What question did this study set out to answer?

To explore how message order influences final judgments based on the strength of attitudes and message elaboration.

June 1, 1994

Message Order Effects in Persuasion: An Attitude Strength Perspective

Key Points

To explore how message order influences final judgments based on the strength of attitudes and message elaboration.
Two experiments manipulating message presentation order and personal relevance in a factorial design.
Assessment of primacy and recency effects in relation to attitude strength and message elaboration.
High message elaboration led to a stronger primacy effect in judgments.
Low message elaboration resulted in a stronger recency effect in judgments.

Abstract

Contemporary research on attitude change processes is reviewed for implications regarding the relative influence of successive opposing messages on final judgements. Based on this review, extent of message relevant elaboration is offered as a moderator of primacy versus recency effects in prior research. Support for this view is derived from the ability to explain the results of pervious studies and from two experiments in which message presentation order and personal relevance of the topic are manipulated in a factorial design. We find that situations that foster high levels of message elaboration lead to greater influence of an initial message on final judgments (a primacy effect) whereas situations that foster low levels of message relevant elaboration lead to greater influence of a second message on final judgments (a recency effect). Copyright 1994 by the University of Chicago.

Ask AI

Helpful

Bookmark