Does it matter who tells the story? An experimental test of the effects of narrative perspective on credibility, identification, and persuasion

ABSTRACT This experimental study explores the effects of narrative perspective on the outcomes related to health testimonials. One testimonial was presented to each respondent regarding one of the four topics (AIDS, lung cancer, gum disease, and alcoholism) and in one of the three perspectives (patient, parent, and doctor). Respondents (n = 967) were then asked to report on various reactions to the video, including credibility, identification, and story-consistent attitudes. Results show that a testimonial narrated from the doctors’ perspective, as compared to patient perspective, produced greater credibility but less identification, affecting persuasion in opposite ways. These findings are discussed in the context of message design choices.