Perceptions Of Credibility Research Articles

Do information disputes work: the effect of perceived risk, news disputes and credibility on consumer attitudes and trust toward biotechnology companies

PurposeThis study examines a controversial issue (biotechnology) and how news disputes about misinformation related to the issue impacts individuals' attitudes toward a biotechnology company and their trust in the media source.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a 2 (risk: low vs. high) x 2 (pre-existing attitude: anti gene-editing technology vs. pro gene-editing technology) x 2 (dispute message: absent vs. present) x 2 (media source: Buzzfeed vs NYT) factorial online experiment using a Qualtrics panel (N = 1,080) to examine the impact on individuals' attitudes toward a biotechnology company and trust in the media source.FindingsResults indicate that dispute messages enhance attitudes toward the company but decrease trust in media sources. Interaction effects between pre-existing attitude and the dispute message, along with perceived risk and the dispute message, illustrate stark differences in how individuals with favorable vs. unfavorable pre-existing attitudes assessed the company after viewing the dispute message.Originality/valueThis study applies arguments from extant literature about prebunking and debunking misinformation. Specifically, this study investigates how dispute messages, a form of debunking through source derogation, actually impact individuals' perceptions of media credibility and/or their attitudes about the content they are reading. The study findings also reveal new insights regarding the interaction between pre-existing attitudes and perceived risk, as well as how dispute messages interact with each of the aforementioned factors.

Distorting the truth versus blatant lies: The effects of different degrees of deception in domestic and foreign political deepfakes

Political deepfakes are regarded as an urgent threat to democracy. However, we know little about how different degrees of deception in deepfakes affect recipients’ credibility perceptions and the delegitimization of the target of the deepfake. Against this backdrop, we conducted a comparative experiment in the US and the Netherlands (N = 1187) to map the effects of domestic and foreign political deepfakes delegitimizing a prominent Democrat politician. Key findings illustrate that a hyper-realistic deepfake with plausible manipulation of content is perceived as substantially more credible than deepfakes with implausible content manipulation. However, implausible deepfakes have a stronger effect on delegitimizing the depicted politician. We also show that higher scores on a cognitive reflection test correspond to a lower credibility rating for deepfakes. Our findings demonstrate that political deepfakes do not have to be rated as credible to delegitimize established politicians and suggest that analytical thinking may enhance resilience toward deepfakes.

Performative credibility: How opioid researchers sustain public trust during the opioid epidemic

Experts often face credibility challenges during times of crisis. However, opioid use disorder (OUD) researchers preserved their scientific credibility despite the increasing public scrutiny of medical knowledge during the opioid epidemic. Building on 30 in-depth interviews with OUD researchers, this article examines how researchers conduct scientific research, collaborate with non-expert stakeholders, and communicate research outcomes to the public. It distinguishes between performative credibility – a discourse enacted through languages, meanings, and symbols in constructing the reality of credibility, and descriptive credibility – the description, perception, and measurements of credibility under a given credibility discourse. It argues that the crisis of expertise is situational – it depends on whether and how performative credibility is sustained. This article finds that OUD researchers enact at least three credibility discourses: professional, data-driven, and community-centered. While researchers can have multiple discourses in mind, their choices of enacting a specific credibility discourse when interacting with non-experts and the public are contingent upon their rankings in the profession, medical training backgrounds, forms of patient interactions, and access to OUD medications. This case recenters sociological studies of expertise and trust on the enacting power of experts’ statements and actions. It also reveals the relevance of social locations in understanding the formation of the credibility crisis. Finally, it provides a conceptual framework for understanding public (mis)trust in science and medicine.

