REPRESSORS, SENSITIZERS, SOURCE EXPERTISE, AND PERSUASION

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Repressors and sensitizers read a counter-attitudinal message from either an expert or non-expert source who used either relatively strong or relatively weak arguments. Repressors tended to be influenced by the expertise of the source regardless of the quality of the arguments used and sensitizers tended to be influenced by the strength of the arguments regardless of the expertise of the source. Cognitive response data suggested that repressors may have been using the source as an indication of the validity of the message whereas sensitizers were focusing more on the cogency of the persuasive arguments.