Cited by 2,205Psychology of Social InfluenceMarketing and Advertising StrategiesDigital Marketing and Social Media

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The Persuasiveness of Source Credibility: A Critical Review of Five Decades' Evidence

Pornpitakpan, Chanthika·2004·Journal of Applied Social Psychology

DOI 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2004.tb02547.x

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Abstract

This paper reviews the empirical evidence of the effect of credibility of the message source on persuasion over a span of 5 decades, primarily to come up with recommendations for practitioners as to when to use a high‐ or a low‐credibility source and secondarily to identify areas for future research. The main effect studies of source credibility on persuasion seem to indicate the superiority of a high‐credibility source over a low‐credibility one. Interaction effect studies, however, show source credibility to be a liability under certain conditions. The variables found to interact with source credibility are categorized into 5 categories: source, message, channel, receiver, and destination variables. The most heavily researched variables have been the message and receiver variables. Implications for marketers/advertisers and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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“Drawing on Mercer’s disclosure credibility framework (Mercer, 2004) and the source credibility theory (Pornpitakpan, 2004), we expect that, in times of significant reliability concerns over the reported information (when reporting reliability is damaged for various reasons), the communication of…”
BackgroundMethod
Dealing with disagreement: The roles of topic familiarity and disagreement explanation in evaluation of conflicting expert claims and sources
Barzilai, S., Thomm, E., & Shlomi-Elooz, T. (2020) · Learning and Instruction · doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101367 · Cited by 80
Criminal Testimonial Injustice
Lackey, J. A. (2023) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780192864109.001.0001 · Cited by 71
The effect of CEO reputation and explanations for poor performance on investors’ judgments about the company’s future performance and management
Cianci, A. M., & Kaplan, S. E. (2010) · Accounting Organizations and Society · doi:10.1016/j.aos.2009.12.002 · Cited by 70
Source Credibility and Emotions generated by Robot and Human Influencers: The perception of luxury brand representatives
Baudier, P., de Boissieu, E., & Duchemin, M.-H. (2022) · Technological Forecasting and Social Change · doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122255 · Cited by 79
The Interplay of Interpersonal Affect and Source Reliability on Auditors’ Inventory Judgments*
Bhattacharjee, S., Moreno, K. K., & Riley, T. J. (2011) · Contemporary Accounting Research · doi:10.1111/j.1911-3846.2011.01139.x · Cited by 69
Feedback providers’ credibility impacts students’ satisfaction with feedback and delayed performance
van de Ridder, J. M. M., Berk, F. C. J., Stokking, K. M., & ten Cate, O. (2014) · Medical Teacher · doi:10.3109/0142159x.2014.970617 · Cited by 69
“concept have been labeled differently over time (Pornpitakpan 2004; Finn et al. 2009).”
BackgroundInfluential
Robotic Surgery Claims on United States Hospital Websites
Jin, L. X., Ibrahim, A. M., Newman, N. A., Makarov, D. V., Pronovost, P. J., & Makary, M. A. (2011) · Journal for Healthcare Quality · doi:10.1111/j.1945-1474.2011.00148.x · Cited by 69
“The prominent placement on a hospital website and the use of emotional appeal obscures the lack of support for clinical claims (Pornpitakpan, 2004; Singer, 2009).”
Background
Partner selection and university-industry linkages: Assessing small firms' initial perceptions of the credibility of their partners
Johnston, A., & Huggins, R. (2018) · Technovation · doi:10.1016/j.technovation.2018.02.005 · Cited by 69
“This literature suggests that higher levels of credibility are associated with higher levels of persuasion, highlighting the power of a credible agent and the value of a good reputation (Pornpitakpan 2004).”
The Impact of Presentation Form, Entrepreneurial Passion, and Perceived Preparedness on Obtaining Grant Funding
Galbraith, C. S., McKinney, B. C., DeNoble, A. F., & Ehrlich, S. B. (2013) · Journal of Business and Technical Communication · doi:10.1177/1050651913513902 · Cited by 68
“And as Pornpitakpan (2004) noted, high source credibility has a direct effect on behavioral compliance.”
Background
Sexism in Schools
Leaper, C., & Brown, C. S. (2014) · Advances in child development and behavior · doi:10.1016/bs.acdb.2014.04.001 · Cited by 87
Using Video to Increase Gender Bias Literacy Toward Women in Science
Pietri, E. S., Moss‐Racusin, C. A., Dovidio, J. F., Guha, D., Roussos, G., Brescoll, V. L., & Handelsman, J. (2016) · Psychology of Women Quarterly · doi:10.1177/0361684316674721 · Cited by 73
