........... ¢ ------ CONFORMITY TO AND AWARENESS OF THE CLOTHING MODE RELATED TO THE PEER ACCEPTANCE OF ADOLESCENT BOYS AND GIRLS Thesis for the Degree of M. A. MICHIGAN STATE. UNIVERSITY BETTY VDRAN SMUCKER 1969 . 1".v . -1 - F: ,n-‘.-..:.- an €23.13." nut-.375" L IE3 R A R Y ' Michigan State University THE‘BQS x”? _ “%V_ W I, amoma av “.3 IIIIAB & SIIIIS' ; " 800K BIIIIIEIIY IIIB. ‘ LIBRARY muons lumen“: +u; , ‘ IIIIIIIIIIIIIII MSU LIBRARIES n \ RETURNING MATERIALS: Place In book drop to remove this checkout from your record. FINES will be charged if book is returned after the date stamped beIow. . I I’k'lkotlfe tulip: ABSTRACT CONFORMITY TO AND AWARENESS OF THE CLOTHING MODE RELATED TO THE PEER ACCEPTANCE OF ADOLESCENT BOYS AND GIRLS by Betty Voran Smucker The purpose of this research was to identify exist- ing relationships between awareness of and conformity to the clothing mode and peer acceptance in both the formal and in- formal school structure. A positive relationship was pro- posed between the variables for both boys and girls. A questionnaire and 16 millimeter motion pictures were selected as a means of data collection. The film per- mitted a means of establishing a modal pattern of dress for the boys and girls of the population studied. Conformity to the mode was also determined by an analysis of the filmed subjects. The questionnaire provided a means of measuring two types of peer acceptance. The first, a measure of the amount of participation in the formal organizations of the school system and the second, a uni-dimensional measure of informal peer acceptance indicating the closeness of the. friendship relations existing between each individual and all other classmates. -Illustrations of clothing items in the questionnaire were used to measure an individual's aware- ness of the clothing mode. Betty Voran Smucker The data were collected along with that of a larger interregional project from a population consisting of the sophomore class of a central Michigan high school containing 121 boys and 110 girls. Partial correlations were the major form of statis- tical analysis used to determine the relationships between variables. The use of partial correlations provided a means of eliminating the effect of social class on the variable relationships. Since some of the data were not normally distributed, chi square tests were used to check the rela— tionships. The findings of this study showed that a positive relationship existed between awareness of the clothing mode and conformity to the clothing mode. Peer acceptance re- flected by the amount of participation in the formal organi- zations of the school was positively related to awareness of the clothing mode. However, no significant relationship was found to exist between participation in school organi- zations and conformity to the clothing mode. Positive re- lationships were found to exist between peer acceptance in the informal friendship structure of the school system and both awareness of and conformity to the clothing mode. CONFORMITY TO AND AWARENESS OF THE CLOTHING MODE RELATED TO THE PEER ACCEPTANCE OF ADOLESCENT BOYS AND GIRLS By Betty Voran Smucker A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Textiles, Clothing and Related Arts 1969 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to express sincere appreciation to her advisor, Dr. Anna M. Creekmore, for her encouragement and guidance in directing this study; to the members of her committee, Dr. Mary Gephart, Dr. Joanne Eicher, and Miss Karen Engel, for their helpful suggestions and constructive criticisms; to Virginia Beauchamp for assistance with the computer programming; to fellow researchers, Jeanne Flanigan and Terry Clum, for their enthusiasm and invaluable assist- ance; and to her husband, Alvin, for his understanding and encouragement throughout the completion of this research study. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . LIST OF TABLES O O O O O O O O O 0 Chapter I. II. III. IV. INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . REVIEW OF LITERATURE. . . Peer Acceptance . . . . Clothing: An Aspect of Social Interaction. Measurement of Peer Acceptance. . . . . . . Measurement of Clothing Mode Conformity and Clothing Mode Awareness . . . . . . . . . STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. Definition of Terms . . Hypotheses. . . . . . . Assumptions . . . . . . PROCEDURE . . . . . . . . Selection of the Sample Selection of Measures . Collection of Data. . . Method of Analysis. . . FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION . O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Description of the Research Situation . . . Peer Acceptance in the Formal School Structure . . . . . . Peer Acceptance in th Structure . . . . . . Clothing Mode . . . . . Awareness of the Clothing Mode. . . . Conformity to the Clothing Mode . . Informal School Relationship Between Clothing Mode Aware- ness and Clothing Mode Conformity . . . . iii Page ii gunnis .b H 19 19 20 21 22 22 30 31 33 33 35 4O 41 44 47 Chapter Page Relationship Between Clothing Mode Aware— ness and Peer Acceptance in the Formal School Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Relationship Between Clothing Mode Conform- ity and Peer Acceptance in the Formal School Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Relationship Between Clothing Mode Aware- ness and Peer Acceptance in the Informal School Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Relationship Between Clothing Mode Conform- ity and Peer Acceptance in the Informal School Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Summary of Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . 55 sumary O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 55 Implications of the Findings. . . . . . . . 59 Recommendations O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 61 BIBLIOGRAPHY O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 64 APPENDIX A O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 68 APPENDIX B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 7 3 APPENDIX CO O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 84 iv LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Pearson product moment correlations for measures of peer acceptance. . . . . . . . . . 26 2 Distribution of population by socio-economic levels O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 34 3 Prestige rating of student organizations . . . 37 4 The number of organizations to which the boys and girls belonged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 5 Range, mean and standard deviation for each variable with t-tests of the difference between means of boys and girls. . . . . . . . 39 6 Frequency percentages for boys' clothing items 42 7 Frequency percentages for girls' clothing items O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 43 8 Significance of partial correlations relating clothing mode and peer acceptance. . . . . . . 48 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Peer acceptance is of utmost importance to adoles— cent boys and girls. They are extremely conscious of their relationships with others, especially their own age-mates, and as a result they try various means to secure acceptance. Although acceptance is of prime importance to them, neither they nor the social scientists who study them are fully aware of the factors, or the relationship between the factors, which ultimately contribute to peer acceptance. McDavid and Harari have stated that in order for an individual to be accepted by a group, he must adhere to the norms of that group.1 Therefore, peer acceptance con- stitutes a positive sanction and a powerful incentivetfor conforming to the group norm. Conformity within a group appears to be a result of several interrelated processes. Social scientists have indicated that uniform behavior within a group may stem from the interaction of individuals who interpret various aspects 1John W. McDavid and Herbert Harari, Social Ps - chology (New York: Harper and Row, Inc., 19685, p. 309. of behavior within a common frame of reference.l’ 2 These common frames of reference are established through communi- cation, either verbal or nonverbal in nature. Furthermore, communication seems to be enhanced by an awareness of these common frames of reference. Therefore, it seems entirely possible that group norms may stem from the perception of and communication with material objects and that peer ac— ceptance may possibly be a sanction for these norms. Various studies investigating the relationship be- tween clothing and peer acceptance have been conducted. However, the findings of these research studies have been 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 varied. No research has been found where the lTheodore M. Newcomb, Social Psychology (New York: The Dryden Press, Inc., 1950), p. 266. 2Muzafer Sherif, Social Interaction (Chicago: Al- dine Publishing Company, 1967), p. 318. 3Arlene Louise Bjorngaard, "The Relationship of Social Class and Social Acceptance to Clothing and Appear- ance of a Selected Group of Ninth Grade Girls" (unpublished Master's Thesis, Michigan State University, 1962). 4Mary Louise Dillon, "The Modal Pattern of Dress and its Relationship to Peer Acceptance Among Eighth Grade Boys" (unpublished Master's Thesis, Michigan State Univer- sity, 1963). 