ERIC Number: ED147886
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1977-Oct
Pages: 18
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Body Type and Sex of Receiver: Their Effects on Source Credibility.
Eckman, Bruce K.; Rancer, Andrew S.
This study focused on whether actual or stereotypic associations with a speaker's body type would affect his or her credibility. Effects on the source-credibility ratings submitted by a total of 165 students were investigated for three different sources' body types. A significant main effect was found for body type but not for the blocked variable, sex of receiver. The ectomorph (thin) and mesomorph (muscular) were not significantly different from each other, but both were significantly more credible than the endormorph (fat), according to the qualification and safety/trustworthiness dimensions of source credibility. A nonverbal component of source credibility, body type, was found that corroborated the physical-attractiveness hypothesis. Suggestions for future work are made. (RL)
Descriptors: Communication Research, Credibility, Human Body, Individual Characteristics, Nonverbal Communication, Perception, Physical Characteristics, Sex Differences, Social Attitudes, Social Values, Speech Communication
Andrew S. Rancer, School of Speech, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242 (free of charge)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Ohio Speech Communication Association (Columbus, Ohio, October 7-8, 1977)
