This chapter articulates the underlying theoretical framework which guided the study. It as well examines and reviews some studies that have been conducted that bore relation to this research. Several scholarly works were reviewed to provide their view on how gender and the three main dimensions of source credibility (expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness) influences the perceived credibility of TV news presenters. Theoretical framework was described by Eisenhart (1991) as “a structure that guides a researcher by relying on a formal theory contracted by using established, coherent explanation of certain phenomena and relation.” It invokes a host of values and beliefs, which are not unique but shared in a common paradigm with other …show more content…
The concept was first developed by Aristotle in text of his work, called The Rhetoric, where he argued that the speaker’s reliability must be built and established in speech and that what the speaker did or said before such a speech was not of importance. Aristotle divided the aspects of persuasion into three categories: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic) (Umeogu, 2012). Although, Hovland, Janis, and Kelly (1953), have been credited for being the founders of modern source credibility theory, other theorist and researchers studied source credibility theory and discovered other attributes that constitutes source credibility. Weibel et al., (2008), explained that in the early days of the development of communication research and in line with most American researchers, Hovland and colleagues main concern was to gather useful data about the effectiveness of campaigns and various methods of communication. They set up carefully controlled experiments to test the effects of different characteristics of the channel through which information is …show more content…
The theory assumes that people are more likely to believe a fact when the source presents itself as being credible (Hovland, Janis, & Kelly, 1953). It assumes that the more perceived trustworthiness and expertise of the source, the more credibility will be bestowed upon that source by the audience, and more importance will be given to the information being transmitted by that source. Also, the theory assumes that biases attributed to information sources affects the way receivers judge the source and the information being presented (Eagly, Wood, and Chaiken, 1978). Eagly et al, (1978), further explained that receivers make assessments in their minds regarding the sources’ reasons and motivation for taking a particular position on an