Showing papers on "Credibility published in 1989"

Two-Sided versus One-Sided Celebrity Endorsements: The Impact on Advertising Effectiveness and Credibility

Abstract: This study examines celebrity endorsements in advertising using a two-sided framework, in terms of the internalization and identification processes of social influence as discussed by Kelman (1961). The two-sided execution was designed to increase a viewer's perception of advertiser credibility by including a discussion of a limitation of the advertised service. Results show that when compared to a traditional one-sided celebrity endorsement, the two-sided communication elicited significantly higher advertising credibility and effectiveness ratings, higher evaluation of the sponsor in terms of perceived overall quality of service, as well as a significantly greater intention to use the advertised service. These findings suggest that the use of a celebrity appeal in a two-sided form is an effective advertising strategy.

Differential Criteria for Evaluating Credibility of Newspapers and TV News

Abstract: People use different criteria to judge credibility of TV news than they do to judge newspaper credibility. Television news credibility has relentlessly out-scored newspaper credibility for nearly three decades. By 1984, respondents asked by the Roper organization which medium they would select when confronted with conflicting news reports chose television 46% of the time versus 22% for newspapers.1 The idea that television is perceived as a more credible news source than newspapers, however, seems to contradict the notion that the print medium is more deliberate and thorough in its reporting, having more time and space, which allows more detailed and precise coverage of the news.2 The suggestion that newspapers are losing a credibility battle with television also seems inconsistent with the fact that newspaper readership remains high in American society. The 1985 national survey on which this study is based shows 72% of the people questioned read a newspaper three or more times per week.3 Since the 1950s, much of the research in this area has focused on defining the dimensions of the source that receivers use in assessing credibility.4 For example, Hovland and Weiss identified two dimensions of source credibility, trustworthiness and expertness.5 Berlo, Lemert and Mertz found three source factors, safety, qualification, and dynamism, which they call "not incompatible" with Hovland's results.6 Yet other factor or cluster analyses have found four dimensions or more.7 Singletary depicted source credibility to be "highly complex and somewhat undifferentiated," when his study found 16 factors.8 Delia, who views credibility to be made up of "situational constructs," also found factor structures that differ across sources, situations, and time.9 Unfortunately, these investigations into source credibility are of doubtful comparability, because of confusion as to whether these dimensions are predictors of perceived credibility or are dimensions of credibility itself.10 A second problem in studies of source credibility is the definition of what a source is. A critical omission, given later arguments, is that frequently no distinction is made between a person as source as opposed to an organization as source. Berlo, Lemert and Mertz, for example, asked respondents to make credibility comparisons between sources such as Dwight Eisenhower and the New York Times.11 Further confusion arises when the media channel becomes the perceived source of information. Abel and Wirth, for example, treat newspapers and television as competing sources in their study of local versus national and international news content.12 Others have attempted to distinguish between the source and the media channel by defining the person originating a message as the "internal source," and the mass medium transmitting it as the "external source." For example, some have suggested that television has an advantage over newspapers in credibility assessments because "seeing is believing".13 One notable similarity among studies that focus on source or channel characteristics is a failure to recognize that message receivers might judge different sources with different criteria.14 Thus, the criteria for credibility and the predictors of credibility may depend on the receiver's perspective on the medium. If credibility is defined from a receiver-oriented perspective, credibility is the degree to which an individual judges his or her perceptions to be a valid reflection of reality. Yet another dimension is added to the concept when information is mediated by machine technology-such as a television or a printing press-as is the case with modern mass media's reporting of the news. Mass media news credibility, then, is the perception of news messages as a plausible reflection of the events they depict. In this study, we will show that the criteria people use to judge television news credibility are different than those used to judge newspapers. …

Promises, Promises: Credible Policy Reform via Signalling

Abstract: Empirical experience and theory both suggest that policy reforms can be aborted or reversed if they lack sufficient credibility. One reason for credibility problems is the doubt regarding how serious the government really is about the reform. This paper considers a framework in which the private sector is unable to distinguish between a genuinely reformist government and a government that simply feigns interest in reform because it is a precondition for foreign assistance. The general conclusion is that the magnitude of the reform may serve to convey the government's future intentions and, hence, act as a signal of its "type." Copyright 1989 by Royal Economic Society.

