Publications

Publication details [#16241]

Whaley, Bryan B. and Lisa Smith Wagner. 2000. Rebuttal analogy in persuasive messages. Communicator likability and cognitive responses. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 19 (1) : 66–84.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
SAGE Publications
ISBN
0261-927X

Annotation

Research concerning rebuttal analogy suggests that communicators using this argument form are perceived unfavorably by message receivers. To further understand the effects of rebuttal analogy, the present investigation examines respondents' perceived likability of rebuttal analogy users, respondents' cognitive responses to the message, and their reported attitudes toward messages using rebuttal analogy. Respondents were either exposed to one of four persuasive messages employing rebuttal analogy or to one of the same four messages with a nonanalogy version of the argument. As predicted, results revealed that respondents rated the communicator using rebuttal analogy as less likable. Cognitive responses and argument recall showed the message-processing effects of rebuttal analogy. However, no significant difference for attitude was detected between groups. Implications of the findings are discussed and research directions concerning persuasion are offered.