Persuasion by Racial Minority Sources: The Role of Gendered Stereotypes

Abstract

Source credibility and attractiveness are two key determinants of persuasion. According to gendered race theory, Asian men are perceived as more feminine while Black men are perceived as more masculine. We wanted to investigate whether there would be more persuasion if an Asian man delivers a message about female-favoring policy issues than a Black man who argues the same point. Participants were shown an essay about either a gender-neutral topic or a feminine topic with either an Asian or Black male picture depicting the apparent author of the essay. Participants reported perceived source credibility, perceived source attractiveness, and attitudes towards the content of the essay. The results supported the hypothesis that Asian men would be perceived as more credible than Black men when delivering a persuasive message on a feminine topic. Results also supported the hypothesis that Black male sources would be rated more attractive than Asian male sources no matter what type of essay the audience is reading. This study concludes with a discussion of its limitations as well as future research suggestions