Health claims and consumer skepticism: The influencing effects of information type, sponsor reputation, and information channel
Caudill, Eve Martha
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/20359
Description
Title
Health claims and consumer skepticism: The influencing effects of information type, sponsor reputation, and information channel
Author(s)
Caudill, Eve Martha
Issue Date
1995
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Monroe, Kent B.
Department of Study
Business Administration
Discipline
Business Administration
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Business Administration, Marketing
Economics, Commerce-Business
Mass Communications
Language
eng
Abstract
This dissertation research examines consumer skepticism and the possible mitigating effect of credibility on consumers' behavior in the marketplace. Of particular interest to this research is the interaction between the credibility of a set of information and consumers' skepticism toward a health claim nestled within that information set. Two research streams posit different types of consumer behavior. One stream of research suggests that consumers respond with skepticism to health claims, because these claims can be difficult to verify. Concomitant with this stream of thought is that consumers' response to skepticism is information search. A second research stream suggests that the credibility of the various components of the information set may change this expected model of consumer behavior. This stream of research suggests that the increased credibility of an information set may lead to increased purchase intentions. Thus, we posit that consumers' skepticism may be lessened by the credibility of the information set surrounding a health claim and may lead to increased purchase intentions rather than to information search.
Credibility is manipulated through three variables: sponsor reputation, information channel, and information type. Sponsor reputation consists of the reputation of the company disseminating the information; information media consists of package labels and advertisements; and information type consists of numeric and verbal information. The relationships among these variables were tested using Lisrel.
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