ABSTRACT Exemplification theory has been used to explain media and message effects across a variety of domains. However, the theory has been critiqued for lacking empirical support for many of its predictions and underlying assumptions. In this paper, we review exemplification theory, contrast exemplars with narratives, and report the results of a meta-analytical test of one of exemplification theory’s predictions. We found that individuals exposed to messages featuring exemplars reported stronger persuasion outcomes than individuals exposed to base-rate or non-exemplar messages ( = 0.26, k = 26, N = 5480). Our results provide additional evidence for one of the predictions of exemplification theory, support for the use of exemplars in persuasive messages, and suggest directions for future exemplification research.

中文翻译：

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例证理论：对例证信息的回顾和元分析

摘要 例证理论已被用于解释跨多个领域的媒体和信息效应。然而，该理论因其许多预测和基本假设缺乏经验支持而受到批评。在本文中，我们回顾了例证理论，将例证与叙述进行了对比，并报告了例证理论预测之一的元分析测试的结果。我们发现，与暴露于基本率或非示例性消息的个体相比，暴露于具有示例性的消息的个体报告的说服结果更强（= 0.26，k = 26，N = 5480）。我们的结果为例证理论的预测之一提供了额外的证据，支持在有说服力的信息中使用例证，并为未来的例证研究指明方向。