The effects of message repetition and threats to freedom on the acceptance or rejection of persuasion

Abstract

The present study was designed to explore the effects of message repetition and the amount of threat on the acceptance or rejection of persuasion. Two factors were involved in the experiment, i, e., the frequency (one, three, or five times) of message presentations, and the amount of threat (low or high), which constituted, then, a 2×3 factorial design. The subjects were exposed to the proattitudinal message from a taperecorder. By using a questionnaire, effects of the message were then measured from various aspects. Positive effects of persuasive message were found in the low threat condition, but resistance to persuasion was induced in the high threat condition. Interaction effects between message repetition and the amount of threat were found in the measures of message evaluation and the opinion. Message effects first increased, then decreased as the frequency of exposure increased in the low threat condition, but opposite results were found in the high threat condition. The results were discussed in terms of the theory of psychological reactance and the elaboration likelihood model.