The Effects of Anger Appeals on Systematic Processing and Intentions: The Moderating Role of Efficacy

The anger activism model proposes that efficacy moderates the effect of anger on message processing and persuasion. This study tested the model’s predictions using a 2 (efficacy) × 2 (anger) × 2 (argument quality) experiment (N = 267) in the context of student protests. We found that when anger was high, people processed higher quality arguments more positively at levels of high efficacy but less positively at levels of low efficacy. A moderated moderated mediation model showed that these cognitions mediated the effect of the experimental interaction on intentions to protest.