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Style Versus Substance: Multiple Roles of Language Power in Persuasion
Author(s) -
Sparks John R.,
Areni Charles S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00295.x
Subject(s) - persuasion , argument (complex analysis) , style (visual arts) , psychology , elaboration likelihood model , power (physics) , perspective (graphical) , social psychology , quality (philosophy) , persuasive communication , distraction , cognitive psychology , computer science , epistemology , artificial intelligence , physics , philosophy , archaeology , quantum mechanics , history , biochemistry , chemistry
This research explores how message style influences persuasion in conjunction with message substance. Using the elaboration likelihood model, the study operationalizes message style as language power and message substance as argument quality , then considers the multiple roles language power can assume in persuasion. The authors investigate whether language power acts as a (a) central argument, (b) peripheral cue, (c) biasing influence on assessment of arguments, or (d) distraction that inhibits argument processing. Additionally, they manipulate exposure time to examine how processing ability influences which persuasive roles language power assumes. The authors find empirical support for the multiple‐roles perspective and conclude that the role of message style depends partially on the ability to process message details.