Not Just in the Eye of the Beholder: Beauty as a Status Characteristic in Mixed-Sex Dyads Pubblico
Fudman, Rachel Erin (2010)
Abstract
Abstract
The physical attractiveness bias, the tendency to attribute
positive characteristics to
attractive people, is ubiquitous in the social world and
appropriates widespread
advantages to attractive individuals. Past research has shown that
physical attractiveness
operates as a status characteristic that influences group behavior.
Incorporating concepts
from the physical attractiveness bias and expectation states
theory, this study examines
the communication behaviors of pairs working on a decision making
task in order to draw
conclusions about the unconscious influence of physical
attractiveness and gender on
social status hierarchy. 68 undergraduate students were separated
into pairs that varied by
gender and attractiveness rating and were videotaped while
performing a task.
Researchers measured the dominant (interruptions, gestures, total
talk time, speech
initiation) and submissive (affirmations, head nods, smiling)
communication behaviors
exhibited by participants and used this information to infer the
status hierarchy of the
pair. When participants evaluated their partners after the task,
participants who were
described as attractive were also described as possessing other
positive traits, such as
intelligence or thoughtfulness. A 2 (Attractiveness) by 2 (Gender)
Factorial ANOVA was
significant for speech initiation and head nods. These interactions
and other trends
suggest that gender and physical attractiveness operate as status
characteristics, and that
physical attractiveness affords individuals an elevated social
status in face-to-face
interaction.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction _________________________________________________1
The Physical Attractiveness Bias...........................................................2
Expectation States Theory...................................................................6
Status differences in Communication Behaviors....................................11
Statement of Problem and Hypotheses................................................12
Methods___________________________________________________ 14
Participants and Study Staff...............................................................14
Procedure.......................................................................................15
Results___________________________________________________ 18
Discussion _________________________________________________25
Hypothesis 1..................................................................................25
Hypotheses 2-4..............................................................................26
Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research.................................30
Conclusion ________________________________________________32
References________________________________________________ 33
Appendecis________________________________________________ 37
Appendix 1....................................................................................37
Appendix 2....................................................................................39
Appendix 3....................................................................................45
List of Tables and Figures_______________________________________
Figure 1: Attractiveness by Gender Factorial ANOVA Interaction
for Head Nods................................................................................20
Figure 2: Attractiveness by Gender Factorial ANOVA Interaction
for Speech Initiation........................................................................21
Table 1: Means and Standard Deviations
for Communication Behaviors...........................................................22
Table 2: Group Means and Standard Deviations by Gender
for Head Nods................................................................................24
Table 3: Group Means and Standard Deviations by Gender
for Smiles......................................................................................24
Table 4: Group Means and Standard Deviations by Gender
for Gestures...................................................................................25
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