Audiences' perceptions of sources' credibility in a television interview setting

This experiment examined the differences between older and younger men and women's evaluations of differently dressed sources' credibility. 165 subjects viewed simulated interviews for television in which male and female sources dressed either conservatively or casually. Subjects then rated them according to semantic-differential scales which measured targets' competence, character, and dynamism. Subjects were categorized by age and sex. Over-all, younger women (those between the ages of 18 and 34 years) gave high ratings of competence, character, and dynamism to all sources regardless of clothing style, while older women (those 35 years and older) gave the lowest ratings. This was especially noted for their evaluations of female sources. Men, regardless of age, rated all sources similarly.