In a classic study by Petty et al. (1981) participants were asked to listen to a persuasive message advocating that students take comprehensive exams before they graduate. The results showed that:

Question

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The study showed that participants who thought they would be personally affected (i.e. they would have to take comprehensive exams themselves) were more persuaded by strong arguments than weak arguments. This suggests that people are more likely to engage in careful processing of persuasive messages when the message is personally relevant to them.

In a Classic Study by Petty Et Al