5Phyllis A. Toomire, "Social Acceptance and its Relationship to Appearance and Selection of Clothing by Teen-Age Girls" (unpublished Master's Thesis, Southern Illinois University, 1964). 6Emma Louise Holmes Kittles, “Experimental Use of Techniques for Determining the Influence of Clothing Upon Social Acceptance of Junior High School Girls“ (unpublished Master's Thesis, Ohio State University, 1956). 7Mary Jane Young, "The Relationship of Clothing to theoretical basis is the relationship between conformity to a clothing norm and peer acceptance as a sanction for conformity. The purpose of this study was to determine the re- lationships which may exist between awareness of and con- formity to the modal pattern of dress and peer acceptance. A positive relation between these variables would substan- tiate the theory that the clothing mode is a group norm with a possible sanction of peer acceptance applied. Peer Acceptance and to Personal Appearance of Adolescents" (unpublished Master's Thesis, Michigan State University, 1967). CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE The theoretical framework for this study is presented in the review of literature along with related socio-psycho- logical research. The review of literature is organized under the following headings: (1) Peer Acceptance, (2) Clothing: an Aspect of Social Interaction, (3) Measurement of Peer Acceptance, and (4) Measurement of Clothing Mode Conformity and Clothing Mode Awareness. Peer Acceptance Most social scientists believe that human behavior is not solely a result of influences from within the indi- vidual nor that it is solely a result of external influence. Rather, behavior is best studied within the framework of interrelated external and internal factors.1 George Herbert Mead's concept of the human “act" emphasizing the "outer" and "inner” aspects of behavior has played an influential part in this belief. He states that " . . . the behavior of an individual can be understood only in terms of the be- havior of the whole social group of which he is a member, since his individual acts are involved in larger social acts lSherif, Social Interaction, p. 84. which go beyond himself and which implicate the other mem- bers of that group."1 Therefore, an individual's behavior is largely a result of interaction within a social group, since interaction mediates between individuals and group properties.2 Sherif's autokinetic experiment supports this theory by showing that an individual's standards of judgment are affected by group interaction in the form of communication. Those subjects who worked alone formed diverse judgments concerning the light stimuli resulting in the development of individual norms. When the subjects were allowed to work in groups and express verbal judgment, individual norms were very much alike.3 Sherif's experiment also shows that when people are exposed to social influences they tend to yield to them. Conformity then becomes a natural result of social inter- action and is the basis of all human society and accounts for the majority of human behavior.4 1George Herbert Mead, Mind, Self and Society (Chi- cago: The University of Chicago Press, 1934), pp. 5-7. 2Theodore M. Newcomb, Ralph H. Turner, Philip E. Converse, Social Ps cholo (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 19 S , p. 14. 3Muzafer Sherif, An Outline of Social Ps cholo (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1948), pp. lGZ-NT. 4Edward E. Sampson, ed., Approaches, Contexts and Problems of Social Psychology.(New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964), p.,162. Mead maintains that it is the organized community or "the generalized other" that is responsible for an indi- vidual's conforming behavior. He suggests that conformity arises out of an individual's interaction with the organized community or "the generalized other." If an individual is to develop a self in the fullest sense, he must take on the attitude of the organized society or group and as a result will react toward general social processes in a similar way.1 Newcomb also believes that group conformity is a result of interaction. He states that when individuals in a group communicate with each other they tend to use the same frame of reference in making judgments. As a result, group behavior becomes uniform and common frames of reference exist as group norms.2 Social scientists have also reported that perception, in addition to attitudes and judgments, also takes place 3’ 4 Newcomb emphasized the within a frame of reference. importance of perception in interaction. He regards the perception of similarities as a key factor in interpersonal attraction.5 Therefore perception, or what may be called Mead, Mind: self, pp. 154-550 Newcomb, Social Psychology, pp. 264-69. Sherif, Social Interaction, p. 318. Newcomb, Social Psychology, p. 266. 019me Theodore M. Newcomb, "The Prediction of Inter- personal Attraction," American Psychologist, 11 (1956), pp. 575-860 awareness, appears to be an essential aspect of group inter- action and, according to Newcomb's study, may even be a pre- requisite to group conformity. He states that a perception of similarities promotes attraction which in turn promotes communication. Thus communication, as mentioned earlier, is a means of establishing a common frame of reference which results in group conformity. According to Newcomb, material objects upon which members of a group are dependent in common ways can also develop into norms.l Stone has proposed that personal ma- terial objects, clothing, are important aspects of nonverbal communication in human interaction. He values the symbolic communication of appearance as highly as verbal discourse.2 Hall also explores the vast implications of nonverbal com- munication which comprises the visible aspects of human interaction. He maintains that volumes can be read into the mere visual observation of individuals.3 Therefore, according to the theories of Stone and Hall it is likely that group norms may be established as a result of communi- cation through and by means of material objects. 1Newcomb, Social Psychology, p. 269. 2Gregory P. Stone, "Appearance and the Self," in Human Behavior and Social Processes, ed. by Arnold M. Rose (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1962), pp. 86-127. 3Edward T. Hall, The Silent Lan ua e (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 195 , p. 58. The adolescent stage of development is characterized 1’ 2’ 3 Since they by a strong desire for peer acceptance. are not fully aware of factors which contribute to peer ac- ceptance, both boys and girls may go to many extremes in an attempt to discover aspects of group behavior which are re- lated to acceptance. Adolescents readily adopt verbal and visual patterns of behavior which they feel influence peer acceptance. Shibutani states that an individual's adherence to group norms is maintained by sanctions which may be either 4 Refusal to adhere to group positive or negative in nature. norms results in some type of negative sanction. These sanctions frequently consist of the exclusion of deviates from the group. In less formal groups, exclusion is quite subtle and rather than being physically excluded through the denial of membership an individual may be excluded from interaction within the group.5 According to the literature reviewed above, 1Elizabeth Hurlock, ngelgpmental Psycholo (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 2nd ed., 1 59 , pp. 285— 92. 2Ruth Strang, The Adolescent Views Himself (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1957), p. 286. 3James 5. Coleman, The Adolescent Society (New York: The Free Press of Glencoe, 1961), pp. 8, 53. ‘ . 4Tamotsu Shibutani, Societ and Personalit (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1 61 , pp. -5 . SMcDavid and Harari, Social Psychology, p. 309. individuals who conform to group norms make social accept-L ance possible, all other things being equal. Thus, peer acceptance becomes a positive sanction. On the other hand, an individual who is not allowed to interact within a group cannot be aware of nor conform to the subtleties or less visible distinctions within group norms with the result that acceptance by peers may be denied. Clothing: an Aspect of Social Interaction Stone has theorized that appearance is basic to so- cial communication and interaction.1 There are few people who would disagree with the fact that clothing plays a prom- inent part in an individual's appearance and that it is an important aspect of human behavior. However, little research has been conducted to determine the possible normative role which clothing may play in group interaction. Cartwright and Zanders emphasize the role of group norms in producing uniformity within a group.2 These norms are conformed to by the majority of the group and henceforth provide a common frame of reference which is used as a basis for group interaction. As mentioned earlier, peer accept- ance may be a positive sanction applied to group norms. Teenagers have indicated that clothing is an 1Stone, "Appearance and Self," pp. 86-127. 2D. R. Cartwright and A. Zander (eds.), Group Dye namics: Research and Theor , 2nd ed. (New York: Harper & Row, 1960), pp. 169-76. 