Immediate Attention for Public Speech

Abstract

Political campaign speeches are deemed influential in winning people’s minds and votes. While the language used in such speeches has often been credited with their impact, empirical research in this area is scarce. We report on two experiments investigating how language variables such as rhetorical schemes (e.g., contrast, list of three) and valence framing (using positive vs. negative words) affect immediate attention and consecutive information processing of political radio speeches. Experiment 1 measured immediate attention for radio speeches measured through moment-to-moment, self-report measures. Negative framing, compared with positive framing, increased immediate attention. Rhetorical schemes only increased attention in positively (but not in negatively) framed speeches. No effects on recall were found. In Experiment 2, immediate attention for similar radio speeches was measured through secondary task reaction times. Experiment 2 replicated the first experiment’s effects on attention, and also yielded recall effects. A multiple-mediator model showed that comprehensibility mediated effects of rhetorical schemes and framing on recall.