apply the impact of popular entertainment on narrative persuasion.

narrative

-beginning, middle, and end - setting, plot etc.....

type of text

-narrative persuasion is limited to certain types of texts

3 rhetoric fundamental forms

1. Logos 2. ethos 3. pathos

variables in transportation (5)

1. the type of text itself 2. the characteristics of reader 3. the quality of the narrative 4. the context in which narrative is being consumed 5. the characteristics of the medium by which the narrative is being conveyed.

characteristic of the reader

The extent to which transportation occurs depends on characteristics of the reader

transportability

the degree to which someone can be readily transported