The Development of Statement Reality Analysis

Abstract: The development of the Statement Reality Analysis (SRA) technique is described. The technique is employed to assess the credibility of witness evidence in criminal cases. An expert psychologist is appointed by the court in cases in which a child’s evidence is central in criminal proceedings. The expert interviews the child, other principals in the event, reviews the forensic evidence, attends the trial and then renders an opinion to the court of the credibility of the child’s evidence. Procedures like SRA are employed in both parts of Germany and in Sweden.

Perspectives on Children's Testimony

Abstract: 1 Determinants of the Child Victim's Perceived Credibility.- 2 The Perceived Credibility of Child Eyewitnesses: What Happens When They Use Their Own Words?.- 3 Age Stereotypes, Communication Modality, and Mock Jurors' Perceptions of the Child Witness.- 4 When Juries "Hear" Children Testify: The Effects of Eyewitness Age and Speech Style on Jurors' Perceptions of Testimony.- 5 The Credibility of Children as Witnesses in a Simulated Child Sex Abuse Trial.- 6 The Opinions and Practices of Criminal Attorneys Regarding Child Eyewitnesses: A Survey.- 7 Children's Conceptions of the Legal System: "Court Is a Place to Play Basketball".- 8 What Do Children Know about the Legal System and When Do They Know It? First Steps Down a Less Traveled Path in Child Witness Research.- 9 Problems in Evaluating Interviews of Children in Sexual Abuse Cases.- 10 The Impact of New Child Witness Research on Sexual Abuse Prosecutions.- 11 Research on Children's Eyewitness Testimony: Perspectives on Its Past and Future.- Author Index.

Decision theoretic foundations of credibility theory

Abstract: Most credibility formulas that have been developed till today refer to the net premium, and the problem of an adequate loading has not yet been solved satisfactorily. In the present paper an approach to premium calculation based on loss functions is introduced, and credibility formulas for the resulting premium principles (net premium principle, exponential principle, Esscher principle, e.g.) are derived. These formulas turn out to be Bayes rules in the sense of statistical decision theory. This gives rise to considering minimax rules as well.

Trust and credibility in risk communication

Abstract: A good communication program should not start with communication at all, but with a critical review of the organizational structure and the potentials within this structure to meet the demand for openness and public involvement. Then a thorough analysis of the issues is needed to identify public concerns and characterize the risk debate. As late as then comes the design of the communication program with the formulation of the message, its proper packaging, channeling, sending, and testing in terms of communicative feedback. Even if all these recommendations are followed, the success is never guaranteed. In an open society, messages compete with each other for public support. The better the quality of the message and its appeal, the better is its chance to reach the desired audience. To give every group in society a fair chance to express an opinion and to provide the platform for a rational discourse on the different views expressed is the ultimate goal of communication in a democratic society. Risk communication can certainly contribute to that goal.

Can We Test Validly for Critical Thinking

Abstract: This paper focuses first on two questions: (a) Is critical thinking generalizable? and (b) What is a critical thinking disposition? It is argued that the controversial nature of these questions limits the ability to judge the validity of critical thinking testing. Following this discussion, the paper outlines a series of procedures that can help increase the validity of one fundamental aspect of critical thinking testing–multiple-choice testing of credibility judgment. The procedures rely on verbal reports of examinees’ thinking on items to gain direct evidence on the reasons for their answer choices. It is recognized that multiple-choice tests cannot test all important aspects of critical thinking, but that improving multiple-choice tests where they are applicable can have important practical and scientific implications.

Analysis of the statements of victims, witnesses and suspects.

Abstract: This chapter examines the appropriateness of statement analysis in the evaluation of adult eyewitness testimony. A distinction is made between the cognitive and the motivational aspects of statement analysis. The cognitive evaluation focuses on the detail and accuracy of the account. This has been the concern of the laboratory based studies of eyewitness testimony. The motivational evaluation is concerned with assessing the credibility of the account. The chapter presents a review of field studies which evaluated the cognitive aspects of eyewitness accounts of actual crimes. It is concluded that for some crimes witnesses can form remarkable memories. A remarkable memory is distinguished by its detail, its accuracy and the fact that it persists over time. Such memories stand in contrast to those usually studied in the laboratory. A quantitative procedure has proved useful in the analysis of real witness’ memory. The chapter concludes with an examination of a laboratory study and a criminal case in which the quantitative procedure was combined with qualitative analysis to evaluate statement credibility. The preliminary results indicate that this combination of approaches may be effective in assisting credibility assessment.

Speaker Credibility in Persuasive Business Communication: A Model Which Explains Gender Differences 1

Abstract: Hovland's Yale Communication Model defines source credibility as trustworthiness and expertise. However, even when men and women are objectively equal on these dimensions, receivers perceive men as...

