Persuasion Chapter 10

What are the two types of communication characteristics?

1. communicator credibility 2. communicator likability

What are the two dimensions of credibility?

1. expertise 2. trustworthiness

What are the two types of credibility bias?

1. knowledge 2. reporting

Example of a person that is low in credibility:

A high school student whose information was based on a term-paper written for a class.

What is communicator credibility?

A message source that may be thought of as highly credible by one perceiver but not by another perceiver.

Example of a person that is highly-credible:

A professor of nuclear research, recognized as a national authority on the biological effects of radioactivity.

Definition of Trustworthiness Dimension:

AKA character, safety, or personal integrity. Commonly represented by scales such as honest - dishonest, just - unjust, unselfish - selfish, etc...

Definition of Expertise Dimension:

AKA competence expertise Commonly represented by scales such as experienced - unexperienced, informed - uninformed, trained - untrained, etc...

Definition of Credibility:

AKA perceived credibility Consists of the judgments made by a perceiver (message recipient) concerning the believability of a communicator.

What is a way a researcher could compare the effects of a high-credibility source with those of a low-credibility source?

By varying the information given about the communicators credentials.

Investigations have found that when a communicator has more non-fluencies:

Communicators are rated as lower on expertise, with judgments of trustworthiness typically unaffected.

What are the most frequently manipulated characteristics manipulated by investigators in experimental studies?

Education, occupation and experience.

Is communicator credibility intrinsic or extrinsic property?

Intrinsic property

When a person is trustworthy but is lacking expertise:

Knowledge bias

A communicator perceived as having knowledge bias will be viewed as...

Less expert

A communicator perceived as having reporting bias will be viewed as...

Less trustworthy

Definition of knowledge bias:

Refers to a recipients belief that a communicators knowledge about external realty is nonverbal.

Definition of reporting bias:

Refers to the belief that a communicators willingness to convey an accurate version of external reality is compromised.

When a person has expertise but is not trustworthy:

Reporting bias

What is the most common research design?

Respondents rate communication sources on a large number of scales.

Definition of Factor Analysis:

Statistical method used to describe variability among observed correlated variables in terms of a potentially lower number of unobserved variables called factors.

What is the purpose of factor analysis?

To reduce many individual items into a fewer number of dimensions - can be used to simplify data, reducing the number of variables in regression models.

True or False: Only a conjunction of expertise and trustworthiness makes for reliable communications?

True A person will not be seen as reliable if both are not present.

Definition of non-fluencies in delivery:

Vocalized pauses ("uh uh"), repetition of words or sounds, corrections of slips of the tongue, etc...

What do the scales of the Expertise Dimension tell us?

Wether the communicator is in a position to know the truth and to know what is right or correct.

What do the scales of the Trustworthiness Dimension tell us?

Wether the communicator will likely be inclined to tell the truth as he or she sees it.