“…contrast, expert interviews are persuasive because they stimulate careful and logical analysis of the issue presented by providing factual information from a credible source (Petty & Briñol, 2010; Petty & Cacioppo, 1986; Pornpitakpan, 2004; Slater & Rouner, 1996; Tormala, Briñol, & Petty, 2007).”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
Whom do we trust? Cultural differences in consumer responses to online recommendations
Fan, A., Shen, H., Wu, L. L., Mattila, A. S., & Bilgihan, A. (2018) · International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management · doi:10.1108/ijchm-01-2017-0050 · Cited by 68
Communicating quantitative evidence of policy effectiveness and support for the policy: Three experimental studies.
Reynolds, J., Pilling, M., & Marteau, T. M. (2018) · Social Science & Medicine (1967) · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.09.037 · Cited by 57
The Persuasive Influence of a Fictional Character's Trustworthiness
Appel, M., & Mara, M. (2013) · Journal of Communication · doi:10.1111/jcom.12053 · Cited by 69
“This result is remarkable, as higher source trustworthiness has been associated with higher persuasion in previous research on nonnarrative persuasion (e.g., McGinnies & Ward, 1980; see Pornpitakpan, 2004, for an overview).”
BackgroundResult
Expertise Makes Perfect: How the Variance of a Reviewer's Historical Ratings Influences the Persuasiveness of Online Reviews
Wu, X., Jin, L., & Xu, Q. (2020) · Journal of Retailing · doi:10.1016/j.jretai.2020.05.006 · Cited by 67
Appeal to the head and heart: The persuasive effects of medical crowdfunding charitable appeals on willingness to donate
Wu, Y., Zhang, X., & Xiao, Q. (2021) · Information Processing & Management · doi:10.1016/j.ipm.2021.102792 · Cited by 68
Social media mediated interaction with peers, experts and anonymous authors: Conversation partner and message framing effects on risk perception and sense-making of organic food
Hilverda, F., Kuttschreuter, M., & Giebels, E. (2016) · Food Quality and Preference · doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2016.09.003 · Cited by 69
How Do Individuals Judge Organizational Legitimacy? Effects of Attributed Motives and Credibility on Organizational Legitimacy
Jahn, J., Eichhorn, M., & Brühl, R. (2017) · Business & Society · doi:10.1177/0007650317717959 · Cited by 68
“As credibility is a pivotal determinant of the effectiveness of corporate communication (Lafferty & Goldsmith, 1999; Pornpitakpan, 2004), it follows that credibility needs to be carefully considered when discussing the legitimation process.”
BackgroundResult
Web‐based corporate, social and video recruitment media: Effects of media richness and source credibility on organizational attraction
Frasca, K. J., & Edwards, M. R. (2017) · International Journal of Selection and Assessment · doi:10.1111/ijsa.12165 · Cited by 65
“Expertise refers to the competence of the source regarding making correct assertions, whereas trustworthiness refers to the perceived validity of the source (Hovland, Janis, & Kelly, 1953; as cited in Pornpitakpan, 2004).”
The Impact of Perceived Scientific and Social Consensus on Scientific Beliefs
Kobayashi, K. (2018) · Science Communication · doi:10.1177/1075547017748948 · Cited by 73
“Perceived credibility is defined by two dimensions: perceived competence (or expertise) and trustworthiness (Fiske & Dupree, 2014; Pornpitakpan, 2004).”
Background
The effects of disclosing critical audit matters and auditor tenure on nonprofessional investors’ judgments
Rapley, E. T., Robertson, J. C., & Smith, J. L. (2021) · Journal of Accounting and Public Policy · doi:10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2021.106847 · Cited by 82
Harnessing the Power of Communication and Behavior Science to Enhance Society's Response to Climate Change
Maibach, E. W., Uppalapati, S. S., Orr, M., & Thaker, J. J. (2022) · Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences · doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-031621-114417 · Cited by 77
Examining the Influence of Culture on Perceived Source Credibility of Asian Americans & the Mediating Role of Similarity
Morimoto, M., & Ferle, C. L. (2008) · Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising · doi:10.1080/10641734.2008.10505237 · Cited by 64
Connective-Collective Action on Social Media: Moderated Mediation of Cognitive Elaboration and Perceived Source Credibility on Personalness of Source
Nekmat, E., Gower, K. K., Zhou, S., & Metzger, M. J. (2015) · Communication Research · doi:10.1177/0093650215609676 · Cited by 65
RUMORS ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN DISASTERS: EXTENDING TRANSMISSION TO RETRANSMISSION
Liu, F., Burton‐Jones, A., & Dongming Xu, A. (2014) · Journal of the Association for Information Systems · Cited by 63
Primed Authenticity: How Priming Impacts Authenticity Perception of Social Media Influencers
