Effects of Word-of-Mouth and Product-Attribute Information on Persuasion: An Accessibility-Diagnosticity Perspective
Abstract
The effects of word-of-mouth (WOM) communications and specific attribute information on product evaluations were investigated. A face-to-face WOM communication was more persuasive than a printed format (experiment 1). Although a strong WOM effect was found, this effect was reduced or eliminated when a prior impression of the target brand was available from memory or when extremely negative attribute information was presented (experiment 2). The results suggest that diverse, seemingly unrelated judgmental phenomena—such as the vividness effect, the perseverance effect, and the negativity effect—can be explained through the accessibility-diagnosticity model.
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The accessibility-diagnosticity perspective suggests that information that is more diagnostic and clearly discriminates among alternate categorizations strongly informs judgments and choice.
“The accessibility-diagnosticity perspective also suggests that information that is more diagnostic and clearly discriminates among alternate categorizations strongly informs judgments and choice (e.g., Herr et al. 1991).”
From Understanding and managing customer relational benefits in services: a meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Herr et al. 1991
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- Authors
- Herr, P. M., Kardes, F. R., & Kim, J.
- Affiliations
- Indiana University Indianapolis (US)
- ORCID
- Kardes, Frank R.
- Venue
- Journal of Consumer Research
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1991-03
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 454
- ISSN
- 0093-5301 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-5277
- OpenAlex
- W2099594827
- Cited by
- 2,142
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 54 · 2025: 48 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 84 · 2022: 93 · 2021: 102 · 2020: 118 · 2019: 121 · 2018: 124 · 2017: 100 · 2016: 119 · 2015: 148 · 2014: 130 · 2013: 135 · 2012: 114
- FWCI
- 19.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Consumer Research (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior and Marketing Influence
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
- Keywords
- word of mouth, persuasion, product evaluation, negativity bias, consumer judgment
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