Influence as a function of communicator discrepancy and his prestige

Abstract

Studies in the field of persuasion and communication have used known sources to test the effect of credibility on influence. What pattern of opinion change occurs when Ss themselves identify the credibility of the communicator, is the concern of this study. PROCEDURE: In a reading comprehension-test-situation Ss made their judgements about their degree of agreement with the author on an issue. RESULTS: (1) Opinion change was found to be curvilinearly related with low prestige source. (2) Variation in the prestige of the communicator did not make any significant difference. (3) The two curves interacted significantly showing that at some points the means of the two sources are significantly away from each other. � 1969, The Japanese Psychological Association. All rights reserved.