Perceived reliance on advice for others: People perceive others would rely more on novice (but not expert) advice than themselves
(A2025-125652)

AUTHORS

Rajarshi Majumder, Grenoble Ecole de Management; Minah Jung, New York University; Ignazio Ziano, University of Geneva

ABSTRACT

Prior research on advice-taking has focused on the extent to which people rely on different kinds of advice. We extend this research by focusing on the perception of whether people believe that others are comparatively more likely to rely on advice from novice advisor and less on advice from expert advisor than themselves. Nine preregistered studies show that consumers believe that others would rely more on low-quality advice but similarly on high-quality advice. This effect is mediated by perceptions of naivete, conformity (both higher for others), and intelligence (lower for others). Theoretically, this work contributes to the literature about reliance on advice, the literature about self-other bias, and the literature about advice-giver expertise. We supply recommendations for consumer decision-making, advice-giving, and recommendation systems.