Effects of Character Accent on Perceived Similarity, Transportation, and Narrative Persuasion

Guided by narrative transportation theory and the social identity approach, this study examined the effects of character accent on perceived similarity, transportation, and narrative persuasion. Cigarette smokers from Kentucky (N = 492) listened to a first-person narrative about smoking-induced lung...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health communication 2024-03, Vol.39 (4), p.818-827
Main Authors: Dragojevic, Marko, Occa, Aurora, Dayton, Zane A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accentuation
Cancer
Cigarette smoking
Group identity
Health risks
Intergroup relations
Lung cancer
Narratives
Perceptions
Personality
Persuasion
Risk perception
Similarity
Smoking
Smoking cessation
Social identity
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Summary:Guided by narrative transportation theory and the social identity approach, this study examined the effects of character accent on perceived similarity, transportation, and narrative persuasion. Cigarette smokers from Kentucky (N = 492) listened to a first-person narrative about smoking-induced lung cancer. The character spoke either with a Southern American English (SAE; ingroup) or a General American English (GAE; outgroup) accent. Opposite to predictions, the GAE-accented character was perceived as more similar overall, engendered greater transportation, elevated lung cancer risk perceptions, and promoted higher intentions to quit smoking than the SAE-accented character. Consistent with predictions, the effects of character accent on risk perceptions and intentions to quit were mediated by perceived similarity and transportation. Taken together, these findings indicate that narrative character accent is a potent cue to similarity judgments, but that actual linguistic similarity is not isomorphic with perceived overall similarity. Theoretical and practical implications for narrative persuasion are discussed.
ISSN:1041-0236
1532-7027
1532-7027
DOI:10.1080/10410236.2023.2185926