Assimilation and contrast in persuasion: the effects of source credibility in multiple message situations

The present research explores a contextual perspective on persuasion in multiple message situations. It is proposed that when people receive persuasive messages, the effects of those messages are influenced by other messages to which people recently have been exposed. In two experiments, participants received a target persuasive message from a moderately credible source. Immediately before this message, participants received another message, on a different topic, from a source with high or low credibility. In Experiment 1, participants' attitudes toward the target issue were more favorable after they had first been exposed to a different message from a low rather than high credibility source (contrast). In Experiment 2, this effect only emerged when a priming manipulation gave participants a dissimilarity mindset. When participants were primed with a similarity mindset, their attitudes toward the target issue were more favorable following a different message from a high rather than low credibility source (assimilation).     

Are the Tabloids Always Wrong or Is That Just What We Think? Need for Cognition and Perceptions of Articles in Print Media

This study examines how need for cognition, source credibility, and communication strength influence perceptions of a print-media communication. Participants read a strong or weak communication about an evolutionary theory, presented as an article from the Washington Post (high credibility) or the National Enquirer (low credibility). Results revealed a significant Need for Cognition × Source × Communication Strength interaction. Low-need-for-cognition participants who read the weak communication rated the article more positively when it was attributed to the high-credibility source than to the low-credibility source. Source credibility did not affect impressions of the article and theory among participants high in need for cognition or reading the strong communication. However, articles from the Washington Post were rated as more believable, factual, accurate, and true than those from the National Enquirer.     

Verbal and nonverbal behaviour as a basis for credibility attribution: The impact of task involvement and cognitive capacity

Three experiments were able to demonstrate the usefulness of dual-process models for the understanding of the process of credibility attribution. According to the assumptions of dual-process models, only high task involvement and high cognitive capacity leads to intensive processing of verbal and nonverbal information when making credibility judgments. Under low task involvement and/or low cognitive capacity, people predominantly use nonverbal information for their credibility attribution. In Experiment 1, participants under low or high task involvement saw a film in which the nonverbal behaviour (fidgety vs. calm) and the verbal information (low versus high credibility) of a source were manipulated. As predicted, when task involvement was low, only the nonverbal behaviour influenced participants’ credibility attribution. Participants with high task involvement also used the verbal information. In Experiment 2 and 3, the cognitive capacity of the participants was manipulated. Participants with high cognitive capacity, in contrast to those of low cognitive capacity, used the verbal information for their credibility attribution.     

Web‐based corporate,social and video recruitment media: Effects of media richness and source credibility on organizational attraction

Despite the high use of social media in graduate recruitment campaigns, research has yet to examine how it compares with websites and videos in influencing job seekers’ reactions. Drawing from recruitment, media richness, and source credibility theories, we proposed that the media used to present recruitment material would influence organizational attraction via perceptions of media richness and source credibility. Results of a between‐subjects study, with 342 participants holding or working toward a degree, show that when a standardized recruitment message is delivered via Facebook, video, or text‐based webpage media, there are significant between‐media richness and source credibility differences. Furthermore, particular media richness features were positively related to perceptions of source credibility, and source credibility perceptions were positively related to organizational attraction. Implications for organizations’ online recruitment campaigns are discussed.     

Confidence via correction: The effect of judgment correction on consumer confidence

At times, consumers are motivated to reduce the influence of a product recommendation on their judgments. Based on previous research, it is unclear whether this correction process will increase or decrease consumers' confidence in their judgments. We find that source credibility moderates the effect of correction on confidence: correction decreases confidence when a product recommendation comes from a high credibility source but increases confidence when the same message comes from a low credibility source. As a result, correction increases the effectiveness of recommendations from low credibility sources on purchase intentions. Notably, this “confidence via correction” effect is further moderated by elaboration, such that the effect is attenuated for high elaboration consumers. Our results have implications for understanding consumers' reactions to persuasive messages and for both marketing practitioners and consumer protection agencies using correction cues to influence message persuasiveness.     