10 important aspect of social acceptance. Coleman's study indi- cates that "nice clothes" is one of six criteria for popu- larity given by high school students.1 Various studies have also been conducted in attempts to find relationships between clothing and peer acceptance. Masumoto and Hamilton found that social participation (peer acceptance in the formal school structure) is positively related to the clothing behavior of adolescent boys and 2,3 girls. Toomire found a slight positive correlation between clothing and appearance and social acceptance in 4 An exploratory study of her study of adolescent girls. ninth grade girls by Bjorngaard indicated that popular girls were also referred to as best dressed.5 Similar results were found by Cannon et al.6 for girls, but no relationship 1James 5. Coleman, The Adolescent Society_(New York: Free Press, 1961), p. 79. 2Janice Marie Hamilton, "Acceptable and Non-Accept- able Clothing Behavior and Students' Role in a High School Community” (unpublished Master's Thesis, Kansas State Uni- versity, 1965). ‘ 3Sachiko Masumoto, "The Relationship of Dress and Behavior Associated with Dress to the Social Participation of the Adolescent Boy" (unpublished Master's Thesis, Penn- sylvania State University, 1958). . 4Toomire, "Social Acceptance and Appearande," p. 55. 5Bjorngaard, "The Relationship of Social Class," p. 146. 6Kenneth L. Cannon, Ruth Stapels, and Irene Carlson, "Personal Appearance as a Factor in Social Acceptance," igurnal of Home Economics, Vol. 44 (October, 1952), pp. 710- l . 11 existed between personal appearance and popularity for the boys, while Youngl found no significant relationships between appearance and peer acceptance for girls but did find a sig- nificant correlation for boys. Kittles2 did not find a re- lationship between clothing and social acceptance in a study of twenty eighth grade girls; on the other hand, Dillon3 found a relationship between dress and peer acceptance in a study of eighth grade boys. Recent research by VanDeWal showed that eighth grade girls with high peer acceptance also conformed most to the modal pattern of dress, while girls at the middle and lower peer acceptance levels showed lower amounts of conformity to the modal pattern of dress.4 There are many factors which may explain the varied findings of the above research. In several cases the sample size was limited. VanDeWal's sample consisted of 45 girls and Kittles' only 20 girls. The studies also differed greatly in methods of measurement. Hamilton, Dillon and VanDeWal used the clothing mode or the clothing worn by the majority of the students as their clothing variable. VanDeWal used only strict conformity to the clothing mode, rejecting 1Young, "The Relationship of Clothing,“ pp. 62-64. N Kittles, "Experimental Use of Techniques." 3Dillon, "The Modal Pattern of Dress," p. 123. 4Shally Lynne VanDeWal, "A Study of the Relation- ship Between Clothing Conformity and Peer Acceptance Among Eighth Grade Girls" (unpublished Master's Thesis, Purdue University, 1968), p. 69. 12 those who conformed partially. Toomire, Cannon gt_gl. and Young used measures of appearance while Kittles and Masumoto used measures of attitude and clothing behavior respectively. Peer acceptance measures in these studies also varied. Dillon, Bjorngaard, Cannon g£_gl, and Young used sociometric type measures asking students to list the names of individ- uals which best suited specific sociometric questions. VanDeWal and Kittles adapted the Ohio Social Acceptance test as the measure of peer acceptance in their studies. Hamilton measured students' participation in extracurricu- lar activities while Masumoto included cliques, dating, and participation in the formal school organization. Evidence revealed in the above research suggests that clothing and peer acceptance are related when one con- siders the intervening factors which may have contributed to the negative findings of some of the studies. According to the socio-psychological theories presented earlier in this chapter it appears that the clothing mode of a group could actually exist as a group norm with peer acceptance as a positive sanction. Awareness would then be a prerequi- site to conformity and both awareness of and conformity to the clothing mode would be significantly related to the in- formal and the formal peer acceptance in the school social system. 13 Measurement of Peer Acceptance Various studies of peer acceptance have been conducted 1’ 2’ 3’ 4 friendship,5 so- 8 using terms such as popularity, cial adjustment,6 and social acceptance.7’ Since studies such as these have covered diverse aspects of behavior, as the terms themselves imply, Young incorporated these factors into a more comprehensive approach to the study of peer ac- ceptance. She concluded that peer acceptance was a composite of friendship, work companions, popularity, and leadership.9 A close examination of these aspects would indicate that peer acceptance for high school students is of two general 1Coleman, Adolescent Society, p. 79. 2Dillon, "The Modal Pattern of Dress," p. 43. 3E. E. Johnson, "Student Ratings of Popularity and Scholastic Ability of Their Peers and Actual Scholastic Per- formance of Those Peers," Journal of Social Psychology, 47, 4D. Elkens, "Some Factors Related to the Choice Status of Ninety Eighth Grade Children in a School Society," Genet. Psychol. Mono r., 58, 1958, pp. 207-72. 5M. E. Bonney, “A Study of Friendship Choices in College in Relation to Church Affiliation, In-Church Pref- erence, Family Size, and Length of Enrollment in College," J. Soc. Psychol., 29, 1949, pp. 153-66. 6R. Tindall, "Relationships Among Indices of Social Adjustment," J. of Educational and Psychological Measurements, XV (Summer, 1955), pp. 152-62. 7Toomire, "Social Acceptance and Appearance," p. 29. 8Bjorngaard, "The Relationship of Social Class," p. 1. 9Young, "The Relationship of Clothing,“ p. 30. 14 types: (1) acceptance in the informal school structure con- sisting of friendships and related qualities, and (2) accept- ance in the formal school structure consisting of leadership and work within the formal organization of the school system. Brown and Gordon have included both formal and informal as- pects of social acceptance in their studies.1’ 2 Researchers measuring the informal aspects of peer acceptance have frequently used sociometric type scales which depict reciprocal relationships between individuals within a group. These studies measure acceptance in small groups within the informal social system, failing to measure the total relationship of each individual to the entire social system. Dillon used the sociogram technique in her study concerning social acceptance. Sociometric indices can also be calculated from sociometric type measures. The use of these indices may yield an index for each individual in relation to the entire group dependent upon the particular formula used.3 Bogardus found an index of social distance between individuals and 1D. Brown, "Factors Affecting Social Acceptance of High-School Students," School Review, 1954, 62, pp. 151-55. 2C. Wayne Gordon, The Social S stem of the Hi h School (Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1957). 3Fred N. Kerlinger, Foundations of Behavioral Re- search (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1964), pp. 558-590 15 various groups through the use of a sociometric type measure.1 The Ohio Social Acceptance Test is a similar measure in which each individual is asked to rate all other individuals ac- cording to the desired amount of association or intimacy.2 This measure then provides what may be called a social dis- tance index where each individual's acceptance is positioned relative to the social acceptance of all other individuals in the group. Peer acceptance within the formal school structure necessitates the establishment of a score indicating the degree to which individuals participate. Chapin developed an instrument which enabled him to measure the amount of an individual's participation within the organizational sys- tem of a particular community. Individuals were asked to designate the amount of participation in various community organizations by checking the appropriate category: (1) member, (2) attendance, (3) financial contribution, (4) member of committee, and (5) offices held.3 Gordon later adapted Chapin's scale for the measure- ment of participation within the school structure. A list 1E. S. Bogardus, "Social Distance Scale," Sociol. SOC. Res., 17’ 1933, pp. 265-71. 2William J. Goode and Paul K. Hatt, Methods of Re- search (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1954), pp. 252-55. 3Francis S. Chapin, Experimental Desi ns in Socio- logical Research, Rev. Ed. (New York: Harper, 1947), pp. 276-78. 16 of all school sponsored organizations received a prestige rating by the students according to their (1) service, (2) recognition, (3) rewards, (4) influence and (5) scarcity and value. An individual's participation obtained from a modified Chapin scale was then multiplied by the prestige of that organization.1 The above review illustrates the measurement of two general types of peer acceptance. Therefore, measures of these two aspects of peer acceptance would serve as an in- dication of one's total acceptance by others. A comprehen- sive study concerning peer acceptance should then include measures of both the acceptance reflected in group partici- pation in the formal organization, as well as acceptance within the informal group structure. Measurementgof ClothingMode Conformity and Clothing Mode Awareness Few measures of clothing mode conformity and cloth- ing mode awareness have been employed in research to this point. Dillon2 illustrated various items of clothing in the questionnaire which she used for data collection. The subjects were asked to check the items they were wearing. Frequency counts of each item checked produced the modal lGordon, Social Systems, pp. 149-58. 