Framing in Entertainment-Education: Effects on Processes of Narrative Persuasion

• In Event: Entertainment Media and Health Communication

Abstract

Nowadays, Entertainment-Education (E-E) is often used as a persuasive strategy to stimulate pro-social behavior. Whereas E-E is mostly regarded as a persuasive strategy in itself, in an increasing number of E-E programs several persuasive strategies are used to communicate the educational message to the audience. This study investigates the effects of a strategy widely used in health communication, but not previously studied in the field of E-E: framing. To this means we examined the effect of two different ways an E-E message can be framed: by either emphasizing the losses of not performing the behavior in question or the gains of performing this behavior. A serial multiple mediation model showed that framing affected intention to refrain from drunk cycling via counter arguing and attitude towards drunk cycling; the use of a gain frame decreased counter arguing, which lowered the attitude towards drunk cycling. This subsequently resulted in a higher intention to refrain from this behaviour. Implications of these results are discussed.

Authors

• Elsbeth Asbeek Brusse, U of Amsterdam

• Marieke L. Fransen, University of Amsterdam

• Edith Gloria Smit, U of Amsterdam