Eliciting Behavior From Interactive Narratives: Isolating the Role of Agency in Connecting With and Modeling Characters

Carpentier, Francesca R. Dillman; Rogers, Ryan; Barnard, Lisa

doi:10.1080/08838151.2014.998222

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Moreover, no mediation effects were found. These findings are not in line with previous studies pointing toward a positive effect of agency in interactive narratives on intrinsic motivation (Katz and Assor, 2007;Patall et al, 2008), identification Varan, 2007, 2008;Peng et al, 2010;Jenkins, 2014;Dillman Carpentier et al, 2015;Walter et al, 2018;Green and Jenkins, 2020), transportation (Hand and Varan, 2007;Jenkins, 2014;Walter et al, 2018;Vázquez-Herrero, 2021) and cognitive learning (Hammond et al, 2007;Freeman et al, 2014;Shi et al, 2020). The insignificant results concerning cognitive learning in experiment 1 may well be explained by shortcomings in the stimulus design.…”

Section: Discussion Experimentscontrasting

confidence: 74%

“…Secondly, in interactive narratives, the unfolding of events is affected by choices of the interactor and as a result, interactors are invested in the outcomes of their choices and the course of the narrative as a whole ("the consequences of those events are felt more deeply"; Hand and Varan, 2008, p. 13), making them more transported. Empirical studies point toward a positive effect of agency on transportation (Hand and Varan, 2007;Jenkins, 2014;Walter et al, 2018;Vázquez-Herrero, 2021) and identification Varan, 2007, 2008;Peng et al, 2010;Jenkins, 2014;Dillman Carpentier et al, 2015;Walter et al, 2018;Green and Jenkins, 2020).…”

Section: Agency Narrative Engagement and Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How to help your depressed friend? The effects of interactive health narratives on cognitive and transformative learning

2022

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Using narratives is an important communication strategy in mental health campaigns to empower readers to adequately help people suffering from depression. These narratives could be enhanced by giving readers agency to make choices on behalf of the main character that noticeably affect the narrative. Yet, few studies have explored the effects of these choices. This study investigated the effects of agency in an interactive digital narrative (IDN) about depression on cognitive and transformative learning. In two experimental, between-subjects design studies, the learning outcomes of a traditional (without agency) and interactive version (with agency) of a narrative about depression were compared. The mediating roles of identification, transportation and intrinsic motivation were also considered. In experiment 1 (N = 216), no effects of agency on cognitive learning, intrinsic motivation, identification or transportation were found. After better embedding learning content and increasing the choices' meaningfulness in the narrative of experiment 2 (N = 155), agency positively affected transformative learning but not cognitive learning. The effect on transformative learning was mediated by identification with the character. These results suggest that agency in educational narratives about depression increases identification with caretakers and reflection on how to approach people with depression sensibly. Implications of these results are discussed.

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