Assessments of Activities of Daily Living: A Critical Review:

Abstract: Occupational therapists are prolific creators and users of assessments. However, many of us accept an ‘assessment’ form at face value without really considering the reliability or validity of the assessment method. The use of unreliable assessments seriously diminishes the credibility of the profession. Unfortunately, testing assessments for reliability and validity is time consuming. Therefore, it is suggested that occupational therapists make use of the many published assessments, which already provide evidence of their reliability and validity.

The Perceived Credibility of Child Eyewitnesses: What Happens When They Use Their Own Words?

Abstract: How do triers-of-fact judge the credibility of children versus that of adults as eyewitnesses? We argue that there are two processes to consider in answering this question and that previous research has examined only one of these processes, namely, biases and stereotypes possessed by triers-of-fact. The first process, and the one that separates our’s from previous research, involves the inferences about accuracy or believability that triers-of-fact discern from the qualities of the testimony itself. If a child appears to have little confidence and pauses at inappropriate points in response to questions, for example, that child might be judged to be less credible than an adult who is more confident or pauses less frequently. On the other hand, a child who appears more confident than an adult might be judged to be more credible than the adult. In other words, we propose that the factors that seem to drive the credibility of adult eyewitness testimony (such as confidence; see Wells, Ferguson & Lindsay, 1981) also drive the credibility of child eyewitness testimony. If children and adults differ systematically on these quality-of-testimony variables, their testimony should be differentially credible as well.

Setting a Context for Explaining Risk

Abstract: Agency representatives often believe that if they could only find ways to explain risk data more clearly, communities would accept risk that scientists see as minimal, and take seriously risks scientists see as serious. While explaining the data effectively is important, agencies and industries need to place a greater priority on understanding community concerns, involving communities in risk decisions, and developing trust and credibility.

Adjustments For ‘Extraordinary Items’In Smoothing Reported Profits of Listed Australian Companies: Some Empirical Evidence

Abstract: Nothing is more likely to undermine the credibility of financial reporting than the suspicion that the results reported were predetermined and that the accounting methods used were selected to produce the results desired by the preparers of the report', Solomons (1983).

On bonus systems with credibility scales

Abstract: In the present paper we study bonus systems with linear premium scales in a set-up presented in a paper by Borgan, Hoem & Norberg. Some numerical examples are given.

Communicator Credibility: Trustworthiness Defeats Expertness.

Abstract: The credibility of a highly trustworthy communicator was compared with that of an expert. Participants (36 nuns) heard the same persuasive message concerning AIDS, presented under the guise of either a trustworthy source (a priest), an expert (a doctor), or a neutral source. The results showed that the trustworthy communicator was regarded as significantly more believable than the expert.

Truth and Credibility in Sincere Policy Analysis Alternative Approaches for the Production of Policy-Relevant Knowledge

Abstract: This article distinguishes two competing approaches to policy analysis: a credibility approach and a truth approach. The credibility approach would define the role of the policy analyst as a search for plausible argument instead of truth. After defining the basic assumptions of the truth and credibility approaches, the implications for the conduct of policy analysis are explored.

Knowledge, probability, and credibility

Abstract: This paper concerns study of the credibility of human sources of evidence and its relation to the inferential value of testimony they provide. From a certain view of 'knowledge' in epistemology comes the suggestion that credibility assessment can be construed as a cascaded inference in which attributes of human source credibility are identified. Scholarship from evidence law in jurisprudence suggests an evidential basis for credibility assessment in terms of these attributes. Applying Bayes' rule to this cascaded inference offers a way of expressing and combining credibility-related beliefs in the process of assessing the inferential value of evidence.

The Evolution of Federal Reserve Credibility: 1978-1984

Abstract: A random coefficients Kalman filter model of the response of commodity prices to weekly M1 announcements indicates a gradual evolution in the credibility of the Federal Reserve as an inflation fighter. The October 1979 announcement of a change in monetary policy aimed at reducing inflation did not result in an immediate increase in credibility, and the October 1982 announcement of a policy reversal did not diminish credibility. Credibility does vary with the underlying rate of inflation, which shows that markets pay attention to policy results not simply policy announcements. Copyright 1989 by MIT Press.

Credibility and Conditioning

Abstract: This paper studies the problem of conditioning for credibility functions, also called “belief functions”; A. P. Dempster has already dealt with this subject, but a different point of view is suggested here. The paper ends with an application allowing one to compare the results achieved by both methods.