Determinants of the managerial staff’s disposition towards e-payment platforms in public tertiary hospitals in Enugu, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundMany Nigerians pay out-of-pocket for their health care, and some hospitals have started utilising e-payment systems to increase transactional efficiency. The study investigated the type and usage of e-payment platforms in public hospitals and the factors that may influence the managerial staff’s disposition towards using the e-payment system.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of 300 managerial staff within the four public tertiary hospitals in Enugu, Nigeria, through proportionate quota sampling. The survey obtained participants’ demographic characteristics, types of e-payment platforms, managerial staff’s technophobia, perception of credibility, and disposition towards e-payment. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, and hierarchical linear regression.ResultsThe majority of the respondents (n = 278, 92.7% completion rate) aged 43.4 ± 7.6 years were females (59.0%) with a bachelor’s degree (54.7%). Their disposition (80.0%±17.9%), perceptions of the usefulness (85.7 ± 13.9%), and user-friendliness (80.5 ± 18.1%) of e-payment in the hospital were positive, credibility (72.6 ± 20.1%) and technophobia (68.0 ± 20.7%) were moderate. There was a negative correlation between technophobia and disposition toward the use of e-payment (ρ = -0.50, P < 0.001). Significant multivariate predictors of managerial disposition towards e-payment were; being a woman (β = 0.12, P = 0.033), married (β = 0.18, P = 0.003), positive perception of usefulness (β = 0.14, P = 0.025), and credibility (β = 0.15, P = 0.032).ConclusionMost participants had a positive disposition towards e-payment in public hospitals. However, managers with technophobia, a negative perception of e-payment usefulness, and credibility had a lesser disposition to its use. To ensure the universal implementation of e-payment in Nigerian hospitals, the service providers should make the e-payment platforms more secure and user-friendly to health services consumers and providers.

Checking the Fact-Checkers: The Role of Source Type, Perceived Credibility, and Individual Differences in Fact-Checking Effectiveness

This study investigates fact-checking effectiveness in reducing belief in misinformation across various types of fact-check sources (i.e., professional fact-checkers, mainstream news outlets, social media platforms, artificial intelligence, and crowdsourcing). We examine fact-checker credibility perceptions as a mechanism to explain variance in fact-checking effectiveness across sources, while taking individual differences into account (i.e., analytic thinking and alignment with the fact-check verdict). An experiment with 859 participants revealed few differences in effectiveness across fact-checking sources but found that sources perceived as more credible are more effective. Indeed, the data show that perceived credibility of fact-check sources mediates the relationship between exposure to fact-checking messages and their effectiveness for some source types. Moreover, fact-checker credibility moderates the effect of alignment on effectiveness, while analytic thinking is unrelated to fact-checker credibility perceptions, alignment, and effectiveness. Other theoretical contributions include extending the scope of the credibility-persuasion association and the MAIN model to the fact-checking context, and empirically verifying a critical component of the two-step motivated reasoning model of misinformation correction.

In Peace Journalism we Trust? Effects of Peace Journalism on News-item Credibility and Media Trust

ABSTRACT Responding to criticisms that conflict reporting is at times overly sensational with negative impacts on individuals, peace journalism aims to shift journalistic attention from episodic, event-based reports to coverage highlighting structural causes of conflict as well as its peaceful transformation. However, little is known about how audiences perceive such reports, particularly when it comes to perceptions of credibility or trust. Using an experiment in the U.S. context, this study examines the effects of exposure to peace journalism on individuals’ perceptions of news-item credibility and trust in news media generally. Results show that peace-journalism framing may have short-term positive effects on individuals’ perceptions of a news article’s credibility, but general media trust is primarily driven by political ideology. Implications for journalism theory and practice are discussed.

Describing Coercion in the Courtroom: The Influence of Language and Maltreatment Severity on Jurors' Perceptions of Child Witnesses.