You don't act like you trust me: dissociations between behavioural and explicit measures of source credibility judgement

This study compared explicit and behavioural measures of source credibility judgements based on two factors: a source's past record of accuracy and its production of predictions that participants would like to believe. The former is considered to be a rational factor for judging credibility, while the latter is considered nonrational (i.e., it does not predict actual credibility). In Experiments 1 and 2, participants saw an equal number of predictions from two sources, one of which was either highly or slightly more accurate/desirable than the other. In Experiment 3, either one source was high accuracy and the other high desirability, or one source was higher on both measures. For all experiments, participants then saw new accurate and inaccurate predictions and said which source they thought was most likely to produce each (behavioural task). Participants then gave a percentage rating for each source's perceived accuracy (explicit judgement task). Participants showed sensitivity to past accuracy differences using both tasks, but not to the size of the differences. Desirability influenced performance only on the behavioural task. However, when the two factors conflicted, participants responded solely using past accuracy information. Behaviours reflect source credibility judgements based on both rational and irrational factors, but participants appear to be both more strongly influenced by the rational factor and more aware of that influence.     

Personality, values and belief in a just world

This study investigated the relationship between general belief in a just world (BJW) and different values (conformity, security, self-direction) as well as personality traits (Five-Factor-Model of personality) among 104 college students and 108 professionals. Previous findings have shown that BJW is positively related to the value domains conformity and security as well as to extraversion and negatively to neuroticism and openness. In this study, a negative correlation between BJW and openness to new experience was found. Furthermore BJW correlated positively with security and conformity. A cluster analysis on BJW and the value domains revealed three types: value-conscious (high in all values and low in BJW), dependent-just (high in BJW, security and conformity, low in self-direction) and self-directed (only high in self-direction). Value-conscious and dependent-just participants showed higher scores on conscientiousness, whereas self-directed participants scored higher in openness. Further research should take into account the individual function of BJW and values for personality functioning.     

Recruitment sources and organizational attraction: A field study of Belgian nurses

Previous research on recruitment sources has mostly focused on posthire instead of prehire outcomes and has typically applied a very rudimentary classification of sources on the basis of the formal–informal distinction. The present study relied on a theory-driven taxonomy to identify four major types of recruitment sources (recruitment advertising, recruitment events, publicity, and word of mouth) and applied a source credibility perspective to predict differential relationships of these sources with organizational attractiveness. In a sample of 184 job-seeking nurses in Belgium, characterized by a high labour market demand, it was found that job seekers who spent more time on receiving employment information through experiential recruitment sources such as events and word of mouth perceived this information as more credible. In addition, job seekers' exposure to word of mouth was strongly positively related to their attraction to organizations as an employer. This relationship was partially mediated by the perceived credibility of the received employment information. Therefore, the results of this field study suggest that to enhance their attractiveness as an employer for job seekers, especially those in high demand on the labour market, recruiting organizations should provide credible employment information and stimulate the use of word of mouth as a recruitment source.     

Readers' reliance on source credibility in the service of comprehension

The current project examined the impact of knowledge about the credibility of sources on readers' processing of texts. Participants read texts in which information about characters was provided by either a credible or a noncredible source; this information suggested that the character potentially possessed a particular trait. A subsequent text episode offered the opportunity for participants to apply any inferred trait to their understanding of unfolding story events. In Experiment 1, participants' moment-by-moment reading times indicated strong expectations for characters to behave in trait-consistent ways, with little effect of credibility on those expectations. Experiments 2 and 3 provided participants with additional encouragement to attend to credibility during reading, but these experiments also revealed little influence of credibility. In Experiment 4, in addition to being given added encouragement, participants were explicitly asked to evaluate the likelihood of future text events; under these conditions, expectations for story outcomes were influenced by the credibility of information sources. This influence was mediated by the degree to which participants self-reported relying on credibility during the task. These findings have implications for contemporary accounts of text comprehension, persuasion, and individual differences in credibility assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).     

