The Case for a Complexity Continuum

The case for a Complexity Continuum (CC) is presented. Past research on the effects of syntactic complexity (and other contributors to complexity, such as difficult words) in an advertising context has yielded seemingly contradictory findings. Rather than being problematic, however, it is argued in this conceptual paper that the various results from past research are complementary. By placing each study along the CC (based on medium, textual factors, and participant characteristics) one can see how results to date combined provide a clearer understanding of how complexity operates. Two experiments provide additional evidence of the validity of the CC proposed herein.