2Dillon, "The Modal Pattern of Dress," Appendix B. 17 pattern of dress. VanDeWall used only a check list consist- ing of clothing item names and, like Dillon, had each of the subjects check what they were wearing. Each student was then categorized as a conformer or nonconformer for each category of clothing. Rosencranz and Venerz’ 3 have conducted studies concerning clothing awareness; however, neither measured actual awareness of clothing mode. Vener's measure of aware- ness was more an opinion about clothes, while Rosencranz measured the number of times clothing was referred to in her Thematic Apperception Test of clothing. Recent studies have been conducted by Horn in an attempt to develop a method for determining what she has called ”normative“ patterns of dress.4 Her measure provides a means of obtaining conformity and awareness scores on a continuum measuring amounts of conformity and awareness as opposed to the strict dichotomy of conformity or nonconform- ity. lVanDeWal, "A Study of the Relationship," pp. 86-88. 2M. L. Rosencranz, "Clothing Symbolism," Journal of Home Economics, Vol. 54, January, 1962, pp. 18-22. 3Arthur Vener, "Adolescent Orientation to Clothing” (unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Michigan State Univer- Sity, 1959), pp. 31-34 and 130-36. 4Marilyn J. Horn, "A Method for Determining Norma- tive Patterns of Dress," Proceedings of the National Textiles and Clothing Meeting (Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jane 19—22, 1 68 ’ pp. 4 -55. 18 Observations of the sample produced a possible range of clothing items worn. These were then categorized with details of each category used as subdivisions. A scale value for each item was determined by percentage distribu- tions of each categorized item occurring in a frequency count. Observations of the subjects provided a conformity score for each member of the sample. Awareness scores were obtained by interviews. Each subject was asked to select the pictured items that he felt were the normative pattern of dress for the sample. Studies concerning a possible normative pattern of clothing necessitate the establishment of a modal pattern of dress. Conformity and awareness scores must then be determined in regard to the clothing mode. Therefore, Horn's measure was ideally suited for research of this type. CHAPTER III STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships which exist between conformity to and aware- ness of the clothing mode and peer acceptance of adolescent boys and girls in both the formal and informal social sys- tems of the high school. Another objective was to test the theoretical proposition, in so far as possible with asso- ciational data, that the clothing mode is a norm with a possible sanction of peer acceptance applied. Definition of Terms Peer Acceptance in the Informal School Structure is the favorable reception of individuals by the members of their peer group. The extent of peer acceptance in the informal school structure is determined by a social distance rating of each individual by all other individuals in the group. Peer Acceptance in the Formal School Structure is peer approval reflected by the extent to which individuals participate in the high school organizational system includ— ing the professional, athletic, and academic areas. Indi- viduals participating in leadership roles within organiza- tions reflect a greater amount of peer approval than those 19 20 participating as organization members only. Clothing Mode is the most frequently occurring items of clothing determined by a fashion count of the sample. Clothing:Mode Conformity is the extent to which one wears the clothing items occurring most often in the sample. Clothipg_Mode Awareness is the extent to which one consciously recognizes the clothing items occurring most often in the sample. Hypotheses The following hypotheses have been proposed for this study: 1. Clothing mode conformity will be positively related to clothing mode awareness for both boys and girls. 2. Clothing mode awareness will be positively related to peer acceptance in the formal school structure for both boys and girls. 3. Clothing mode conformity will be positively related to peer acceptance in the formal school structure for both boys and girls. 4. Clothing mode awareness will be positively related to peer acceptance in the informal school structure for both boys and girls. 5. Clothing mode conformity will be positively related to peer acceptance in the informal school structure for both boys and girls. 21 Assumptions 1. The clothing worn on the day the questionnaire is given is typical of the student's school wardrobe. Research evidence indicates that this assumption may be correct since VanDeWall found that when students were asked to describe their favorite school outfit the modal pattern of dress for the favorite school outfit was identi- cal to the modal pattern of dress determined on the day of data collection except for a small discrepancy in shoe type. Brown or black shoes constituted the modal pattern for shoe type on the day of data collection whereas brown shoes only constituted the modal pattern for shoe type in the favorite school outfit. 2. Each clothing category is of equal importance to the individual regardless of the number of clothing items contained in the category. At the present time no information exists concern- ing the extent to which clothing items carry importance to the individual; therefore, it is logical to assume equal weighting for each category until additional studies have been conducted in this area. lVanDeWal, "A Study of the Relationship," p. 70. CHAPTER IV PROCEDURE The procedure for this study in many instances co- incides with that which has been set up for a larger inter- regional research project.1 The data were collected at the same time using the same sample; however, it should be noted that all of the operational definitions used in this study, with the exception of the measure of peer acceptance in the formal school structure, differ from those of the larger project in the measure itself or in the method of scoring. Therefore, findings of this study are unique and constitute additional knowledge in the area of the socio-psychological aspects of clothing. Selection of the Sample The sample selected for the research project2 con- sisted of the entire sophomore class of a central Michigan 1Interregional project W-98, "The Relationship of Clothing to the Personal and Social Acceptability of Ado- lescents," interregional research currently in progress at Colorado State University, University of Hawaii, University of Nevada, Michigan State University, University of Minne- sota, University of Missouri, Utah State University, Wash- ington State University, and University of Wisconsin. Mich- igan State University Study under the direction of Anna M. Creekmore, Agricultural Experiment Station Project 1020. 2Ibid. 22 23 high school. The high school was randomly selected from four secondary schools located in the central Michigan area meeting the following criteria: (1) an enrollment large enough to provide a minimum of 100 boys and 100 girls in the sophomore class for purposes of sample size, (2) a single public high school serving the entire city and surrounding rural area to insure a full range of socio-economic levels located within the community including both rural and urban students, and (3) a dress code which did not require uniforms for the student body so that a reasonable amount of freedom was permitted in selection of dress which is obviously es- sential for this research. Selection of Measures The measures for this study were developed along with those used for the larger interregional research proj- ect which is currently in progress.1 A discussion of the development and selection of the instruments used to measure the variables in this study will follow. Peer Acceptance in the Informal School Structure and Peer Acceptance in the Formal School Structure Three measures of peer acceptance were included in the questionnaire administered to the subjects who partici- pated. Pearson product moment correlations were calculated between the three measures and used as a basis for testing 1Ibid. 24 and selection of the measures used in this study. The first measure, a modification of Young's1 sociometric scale, based on the idea that peer acceptance is multi-dimensional in nature, asked subjects to list the names of their classmates who fit the categories of friendship, popularity, dating, leadership and cooperation (Appendix C). The subjects were informed that any number of names could be listed under each category; however, many listed five names, the number of blanks provided under each category. The subjects were also permitted to list an individual's name in more than one cate- gory if they felt it appropriate. Peer acceptance scores for this measure consisted of the total number of times a student's name was listed by his classmates in any of the five categories. A second measure of peer acceptance was based on the idea that peer acceptance in the informal school struc- ture may be determined by placing individuals on a continuum indicating the amount of intimacy or social distance between each individual and all other classmates. This measure may be referred to as uni-dimensional in that it measures peer acceptance as a single dimension which possesses varying degrees. An adaptation of the Bogardus2 and the Ohio Social 3 Acceptance scales was developed (Appendix C). A list of 1Young, "The Relationship of Clothing," p. 92. 