Warning: You are being primed! The effect of a warning on the impact of subliminal ads

As it has been demonstrated that subliminal advertising can affect consumers' decisions – if the ad is goal relevant – the question rises whether consumers are able to shield themselves from subliminal influences. In the present research it was examined whether warning people of the presence of subliminal ads could decrease subliminal advertising effects. In Study 1, it was demonstrated that warning people of subliminal ads indeed diminished priming effects on consumer choice, whereas subliminal advertising effects were replicated for people who were not warned (i.e., people for whom the primed brand was goal relevant were more likely to select it when primed). Study 2 extended these findings, revealing that both participants warned before and after the priming manipulation were less influenced by subliminal brand primes than controls. This suggests that the warning does not decrease participants' sensitivity to the prime, but instead affects the influence of the prime at the behavioral level. Several explanations and implications are discussed.     

Differences in readers' response towards advertising versus publicity

Publicity is assumed to have higher credibility than advertising prompting communication specialists to call for its use alongside traditional advertising to achieve overall communication goals. To test the differences in readers' response towards advertisements and publicity, a sample of students (N= 104; 52 men and 52 women) were shown printed messages identified as advertising or publicity. The publicity format appeared to be associated with deeper processing because participants had higher recall, more message-relevant thoughts, and better discrimination for the publicity message. In addition, participants rated the publicity message higher on Source Credibility, Brand Attitude, and Purchase Intent than a comparable advertisement.     

Voice and persuasion in a banking telemarketing context

Voice has been neglected in research on advertising and persuasion. The present study examined the influence of voice and sex on the credibility of the voice source in a banking telemarketing context as well as with regards to the attitude toward the advertisement, and subjects' behavioral intention. An experiment using voices of a man and a woman was conducted. A recorded mock-telemarketing message consisted of an advertisement for an ATM card offered by a Canadian bank. Subjects were undergraduate students (N=399; 71.6% women, 28.4% men; M age=26.5 yr., SD = 7.4). They completed a questionnaire after hearing the message in telemarketing conditions. Analysis indicated a moderate intensity, an unmarked intonation, and a fast speech rate are associated with a more credible source than the other combinations. Sex was not a significant moderator in the relationship between voice characteristics and source credibility. Voice characteristics significantly affected attitudes toward the advertisement and behavioral intention.     

感性还是理性?文化衍生的权力感对广告诉求偏好的影响

广告的有效性很大程度上取决于消费者个体特征与广告诉求之间的一致性。以往研究忽略了文化衍生的权力感作为关键心理特征与不同诉求广告之间的匹配性效应。本文探讨文化衍生的权力感(个人权力感vs.社会权力感)对广告诉求偏好的影响及其作用机理。研究结果表明, 启动个人(vs.社会)权力感的消费者更加偏好感性(vs.理性)诉求广告, 其中唤醒度发挥中介作用。当启动个人(vs.社会)权力感时, 个体更加强调满足自我需要和寻求挑战以不断提高地位与声望, 更容易激发兴奋等高(vs.低)唤醒度, 从而更加偏好感性(vs.理性)诉求广告。此外, 合理化需要在文化衍生的权力感通过唤醒度对广告诉求偏好的影响中起到调节作用。在不启动合理化需要时, 文化衍生的权力感通过唤醒度对广告诉求偏好发挥影响的中介效应显著; 而当启动合理化需要时, 上述中介效应不显著。本文基于文化取向的视角揭示了权力感影响广告诉求偏好的心理机制与边界条件, 为企业根据文化衍生的权力感差异制定广告营销策略等方面提供实践启示。     

合作还是冲突?组合代言中代言人关系类型对广告效果的影响

在营销实践中,多位代言人同时出现在一则广告中的组合代言广告日益增多,却很少有研究关注。本文探究了组合代言中代言人关系类型(合作型组合代言vs.冲突型组合代言)对广告效果的影响。研究发现,相对于合作型组合代言,冲突型组合代言会产生更好的广告效果;这种作用是通过消费者感知到的广告生动性所中介的;消费者的情感强度可以调节这种作用,对于情感强度较高的消费者,冲突型组合代言能产生更好的广告效果,而对于情感强度较低的消费者没有显著影响;此外,代言人之间的差异程度也可以起到调节作用,即当消费者对组合代言中代言人们的评价相差较小时,冲突型组合代言能提升广告效果,当对代言人们的评价相差较大时,则没有显著的促进作用。文章还对这些发现的理论贡献、营销启示和未来研究方向进行了讨论。     

