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Does a Credible Source Also Need a Fearful Audience?
Author(s) -
UMEH KANAYO
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00916.x
Subject(s) - credibility , persuasion , fear appeal , source credibility , psychology , social psychology , persuasive communication , appeal , resistance (ecology) , political science , ecology , law , biology
Does a credible source also need a fearful audience? Current evidence is ambiguous. This study assessed the persuasiveness of a message from a high/low credible source, with strong/weak fear content. Over 270 undergraduates provided attitudinal information before and after receiving a warning about breast cancer, incorporating the experimental manipulations. Attitudes improved after message exposure, irrespective of the fear appeal and source credibility. However, the strong fear appeal amplified message acceptance. There was no evidence of an interaction between source credibility and fear. However, aroused fear and perceived credibility reduced resistance. Neither fear nor source credibility affected persuasion after several months. Instead pre‐message resistance played a critical role. These findings revisit old debates about the importance of peripheral cues in persuasion.