DeLeo Rob A, Shanahan Elizabeth A, Taylor Kristin, Jeschke Nathan, Crow Deserai, Birkland Thomas A, Koebele Elizabeth, Blanch-Hartigan Danielle, Welton-Mitchell Courtney, Sangappa Sandhya, Albright Elizabeth, Minkowitz Honey
Department of Global Studies, Bentley University, Waltham, MA, USA.
Department of Political Science, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
Policy Sci. 2024 Sep;57(3):519-538. doi: 10.1007/s11077-024-09538-5. Epub 2024 Jul 8.
A robust body of research using the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) has explored the effect of external messages on individual affective responses and behavior, typically at a single point in time. Missing from this micro-level analysis is a careful assessment of the ways in which individuals process information, whether their internal cognitions are communicated in narrative structure, and what the durability of any narrative structure is over time. We address this gap by examining (1) the extent to which individuals recall "memorable messages" in narrative form (e.g., the use of characters and morals) and with what content (e.g., who is cast in these character roles) and (2) whether individuals' narrative form and content change across time. Memorable messages are pieces of information that are remembered for an extended period of time. We draw on data derived from a multi-wave panel survey of residents in six U.S. states (Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents were asked to recall a memorable message, anything they heard or read that has shaped how they think about the risk of COVID-19. We find that participants articulate recalled memorable messages in narrative form about two-thirds of the time, consistent with how the NPF expects to make sense of complex information. However, narratives containing morals are articulated less frequently than those using characters alone. Additionally, individuals' narrative content changes over time to include new information such as new policy solutions (e.g., mask wearing). Notably, recalled messages lose their narrative form over time.
大量运用叙事政策框架（NPF）的研究探讨了外部信息对个体情感反应和行为的影响，通常是在某个单一时间点进行考察。这种微观层面的分析缺少对个体处理信息方式的仔细评估，即他们的内部认知是否以叙事结构进行传达，以及任何叙事结构随时间推移的持续性如何。我们通过考察以下两点来填补这一空白：（1）个体以叙事形式（如人物和寓意的运用）回忆“令人难忘的信息”的程度以及内容（如这些人物角色由谁扮演）；（2）个体的叙事形式和内容是否随时间变化。令人难忘的信息是指被长时间记住的信息片段。我们利用了在新冠疫情第一年对美国六个州（科罗拉多州、爱荷华州、路易斯安那州、马萨诸塞州、密歇根州和华盛顿州）居民进行的多轮面板调查所获得的数据。受访者被要求回忆一条令人难忘的信息，即他们听到或读到的、影响了他们对新冠病毒风险看法的任何内容。我们发现，参与者大约三分之二的时间是以叙事形式阐述回忆起的令人难忘的信息，这与NPF对理解复杂信息的预期方式一致。然而，包含寓意的叙事阐述频率低于仅使用人物的叙事。此外，个体的叙事内容随时间变化，纳入了新的信息，如新的政策解决方案（如戴口罩）。值得注意的是，随着时间推移，回忆起的信息会失去其叙事形式。