Sensation-seeking and differentially arousing television commercials

The authors predicted (a) that disinhibited consumers would react more favorably to advertising that was high in arousal and (b) that inhibited consumers would react more favorably to advertising that was low in arousal. They tested these predictions by having U.S. college students evaluate both the commercial and the product being marketed in 1 of 2 beer commercials. The prospective buyers then completed a measure of dispositional sensation-seeking tendencies. Although the participants who differed in disinhibition reacted differently to the 2 commercials, the nature of their responses was more complex than predicted.     

卷入影响广告理性诉求信息加工效果的眼动研究

使用眼动技术,考察了卷入的两方面（个人卷入与产品卷入）共同对广告理性诉求信息加工效果的影响。研究发现：（1）随着个人卷入或产品卷入度的提高,被试获得的广告信息显著增加。（2）仅在产品卷入度高时,强说服证据理性诉求广告的品牌信息所获得的加工深度才明显优于弱说服证据者;同时,只有当个人卷入度高时,产品卷入度高的商品信息所获得的加工才明显比产品卷入度低者更为精细。这说明,广告理性诉求方式可能主要适宜于宣传产品卷入度高的商品,且只有当个人卷入度高时才可能更为有效     

Development and validation of the consumer disillusionment toward marketing activity scale

This study examines disillusioned consumers. The theory proposes that this is a group learning to lower their expectations of firm integrity and who, to avoid being let down, ignore marketing activity directly from the firm. This kind of exchange orientation develops as a response to consistent failure in perceptions of firm integrity. The research includes six studies, including over 600 adult consumers, to outline the development and validation of a measure of consumer disillusionment toward marketing activity. Completing the process provides a valid and reliable four‐item measure. In addition, the study includes the assessment of the nomological validity of the construct. The nomological validation includes using cue utilization theory to predict that disillusioned consumers favor advertising that provides evidence of verifiable integrity. The validation experiment uses print advertising containing high and low verifiable integrity stimuli. Results confirm the theory with disillusioned consumers focusing less on the firm as source of information. Further, these consumers respond more favorably than non‐disillusioned consumers to third party endorsers who serve to verify the firm's attempts to show integrity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensation-Seeking and Differentially Arousing Television Commercials

Abstract

The authors predicted (a) that disinhibited consumers would react more favorably to advertising that was high in arousal and (b) that inhibited consumers would react more favorably to advertising that was low in arousal. They tested these predictions by having U.S. college students evaluate both the commercial and the product being marketed in 1 of 2 beer commercials. The prospective buyers then completed a measure of dispositional sensation-seeking tendencies. Although the participants who differed in disinhibition reacted differently to the 2 commercials, the nature of their responses was more complex than predicted.     

The Effects of Source Credibility and Message Framing on Exercise Intentions,Behaviors, and Attitudes: An Integration of the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Prospect Theory1

This study examined the influence of source credibility and message framing on promoting physical exercise in university students. Participants were randomly assigned to reading a positively or negatively framed communication that was attributed to either a credible or a noncredible source. Exercise intentions and attitudes were measured immediately following the delivery of the communication and following a 2‐week delay. Exercise behavior was also measured following the delay. There were Source Frame interactions for the exercise intentions, exercise behaviors, and cognitive response/elaboration measures such that participants receiving a positively framed communication from a credible source elaborated more and reported more positive exercise intentions and behaviors than participants in the other conditions. The results of the present investigation indicate that it might be beneficial for health professionals to provide exercise‐related information stressing the benefits of participating in exercise, rather than the traditional fear appeals, to motivate clients to engage in regular physical exercise. Implications for future research are discussed.