Complied by Belief Consistency: The Cognitive-Information Lens of User-Generated Persuasion

Confirmation biases make consumers feel comfortable because consistent beliefs simplify the processing of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Whether the helpfulness of eWOM is a belief of information underlying biased information, i.e., positive-negative asymmetry, or an illusion of overconfidence underlying biased judgment, i.e., belief consistency, is crucial to the foundation of theory and the advance of practice in user-generated persuasion. The questions challenge the literature that the helpfulness of product reviews relies on unbiased information and/or unbiased judgment. Drawing on the cognitive-information lens, we developed a research model to explain how belief consistency affects the helpfulness beliefs of eWOM, and examined the effects of positive-negative asymmetry. Using a scenario-based questionnaire survey, we collected 334 consumer samples to test the research model. According to the empirical results, the conflicts of influence between positive and negative confirmation indicated that perceived review helpfulness was a belief of information and constrained by the positive-negative review frame. Without using personal expertise, respondents' consistent beliefs were significant to confirm positive reviews as useful and thereby perceive the review content as helpful, which is an illusion of overconfidence and constrained by belief consistency. Whether personal expertise reinforces the effect of belief consistency depends on the positive-negative asymmetry.

Automated summary

Confirmation biases affect consumer behavior in processing electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), either by influencing beliefs about biased information or by creating an illusion of confidence in biased judgments. This study challenges the belief that the helpfulness of product reviews depends on unbiased information and/or judgments. Using a scenario-based questionnaire survey, the researchers found that belief consistency plays a significant role in shaping perceived review helpfulness, influenced by positive-negative asymmetry. Personal expertise may reinforce the effect of belief consistency, depending on the asymmetry between positive and negative information.