Source Expertise and Persuasion: The Moderating Role of Recipient Dogmatism

Abstract

Individuals high and low in dogmatism read a counter attitudinal message from either an expert or a nonexpert source who supported his position with either strong or weak arguments. Low-dogmatic individuals tended to be persuaded by the strength of the arguments regardless of the source. High-dogmatic individuals were persuaded by the strength of the arguments when the source was nonexpert but were equally persuaded by strong and weak arguments when the source was expert. Cognitive response data suggested that low-dogmatic individuals may have been systematically processing the message in both source conditions but high-dogmatic individuals may have been doing so only in the nonexpert condition. Results are discussed in terms of the psychological needs that source factors can fulfill for message recipients.