Sincerity vs. honesty: Testing a spokesperson’s deceptive demeanor and veracity in crisis communication

Abstract: Mass communication research has long indicated that during a scandal an organization's spokesperson should exude sincerity. However, no research has examined the deceptive and misleading nature of sincerity. In an experiment (n = 801), people watched a news interview featuring the spokesperson for a company in crisis. The spokesperson answered questions with sincere or insincere demeanor cues, and honest or dishonest language content. Results reveal how sincerity and honesty interact to affect audiences' reactions.

David Clementson

Related Research

Keith Wilson was selected to join the 2024 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (also known as the Oscars).

Learn More Learn More about Keith Wilson was selected to join the 2024 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (also known as the Oscars).
“Video catalyzing misinformation online: The effects of message modality and source type on perceived misinformation credibility, health attitudes and behaviors.”
Ivanka Pjesivac, Sohyun Park (Ph.D. student) & Alexia Little (Ph.D. student) received the Visual Communication Division’s Top Faculty paper award for “Video catalyzing misinformation online: The effects of message modality and source […]

Learn More Learn More about “Video catalyzing misinformation online: The effects of message modality and source type on perceived misinformation credibility, health attitudes and behaviors.”