The effect of repetition on the discrimination of asserted and implied claims in advertising

Abstract

ABSTRACTA method was tested for teaching people how to identify implied claims in advertising and keep from remembering them as asserted facts. The experimental group received a detailed training session, while the control group participated in a comparable session not dealing with implied claims. Subjects then heard a series of ads with critical claims either asserted or implied and rated a set of claims for their truth value. Results showed that, when subjects heard the same ads two, seven, and nine days later, they increasingly recognized that implied claims were implied and rated them less true than directly asserted claims. Results were related to previous research and consumer education.