2Bogardus, "Social Distance Scale," pp. 265-71. 3Goode and Hatt, Methods of Research, pp. 252-55. 25 the entire class membership was compiled with ratings 0 to 3 beside each name. Each subject rated all other classmates according to his desired intimacy. 0--if you don't know this person very well 1--if you would be in the same class with this person 2--if you would enjoy eating lunch with this person 3--if you would choose this student to be a close friend Individual's scores of peer acceptance consisted of a total of all ratings received. The third measure was developed in order to obtain a participation score for the subjects indicating peer ac- ceptance in the formal school structure. Gordon's method of obtaining organization prestige was used1 (Appendix C). The organizations were rated by all the students in the high school prior to the date of data collection. An analysis of each class rating and a random sample of all ratings were tabulated. Very few differences occurred in the rank ordered prestige value for each of these methods; therefore, the sophomore class prestige ranking was used based on the as- sumption that organization ratings by the population would be most accurate for this study. Each student's participation in the formal school structure was determined by Gordon's modified Chapin scale. The category of regular attendance to organization meetings was removed since it is likely that little prestige value is placed upon regular attendance in high school. The school lGordon, Social Systems, pp. 149-58. 26 annuals usually recognize all organization members regard- less of their attendance records. The category of elected officer was then divided into two categories: (1) elected officer other than president and (2) president. It was felt that high school organization offices hold varying degrees of prestige and that a president should be differentiated by heavier weighting from other elected officers. Scores for peer acceptance in the formal school structure consisted of total cumulative point values for participation in each organization multiplied by the pres- tige rank of each organization. The following formula was r PA = (OP'R) used: FA = formal acceptance OP = organizational participation R = rank of organization n = number of organizations r = maximum number of organizations Pearson product moment correlations between the three measures described above were as follows: Table 1. Pearson product moment correlations for measures of peer acceptance Organizational Multi-dimensional Participation Acceptance Multi-dimensional Acceptance .44 Uni-dimensional Acceptance .48 .70 7 27 The correlation coefficient of .70 between the multi- dimensional and uni-dimensional measures of peer acceptance indicated a close relationship or the repetitive nature of these measures. A close examination of the data received from both measures revealed that the multi-dimensional measure produced a highly skewed distribution with more than 52 per- cent of the sample receiving scores from 0 to 10 while the remainder of the sample scores were spread from 11 to 129 (Appendix B). The uni-dimensional measure provided a more normal distribution with a score for each subject indicating the extent of this more intimate peer acceptance within the informal school structure. Since a normal distribution is desirable for the calculation of Pearson product moment cor- relations the uni-dimensional measure was selected for this study. This measure was also best suited to correlate with the clothing conformity and awareness scores which were also expressed on a continuum. The low correlations of .44 and .48 between the measures of participation and the multi-dimensional and uni-dimensional measures respectively indicate that the measure of participation serves as an index to a different type of peer acceptance. Therefore, this measure of partic- ipation fulfills its desired purpose as a measure of peer acceptance in the formal school structure. Clothing Mode Conformity and Clothing Mode Awareness A modification of Horn's technique for measuring 28 clothing mode conformity and awareness was used for this study.1 Several trips were made to the research site prior to the date of data collection to determine the range of clothing items worn by the sample. Informal discussions with the students provided indications of clothing cate- gories and items within the categories which carried sig- nificant importance for the students. This proved helpful in that an observer cannot always recognize clothing items of importance to those within a particular peer group. Fashion counts were taken in order to pretest the clothing categories and items within the categories for pos- sible omissions or repetitions. Each category was then checked to see if it revealed a definite modal pattern with various deviations. Categories with no definite modal pat- tern and those which indicated high conformity with few deviations were omitted. Although Horn recommends that the four most discriminating categories be used, all cate- gories which indicated a definite modal pattern with vary- ing amounts of deviation were used in this research study since it seemed logical that any item carrying a decisive modal pattern may be one of concern to the student. Each item within a category of dress was then sketched and included in the questionnaire for measurement of clothing mode awareness. Students were asked to circle the clothing items which they thought to be the mode (Appendix C). lHorn, "Normative Patterns," pp. 49-55. 29 Questionnaires were considered to be a more suitable measure of awareness compared to the interview method recommended by Horn. Use of the questionnaire provided uniform instruc- tions, equal time allowance, and eliminated the influence of the interviewer, thus creating more accuracy within the measuring instrument. A final check of the categories was made a few days prior to the collection of the data to insure that the cate- gories were appropriate for the immediate climate conditions and season. A 16 millimeter movie film was taken of each subject and used to determine the actual clothing conformity scores for each. This again was deemed more appropriate than the observation method suggested by Horn in that it eliminated the training of observers and increased accuracy. Hasty observations were then not necessary as is often the case when large numbers of individuals are observed. A fashion count of the subjects filmed provided a basis for scoring clothing mode conformity and awareness. Final percentages of the frequencies of the occurrence of each item were calculated indicating the exact clothing mode on the date of data collection. The subjects then received a clothing mode conformity score consisting of summed fre- quency percentages for each item worn. Clothing mode aware- ness was figured in the same way in that each circled item received the percentage score of that particular category. 30 Since there was no basis to indicate that one cate- gory carried more importance than another, the percent score for each item in the category was multiplied by the number of items in that category to equalize the values. As men- tioned earlier, this assumption is necessary until further research is conducted. The following formulas were used to calculate the clothing mode conformity and clothing mode awareness scores. IS = n (F/T-lOO) CMC e 2: IS IS = Item score n = number of items per category F = frequency of item in sample T = total sample CMC = clothing mode conformity IS = n (F/T'lOO) CMA = 2 IS IS = Item score n = number of items per category F = frequency of item in sample T = total sample CMA = clothing mode awareness Collection of Data To facilitate a single administration of the ques- tionnaire, the subjects were assembled in a large auditorium and were allowed as much time as necessary to complete the entire questionnaire. Upon completion of the questionnaire, as the students entered the hall from the auditorium in single file their pictures were taken. The questionnaires were numbered consecutively to coincide with the order in 31 which the subjects were filmed. Every tenth student carried a number to insure accuracy in the processing and analysis of the film. Method of Analysis The data obtained from the questionnaires and the film analysis was coded and punched in IBM cards for computer analysis. Transformations were performed on the raw data to arrive at the specific scores for each variable. Since re- search findings concerning the relationship of clothing and peer acceptance have not been consistent for either boys or girls, the data were separated by sex and separate anal- ysis was conducted to eliminate possible differences. Fre- quency counts were made for use in describing the population and to indicate the distribution of scores for each variable. Means and standard deviations for boys and girls were cal- culated for each variable and t-tests were used to determine the significance of differences between means. Since the social class level was determined for each subject, it seemed desirable to