Which psychological mechanism best explains why emotional sermons can increase people's interest in religion?

• A. They provide detailed factual information that appeals to logical reasoning.
• B. They reduce cognitive dissonance by presenting contradictory beliefs.
• C. They rely solely on ritualistic repetition without emotional content.
• D. They evoke strong emotional responses that enhance memory and personal relevance, leading to greater engagement.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the role of emotional arousal in psychological processes, particularly how emotions can influence attention and memory encoding.
2. Step 2: Recognize that emotional sermons evoke strong emotional responses, which can enhance the salience and memorability of the message being delivered.
3. Step 3: Connect the enhanced memory and personal relevance caused by emotional arousal to increased engagement and interest in the subject matter, in this case, religion.
4. Step 4: Differentiate this mechanism from other options, such as logical reasoning or cognitive dissonance reduction, by noting that the key factor here is the emotional impact rather than factual detail or contradiction resolution.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the psychological mechanism explaining increased interest due to emotional sermons is the emotional enhancement of memory and personal relevance, which drives greater engagement.