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The effect of audience–character similarity on identification with narrative characters: A meta-analysis

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Kate Y. Huang
Kate Y. Huang
Kate Y. Huang
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Helene H Fung at Chinese University of Hong Kong
Helene H Fung
Peifeng Sun
Peifeng Sun
Peifeng Sun
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Abstract and Figures

Identification, the experience of a psychological merging between the self and a character, is a key mechanism underlying the power of narratives to influence attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and behaviors in story-consistent ways. Similarity between audience members and characters has been intuitively thought to be an antecedent of identification, but experimental studies have yielded inconsistent findings regarding the effectiveness of manipulating similarity on eliciting identification. The current meta-analysis synthesized and quantified the evidence from 39 studies (k = 50, N = 11,077) and investigated several potential causes of heterogeneity at both the narrative and study levels. The data revealed a small but significant and robust overall effect of similarity on identification (g = 0.19, 95% CI [0.10, 0.28], p < .001), with little evidence of publication bias. A notable narrative-level moderator was type of similarity, with manipulations of psychological similarity yielding larger effects than manipulations of objective similarity. In addition, study design emerged as a significant study-level moderator, with the similarity–identification effect being stronger in studies that manipulated similarity using a within-subjects design than those that used a between-subjects design. Insights gained from this meta-analysis can help to address some ill-defined aspects of the similarity–identification hypothesis, contributing to a better understanding of involvement with narrative characters. Practically, the results can inform the design of more effective targeted and tailored narrative messages that are intended to engage and persuade audiences using the tactic of incorporating similar characters.
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Vol:.(1234567890)
Current Psychology (2024) 43:7026–7043
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04842-4
1 3
The effect ofaudience–character similarity onidentification
withnarrative characters: Ameta‑analysis
KateY.Huang1 · HeleneH.Fung1· PeifengSun2
Accepted: 5 June 2023 / Published online: 29 June 2023
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023
Abstract
Identification, the experience of a psychological merging between the self and a character, is a key mechanism underlying
the power of narratives to influence attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and behaviors in story-consistent ways. Similarity between
audience members and characters has been intuitively thought to be an antecedent of identification, but experimental stud-
ies have yielded inconsistent findings regarding the effectiveness of manipulating similarity on eliciting identification. The
current meta-analysis synthesized and quantified the evidence from 39 studies (k = 50, N = 11,077) and investigated several
potential causes of heterogeneity at both the narrative and study levels. The data revealed a small but significant and robust
overall effect of similarity on identification (g = 0.19, 95% CI [0.10, 0.28], p < .001), with little evidence of publication bias.
A notable narrative-level moderator was type of similarity, with manipulations of psychological similarity yielding larger
effects than manipulations of objective similarity. In addition, study design emerged as a significant study-level moderator,
with the similarity–identification effect being stronger in studies that manipulated similarity using a within-subjects design
than those that used a between-subjects design. Insights gained from this meta-analysis can help to address some ill-defined
aspects of the similarity–identification hypothesis, contributing to a better understanding of involvement with narrative
characters. Practically, the results can inform the design of more effective targeted and tailored narrative messages that are
intended to engage and persuade audiences using the tactic of incorporating similar characters.
Keywords Identification· Audience–character similarity· Meta-analysis· Narratives
During narrative reception, audiences may react to char-
acters in various ways. One such psychological response,
identification, involves a merging of self and character, such
that audience members process and experience thoughts and
emotions toward story events as though they have become
that very character in the story world (Cohen, 2001; Cohen
& Klimmt, 2021). Features of the narrative, characters, audi-
ence, and reception context may all influence identification
(for a review, see Cohen & Tal-Or, 2017). The current paper
focuses in particular on the role of audience–character simi-
larity, and aimed to explore the extent and conditions under
which similarity between audiences and characters elicits
identification.
Identication andnarrative persuasion
Narratives, such as those in the form of short stories, nov-
els, movies, or television programs, are ubiquitous and likely
encountered on a daily basis by most individuals. As Lewis
(2011) asserts, “story is central to human understanding—it
makes life livable, because without a story, there is no identity,
no self, no other” (p. 505). A large body of scholarship has
emerged on the topic of narrative persuasion, the idea that nar-
ratives can influence audiences’ attitudes, beliefs, intentions,
and behaviors in story-consistent ways (Braddock & Dillard,
2016). Meta-analytic evidence suggests that audiences’ involve-
ment with characters, especially in the form of identification,
plays a key role in such persuasive effects (r = 0.26; Tukachin-
sky & Tokunaga, 2013). The potency of identification may be
explained by the bonds that audiences form with characters
(Cohen etal., 2018), which foster greater attention and reduce
psychological reactance toward underlying narrative messages
(Bandura, 2001; Moyer-Gusé, 2008). Given the major role that
identification plays in narrative persuasion, research efforts have
* Kate Y. Huang
katehuang@link.cuhk.edu.hk
1 Department ofPsychology, The Chinese University ofHong
Kong, HongKongSAR, China
2 Department ofGeography andResource Management, The
Chinese University ofHong Kong, HongKongSAR, China
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... The finding that people referred more to learning about products (e.g., "I didn't know about probiotic cleaners" female, [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] rather than practices or behaviours implies a higher level of knowledge around the impact that hotter or longer washing has on the body or environment, but lower levels of knowledge concerning the potential to replace harsh chemicals with low-impact and/or home-made cleaning solutions ("I liked the stories that described natural cleaning products-something I hadn't thought of" female, [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. ...
... The finding that people referred more to learning about products (e.g., "I didn't know about probiotic cleaners" female, [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] rather than practices or behaviours implies a higher level of knowledge around the impact that hotter or longer washing has on the body or environment, but lower levels of knowledge concerning the potential to replace harsh chemicals with low-impact and/or home-made cleaning solutions ("I liked the stories that described natural cleaning products-something I hadn't thought of" female, [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. ...