eliminate the possible ef- fect of this third factor in the analysis of existing rela- tionships between variables. Consequently, partial corre- lations were selected as the appropriate statistical method. An examination of the frequency distributions for each vari- able revealed that some variables did not maintain a normal distribution as is needed for the calculation of partial correlations. Therefore, chi square was used to check the 32 significance of the relationship between variables in these cases. For purposes of this study a probability of .05 or less was accepted as an indication that the relationship did not occur by chance. CHAPTER V FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION The report of the findings in this investigation includes a description of the research situation, an anal- ysis of each variable, and a discussion of the relationships found to exist between conformity to and awareness of the clothing mode and peer acceptance in the formal and infor- mal school structure. Description of the Research Situation The school enrollment for 1967-68 was 11931 for grades nine through twelve with 281 students enrolled in the sophomore class. A total of 231 sophomore students, 121 boys and 110 girls, participated in this study. Forty- four percent of the subjects resided in rural areas of the community while seven percent considered themselves as resi- dents of the suburban area and forty-nine percent were from the city which had a population of 6754.2 Information obtained from the 1960 Census reveals that the median years of schooling for persons 25 years or 1Michigan Education Directory and Bgyers Guide, 1967-68. 2U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population: 1960 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce), p. 24. 33 34 over was 12.0 and 10.4 for the city and county respectively, compared with 10.8 for the state. The median income for the residents of the city was $5,681 while the median income was $5,091 for county residents and $6,256 for the state. Nearly one-third of the employed male residents of the city were engaged in semi-skilled occupations and one-half of the employed males within the county were engaged in semi- skilled work or farming.1 The socio-economic level of each subject (Table 2) was determined by an analysis of the parent's occupation, education and income using the McGuire White Index.2 The population contained all of the socio-economic levels, al- though the majority of the subjects were placed in the mid- dle and lower middle levels. Table 2. Distribution of population by socio-economic levels Total Level Boys Girls No. % Upper l 1 3 4 1.8 2 11 8 19 8.2 3 39 32 71 30.6 4 58 56 114 49.4 Lower 5 12 ll 23 10.0 Totals 121 110 231 100.0 1U. S. Bureau of the Census, Michiggn General Social and Economic Characteristics: 1960 (Washington, D. C.: U. S. Department of Commerce), pp. 183, 184,185, 191, 206, 287, 312. 2Carson McGuire and George D. White, "The Measurement 35 The student handbook indicated that suitable school attire should be neat in appearance with the stipulation that girls were not to wear various types of slacks and shorts and boys were required to wear belts and shirts but- toned from the second button down and worn inside the trou- sers. Although no specific attire was recommended for the girls, the handbook suggested that boys should wear sport shirts with slacks or blue jeans and that T-shirts worn without another shirt and sweat shirts were not acceptable. The students in this study were considered by the researchers to be conservatively dressed when compared to the adolescent dress as shown by current fashion literature, or by students of larger urban areas. Peer Acceptance in the Formgl School Structure Student replies to the second page of the question- naire (Appendix C) indicated that members of the sophomore class participated in few extracurricular activities. The frequency distribution of rated participation scores reveals a highly skewed distribution for both boys and girls (Appen- dix B, Fig. 3 and 4). The low scores for the majority of the students indicated limited participation or perhaps participation in organizations of low prestige rating. The organizational participation pattern in high school in general of Social Status" (unpublished research paper in Human De- velopment, No. 3 (revised), Department of Educational Psy- chology, The University of Texas, 1963). 36 is such that sophomores normally are not eligible for high prestige positions (Table 3). Consequently low scores for high school sophomores were anticipated. Gordon's compari- son of differences in participation by grade level also indicates low participation for freshman and sophomore stu- dents with decidedly higher scores for junior and senior students.1 Organizational participation was very low for all members of the sophomore class. This study shows that nearly one-half of the girls and one-third of the boys participated in no organizations other than membership in the sophomore class (Organization 1 in Table 4). The lists indicate that there were eleven different sports organizations for boys while only one sport organization, the girls athletic asso- ciation, was available for sophomore girl participants (Table 3). It appeared that the larger number of organized sports activities which were available to the boys accounted for the greater number of boy participants in organizations. In this study, membership in the sophomore class was consid- ered to be an organization since class officers were elected from the membership or class. Comparison of mean scores for formal peer acceptance of boys and girls shows that boys' participation in the for- mal school structure was slightly higher than girls' (Table 5). 1Gordon, Social Systems, p. 76. Table 3. 37 Prestige rating of student organizations Rating NNNNNNNNNNN www bkbbphfib U'IUIU'IU'I H HrJHtJH (High) (Low) Organization Sophomore Class Varsity Football Varsity Basketball Student Council Cheerleaders Junior Varsity Football Junior Varsity Basketball Spotlight Staff Band Annual Staff Baseball Gymnastics Wrestling Track Tennis Pep Club Choir Future Nurses Golf Girls Athletic Association Future Homemakers Key Club Future Farmers Association Future Teachers Future Businessleaders Cross Country Audio Visual Art Club Science Club French Club Pen Pals Other 38 Table 4. The number of organizations to which the boys and girls belonged Boys Girls No. of Percent of No. of Percent of Organizations Boys Belonging Organizations Girls Belonging 11 32.2 1 43.7 2 29.8 2 21.8 3 17.4 3 18.2 4 13.2 4 11.8 5 4.1 S 1.8 6 2.5 6 .9 7 .8 7 1.8 Total 100.0 100.0 lSophomore Class. However, t-tests indicated that this difference was not sig- nificant and could have occurred by chance. This finding differed from those of Gordon1 since results showed that girls' participation scores were generally higher than boys' with the greatest difference occurring at the sophomore level. Gordon's study showed the mean participation score for the sophomore girls to be 25 percent greater than the boys' mean participation score. Since the method used in Gordon's in- vestigation was essentially the same as that which was used in this study the differences in these findings may have occurred as a result of the different emphasis placed on extracurricular activities in the two populations. It is interesting to note that although the boys' participation scores were somewhat higher than the girls' in this study, lIhid. 39 .Ho>oa doc. I d odouamacoan warmer muo>... mm. meemIos oo.eme II mo.omma nHquII mnemIeom mo.amo mo.omea mo.amem nsomIInnocouo3< om.m meemImos om.mmv II He.moea nHquII ... mmomIHom ss.smo me.mmma me.ommm usomIIsoaeuomcou woos ocaruoau mo. memIom em.ea II om.msa nauaoII ommIom sm.ss II eo.aoa nsomIIaoEuomcH Hm. emIm oa.oa II om.oa nauaoII HmIm mo.m II am.aa nsomIIHoeuos ouomudouu¢ woom ummulu omcmm coaumw>oa com: com: moanmaum> amouu< unopcoum couumwwou Hmsuu< mawflm cum whoa mo momma coo3uon OUGMHOMMHU 0:» mo humoulp Qua: manmwwm> some now coauma>ou cumccmum cam some .mmdmm .m OHQMB 40 the position which most likely carried the highest prestige value in the class, that of class president, was held by a girl. Peer Acceptance in the Informal School Structure All students' names were listed on pages 6-9 of the questionnaire (Appendix C) and each subject rated all other classmates according to the amount of closeness desired with each. Contrary to the Ohio Social Acceptance test,1 the measure used for peer acceptance in this study did not con- tain negative ratings. However, it was found that students understood the desired purpose of this portion of the ques- tionnaire and used the zero category to rate individuals they disliked since negative remarks were frequently written in the margins beside the zero ratings of individuals indi- cating that the individual was known but disliked. Scores indicating the relative amount of peer ac- _ ceptance in the informal school structure were similar for boys and girls (Appendix B, Fig. 5 and 6). The scores for girls ranged from 50 to 346 while the boys' scores ranged from 36-350. Five of the boys received scores lower than 50, the lowest peer acceptance score among the girls. It is interesting to note, however, that the individual receiv- ing the highest peer rating was a boy. T-tests of the dif- ference between the means of this uni-dimensional measure lGoode and Hatt, Methods of Research, pp. 252—55. 