Influence of strangers' vocal attractiveness on adolescents' epistemic trust: moderation effect of analytical thinking

Epistemic trust is closely linked to the cognitive process of information containing knowledge toward the adaptation to complex social environments, and can be influenced by cognitive biases from external traits such as the voice of a stranger. This influence may be moderated by factors related to the individual's thinking style and the voice's emotional content. Considering that adolescence is an important stage in the social development of individuals, we investigate the influence of strangers' vocal attractiveness on adolescents' epistemic trust, as well as its moderators, via two studies based on trustworthiness ratings of technology news summaries contained in audio messages. Experimental results suggest that vocal attractiveness is a crucial cue promoting epistemic trust when adolescents make relevant decisions during interactions with strangers. In addition, successfully activating individuals' analytical thinking has been found to reduce this influence.