An application of action identification theory to the study of persuasion

Stephen Charles Hines, Purdue University

Abstract

Action identification theory asserts that how individuals identify their actions will affect how the action is performed and evaluated. Individuals with lower-level act identities tend to focus on the mechanics of performing the act while individuals with higher-level identities focus on the act's meanings and implications. While this reasoning has been subjected to numerous empirical tests, in this study, the implications of the theory for how persuasive message recipients identify their actions are explored. It was expected that subjects with lower-level identities for an act of attending to a persuasive message would process the message differently and would be more susceptible to a persuasive recommendation. In a study which manipulated identity level by changing the content of the message and by making the message more difficult to process (by using written and oral messages), a series of predictions based on action identification theory were tested. Results indicate that the message manipulation did affect self-reported identity level and persuasion, but had no observable effect on message processing. These results suggest that the identity level manipulations may have affected message outcomes in ways other than systematic message processing. Reliance on different heuristics is suggested as one explanation for the study's findings. Implications for further persuasion research based on action identification theory are discussed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Babrow, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Communication|Social psychology|Mass media|Marketing

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