Striking an Emotional Chord: Effects of Emotional Appeals and Chatbot Anthropomorphism on Persuasive Science Communication

Chatbots have been used to achieve persuasive goals in various communication contexts. This research investigates how chatbot anthropomorphism intersects with emotional appeals to influence persuasive outcomes in science communication by conducting two experiments in the contexts of skin cancer prevention and biodiversity conservation. The findings showed a matching effect between emotional appeals and anthropomorphic cues: For a chatbot with more anthropomorphic cues, fear appeals were more persuasive than hope appeals; in contrast, for a less anthropomorphic chatbot, hope appeals were more effective. A key psychological mechanism underlying the relationships was personal risk perceptions but only for fear appeals.

Automated summary

This research examines the influence of chatbot anthropomorphism combined with emotional appeals on persuasive outcomes in science communication, through two experiments in the contexts of skin cancer prevention and biodiversity conservation. The findings reveal a matching effect between emotional appeals and anthropomorphic cues: fear appeals are more persuasive than hope appeals for chatbots with more anthropomorphic cues, while hope appeals are more effective for less anthropomorphic chatbots. The underlying psychological mechanism for this relationship is personal risk perceptions, specifically for fear appeals.