The Influence of Source Credibility on Communication Effectiveness

Hovland, Carl I.; Weiss, Walter

doi:10.1086/266350

Cited by 3,543Misinformation and Its ImpactsMemory Processes and InfluencesDeception detection and forensic psychology

The Influence of Source Credibility on Communication Effectiveness

Hovland, Carl I., Weiss, Walter·1951·Public Opinion Quarterly

DOI 10.1086/266350

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Abstract

In a new test of the process of forgetting, the authors found that subjects, at the time of exposure, discounted material from “untrustworthy” sources. In time, however, the subjects tended to disassociate the content and the source with the result that the original scepticism faded and the “untrustworthy” material was accepted. Lies, in fact, seemed to be remembered better than truths.

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Source expertise affects attitude change, level of confidence and positivity, and behavioral changes and leads to higher levels of persuasion.
“Source expertise affects attitude change (Hovland and Weiss 1951; McCracken 1989; Ohanian 1991), level of confidence and positivity (Tormala, Briñol, and Petty 2007), and behavioral changes (Crisci and Kassinove 1973) and leads to higher levels of persuasion (Petty and Wegener 1998).”
From Driving Brand Engagement Through Online Social Influencers: An Empirical Investigation of Sponsored Blogging Campaigns (2019) · cites this paper as Hovland and Weiss 1951
Source credibility theory posits that the effectiveness of a persuasive message depends on the perceived credibility of its source.
“Source credibility theory posits that the effectiveness of a persuasive message depends on the perceived credibility of its source (Hovland and Weiss, 1951).”
From Understanding consumer purchase intention in social media influencer marketing: the mediating role of parasocial relationship and trust in the Moroccan context (2026) · cites this paper as Hovland and Weiss, 1951
Source credibility theory (Hovland and Weiss, 1951) posits that the persuasive power of a source depends not only on its perceived attributes but also on the relational context in which communication occurs.
“This finding is consistent with source credibility theory (Hovland and Weiss, 1951), which posits that the persuasive power of a source depends not only on its perceived attributes but also on the relational context in which communication occurs.”
From Understanding consumer purchase intention in social media influencer marketing: the mediating role of parasocial relationship and trust in the Moroccan context (2026) · cites this paper as Hovland and Weiss, 1951
Trust in government can contribute to public compliance with recommended actions.
“Our findings show that trust in government is strongly associated with vaccine acceptance and can contribute to public compliance with recommended actions15.”
From A global survey of potential acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine (2021) · cites this paper as [15]

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Schindler, R. M., & Bickart, B. A. (2012) · Journal of Consumer Behaviour · doi:10.1002/cb.1372 · Cited by 382 · see citing works
Persuasive effects of fictional narratives increase over time
Appel, M., & Richter, T. (2007) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213260701301194 · Cited by 376 · see citing works
“…increases over time when the discounting cue is forgotten or its memory representation is dissociated from the representation of the message content (Hovland & Weiss, 1951), or when the memory trace of the discounting cue decays faster than that of the message content (Pratkanis et al., 1988).”
Influential
Communicator credibility and communication discrepancy as determinants of opinion change.
Aronson, E., Turner, J. A., & Carlsmith, J. M. (1963) · Journal of Abnormal & Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0045513 · Cited by 365 · see citing works
Credibility Assessments of Online Health Information: the Effects of Source Expertise and Knowledge of Content
Eastin, M. S. (2001) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2001.tb00126.x · Cited by 364 · see citing works
Consumers’ responses to ambivalent online hotel reviews: The role of perceived source credibility and pre-decisional disposition
Xie, H. “., Miao, L., Kuo, P., & Lee, B.-Y. (2010) · International Journal of Hospitality Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2010.04.008 · Cited by 364 · see citing works

When credibility attacks: The reverse impact of source credibility on persuasion
Tormala, Z. L., Briñol, P., & Petty, R. E. (2005) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2005.10.005 · Cited by 278 · see citing works
Effects of Source and Message Credibility on Writing Style
Atwood, L. E. (1966) · Journalism Quarterly · doi:10.1177/107769906604300307 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
The Effects of Source Credibility and Message Variation on Mail Survey Response Behaviour
Kalafatis, S. P., Riley, D., Tsogas, M. H., & Clodine-Florent, J. (2012) · International Journal of Market Research · doi:10.2501/ijmr-54-3-391-406 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Social Media as Information Source: Recency of Updates and Credibility of Information
Westerman, D., Spence, P. R., & Van Der Heide, B. (2014) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1111/jcc4.12041 · Cited by 708 · see citing works
When Do Sources Persuade? The Effect of Source Credibility on Opinion Change
von Hohenberg, B. C., & Guess, A. M. (2022) · Journal of Experimental Political Science · doi:10.1017/xps.2022.2 · Cited by 43 · see citing works

Authors: Hovland, C. I., & Weiss, W.
Affiliations: Yale University (US)
Venue: Public Opinion Quarterly
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published: 1951
Volume: 15
Issue: 4
Pages: 635
ISSN: 0033-362X (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1086/266350
OpenAlex: W2120061261
Cited by: 3,543
References: 0
Citations by year: 2026: 302 · 2025: 216 · 2024: 217 · 2023: 209 · 2022: 201 · 2021: 181 · 2020: 203 · 2019: 145 · 2018: 129 · 2017: 137 · 2016: 115 · 2015: 128 · 2014: 128 · 2013: 115 · 2012: 110
FWCI: 25.39
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Public Opinion Quarterly (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Deception detection and forensic psychology
Keywords: source credibility, communication effectiveness, forgetting, memory retention, trustworthiness, skepticism, persuasion, misinformation

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The Influence of Source Credibility on Communication Effectiveness

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