02 Credibility Morgan 1

The Relationship Between Attire And The Application Of Credibility

Amani Morgan
University of Indianapolis

02 Credibility Morgan 2

The Relationship Between Attire And The Application Of Credibility

A first impression can have a lasting effect on the relationship between one individual
and another. In most cases, it can determine the outcome of a relationship to either continue to
grow or cease to develop. Nonverbal communication can play a big role when establishing a
first impression. Whether it is age, sex, race, or attire, preconceived assumptions whether
positive or negative, plays a role in establishing credibility of another individual upon first
impression. McCroskey, Jenson and Valencia (1973) found five dimensions that applies source
credibly to individuals as: Socalbilty, character, competence, composure, and extroversion. One
of the most common used method of nonverbal communication to assert credibility via
appearance. A profession setting calls for a certain kind of attire. Gorhan, Cohen and Morris
(1999) concluded than older college instructors that dress more professional are considered more
competent than those who dress casual (pg. 293). Many factors fall into play upon establishing a
creditable first impression and understanding the application of certain methods can allow an
understanding of what causes then impression of a creditable individual. What is the relationship
between nonverbal communication and credibility?
Review of Literature:
Meadors and Murray (2014) discovered the nonverbal cues displayed by one individual
when expectation of another is not met differs between the sexes. Women assert gestures that
close off the body where as men use random touches to express uncertainty. A diverse group of
participants where shown profiles of criminals, one black and one white. The most noticeable
results came in the response of the white criminal. Many participants displayed behaviors the
express uncertainty and anxiousness. The conclusion described an increase of these behaviors
due to the extra effort to process information given upon first impression that does not agree with

02 Credibility Morgan 3

common stereotypes. Participants were more comfortable describing the black criminal because
of the familiarity of the black criminal stereotype. This study expresses the response of
individuals when preconceived stereotypes provide a false first impression of another individual.
This studying provides an understanding of the involvement of application of positive and
negative stereotypes based on race. Participants assumed the white criminal to be more creditable
upon first impression than the black and information suggesting otherwise left them uncertain. In
conclusion, the application of stereotypes via race plays a major role in establishing credibility
during the first impression stage.
Santos and Young (2005) discovered the observation of social characteristic via facial
expressions proved to be spontaneous when concerning age, sex, attractiveness and
trustworthiness, however, when measuring intelligence, the applying a judgment to these
characteristics were applicable through a stereotype. This study investigated facial expressions as
a part of a speakers attire. The participants of this study were monitored as they were shown
facial characteristics and asked to respond. Most responses were spontaneous and led to final
conclusion that facial characteristics are hardly used as judgement factors in everyday social
encounters unless being applied through stereotypes. In the case of this study, establishing
creditable intelligence through nonverbal communication was only applicable through
preconceived ideas suggesting that credibility cues like a warm smile or a nice blazer may be
applied only through aspects outside of the speakers control.
Gorham, Cohan and Morris (199) found little evidence to prove that attire had a great
influence on the first impression of a college instructor. Surveys presented after first encounter,
expressed the type of attire rated by competence had more to do with age than actual attire.
Students based judgements from cemented ideals of attire via appropriateness of age. Females

02 Credibility Morgan 4

communicated a higher view of competence of older instructors who present a formal

professional attire. There was also evidence that attire had minimal effect on sociality, likeability
and extroversion of the college instructor. This study investigated the explanation of nonverbal
communication once a certain level of credibility was already evident. Seeing as those being
judged already established a certain level of credibility by being an educator, attire played a role
in setting a second level of credibility via age. Instructors who did not fit the stereotype of attire
by age appropriateness faced already preconceived judgement by the observer.
Stereotypes continued to show its head in all cases presented in these studies. Nonverbal
communication leaves a large margin for uncertainty and without a verbal conformation
individuals are led to follow conclusions either based on personal experience or preconceived
stereotypes. Based on the research collected, credibility is applied through preconceived ideals
when expressed through nonverbal communication upon first impression.
Statement of Hypotheses
H1: Subjects who are exposed to a speaker wearing formal clothing rates higher in credibility
than a speaker wearing informal clothing.
H0: Subjects who are exposed to a speaker wearing formal clothing rates the same in credibility
to a person wearing informal clothing.
Method
Sample Used
The study was conducted on a small private Midwest university. The subjects were
divided into two groups with ages ranging between the ages of 19 to 24. The first group
consisted of eight females and eight males and the second consisted of 10 females and 5 males.

02 Credibility Morgan 5

Subject were not compensated for their participation. The research team gathered a nonprobability sample.
Operational definitions:
Merriam-Webster dictionary defined clothing as the things that people wear to cover their bodies.
Credibility is also defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as the quality of being believed or
accepted as true, real or honest.
Conceptual definitions:
McCroskey, Jenson and Valencia (1973) defines credibility as a concept measured by:
Sociability, character, competence, composure, and extroversion of the source. Gorhan, Cohen
and Morris (1999) define clothing as a personal front and form of expression to assist a
performer in defining the expectancies of an audience.