41 of peer acceptance for boys and girls were not significant (Table 5). This finding was contrary to that of Young.1 She found that girls' peer acceptance scores were signifi- cantly higher than boys'. Before conclusions can be drawn concerning peer acceptance ratings one must consider the number of boys and girls participating in the study. It seemed likely that girls would tend to rate girls more highly and boys would tend to rate boys more highly. A comparison of this study and Young's shows that Young studied a popu- lation of 270 females and 251 males whereas this study con- tained 110 females and 121 males. Therefore, the signifi- cantly higher mean scores for girls found by Young might be accounted for by the larger number of girls in her sample. It should also be noted that Young used a multi-dimensional measure in contrast to the uni-dimensional measure of this study which also could have accounted for differences. Clothing Mode Fashion counts of the filmed subjects provided a modal pattern of dress for both boys and girls. Tables 6 and 7 show the categories of clothing styles considered and the percentage of each clothing style or item observed. The item receiving the highest percent in each category was by definition the mode of that category. The clothing mode for either boys or girls of this population consisted of 1Young, The Relationship of Clothieg, pp. 50-52. Table 6. Frequency percentages for boys' clothing items 42 BOYS TROUSER LENGTH Long with Wrinkle 8 Top of Shoe 18 ‘Ankle 42 2" Above Ankle 28 4" Above Ankle 3 Can't see 1 BOYS TROUSERS FIT Very tight 8 ‘Tight 64 Medium 23 Loose 5 Baggy 0 BOYS SHIRT COLLARS 'Button-down 70 Convertible 13 Collarless 0 Knit shirt, plain collar 2 Turtle Neck 1 Jersey or Sweatshirt 9 Mock Turtle Neck 2 Snap-tab Collar 1 2 V-Neck BOYS SHIRT FABRIC DESIGN ‘Solid Color 55 Small Stripe 17 Plaid 18 Large Print 3 Small Print 3 Horizontal Stripe 3 Polka Dot Large Vertical Stripe 1 BOYS SHIRT TAILS IN OR OUT ‘Dress Shirt IN 62 Dress Shirt OUT 21 Pullover OUT 12 Pullover IN 4 Jac Shirt OUT 1 'Category mode. BOYS SHIRT COLORS White Black 'Blue, light Blue, dark Brown Cranberry Gold Green Green, olive Grey Orange Purple Red Tan Yellow Medium blue Turquoise Rust Charcoal Pink Wheat BOYS SHOES Slip-on Hush Puppy Slip-on with buckle Slip-on ‘Penny Loafer Tassle Loafer. High Top Loafer Moccasin Dark Blue Tennis Other Color Tennis Low Sided, White Sport Tennis Open Weave Fabric Tie Oxford Wing Tip I High Cut, Pointed Toe, Dress Shoe Desert Boot Cowboy Boot Military or work boot Dress Slip-on Engineer Boot BOYS SOCKS COLOR White ‘Dark Patterned Light No Socks Can't see NI—‘l-‘D-‘wCDNWNOUTNNNIbwUTUICDNm U1 \OI-‘w l-' NU) OCH .9me FUJI-'0 \] WONQOWU'I Table 7. 43 Frequency percentages for girls' clothing items GIRLS SKIRT LENGTH 6" above knee 4" above knee '1-2" above knee At knee cap Just below knee 2" below knee TYPE OF CLOTHING ’Dress Skt. & Shell or Swt. Skirt & Blouse Skirt, Bl. & Swt. Jumper & Blouse Suit Culottes & Blouse Pants Dress Sh. Shift--with Pants SILHOUETTE 'A—line Shift Tent Drop Wst., Flare or Pleated Skirt Straight, Nat. Waist Nat. Waist, Gathers Nat. Waist, Pleats Empire Waist, Gather 'Category mode. 13 48 33 38 18 19 10 59 18 [\J I-‘QNOH FABRIC DESIGN OF DRESS OR SKIRT ‘Solid Color Small Print Medium Print Large Print Psych. Print Polka Dot Small Stripe Medium Stripe Large Stripe Plaid Am. Stripe Plaid Gingham Check GIRLS SHOES Penny Loafer ,Plain Loafer Tassle Loafer Buckle Loafer High Top Moccasin Tie Oxford White Tennis Shoe Colored Tennis Shoe Plain Flats Flats with Open Work Sandal Patent Block Heels Stack Heels LEG COVERING Cl. Text. Knit hose Fish Net Hosiery Colored Hosiery 'Plain Nylon Hosiery Knee Socks B. Socks--Anklets No covering |'-‘ U! #030 bomb WWU'ICD 03 [.4 H |._I 00000 bme-‘O (I) wI-mwm O 44 the items in all categories worn most frequently. Each cate- gory of girls' clothing selected prior to data collection contained a definite mode indicating that a specific pattern of dress was adhered to by the majority of the girls. Spe- cific details of clothing items in dark shades of color in the film were difficult to determine. Therefore, careful observations of light reflection as the students walked were necessary in order to determine details of shoes. The vari- ous types of loafers for both boys and girls were combined since it appeared that the minor differences in loafer type were not important to the students as long as it could be classed as a loafer. Two of the boys' clothing categories, boys' trouser cuffs and boys' trouser type, did not Show a definite modal pattern in a fashion count of the film. For this reason these categories were deleted from the boys' clothing mode. Awareness of the Clothing Mode Awareness scores were obtained from the circled items on pages 10-17 of the questionnaire (Appendix C). The sub- ject's score for awareness of the mode was calculated by summing the frequency percentages of the items which he cir- cled, a procedure similar to that used to calculate conform- ity scores. The total possible range of clothing awareness scores was 0-3485 for boys and 0-2448 for girls. One girl and three boys received maximum scores, indicating that they had perceived the exact clothing mode for the girls and boys 45 respectively. Since the clothing categories were of equal weight it was possible to compare the boys' and girls' cloth- ing mode conformity scores by subtracting a constant from the boys' scores. The mean awareness score was slightly higher for the boys than for the girls but a t-test indi- cated that this difference may have occurred by chance and was not significant. Comparison of the distribution of scores (Appendix B, Fig. 9 and 10) shows a more normal dis- tribution of scores for the girls while the boys' scores were slightly skewed with a much larger standard deviation. Vener, in a study of clothing awareness, found that girls demonstrated greater awareness than boys, a seemingly contradictory finding to that of the present study. If girls are more sensitive to clothing as Vener's study indi- cated, it may be that their sensitivity leans toward the incoming fashion and in reply to the question concerning clothing awareness used in this study, they might have se- lected the more fashionable items rather than the modal clothing items worn by the population. Conformitygto the Clothing Mode The clothing conformity score for each subject was a total of the frequency scores for each item worn by the subject multiplied by the number of items in each category. The conformity scores for the boys were considerably higher than those of the girls because the boys' clothing mode con- tained two more categories. The girls' conformity scores 46 ranged from 769-2448 and the boys' scores ranged from 591- 3485 while the total possible range of clothing conformity scores was 6—2448 for girls and 14-3485 for boys. Five girls and four boys received the total possible score indicating that they were wearing,at the time of the filming,the items in all categories which were the most popular. For comparative purposes, a constant was subtracted from the boys' conformity scores in the same manner as that used for awareness scores. The corrected mean score for the boys was 1293.45 compared to a mean of 1705.41 for the girls. T-tests of the difference between means showed that the girls were significantly higher than the boys on conform- ity to the clothing mode at the .001 level. It is difficult to determine the reason for the girls' high conformity to the clothing mode. Perhaps the long history of fashion em- phasis on women's clothing would sensitize girls to new items of dress and decrease awareness of mode being worn and at the same time account for a greater conformity to the mode. To the knowledge of this writer, no studies prior to this one have been conducted concerning the conformity to the clothing mode using a heterogeneous group. However, in light of studies such as Cannon e£_el.,l who found that girls' personal appearance scores were significantly higher than the boys', one might conclude that girls place more lCannon et a1., "Personal Appearance," pp. 710-13. 47 emphasis on clothes, resulting in higher conformity scores. Relationship Between Clothing Mode Awareness and ClothingyMode Conformity_ Conformity to the clothing mode was hypothesized to be positively related to awareness of the clothing mode. This proposition was based on the theory that awareness is possibly a prerequisite to conformity in group interaction. The correlation coefficient of .32 for the boys supports this proposed hypothesis. The finding for the girls was somewhat lower, although significant at the .001 level (Table 8). The correlation coefficient between conformity to the clothing mode and awareness of the clothing mode may be affected by environmental factors. Individuals can be aware of the clothing mode but may be unable to conform to the clothing because of limited finances, because of modesty, or because they may have little control over the selection of their clothing (e.g., parents may purchase clothes for them). The significant positive relationship between aware- ness of the clothing mode and conformity to the clothing Rode indicated that the subjects' conformity was not a chance phenomenon but that students intentionally conformed to the clothing mode which they perceived. 