Neurometric and biometric measurement of the effectiveness of covid-19-related public service announcements

This research aims to examine the effects of public service advertisements on individuals in Turkey in order to ensure vaccine acceptance during the pandemic. For the relevant objective, a mixed methodology was utilized. In the first phase of the research, 25 public service announcements published during the pandemic were subjected to a classical rhetorical analysis to emphasize the discourse strategy that they reflect. Rhetorical analysis revealed that 46.16% of the examined PSAs feature logical discourse (logos), 29.5% feature emotional discourse (pathos), and 22.2% feature moral discourse (ethos). In the second phase of the research, neurometric (EEG) and biometric (GSR, Eye Tracking) measurement instruments were used to assess the impact of each persuasion strategy identified through rhetorical analysis on individuals. The results of an experiment with 69 participants showed that the emotional discourses (pathos) in PSAs have a greater impact on viewers’ cognitive performance and attention. In particular, it was determined that the n400 potential was activated in the brains of the participants in response to PSAs which represent pathos rhetoric, and that their biometric responses based on eye movements and electrification on the skin differed in the 400–600 ms range. Consequently, it is anticipated that the current study will benefit from two aspects. First, within the scope of the examined literature, this study is the first to combine neurometric measurement with a rhetorically-based qualitative analysis. It is anticipated that the related mixed methodology will offer researchers an alternative viewpoint. Second, it is anticipated that the findings will contribute to the understanding of how society can be persuaded to adopt the appropriate behavior patterns in situations such as a global pandemic, as well as the impact of discourse strategies on individuals.