Long-term Effects of the Persuasion Game: From a Face-to-face and an Online Study

Abstract

In the Persuasion Game (Settoku-Nattoku Game), participants devise an idea for environmental behaviors and persuade other participants to conduct the idea. In this study, we examined whether the changes in intentions and attitudes of energy-saving behaviors that occurred by participating in the game were prevalent a month after the game. We also examined whether the changes in attitudes and intentions and the long-term effects can be observed when the game is played online. The results showed that behavioral intentions, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were higher immediately after the game regardless of whether the game was played face-to-face or online. In the follow-up study, the subjective norms were at the same level as they were immediately after the game while energy-saving behavioral intentions were not different from what they were before the game both face-to-face and online. Perceived behavioral control remained at the same level only for the game played online. In addition, own intentions to converse about energy-saving and the perception of others’ intentions in this regard were higher after the game, while the perception of others’ intentions to converse remained at the same level one month later. The results suggested that by participating in the Persuasion Game which includes interactions with others, one’s perceptions of others may change in the long term regardless of whether the game is played face-to-face or online.