Procedures
The study was conducted in a classroom setting. Subjects were instructed to listen to a
short speech about same-sex marriage in the state of Indiana and then they would be given a
survey to complete anonymously. The first group witnessed a guest speaker dressed in formal
attire. The second group was given the same speech, however in informal attire.
Results Section
Statistical Results:
Two groups were given the same speech on same- sex marriage by the same speaker, however
the first group was presented with the speaker in formal attire, while the other group witnessed
the speaker in informal attire. Both groups were given surveys after the speech that monitored
that speakers creditably. Table 1 displays the average of results of both groups. Data from Table
1 suggest that the group with the speaker wearing informal attire was rated more creditable.

02 Credibility Morgan 6

Table 1
Credibility Based on Attire
_______________________________________________________
Formal Clothing

Informal Clothing

_____________________________________________________
N1 = 14

N2 = 14

X 1 = 1.85

X 2 = 2.86

S1 =0.865

S2 = 0.865

_______________________________________
t = -3.506
tcrit = -1.706
df = 26
= 0.05

Action Taken on Null Hypothesis:

According to the results of the data collected, our team rejected the null hypothesis that subjects
exposed to a person wearing informal clothing will apply the same amount of credibility to a
person wearing formal clothing.
Discussion
Interpretation of Results
After completing the experiment, results suggest the speaker wearing the informal attire
was more creditable. The scale used within the groups survey displayed positive rates on the left

02 Credibility Morgan 7

hand side and the negative on the right with the number increasing towards the right. Therefore,
the lower the score, the more positive/credible score of the speaker. The average score for the
formal attire was 2.86 and the average score for informal attire was 1.85. The informal score was
lower than the formal score, suggesting the speaker dressed in informal attire was considered
more creditable.
In a studying by Gorham, Cohen and Morris (1999) a teacher who wore casual attire in
front of a class presented warm or relatable attributes like sociability and extroversion. Even
though that our study focused on a speaker within the same age group as the audience, the
understanding of casual wear creating a more relatable interaction with the speaker and audience
was evident. The results of the survey did not agree with the original hypothesis, however they
did suggest the other factors when working with college student may be more influential when
measuring creditability.
Validity Issues
Several factors could have led to certain findings during the study. Age, setting, and
previous interactions could have given some participants more information about the speaker
than others.
Internal validity.
The McCroskey scales of credibility were used on the survey to rank attributes of the
speaker. However, when assembling the scales, instead of switching the polarity of each
attribute, they were all kept on the same side. This may have caused participants not to take
considerable time when ranking each attribute, making some surveys undependable. Another
threat to the internal validity may have been the state wide events during this time frame.

02 Credibility Morgan 8

During the week of the experiment, the mayor of Indiana signed a bill that allowed
organizations or businesses to legally refuse to serve consumers that led lifestyles that went
against their religion beliefs. Many newspapers, television shows, and radio talks covered the
topic and express various opinions about same-sex lifestyles. Due to the fact the speech given
was about same-sex marriage and controversy revolving around LGBT rights were present in
various outlets, may have swayed certain participants to base the speakers credibility on other
information previous to the speech.
External validity.
A non-probability population was during the experiment. All participants of the survey
were college students at the University of Indianapolis between the ages of 18- 24. The speaker
was also a student at UIndy. The first group were all communication majors which may have led
to them to have already known the speaker previous to the speech because she was also a
communication major and having a previous level of credibility already established based on
other experience. The second group were students outside of the communication department
which gave participants less information than the first group had access to about the speaker. The
fact that the speaker was a student might have made her informal attire more relatable to the
other college students.
Suggestions for Further Research
Other areas for research could be credibility based on age. Results suggest that the
informal attire were more credible, however, the speaker and the participants were of the same
age group. The participants were also all from one age group. Further research on credibility
based on a variety of age groups might present a more solid perception of a general population.
New directions for research.

02 Credibility Morgan 9

If allowed a second chance of the experiment there are a few thing we would do
differently. The first changed would be to the scales on the survey. There may be a better
understanding of the audiences opinions if the polarities of each attribute were opposite of the
one before it. In order to give each audience the same information on the speaker and limit
personal interaction, we would use a public outside the communication department at UIndy.
References
Gorham, J., Cohen, S., & Morris, T. (1999). Fashion In The Classroom III: Effects Of Instructor
Attire And Immediacy In Natural Classroom Interactions. Communication Quarterly, 47 (3),
281-299.
McCroskey,J.C., Jenson, T., Valencia, C. (1973, April). Measurement of the credibility of peers
and spouses. Paper presented at the meeting of International Communication Association,
Montreal.
Meadors, J., & Murray, C. (2014). Measuring nonverbal bias through body language responses to
stereotypes. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 38(2), 209-229. doi: 10.1007/s10919-013-0172-y
Santos, I., & Young, A. (2005). Exploring the perception of social characteristics in faces using
the isolation effect. Visual Cognition, 12 (1), 213-247.