Emotion and reason in persuasion: Applying the ARI model and the CASC Scale

Whereas practitioners in advertising and marketing clearly appreciate the importance of affect and emotion, traditional academic approaches to the analysis of persuasion tend to stress rational “central route” or “systematic” processing. However, the notion of two sorts of cognitive process—one rational, the other affective—has gained increasing support. This paper presents a view of the conceptualization and operationalization of the interaction of affect and reason based upon MacLeans's triune theory of the brain, distinguishing reptilian, individualist and prosocial biological emotions, as well as “higher level” social, cognitive and moral emotions. The interactive role of affect and reason in involvement is described by the affect–reason–involvement (ARI) model, and emotions are operationalized by versions of the Communication via Analytic and Syncretic Cognition Scale (CASC Scale) tuned to the requirements of a given area of investigation. Examples of studies analyzing emotional factors in response to common consumer products and condom use/nonuse are presented.