A Big “a” for Attractiveness: How Facial Attractiveness Influence Attribution Formation of the Opposite Gender
Running head: ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRIBUTES 1
A Big “A” for Attractiveness: How Facial Attractiveness Influence Attribution Formation of the Opposite Gender
ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRIBUTES 2
Abstract
The experiment was designed to test how physical appearances (particularly that of facial attractiveness) influence males’ and females’ attribution formation of their biological counterparts. Male and female college students (N=30) were shown 3 pictures, that varied in their degree of attractiveness, of the opposite sex. The statistical results produced a support for the first research hypothesis, that females are more likely to give higher positive attributes to good-looking males. However, the statistical results do not support the second research hypothesis, and males would not likely give higher positive attributes to good-looking females. We also found out that males are more likely to give higher positive attributes to simple-looking females rather than good-looking ones. Males also tend to give the most negative attributes to not-so-good-looking females, while females give the most negative attributes to simple-looking and not-so-good-looking males.
ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRIBUTES 3
A Big “A” for Attractiveness: How Facial Attractiveness Influence Attribution Formation of the Opposite Gender
Ever since Edward Thorndike provided supporting empirical evidence for a psychological phenomenon he termed “halo effect” in 1920, various research have been made to discover its nature, ascertain its influence over an individual’s judgement and determine its effect on interpersonal behaviour.
Halo effect, which is generally defined as the influence of a global evaluation on evaluations of individual attributes of a person, is one of the oldest and most widely known of psychological phenomena (Nisbett & Wilson, 1977). Almost ninety-two years’ worth of experimental
A Big “A” for Attractiveness: How Facial Attractiveness Influence Attribution Formation of the Opposite Gender
ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRIBUTES 2
Abstract
The experiment was designed to test how physical appearances (particularly that of facial attractiveness) influence males’ and females’ attribution formation of their biological counterparts. Male and female college students (N=30) were shown 3 pictures, that varied in their degree of attractiveness, of the opposite sex. The statistical results produced a support for the first research hypothesis, that females are more likely to give higher positive attributes to good-looking males. However, the statistical results do not support the second research hypothesis, and males would not likely give higher positive attributes to good-looking females. We also found out that males are more likely to give higher positive attributes to simple-looking females rather than good-looking ones. Males also tend to give the most negative attributes to not-so-good-looking females, while females give the most negative attributes to simple-looking and not-so-good-looking males.
ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRIBUTES 3
A Big “A” for Attractiveness: How Facial Attractiveness Influence Attribution Formation of the Opposite Gender
Ever since Edward Thorndike provided supporting empirical evidence for a psychological phenomenon he termed “halo effect” in 1920, various research have been made to discover its nature, ascertain its influence over an individual’s judgement and determine its effect on interpersonal behaviour.
Halo effect, which is generally defined as the influence of a global evaluation on evaluations of individual attributes of a person, is one of the oldest and most widely known of psychological phenomena (Nisbett & Wilson, 1977). Almost ninety-two years’ worth of experimental
References: Atkinson, R.D. Luce, & P Suppes (Eds.), Contemporary developments in Mathematical Psychology (Vol. 2). San Francisco: Freeman, 1974. Asch, S. E. Forming impressions of personality. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1946, 41, 258-290. Kaplan, Robert M. (1978). "Is Beauty Talent? Sex Interaction in the Attractiveness Halo Effect". Sex Roles 4 (2): 195-204. Miller, A G. Role of physical attractiveness in impression formation. Psychonomic Science, 1970, IP, 241-242 Thorndike, E. L. A Constant Error in Psychological Ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1920, 4, 25-29.