Change in attitudes toward smoking and communicator credibility as a function of type of communication.

Abstract

The mean credibility scores for the supportive communicator and the refurative communicator were 11.39 crn. (SD = 1.04) and 10.97 cm. (SD = 1.05), respectively. This difference (.42) was not significant (r = 1.24, df = 38, n.s.) and indicates that the overall communicator credibility did not differ as a function of the type of communication by the communicator (S or R). It was discovered, however, that whereas the relationship between communicator-credibility scores and the magnitude of change in negative attitude toward smoking was significant for the group receiving the R-communication (T = .48, p < .05), chis relarionship was not significant (r = .23, n.s.) for the group receiving the S-communication. These results are consisrent with others (2, 3) only for the group receiving the Rcommunication. Type of cornrnunication thus appears to have an important influence on the relarionship between the credibility of the communicator and extent of attitude change.