Dimensions of source credibility: A test for reproducibility

This study investigated the variability of scales representing four factors of source credibility and the overall factor structure of subjects’ perceptions of and attributions to a message source. The results confirmed the hypotheses that (1) scales representing factors of source credibility will change over time, and (2) the factor structure (the number of significant factors and the amount of variance accounted for by the factors) would also change over time. The authors suggest that if the view is accepted that communication is an ongoing dynamic process, then an individual's experiences in the communication setting and the variables affecting perceptions of the process will be expected to change continually.