Regardless of compliance to coercion by an alleged perpetrator, child maltreatment is abuse in any form. However, the extent to which coercion is described as an obligation (mandatory compliance) or permission (optional compliance) is legally relevant. The present investigation examined how attorneys question children about coercion and how children describe coercion in courtroom investigations of alleged child sexual abuse, and whether such language influences jurors' perceptions of children's testimony. Study 1 assessed 64 transcripts of children's testimonies and revealed that both attorneys and children use coercive language. Problematically, terms of permission were used when describing sexual abuse, potentially implying compliance was optional. Study 2 presented 160 adults with transcript excerpts, varied by coercive language (obligation or permission) and maltreatment type (sexual abuse or punishment). Coercive language influenced perceptions of coercion and whether the adult was to blame. Maltreatment type influenced perceptions of severity, credibility, and verdict. Overall, coercive language and maltreatment type influence perceptions of how the event unfolded.

Socializing into a Profession with High Early Turnover: Nursing Students’ Expectations for Leader-Member Relationships

ABSTRACT The nursing profession is wrought with high levels of turnover, particularly among new nurses. One reason for this turnover may be explained by a disparity between what new nurses expect in terms of communication from leaders and coworkers and what they realistically receive. This study uses a mixed-methods experimental design to explore young adult nursing students’ preferences for manager communication behaviors, how different managerial archetypes influence nursing students’ perceptions of their leader, and how personal factors may influence nursing students’ preferences for various managerial styles. Findings suggest that new nurses prefer more mentor- and teacher-type managers and that managerial archetypes influence young adult nursing students’ perceptions of leader credibility, effectiveness, leader-member exchange, and employee commitment. Furthermore, personal factors such as self-worth and desire for relational communication behaviors influence preferred manager type. Participants’ qualitative responses reveal several task and behavioral wants and needs of new nurses. Findings from this study can informatively help to bridge the gap between expectations and reality in the nursing profession, thus addressing a potential reason for consistent turnover.

Student perceptions of teacher immediacy, credibility, and love of pedagogy in enhancing learner engagement and motivation in higher EFL education

The study provides an exploration into the dynamics of the teacher-student relationship within an EFL context. Through the use of qualitative analysis, it investigates the effect of immediacy, credibility, and pedagogical love on student engagement and motivation within a Saudi Arabian higher education setting. The study reveals that the three dispositions, when interconnected, can foster a conducive learning environment that encourages active student participation and enhances academic learning. The importance of prioritizing emotional connections over purely linguistic goals and integrating cultural and social beliefs into pedagogical practices were also explored. It also underscored the importance of using the vernacular in promoting cultural identity and positioning teachers as influential role models. The study further identifies student perceptions of respect from authoritative figures as significant and that teacher energy, both physical and intellectual, as critical in shaping student acceptance of the learning environment. Lastly, it highlights a generational shift in teaching methodologies towards a more modern, humanistic style in line with changing generations. The research ends with recommendations for professional development to engage language learners effectively and improve educational outcomes.

Does central bank credibility from professional forecasters and consumers affect the interest rate and its expectations?

PurposeThis paper aims to contribute to the analysis concerning how inflation forecasts from different economic agents (professional forecasters and consumers) lead to varying levels of central bank credibility and how it affects the monetary policy interest rate and its expectations.Design/methodology/approachBased on the Brazilian economy data from June 2007 to May 2022, the authors provide evidence that is useful for search mechanisms that improve the conduct of monetary policy through the management of inflation expectations. The authors perform several ordinary least squares and generalized method of moments regressions inspired by the Taylor rule principle. In brief, the benchmark model considers that the monetary policy interest rate and its expectations respond to departures of inflation expectations to the target (a proxy for central bank credibility) and the level of economic activity.FindingsThe main result of the analysis is that inflation expectations from professional forecasters and consumers imply different perceptions of central bank credibility that affect the monetary policy interest rate and expectations for horizons until one year ahead.Originality/valueThe novelty that the authors bring from the analysis is that the authors calculate central bank credibility by taking into account the “public beliefs” of different economic agents. Furthermore, the authors analyze the effect of central bank credibility from professional forecasters and consumers on the monetary policy interest rate and its expectations.

