Effects of suspicion on willingness to engage in systematic processing of persuasive arguments.
Two experimental studies tested the influence of suspicion on willingness to engage in a systematic analysis of arguments presented to support the introduction of a new comprehensive exam at public universities. The effect of suspicion differed depending on whether it was defined as a source feature or a receptor's personal disposition. Suspicion aroused by a specific source inhibited the systematic processing of the message, overwhelming individual differences in need for cognition. Suspicion as a receptors' stable disposition had the opposite effect. Highly suspicious receptors engaged in a more systematic processing of arguments. Although dispositional suspicion and need for cognition were correlated, the first variable had a significant effect beyond the effect of need for cognition.
Echebarria-Echabe
Agustin
A
Department of Social Psychology, The University of the Basque Country, Tolosa Avenue, 70, E-20009 San Sebastian, Spain. pspeteta@ss.ehu.es
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001290:Attitude; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D013030:Spain; D035502:Trust