Self-Guide Framing and Persuasion: Responsibly Increasing Message Processing to Ideal Levels
Ohio State University The current research examines the effect that framing persuasive messages in terms of self-guides (ideal vs. ought) has on the attitudes and cognitive responses of individuals with chronic ideal versus ought self-guides. The strength of participants’ ideal and ought self-guides and the magnitude of participants’ ideal and ought self-discrepancies were measured using a computerized reaction time program. One week later, participants read a persuasive message about a fictional breakfast product, framed in terms of either ideals or oughts. Matching framing to stronger self-guide led to enhanced message processing activity, especially among individuals who were low in need for cognition. Individuals who read messages framed to match their stronger self-guides paid more attention to argument quality, as reflected in their attitudes and cognitive responses. Messages with self-guide framing that matched individuals’ stronger self-discrepancies did not have this effect on processing.
Key Words: attitudes • persuasion • self-guide • self-discrepancy • attitude change
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 29, No. 3,
313-324 (2003) This article has been cited by other articles:
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