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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“Using the four-step Preacher and Kelley (2011) analytical approach, H4a was supported; global service climate mediated between HRM system strength agreement and financial performance.”
BackgroundMethod
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Wang, Y., Chan, S. C. F., Ngai, G., & Leong, H. V. (2013) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-40285-2_33 · Cited by 17
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Celebi, S. I. (2007) · Corporate Communications An International Journal · doi:10.1108/13563280710744838 · Cited by 17
“In 1984, Freiden studied the interaction between source credibility and demographics of recipients and reported no interaction between endorser type and age of audiences ( Pornpitakpan, 2004”
Background
Multi-dimension reviewer credibility quantification across diverse travel communities
Wang, Y., Chan, S. C. F., Leong, H. V., Ngai, G., & Au, N. (2016) · Knowledge and Information Systems · doi:10.1007/s10115-016-0927-y · Cited by 17
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Landrum, A. R., Hilgard, J., Lull, R. B., Akin, H., & Jamieson, K. H. (2018) · Journal of Science Communication · doi:10.22323/2.17020204 · Cited by 17
“These ways of operationalizing trustworthiness are based on prior research by Critchley [2008] and theories of epistemic trust, credibility, and dimensions of social cognition [Fiske, Cuddy and Glick, 2007; Landrum, Eaves and Shafto, 2015; Pornpitakpan, 2004].”
Method
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Chen, W., & Tan, H. (2013) · Accounting Organizations and Society · doi:10.1016/j.aos.2013.02.001 · Cited by 17
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Ketelaars, P., Walgrave, S., & Wouters, R. (2017) · Social movement studies · doi:10.1080/14742837.2017.1280387 · Cited by 16
“…others, depending on their motivation and issue involvement (Chong & Druckman, 2007), the strength of their predispositions (Brewer, 2003), or how credible they judge the source of the message to be (Pornpitakpan, 2004; for a similar argument related to frame alignment see Benford & Snow, 2000).”
Background
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Lins, S., & Sunyaev, A. (2022) · Behavior and Information Technology · doi:10.1080/0144929x.2022.2113432 · Cited by 19
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“Messages delivered by credible, likable sources are more likely to change message recipients’ attitudes than sources with low credibility or likability (Brinol & Petty, 2009; Pornpitakpan, 2004).”
Background
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“High-credibility sources are more persuasive than low-credibility sources (Pornpitakpan, 2006).”
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“A seminal review by Pornpitakpan (2004) showed the more credible a message was the more effective it was at altering behaviour.”
Background
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Russo, V., Bilucaglia, M., Casiraghi, C., Chiarelli, S., Columbano, M., Fici, A., Rivetti, F., Rossi, C., Valesi, R., & Zito, M. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1238879 · Cited by 18
“A seller that communicates credibility and makes effective persuasive communications, can be a precious source for selling success and consumer trust (Pornpitakpan, 2004; Muda and Hamzah, 2021).”
Background
Effects of finance knowledge influencer qualities on investment willingness and the moderation of followers' risk tolerance
Luan, C., Chen, K., Ko, C., Lin, P., & Phan, T. A. (2024) · Journal of Consumer Behaviour · doi:10.1002/cb.2319 · Cited by 21
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Manninen, V. (2019) · Journalism Practice · doi:10.1080/17512786.2019.1625719 · Cited by 16
“Trust, however, is not omniscient: it can only be based on the outward expressions of desirable characteristics, i.e., credibility (for a broad overview of general credibility studies, see Pornpitakpan2004).”
Background
Introducing the Argumentation Framework Within Agent-Based Models to Better Simulate Agents' Cognition in Opinion Dynamics: Application to Vegetarian Diet Diffusion
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“Other factors can impact the perception of an argument, and among them, the source of the argument (Pornpitakpan 2004).”
Background
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Vocht, M. D., Cauberghe, V., Uyttendaele, M., & Sas, B. (2015) · Journal of Risk Research · doi:10.1080/13669877.2013.879486 · Cited by 18
“Trust is one of the key principles of effective risk communication (e.g. Pornpitakpan 2004; Siegrist and Cvetkovich 2000; Visschers and Siegrist 2008; Wachinger et al. 2012).”
Background
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Steger, T., & Drehobl, A. (2017) · Environmental Communication · doi:10.1080/17524032.2017.1392333 · Cited by 16
“The “credibility of the articulator” (Benford & Snow, 2000) or “source credibility” (Druckman, 2001) is based on whether an actor is perceived as knowledgeable and trustworthy (Pornpitakan, 2004).”
Background
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Krouwer, S., Poels, K., & Paulussen, S. (2019) · Journal of Media Business Studies · doi:10.1080/16522354.2019.1573396 · Cited by 16
“Still, the ﬁ ndings suggest that the source credibility theory should be taken into account when investigating readers ’ perceptions of native advertisements (Pornpitakpan, 2004).”
BackgroundInfluential
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“In a meta-analysis spanning five decades, Pornpitakpan (2004) found that a highly credible source is more likely to persuade people than a low-credibility source (e. g. Horai et al., 1974; Hovland & Weiss, 1951; Johnson et al., 1968; Johnson & Izzett, 1969; Lirtzman & Shuv-Ami, 1986; Maddux &…”
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“Studies show that in uncertain environments, credible information is more likely to inﬂuence decision makers (e.g., Petty & Wegener, 1998; Pornpitakpan, 2004).”
Background

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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