Emotional Appeals, Climate Change, and Young Adults: A Direct Replication of Skurka et al. (2018)

There is much need to verify the robustness of published findings in the field of communication—particularly regarding the effects of persuasive emotional appeals about social issues. To this end, we present the results from a preregistered, direct replication of C. Skurka, J. Niederdeppe, R. Romero-Canyas, and D. Acup (2018). The original study found that a threat appeal about climate change can increase risk perception and activism intentions and that a humor appeal can also increase activism intentions with a large sample of young adults. Using the same stimuli, measures, and experimental design with a similar sample, we fail to replicate these main effects. We do, however, replicate age as a moderator of humor’s effect on perceived risk, such that the humor appeal only persuaded emerging adults (ages 18–21.9). We consider several explanations for our discrepant findings, including the challenges (and opportunities) that persuasion researchers must navigate when communicating about rapidly evolving social issues.

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Human Communication Research following peer review. The version of record [Emotional Appeals, Climate Change, and Young Adults: A Direct Replication of Skurka et al. (2018). Human Communication Research 48, 1 p147-156 (2021)] is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqab013.

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Work Title Emotional Appeals, Climate Change, and Young Adults: A Direct Replication of Skurka et al. (2018)
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Chris Skurka
  2. Rainer Romero-Canyas
  3. Helen H Joo
  4. David Acup
  5. Jeff Niederdeppe
Keyword
  1. Threat appeal
  2. Humor appeal
  3. Persuasion
  4. Replication
  5. Climate change
  6. Young adults
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Oxford University Press (OUP)
Publication Date October 6, 2021
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. 10.1093/hcr/hqab013
Source
  1. Human Communication Research
Deposited August 29, 2022

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  • Created
  • Added Emotional Appeals Replication_v9_accepted-1.docx
  • Added Creator Chris Skurka
  • Added Creator Rainer Romero-Canyas
  • Added Creator Helen H Joo
  • Added Creator David Acup
  • Added Creator Jeff Niederdeppe
  • Published
  • Updated Keyword, Description Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Threat appeal, Humor appeal, Persuasion, Replication, Climate change, Young adults
    Description
    • <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>
    • <jats:p>There is much need to verify the robustness of published findings in the field of communication—particularly regarding the effects of persuasive emotional appeals about social issues. To this end, we present the results from a preregistered, direct replication of C. Skurka, J. Niederdeppe, R. Romero-Canyas, and D. Acup (2018). The original study found that a threat appeal about climate change can increase risk perception and activism intentions and that a humor appeal can also increase activism intentions with a large sample of young adults. Using the same stimuli, measures, and experimental design with a similar sample, we fail to replicate these main effects. We do, however, replicate age as a moderator of humor’s effect on perceived risk, such that the humor appeal only persuaded emerging adults (ages 18–21.9). We consider several explanations for our discrepant findings, including the challenges (and opportunities) that persuasion researchers must navigate when communicating about rapidly evolving social issues.</jats:p>
    • There is much need to verify the robustness of published findings in the field of communication—particularly regarding the effects of persuasive emotional appeals about social issues. To this end, we present the results from a preregistered, direct replication of C. Skurka, J. Niederdeppe, R. Romero-Canyas, and D. Acup (2018). The original study found that a threat appeal about climate change can increase risk perception and activism intentions and that a humor appeal can also increase activism intentions with a large sample of young adults. Using the same stimuli, measures, and experimental design with a similar sample, we fail to replicate these main effects. We do, however, replicate age as a moderator of humor’s effect on perceived risk, such that the humor appeal only persuaded emerging adults (ages 18–21.9). We consider several explanations for our discrepant findings, including the challenges (and opportunities) that persuasion researchers must navigate when communicating about rapidly evolving social issues.
  • Updated