Trustworthiness or Sincerity
Another dimension that recurs in studies of image, credibility, or charisma is trustworthiness or sincerity. Early persuasion researchers at Yale fist identified this factors in their attitude studies, concluding that the credibility of any source is tied to “trust and confidence” (Hovland, Janis, and Kelly, 1953).This dimension emerged in numerous other studies over the years, and has sometimes been called “safety” or “personal integrity” (Baudhim and Davis, 1972). An interesting indicator of trustworthiness occurs in situations in which a biased source testifies against his or her own self-interest or bias. This may give us a clue to what is really involved in the trust dimension. Psychology researchers Herbert Kelman and Carl Hovland (1953) wanted to know who would be believed in the following situation: a message promoting the need for stiffer penalties for juvenile delinquents that was attributed in one case to a juvenile court judge and in another case to a reformed drug-pushing juvenile delinquent. The audience believed the judge because of his expertise in dealing with juvenile case, but their belief in the delinquent came from their trust that his sincere. Testimony was obviously against the speaker’s image. Trust or sincerity requires us to anlyze speakers’ motive or hidden agendas. The etymology of the word “ sincerity” given us some insights. It comes from the latin sincerus, which literally means “without wax.” This referred to a practice of unethical pillar carvers, who used wax to cover up blemishes in an otherwise perfect pillar that had been ruined by the carver’s mistakes. Only after decades of weathering did the wax fall out and reveal the deception. So a sincere person was without wax or not camouflaged.
Audiences believe speakers who are sincere and trustworthy. These speakers maintain good eye contact, don’t shift back and forth on their feet, and lack a tremor in their voices. Or audiences judge sincerity from speakers’ reputations --- offices they have held, accomplishment, and what others say about them. Trustworthiness has been repeatedly demonstrated in research studies as a key component of credibility. Although its effects vary from situation to situation, receivers believe persons they trust, whether because of their reputation, delivery, or motivations.