Audience perceptions of a speaker who uses a smartphone as a public speaking aid: An experimental video vignette investigation

Individuals use their smartphones for an assortment of communication and functional activities and in a variety of contexts. Researchers analyzing smartphone use during interpersonal interactions have posed hypotheses and developed theories regarding the positive and negative influences that smartphones have on individuals and relationships. However, there is little research that examines the role smartphone use plays in a public speaking context. The current study uses a video vignette methodology to explore audience perceptions of a speaker who uses a smartphone as a presentation aid at a small university in Singapore. Overall, results suggest that the speaker’s smartphone use did not have a negative impact on perceptions of credibility (likeability/trustworthiness, competence, speaker ability), speaker immediacy, or persuasion. However, there was a small interaction effect when accounting for participants’ degree of smartphone acceptance. University students who reported lower smartphone acceptance perceived the speaker who used a smartphone as less credible (likable/trustworthy) than a speaker who delivered a speech from memory. Additionally, despite reporting significantly less smartphone use than students, staff and instructors did not perceive a speaker who uses a smartphone compared to a memorized presentation differently. This exploratory study carries implications for better understanding normative and appropriate smartphone use in public speaking contexts and provides recommendations for public speaking educators.

Trust and price efficiency

The relationship between societal trust and stock price delay is examined across 33 countries for the period from 1985 to 2021. The results showed that societal trust positively impacts investors' perception of information credibility, resulting in a shortened stock price delay. This effect is attributed to the role of societal trust as an informal institution. Further analysis indicated that the impact of societal trust is particularly pronounced in countries with more prevalent ownership by long-term institutional shareholders, more control of foreign shareholders from low trusting countries, laxer legal systems and disclosure requirements, and higher political risk. This study enhances the understanding of how societal trust shapes investors' information processing and emphasizes informal institutions role in promoting capital market efficiency.

Investor reactions to apologies for financial misconduct

We conduct three experiments to examine the implications of corporate apologies on investors' reactions to allegations of financial misconduct. In Experiment 1, we manipulate whether the firm apologizes or denies the misconduct. Additionally, we manipulate how the firm apologizes for (denies) the misconduct by comparing “basic” response strategies (i.e., responses containing nothing more than a simple apology or denial) with “full” response strategies (i.e., responses containing additional elements, such as explicitly naming the misconduct). We find that investors are less willing to invest when the firm apologizes than denies it. Using mediation analysis, we find that when investors observe an apology, they attribute more responsibility to the management for the events, leading to a lower perception of credibility and a higher perception of litigation risk, ultimately affecting their investment judgment. Our results do not provide evidence that more extensive responses affect investors differently than more basic apologies or denials. In Experiment 2, we investigate self-disclosure as a potential strategy for firms to mute investors' negative reactions to apologies. Our results replicate the findings of Experiment 1. However, we do not find evidence that management can attenuate the adverse effects of apologizing for misconduct by self-disclosing the misconduct. In Experiment 3, we separate whether the apology includes an acceptance of responsibility or not and whether there is subsequent evidence of guilt or evidence of innocence. Surprisingly, investors do not react more favorably to apologies (with or without acceptance of responsibility) than denials, even when evidence substantiates the allegations. Overall, our study demonstrates that it is difficult for managers to attenuate the negative effects of financial misconduct on investors’ perceptions with apologies.

