Epistemic authority in communication effects on memory: Creating shared reality with experts on the topic

Knausenberger, J.; Wagner, U.; Higgins, E. T.; Echterhoff, G

Abstract

In times of widespread science skepticism, it is important to understand when and how lay people draw on experts’ opinions to form judgments. 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.