ABSTRACT

In recent years, the journalism and marketing industry has seen an increasing use of immersive stories, in the format of 360° videos and virtual reality. However, the impact of immersive stories on individuals’ beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors is understudied. Drawing upon literature in narrative persuasion and immersive media, this study examined the persuasive effects and underlying psychological mechanisms of immersive stories on prosocial attitudes and behavioral willingness to help. Findings from a laboratory experiment (N = 216) indicated that stories presented in immersive virtual (vs. traditional mediated) environments led to a higher level of spatial and social presence, which intensified users’ transportation and identification. The enhanced transportation led to less counterarguing and then promoted prosocial attitudes. These findings have important theoretical contributions to the study of persuasion in immersive virtual environments.

摘要

近年来，新闻和营销行业越来越多地使用以360°视频和虚拟现实为形式的沉浸式故事。但是，沉浸式故事对个人的信念，态度和行为的影响尚未得到充分研究。本研究借鉴叙事说服和沉浸式媒体中的文献，研究了沉浸式故事对亲社会态度和行为帮助意愿的说服作用和潜在的心理机制。从实验室实验结果（Ñ= 216）表示在沉浸式虚拟（相对于传统媒介）环境中呈现的故事导致了更高水平的空间和社交存在，从而加剧了用户的运输和识别。交通的改善导致反驳减少，然后促进了亲社会态度。这些发现对沉浸式虚拟环境中的说服力研究具有重要的理论贡献。