To Tell or Not to Tell: The Effects of Disclosing Deepfake Video on US and Indian Consumers’ Purchase Intention

Marketing communicators are utilizing artificial intelligence–driven technology to create seemingly real communications featuring synthetic humans. This research aims to determine the consequences of disclosing the use of synthetic, or “deepfake,” video avatars in marketing. Based on schema congruity theory and the persuasion knowledge model, this research investigates whether disclosing an avatar as synthetic impacts consumers’ perceptions of source credibility and subsequent purchase intention. It also examines the role of social cynicism on consumers’ perceptions of source credibility and purchase intention. This study employs a posttest only, control group experimental design (n = 318) with participants from the United States (low social cynicism) and India (high social cynicism). Using partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis, findings indicate that disclosure of a synthetic avatar negatively impacted purchase intention due to reduced perceptions of source trustworthiness. Results show that for women and higher-income individuals, disclosure has a greater negative effect on purchase intention. However, there was no significant support for social cynicism moderating the mediation effects of the three dimensions of source credibility on purchase intention. Discussion includes implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in synthetic human avatar use in marketing communications.

The Deficit and Contextual Models of Vaccine Hesitancy: A Test of the Mediation Paths

The prevalence of vaccine hesitancy underscores the fact that the general public does not uniformly embrace scientific recommendations. Vaccine hesitancy represents a spectrum, encompassing both those who accept all vaccines and those who outright reject them. This paper aims to explore the relationship between science literacy, contextual factors, and vaccine hesitancy while accounting for specific mediation mechanisms. The authors applied a theoretical framework derived from the deficit model and the contextual model of public understanding of science. Hypotheses regarding the relationship between scientific literacy, religiosity, political identification, and vaccine hesitancy were tested. The authors also tested several hypotheses based on the assumption that the perception of scientific credibility and institutional trust are significant mediators of the above-mentioned relationships. The data from an online survey with a nationally representative quota sample of the Croatian population (with an average age of 42.6 years.) were used ( N = 1,500), while the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that the perception of scientific credibility plays a significant role as a mechanism that translates the impacts of literacy, religiosity, and political identification. Institutional trust proved to be a significant mediator but in a way opposite to the hypotheses, which points to the need to contextualize the aforementioned relationships. The authors also determined that younger age, right-wing political orientation, higher religiosity, and lower scientific literacy were the determinants of hesitancy in both vaccine types (COVID-19 and vaccines in general), thus indicating that they might be connected to deeply rooted value dispositions.

The nexus between social media advertising and customers’ purchase intention with the mediating role of customers’ brand consciousness: evidence from three South Asian countries

PurposeThis empirical paper is an endeavor to explore the relationship between social media advertising (SMA) and customers' purchase intention (CPI) in three South Asian countries. SMA was further divided into three relevant dimensions: perceived relevance (PR), perceived informativeness (PI) and perceived credibility (PC). Furthermore, the authors incorporated a single mediator: customers' brand consciousness (CBC) to test the mediating effects on the direct relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe authors purposively selected 1937 fashion-conscious individuals based on a cross-sectional survey design. The authors applied SPSS 25 for explanatory statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) (through AMOS 25) for testing the hypothesized relationships.FindingsBased on the responses and the application of statistical measures, the authors revealed that all of the three dimensions of SMA have significant positive relationships with CPI. CBC is also significantly and positively related to CPI. Regarding the mediating effects, CBC was identified to have full mediation effects on the relationships between PR and CPI and PI and CPI. On the contrary, the same variable was found to have partial mediation on the relationship between PC and CPI.Originality/valueSouth Asia is a growing business hub and the largest consumer market in terms of population. This empirical study was undertaken to reveal the role of SMA on CPI in the three highly populated South Asian countries, which is rare in academia. The outcomes of this empirical study are expected to be useful for further research attempts regarding SMA and consumer behavior. Businesses and policymakers are also expected to benefit from formulating SMA-related strategies to retain present buyers as well as attract the prospective ones.

Examining explainable clinical decision support systems with think aloud protocols.

Machine learning tools are increasingly used to improve the quality of care and the soundness of a treatment plan. Explainable AI (XAI) helps users in understanding the inner mechanisms of opaque machine learning models and is a driver of trust and adoption. Explanation methods for black-box models exist, but there is a lack of user studies on the interpretability of the provided explanations. We used a Think Aloud Protocol (TAP) to explore oncologists' assessment of a lung cancer relapse prediction system with the aim of refining the purpose-built explanation model for better credibility and utility. Novel to this context, TAP is used as a neutral methodology to elicit experts' thought processes and judgements of the AI system, without explicit prompts. TAP aims to elicit the factors which influenced clinicians' perception of credibility and usefulness of the system. Ten oncologists took part in the study. We conducted a thematic analysis of their verbalized responses, generating five themes that help us to understand the context within which oncologists' may (or may not) integrate an explainable AI system into their working day.

I think, therefore I ignore: a study on disinformation’s credibility perceptions and sharing intentions over social media

ABSTRACT This paper evaluates the influence that bandwagon heuristics (conceptualized as the number of likes and comments’ valence) and actively open-minded thinking (AOT) have on the credibility and sharing of disinformation over social media. Across two experimental studies, Study 1 finds a direct link between the sharing intention of social media posts containing disinformation and an interactive effect of AOT on such bandwagon heuristics. Study 2 demonstrates that for posts containing disinformation, the number of likes has a significant influence on sharing intentions, but not credibility, whilst comments have a significant influence on credibility, but not sharing intentions. Furthermore, Study 2 found the influence of AOT attenuates the effects of such heuristics. Overall, this research contributes to the extant literature and practice by demonstrating the influence bandwagon heuristics and AOT have on disinformation over social media. This paper further presents areas of future research to improve the understanding of how disinformation spreads.

The Effect Of Endorser Credibility On Purchase Intention Mediated By Brand Attitude And Brand Credibility On Online Travel Agent Traveloka

Online travel agencies (OTAs) in Indonesia, such as Traveloka, spend annually to endorse their brands through celebrities on TikTok to influence consumer perceptions of credibility and purchase intentions. This research explores the impact of celebrity endorsers’ expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness on brand attitude, brand credibility, and purchase intention within the context of online travel agencies (OTA). Recognizing the significance of celebrity endorsement for enhancing the purchasing behavior of consumers towards OTA brands, the findings of this study have important implications for how OTA companies can strategically adopt celebrity endorsement to sustain their customers' intention to purchase travel-related services. The study employs Partial Least Method-Structural Equation Modeling and includes 244 respondents, and data analysis was conducted using SEM analysis with WarpPLS 7.0 software. The results indicate a significant positive effect of celebrity endorser credibility on purchase intention through brand attitude and credibility. By using credible celebrities as endorsers, OTA companies, such as Traveloka in Indonesia, have been successful in influencing consumers' brand perception and building brand credibility, which in turn positively affects their purchase intention. The research findings highlight the importance of brand attitude as the most significant factor that impacts consumers' intention to purchase. Consequently, the study provides valuable insights for OTA companies, emphasizing the necessity of employing credible endorsers to build brand credibility and positively influence consumers' attitudes and purchase intention.&#x0D; Keywords— Brand attitude; Brand Credibility; Endorser Credibility; Purchase Intention; Online Travel Agencies

Busting the one-voice-fits-all myth: Effects of similarity and customization of voice-assistant personality

Despite the increasing sophistication of voice assistant (VA) technology, most major VAs subscribe to a one-voice-fits-all model of interaction. This study examines if offering users a VA similar to them, or letting users customize the VA's voice personality, would affect their perceptions and experience. We test this in a unique scenario where a VA delivers misinformation about COVID-19. Data from a pre-registered experiment (N = 401) suggest that extroverted users appreciate being matched with an extroverted VA, whereas introverted users do not have a specific preference. In addition, perceived homophily in voice increases user attraction toward the VA, and enhances credibility perceptions for those who customize their VA. Those not given the option to customize prefer VAs with an extroverted voice. Data also suggest that automated similarity matching of VA personality can evoke user resistance toward the persuasive information provided—in our case, changing as many as 38% of unvaccinated individuals’ mind toward vaccination after exposure to misinformation.