The critical role of emotional communication for motivated reasoning

Abstract

Abstract Persuasive appeals frequently prove ineffective or produce unintended outcomes, due to the presence motivated reasoning. This research delves into the impact of emotional content levels, message valence, and the coherence of pre-existing attitudes on the process of biased information evaluation. By conducting a factorial survey (N = 480) and incorporating a computational model of attitude formation, we aim to gain a deeper insight into the cognitive-affective mechanisms driving motivated reasoning. Our experimental findings reveal that motivated reasoning is most pronounced when persuasive appeals employ a combination of emotional and rational elements within a negatively valenced argumentation. Furthermore, our computational model, which estimates belief and affect adjustments underlying attitude changes, elucidates how message framing influences cognitive-affective processes through emotional coherence. The results provide support for a negative correlation between shifts in coherence in response to new information and the propensity for motivated reasoning. The research contributes to computational models of opinion dynamics and social influence, offering a psychologically realistic framework for exploring individual reasoning's impact on population-level dynamics, particularly in policy contexts, where it can enhance communication and informed policy discussions.