Psychic Numbing and Mixed Appeals in Immigration Advocacy

• In Event: Experimental Research & Migration and Citizenship & Politics, Literature and Film & Civic Engagement Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual Poster Session: Migration and Citizenship Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

Human rights campaigns commonly link narrative appeals describing the plight of par- ticular individuals to statistical information designed to communicate the significant scale of the problem they hope to solve. While individualized appeals are broadly un- derstood to be effective, scholars have also found that linking individualized appeals to statistical information undermines the effect of the individualized appeal. We con- sider two alternative reasons for this effect: (1) pairing an individualized account with statistical information mixes argument styles and dilutes the emotional effect of the narrative or (2) reporting statistics in the form of large numbers or small proportions results in the collapse of compassion via a process of “psychic numbing.” We propose an experiment designed to adjudicate between these theoretical claims. We conduct the study in the context of a campaign to provide lawyers free of charge to individuals who are seeking asylum in the United States.

Author

• Jeffrey Staton, Emory University