A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Exemplars on Emotional, Attitudinal, and Behavioral Intention Responses to Messages

• In Event: ICA Interactive Paper/Poster Session I
  In Interactive Poster Session: Information Systems Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Exemplification Theory (Zillmann, 1999, 2002) has been used to explain both media effects, traditionally, and message effects, more recently, across a variety of message types. However, to our knowledge, no meta-analysis has been conducted to examine the effectiveness of exemplars in messages. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria based on study design and selected outcomes, there were a total of 14 independent experimental studies; a majority involved health communication. Our analysis found that exemplars lead to higher levels of attitude and behavioral intention than base-rate, control, or no messages (d ̅ = .50). We also examined the effectiveness of exemplars on emotional/affective responses compared to base-rate or control messages, but found no significant difference (d ̅ = 08). The results provide early evidence for exemplars affecting persuasive outcomes, but also suggest a need for additional research on the mechanisms underlying exemplification, such as emotional/affective responses.

Authors

• Cabral A Bigman, U of Illinois

• Elisabeth Bigsby, U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Andrea Martinez Gonzalez, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign