Malleability of Source Credibility and Its Impact on Knowledge Revision (Poster 20)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: Division C Section 1A Poster Session 2. Literacy: Reading and Writing Across Contexts (San Diego)

Abstract

Corrections to readers’ misconceptions should elicit higher belief when information sources are high-credibility. However, evaluations of credibility are malleable, and we do not yet fully understand how changes to a source’s credibility influence knowledge revision. Thus, we examined how updating a source character’s credibility (high- to low- credibility vs. low- to high- credibility) influenced knowledge revision and source evaluations after readers engaged with refutation and non-refutation texts. Results indicated that revision was superior when refutations came from sources that were later updated to be high-credibility. Sources were also rated as higher at posttest in the low- to high- credibility condition than in the high- to low- credibility condition, indicating that source judgements are malleable and can be updated.

Authors

• Victoria Johnson, University of Minnesota

• Reese Butterfuss, Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO)

• Panayiota Kendeou, University of Minnesota