The message and the discounting cue must have strong and opposite impact. Therefore, if the message supports one idea, the discounting message should not support it.

Differential Decay Hypothesis: Opposite Impact

To ensure that a sleeper effect may occur, it is important that the source precedes the discounting cue. If the the discounting cue precedes the source, its impact may be weakened and it may form a single memory unit with the source. 

Differential Decay Hypothesis: Sequence of Source and Discounting Cue

- Opposite impact
- Sequence of source and discounting cue

Davidson College

Grounded on principles of primacy and recency, the differential decay hypothesis suggests that the persuasiveness of a message and a discounting cue have different rates of decay. Since the discounting cue appears after the message, it is is expected to decay faster.

Differential Decay Hypohtesis

Pratkanis, A. R., Greenwald, A. G., Leippe, M. R., &amp; Baumgardner, M. H. (1988). In search of reliable persuasion effects: III. The Sleeper Effect Is Dead: Long live the sleeper effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(2), 203–218. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.2.203 

In Search of Reliable Persuasion Effects: III. The Sleeper Effect is Dead. Long Live the Sleeper Effect.

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