Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Influence Of Statistical Versus Exemplar Appeals On Indian Adults’ Health Intentions: An Investigation Of Direct Effects And Intervening Persuasion Processes, Christopher J. Mckinley, Yam B. Limbu, C. Jayachandran

School of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

In two separate investigations, we examined the persuasive effectiveness of statistical versus exemplar appeals on Indian adults’ smoking cessation and mammography screening intentions. To more comprehensively address persuasion processes, we explored whether message response and perceived message effectiveness functioned as antecedents to persuasive effects. Results showed that statistical appeals led to higher levels of health intentions than exemplar appeals. In addition, findings from both studies indicated that statistical appeals stimulated more attention and were perceived as more effective than anecdotal accounts. Among male smokers, statistical appeals also generated greater cognitive processing than exemplar appeals. Subsequent mediation analyses revealed that message …