Rebuttal analogy in persuasive messages - Communicator likability and cognitive responses

Research concerning rebuttal analogy suggests that communicators using this argument form are perceived unfavorably by message receivers. To further u nderstand the effects of rebuttal analogy, the present investigation examin es respondents' perceived likability of rebuttal analogy users, respondents ' cognitive responses to the message, and their reported attitudes toward m essages using rebuttal analogy. Respondents were either exposed to one of f our persuasive messages employing rebuttal analogy or to one of the same fo ur messages with a nonanalogy version of the argument. As predicted, result s revealed that respondents rated the communicator using rebuttal analogy a s less likable. Cognitive responses and argument recall showed the message- processing effects of rebuttal analogy. However, no significant difference for attitude was detected between groups. implications of the findings are discussed and research directions concerning persuasion are offered.