Framing-as-Sequences: Personalizing the order of message frames with adaptive, person-specific dynamics

Build a micro-randomized, adaptive messaging system that manipulates the sequence of frames rather than single-shot frame selection. For each participant, the system experiments with different orders (e.g., humor-then-risk vs. risk-then-humor; proximal-then-moral vs. moral-then-proximal), learns person-specific impulse responses, and continuously optimizes the sequence over time. This approach is novel because most framing studies treat frame choice as a one-off, static decision. It unites findings on order effects and person-to-person heterogeneity by operationalizing framing as a temporal grammar where order is a core design variable, learned per individual in context. It leverages prior work on order effects, temporal framing, and emotional pathways by measuring frame-evoked fear, anger, and reactance online to avoid counterproductive sequences. The promising aspect is that a closed-loop system can discover surprising, individualized sequences that static RCTs miss, potentially reconciling null average effects by capitalizing on heterogeneity in real time. The impact includes offering a new paradigm of framing as sequence optimization that could materially increase message effectiveness in health, sustainability, and public service campaigns, and yields practical algorithms for personalization at scale.

References:

1. How Message-Evoked Emotions Undermine Persuasion: The Mediating Role of Fear and Anger in Health Message Effects Among Older Adults. Xiaodong Yang, Lai Wei (2024). Journal of health communication.
2. Disentangling the Effects of Temporal Framing on Risk Perception, Attitude, Behavioral Intention, and Behavior: A Multilevel Meta-Analysis. Guanxiong Huang, Jie Xu (2022). Communication Research.
3. The order effects of humor and risk messaging strategies in public service advertisements: the moderating role of trust in science and mediating role of psychological reactance. Hanyoung Kim, Hye Jin Yoon, Jeong-Yeob Han, Ja Kyung Seo, Youngjee Ko (2024). International Journal of Advertising.