James B. Stiff, PhD, is Senior Director of Jury Consulting at The Focal Point, a national trial consulting firm. He routinely conducts persuasion research for a variety of civil and criminal matters. Dr. Stiff formerly served on the faculties of Michigan State University, Arizona State University, and the University of Kansas. His scholarly interests include persuasive communication, credibility assessment, and human information processing, and he has authored numerous book chapters and articles in academic journals.

Paul A. Mongeau, PhD, is Associate Director and Professor at the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University. His research focuses on interpersonal communication and social influence; particular areas of interest include cognitive processing of persuasive messages in group and public settings. Dr. Mongeau has served as editor of Communication Studies and the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and is past president of the Western States Communication Association.