“Impact of the narrative formats on the behavior improvement in relation to the socially stigmatized groups:

the effect of empathy and similarity in terms of social identity”

Diego CachónObservatorio de los Contenidos Audiovisuales

University of Salamancadiego.cachon@usal.es

Juan José IgartuaObservatorio de los Contenidos Audiovisuales

University of Salamancajigartua@usal.es

TEEM’16 DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM

Communication Media and Education

The main subject of research projected in this paper is to study the effect of the narrative formats on the reduction of negative prejudices and worldviews toward various socially stigmatized groups (as a collective of immigrants). Two experiments that analyze the impact of narration’s effect on the attitude in regard to the stigmatized groups will be conducted, paying particular attention to role of empathy, identification with the characters and the similarity in terms of social identity.

* Keywords: Narrative formats; stigmatized groups; prejudice reduction; narrative persuasion; empathy; identification with the characters; similarity in terms of social identity.

Abstract:

Main topic: the effect of the narrative formats on the reduction of prejudice toward various socially stigmatized or discriminated groups◦ Two Experiments using short fiction narrations on which the main

character belongs to a certain stigmatized groups

It’s very important to have the best knowledge of the narrative persuasion’s mechanisms that are capable of creating positive changes in behavior and beliefs toward the socially stigmatized collectives

Thesis directly related to the study carried out by the Observatorio de los Contenidos Audiovisuales, of the University of Salamanca, titled "Narrative tools to reduce the prejudice. Effects of similarity, imagined contact, empathy and narrative voice“; a project managed by Juan José Igartua and financed by the MEC.

Context and motivation that drives the dissertation research:

Narrative persuasion:

◦ Studies “how the information situated within the narratives can affect the perception of reality" (Dahlstrom 2010, p. 858).

◦ Transportation Theory (Green and Brock, 2000) and Extended-Elaboration Likelihood Model (Slater and Rouner, 2002) recognize the absorption and identification with the characters as the main mechanisms responsible for that effect (Igartua, 2007)

◦ By means of identification with the characters, increase the possibility of people to agree with the arguments contained in the narrations (Moyer-Gusé, 2008)

State of the art:

Social Psychology:

◦ Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 1982), states that, people tend to express an endogroupal favoritism and an exogroupal discrimination (a prejudice)

◦ One of the main approaches in order to reduce the prejudice toward the stigmatized groups is the incitement of emotional processes, such as empathy (Batson et al, 1997)

◦ The impact of narrative fictions with a positive image of minorities and identification with minorities characters, have been associated with a more positive attitude towards the members of minority groups (Ortiz and Harwood, 2007).

State of the art:

Main Objective:◦ To study the effect of narrative formats (short fiction narrations) in the

reduction of prejudices toward the various socially stigmatized groups

Especific objectives:◦ To analyze the effect of empathy (high degree of empathy VS low

degree of empathy) in the attitude toward the stigmatized group.◦ To analyze the effect of similarity in terms of social identity (high

degree of similarity VS low degree of similarity) in the attitude toward the stigmatized group.

◦ To test both, the role of identification with the characters as a mediator variable, and the role of similarity in terms of social identity as a moderator variable; in the effect of empathy on the attitude toward the stigmatized group.

Research objectives:

H1a: Experimental condition of the high degree of empathy will lead to the higher levels of identification with the characters, than the condition of low degree of empathy.

H1b: Experimental condition of the high degree of empathy will lead to the better attitude toward the members of stigmatized collectives, than the condition of low degree of empathy.

H2a: Experimental condition of the high degree of similarity in terms of social identity will lead to the higher levels of identification with the characters, than the condition of low degree of similarity in terms of social identity.

H2b: Experimental condition of the high degree of similarity in terms of social identity will lead to the improving attitude toward the members of stigmatized collectives, than the condition of low degree of similarity in terms of social identity.

Hypothesis:

Hypothesis:

H3a: Identification with the characters will act as a mediator variable of the effect of empathy on the attitude toward members of the stigmatized collectives.

H3b: Similarity in terms of social identity will act as a moderator variable of the effect of empathy on the attitude toward the members of the stigmatized collectives.

Two experimental studies with a 2 x 2 factorial design, wherein two independent variables will be manipulated: similarity in terms of social identity (high degree of similarity VS low degree of similarity) and the induced empathy (high degree of empathy VS low degree of empathy)

Research approach and methods:

Experiment 1: Experiment 2:

Manipulation of empathy

By instruction before the

exposition to the stimulus materials

We will try to find alternative ways

to manipulate the empathy

Stimulus materials

Short fiction narrations (in text

format)

Short fiction narrations (in audiovisual

format)

Stigmatized group

Collective of inmigrants

Other stigmatized collective (not determinated

yet)

To date, there are no results that could be presented, as the thesis project is at its initial stage, and for several months we will continue studying the bibliography and we begin to work on the creation of stories which will serve as stimulus materials.

Results to date and dissertation status:

Knowledge of the explanatory processes of the narrative persuasion , which are capable to influence the behavior and beliefs related to the subject described in a certain story, will allow us to develop and create effective fiction products, for changing the behavior and beliefs toward the socially stigmatized groups. ◦ All this without losing any entertainment potential, and while the resultant

products can't be perceived as a persuasive message by the public.

Expected contributions:

Batson, C. D., Polycarpou, M. P., Harmon-Jones, E., Imhoff, H. J., Mitchener, E. C., Bednar, L. L., Klein, T. R., y Highberger, L. (1997). Empathy and attitudes: can feelings for a member of a stigmatized group improve feelings toward the group? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(1), 105-118.

Dal Cin, S., Zanna, M. P., y Fong, G. T. (2002). Narrative persuasion and overcoming resistance. En E. S. Knowles y J. A. Linn (Eds.), Resistance and persuasion (pp. 175-191). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Dahlstrom, M. F. (2010). The role of causality in information acceptance in narratives: an example from science communication. Communication Research, 37(6), 857-875.

Green, M. C., y Brock, T. C. (2000). The role of transportation in the persuasiveness of public narratives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(5), 701-721.

Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Nueva York, NY: Guilford Press.

Igartua, J. J. (2007). Persuasión narrativa: El papel de la identificación con los personajes a través de las culturas. Editorial Club Universitario.

Igartua, J. J., y Páez, D. (1998). Validez y fiabilidad de una escala de empatía e identificación con los personajes. Psicothema, 10(2), 423-436.

MINECO, (2012). Posición española sobre “Horizonte 2020”. Recuperado el 22 de febrero de 2015, de http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/stfls/MICINN/Investigacion/FICHEROS/Internacional/Posicion_espanola_Horizonte_2020.pdf

Moyer-Gusé, E. (2008). Toward a theory of entertainment persuasion: explaining the persuasive effects of entertainment-education messages. Communication Theory, 18(3), 407-425.

Ortiz, M., & Harwood, J. (2007). A social cognitive theory approach to the effects of mediated intergroup contact on intergroup attitudes. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 51(4), 615-631.

Slater, M. D., y Rouner, D. (2002). Entertainment-education and elaboration likelihood: understanding the processing of narrative persuasion. Communication Theory, 12(2), 173-191.

Tajfel, H. (1982). Social identity and intergroup relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

References: