When an individual is not particularly invested in an issue or outcome, which of the following is the most likely effect of having a counter-attitudinal persuasive message be delivered by a highly-qualified expert as opposed to a lay person?
A) The message will be more persuasive
B) The individual will be more defensive and resistant to the message
C) The individual will pay more attention to the argument and process the message more carefully
D) None of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When an individual is not particularly invested in an issue or outcome, the source of the message becomes more important than the message itself. A highly-qualified expert is perceived as having more credibility and expertise, making their message more persuasive. This effect is known as the source credibility effect.

When an Individual Is Not Particularly Invested in an Issue