... Similarly, the finding that people referred more to being made to think about health impacts versus environmental impacts implies an existing level of knowledge that many of our practices are not good for our natural environment, but a lower level of knowledge that those practices could also be bad for personal health (e.g., "Hadn't considered laundry liquid / shower gel having a negative effect on my body" female, 18-29; "Knowing that stripping good bacteria from our homes does more harm than good and understanding where probiotic cleaners can help too" female, [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. This is indicative of the persistent myth that complete removal of germs from the household is necessary (or even beneficial) for human health [3]. ...
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... In the aforementioned meta-analysis, Tukachinsky (2014) found no statistically significant effects of shared demographics on identification, following the analysis of six effects reported in four studies manipulating similarity. A recent meta-analysis by Huang et al. (2023) challenged those findings and based on 50 effects reported in 39 studies, concluded that similarity affects identification. Notably, there were differences between these two meta-analyses. ...
... Notably, there were differences between these two meta-analyses. Huang et al. (2023) included more recent studies and examined the effects of different types of similarities. The authors observed that deep-level similarity pertaining to emotions, attitudes, and personality elicits a higher effect size on identification than demographic similarity. ...
... While similarities between audiences and characters from different parts of the world are possible, they are more likely to stem from deep-level traits rather than just demographics. Still, considerably fewer studies investigated similarity in psychological traits, concerning deep-level shared characteristics than demographic similarity (i.e., 11 samples vs. 37 samples, according to Huang et al., 2023). This numerical discrepancy is understandable since the experimental manipulation of demographic traits is easier. ...
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... Unexpectedly, we did not find the anticipated effects of narrative voice and group cue. Previous studies suggesting the first person increases identification with the protagonist (for a meta-analysis on health messaging, see Chen & Bell, 2022) and the narrative voice interacts with similarity (see the meta-analysis of Huang et al., 2023) were not validated in our experiment. Furthermore, there was no interaction between framing, similarity (via group cue), and narrative voice; surprisingly, considering that the relation between similarity and increased identification has been largely theorized (Tajfel & Turner, 1979;Turner et al., 1987) and demonstrated (e.g., Igartua & Guerrero-Martín, 2022). ...
... Similar to Experiment 1, testimonies framing immigrants as victims or heroes, as opposed to profiteers, led to stronger identification, more positive outgroup attitudes, and increased intentions to help as hypothesized (e.g., Algoe & Haidt, 2009;Eisenberg & Miller, 1987) and found in previous studies (Igartua & Cachón-Ramón, 2023). Contrary to expectations and existing literature (see the meta-analysis of Huang et al., 2023), however, no significant relationship was found between group cue and narrative voice among Hungarian participants. This (lack of) finding may stem from the heightened sensitivity of the immigration topic in Hungary (Meuleman et al., 2009), potentially overshadowing the influence of certain testimony elements. ...
... Additionally, the point of view or narrative voice employed had no effect on any variable of these experiments. This is surprising due to the accumulated evidence suggesting it is a relevant moderator in narrative persuasion (see Chen & Bell, 2022) and likely to interact with group cue (see Huang et al., 2023). ...
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... Књижевност, дакле, која је изникла у једном друштвенополитичком контексту, барем делимично под утицајем тог контекста, такође има значајну моћ да обликује вредности, идеологије и погледе на друштвено уређење својих читалаца подстичући их на размишљање о стварном стању друштва и на разматрања алтернатива постојећим системима вредности (Galloway 2009). Кроз слојевите приче, карактере и наративе, писци могу директно или индиректно промовисати одређене идеје које читаоци могу прихватити и инкорпорирати у своје размишљање и понашање (Huang et al. 2024). Овај утицај може бити посебно снажан због емотивне повезаности коју читаоци развијају са ликовима и ситуацијама у књигама. ...
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... udes expressed by the roles they identify with. Identification is an important mechanism for persuasion (L. Huang, 2020;Igartua & Guerrero-Martı´n, 2022). When the audience has an identification with a certain identity, they will accept this identity and accept information through this identity, thus achieving the effect of persuasion (Cohen, 2018;K. Y. Huang et al., 2023). In agricultural product live stream, the host tells the story of farmers, and consumers can imagine themselves as a member of the farmer's group or associate themselves with the story of the farmer's group. When consumers abandon their identity consciousness and experience the world through the host's perspective, they generate host id ...
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Stepping In and Out of Media Characters: Identification and Dynamic Shifts in Users’ Positioning Toward Entertainment Messages
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  • Feb 2021
This handbook provides a strong collection of communication- and psychology-based theories and models on media entertainment, which can be used as a knowledge resource for any academic and applied purpose. Its 41 chapters offer explanations of entertainment that audiences find in any kind of ‘old’ and ‘new’ media, from classic novels to VR video games, from fictional stories to mediated sports. As becomes clear in this handbook, the history of entertainment research teaches us not to forget that even if a field is converging to a seemingly dominant perspective, paradigm, and methodology, there are more views, alternative approaches, and different yet equally illuminative ways of thinking about the field. Young scholars may find here innovative ways to reconcile empirical-theoretical approaches to the experience of entertainment with such alternative views. And there are numerous entertainment-related phenomena in contemporary societies that still fit the „bread and circuses-“ perspective of the initial Frankfurt School thinking. So while the mission of the present handbook is to compile and advance current theories about media entertainment, scholars active or interested in the topic are invited to also consider the historic roots of the field and the great diversity it has featured over the past nearly 100 years. Many lessons can be learned from this history, and future innovations in entertainment theory may just as likely emerge from refining those approaches compiled in the present handbook as from building on neglected, forgotten, or marginalized streams of scholarship.
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