The Religious Crusade: Revival or Ritual?

Abstract

Participant-observer susceptibility to persuasive appeals for increased religious commitment in a recent study suggests that role playing increases the likelihood of persuation. A field experiment was designed to test the role-playing hypothesis. A contemporary religious crusade served as the experimental stimulus and ninetytwo participant-observers served unknowingly as subjects. Findings revealed that the crusade was ineffectual in producing religious change, and that there were no differences between groups of subjects that engaged in differing degrees of role playing.