Luoma‐aho, V., Pirttimäki, T., Maity, D., Munnukka, J., & Reinikainen, H. (2019) · International Journal of Strategic Communication · doi:10.1080/1553118x.2019.1617716 · Cited by 66
“When considering endorsements, the perception of credibility of the sponsored content (which can be controlled via priming of the introductory texts) leads to positive attitudes about the endorsement (Goldsmith et al., 2000; Pornpitakpan, 2004) and enhances the likelihood of message acceptance (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1977;…”
Background
The Role of Emotional Language in Briefs Before the U.S. Supreme Court
Black, R. C., Hall, M. E. K., Owens, R. J., & Ringsmuth, E. M. (2015) · Journal of Law and Courts · doi:10.1086/685660 · Cited by 64
“Expertise concerns a receiver’s assessment of a speaker’s capacity to make correct assertions, while trustworthiness captures the degree to which a receiver believes statements made by a messenger are valid (Pornpitakpan 2004).”
BackgroundInfluential
Behavioral decision-making in finance: An overview and assessment of selected research
Bondt, W. F. M. D., Mayoral, R. M., & González, E. V. (2013) · Spanish Journal of Finance and Accounting / Revista Española de Financiación y Contabilidad · doi:10.1080/02102412.2013.10779742 · Cited by 73
“Pornpitakpan (2004) and Schwarzkopf (2007) review empirical studies relating to the reliability of an information source and its impact on persuasion.”
Does It Matter Who’s Behind the Curtain? Anonymity in Political Advertising and the Effects of Campaign Finance Disclosure
Dowling, C. M., & Wichowsky, A. (2013) · American Politics Research · doi:10.1177/1532673x13480828 · Cited by 66
“…who possess expertise and can be trusted to give an unbiased opinion—are generally more persuasive than those sponsored by less credible ones (see Pornpitakpan, 2004, for a review), we were unable to test whether the effects on source credibility mediate the direct effect on candidate…”
Background
Social Influence, Sociology of
Gass, R. H. (2015) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-097086-8.32074-8 · Cited by 67
From source credibility to risk perception: How and when climate information matters to action
Dong, Y., Hu, S., & Zhu, J. (2018) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.05.012 · Cited by 63
The influence of fashion blogger credibility, engagement and homophily on intentions to buy and e-WOM. Results of a binational study
Mainolfi, G., & Vergura, D. T. (2021) · Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management · doi:10.1108/jfmm-03-2020-0050 · Cited by 79
Assimilation and Contrast in Persuasion
Tormala, Z. L., & Clarkson, J. J. (2007) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167206296955 · Cited by 63
“In general, the more expert and trustworthy the source of a message is perceived to be, the greater persuasive impact his or her message will exert (for reviews see Petty & Wegener, 1998; Pornpitakpan, 2004; see Tormala, Briñol, & Petty, 2006, for an exception).”
Background
Source credibility model, source attractiveness model and match-up-hypothesis : an integrated model
Seiler, R., & Kucza, G. (2017) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · doi:10.21256/zhaw-4720 · Cited by 64
“Furthermore, drawing from the source credibility model (Hovland and Weiss, 1951) and the overview of studies (Amos et al., 2008; Erdogan, 1999; Pornpitakpan, 2004) backing the following hypothesis, we derive our 6 hypothesis stating that credibility positively affects purchase intentions.”

Authors: Pornpitakpan, C.
Affiliations: Monash University Malaysia (MY)
Corresponding author: Pornpitakpan, Chanthika
Venue: Journal of Applied Social Psychology
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2004-02
Volume: 34
Issue: 2
Pages: 243-281
ISSN: 0021-9029 (ISSN-L)
1559-1816
DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2004.tb02547.x
OpenAlex: W2157392583
Cited by: 2,205
References: 139
Citations by year: 2026: 180 · 2025: 183 · 2024: 173 · 2023: 184 · 2022: 185 · 2021: 173 · 2020: 187 · 2019: 135 · 2018: 99 · 2017: 119 · 2016: 90 · 2015: 88 · 2014: 84 · 2013: 84 · 2012: 50
FWCI: 69.70
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 911 d)
Locations: Journal of Applied Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychology of Social Influence
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Marketing and Advertising Strategies
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Digital Marketing and Social Media
Keywords: source credibility, persuasion, interaction effects, message characteristics, receiver characteristics, communication channels, advertising, marketing communication

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The Persuasiveness of Source Credibility: A Critical Review of Five Decades' Evidence

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