Rumor has it: The moderating effect of identification on rumor impact and the effectiveness of rumor refutation

被引:55
作者
Einwiller, Sabine A. [1 ]
Kamins, Michael A. [2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Appl Sci NW Switzerland, Sch Business, CH-4600 Olten, Switzerland
[2] SUNY Stony Brook, Harriman Coll Business, Stony Brook, NY USA
关键词
D O I
10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00390.x
中图分类号
B84 [心理学];
学科分类号
04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
Two studies were undertaken to examine the moderating effect of identification with a rumor target on rumor impact and refutation effectiveness. We show that identification and its opposite, disidentification, bias the way individuals react to a rumor. That is, as identification with the rumor target increased from disidentification to neutral to identification, belief in an aversive rumor declined. Furthermore, the effectiveness of a refutation was moderated by an individual's level of identification. People with a neutral identification level processed a refutation heuristically and were persuaded by it, whether it contained strong or weak arguments. Disidentifiers, who engaged in systematic processing, believed the rumor less only when the refutation contained strong arguments. Identifiers, processing heuristically, remained unbelieving in the rumor.
引用
收藏
页码:2248 / 2272
页数:25
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