Epistemic Authority in Communication Effects on Memory: Creating Shared Reality with Experts on the Topic

We examined whether participants are more likely to create a shared reality with a communication partner having high epistemic authority than with audiences having lower epistemic authority. In Experiment 1, participants described an ambiguously presented target person to a lay audience or an expert audience (a personnel psychologist) who judged the target in either a positive or negative way. In Experiment 2, we presented participants with ambiguous information about the utility of biofuel, and added a condition with a high-status audience who was an expert on a different topic. Across both studies, participants’ brief-delay memory was evaluatively aligned only with the expert on the topic. Thus, what matters for shared-reality creation is not the audience's status but the audience's expertise. We discuss implications for science communication.
Source: Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research