Project Description
This study contributes to theory in persuasion and humor by hypothesizing distinct audience segments that determine how people respond to humor appeals. Across two studies, using a multiple message design and two different humor appeals, we specify and validate four discrete audience segments, referred to here as audience receptivity profiles, that align with previous theorizing and are differentially related to persuasion.
We used latent profile analysis to identify different audience segments, finding that different segments processed persuasive humor appeals in different ways. Findings suggest that those with different audience receptivity profiles vary in whether they find humor appeals humorous, resulting in increased perceptions of humor and message-consistent persuasive effects among audiences who belong to supportive audience receptivity profiles, and decreased humor as well as increased likelihood of unintended effects among audiences who belong to non-supportive audience receptivity profiles. More than representations of audience receptivity, these profiles can also be described as openness to persuasion, as demonstrated by the difference between profiles broadly on persuasive outcomes as well as perceived humor.
