source bias
Definition
Source bias refers to perceptions that a source has a vested interest in message recipients accepting its communications, as well as perceptions that a source holds a skewed perspective on the focal topic. It is treated as one constituent dimension of source credibility alongside perceived expertise and perceived trustworthiness. A source can be simultaneously perceived as trustworthy and biased, as when it honestly communicates a skewed perspective. Misinformation research has largely failed to disentangle source bias from the other credibility dimensions, and the absence of systematic conceptual frameworks for doing so is one reason findings in this literature remain inconsistent.
Sources: Mang et al. (2024)
Related Terms
- misinformation (1 shared article)
- persuasion (1 shared article)
- source credibility (1 shared article)
- source trustworthiness (1 shared article)
- source expertise (1 shared article)
Applications
Source Bias and Source Credibility
Source bias is one of several dimensions that together constitute source credibility, the others being perceived expertise and perceived trustworthiness. Persuasion research has produced frameworks that disentangle the separate effects of these dimensions, whereas misinformation research has tended to conflate them, contributing to discrepant findings across studies.
Sources: Mang et al. (2024)
Source Bias and Misinformation Susceptibility
Source credibility dimensions, including source bias, have been examined as predictors of how individuals respond to misinformation upon exposure, yet effects have proven inconsistent across studies. The conflation of credibility dimensions such as bias, expertise, and trustworthiness has been identified as one likely explanation for this inconsistency.
Sources: Mang et al. (2024)