48 H0>0H doc. I d ucouauacman warmer suo>... Ho>oa so. I d ocouamacoan maroam.. Ho>oa mo. I d ucouamacoan. mo. ma. ...Hm. ova. Hmswom ...mm. ...ve. ...Hq. ...om. HmewomcH oucmumouum Doom ..mm. ...mm. moasuoucou oooe ocaruoau mawfio nNom mawaw uNmm INMHEHOMCOU mmmcowm3< opoe mcacuoao mucouaouum Home new duos mcflnuoao mcaumHou m:owumHouuou HMHOHMQ mo oucouamacmdm .m manna 49 Relationship Between ClotheegMode Awageness and Peer Acceptance in the Formal School Structure Awareness of the clothing mode was hypothesized to be positively related to peer acceptance in the formal school structure. A correlation of .17 for the boys indicated a relationship which was positive in direction but quite low. However, this relationship was significant at the .05 level and for purposes of this study provides minimum support to the proposed hypothesis. A higher correlation of .31 for the girls showed a significant relationship at the .001 level. Since the use of partial correlations is based on assumed normal distributions and since the frequency scores for peer acceptance were highly skewed a chi square test was run to verify the results (Appendix A). The chi square contingency coefficients coincided with the results of the partial correlations with coefficients of .28 and .35 for boys and girls, respectively (Appendix A, Tables 2 and 7). These findings indicate that for girls clothing awareness is associated with participation in the organizations of the high school while the boys' participation has little relationship to clothing awareness. Relationship Between Clothing Mode Conformity and Peer Acceptance in the Formal School Structure Conformity to the clothing mode was hypothesized to be positively related to peer acceptance in the formal or organizational structure of the school. Table 8 shows a partial correlation coefficient of .02 for girls and a 50 coefficient of .16 for the boys. Neither of these correla- tions reached the .05 level of significance, therefore fail- ing to support the original hypothesis. Although the effect of a third factor, social class, was not removed for chi square calculations, the results also showed that no rela- tionship existed outside of chance; thereby confirming low coefficients for the partial correlations (Table 8). It is possible that the measure of peer acceptance in the formal school structure was not appropriate to the limits of this study since peer acceptance in the formal' school structure is school-wide and is not limited to the sophomore class. The participation score would then be an indication of acceptance in the total school system rather than the sophomore class. Furthermore, it should be noted that participation in the formal organizations of the school structure is relatively low at the sophomore level. The data for this study revealed that 32.3 percent of the boys and 43.7 percent of the girls did not participate in the formal school structure outside of being a class member. An additional 47.2 and 40.0 percent of the boys and girls, respectively, participated in only two organizations outside of class membership leaving 20 percent of the total class members as active participants (Table 4). The lack of significant relationships between cloth- ing conformity and participation in school organizations 51 contradicts the findings of Masumotol and Hamilton.2 Hamilton's study concerned high school juniors and it is likely that, as juniors, they participated in more extra- curricular activities producing more normally distributed scores. Masumoto's study concerned sophomore boys and girls; however, her measure of social participation included dat- ing and cliques in addition to participation in voluntary organizations. Thus, Masumoto's measurement included in- formal peer acceptance and this most likely accounts for the significant relationship which she found between cloth- ing and peer acceptance. Although the proposed hypothesis was not supported significantly the data show a slight positive relationship. Perhaps a refinement of the measures would result in more significant findings. On the other hand, it is possible that peer acceptance necessary for participation in the formal school system is of a different type than that re- ferred to by McDavid and Harari3 as a sanction used for norm conformity or perhaps it may be a sanction for another norm, such as academic achievement or skill in sports. 1Masumoto, "The Relationship of Dress." 2Hamilton, "Acceptable and Non-Acceptable Clothing Behavior." 3McDavid and Harari, Social Psychology, p. 309. 52 Relationship Between Clothing Mode Awareness and Peer Acceptance IE the Informal School Structure Awareness of the clothing mode was hypothesized to be positively related to acceptance by members of the class on the basis of desired friendships. Significant partial correlation coefficients of .30 and .41 for boys and girls respectively (Table 8) gave ample support to the proposed hypothesis. This significant relationship between awareness of the clothing mode and peer acceptance with reference to the friendly association between classmates upholds the idea developed in the review of literature that awareness of a clothing mode may be an important part of group interaction and may even promote attraction between members of the group. The clothing mode may then become a common frame of reference known as a norm with the positive sanction of peer accept- ance attached. Relationship Between Clothin Mode Conformity and Peer Acceptance in the Informal School Structure Conformity to the clothing mode was hypothesized to be positively related to peer acceptance in the friend- ship system which constitutes the informal school structure. Results of the statistical analysis proved highly signifi- cant for the hypothesized relationships. A partial corre- lation coefficient of .44 occurred for the boys, having a level of significance of less than .001 (Table 8). This 53 result gives strong support to the studies of Young1 and Dillon2 who also found significant relationships between peer acceptance and clothing for boys. The correlation coefficient for the girls was some- what lower, although significant (Table 8). Even though contingency coefficients cannot be compared directly to par- tial correlation coefficients the contingency coefficient (calculated without removing the effect of social class) of .39 (Appendix A, Fig. 6) gives some indication that so- cial class level may have affected the relationship between acceptance by peers in the informal or friendship system and conformity to the clothing mode for the girls. The positive relation between conformity to the clothing mode and peer acceptance in the informal school structure for girls coincides with the findings of Toomire,3 Bjorngaard,4 Cannon e£_el.,s and VanDeWal6 in that they also showed a relationship between clothing and peer acceptance. The findings of this study point up the importance of clothing conformity in the social interaction of Young, "The Relationship of Clothing." Dillon, "Modal Pattern of Dress." Toomire, "Social Acceptance and Appearance." Bjorngaard, "The Relationship of Social Class." Cannon et al., "Personal Appearance," pp. 710-13. mmewmw VanDeWal, “A Study of the Relationship." 54 individuals and the relationship between clothing and ac- ceptance of teenagers by their peers. No attempt was made to determine a cause and effect relationship between cloth- ing conformity and peer acceptance. However, there is some evidence for a theoretical position which states that the clothing mode is in fact a norm in the strict sense with peer acceptance as a positive sanction. Summary of Findipg§_ Awareness of and conformity to the clothing mode was found to be significantly related to acceptance in the informal friendship relations of the sophomore class. Sig- nificant relationships were also found between the subjects' participation in school organizations and awareness of the clothing mode while conformity to the clothing mode was not significantly related to participation in organizations of the school. It was concluded that participation was rela- tively low at the sophomore level indicating that partici- pation-carried little importance for the sophomore student. It is also possible that peer acceptance in the formal school structure is a sanction for another norm such as academic achievement or skill in sports. The significant relationships found to exist between conformity to and awareness of the clothing mode and peer acceptance, particularly the acceptance into the informal school structure, supports the theory that the clothing mode is a norm with peer acceptance as a sanction. CHAPTER VI SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Summary The major concern of this study was to identify existing relationships between awareness of and conformity to the clothing mode and peer acceptance in both the formal and informal school structure. Socio-psychological litera- ture reveals that conformity is a result of group communi- cation and interaction. Awareness or perception also plays an important role in interaction. The literature also in- dicates that when groups conform to specific aspects of be- havior known as norms, sanctions exist in order to maintain this conformity. Since group norms may exist in the use of material objects it was theorized that the clothing mode of a group could possibly be a clothing norm. A positive sanction for conformity to the clothing norm may then be peer acceptance. Although a cause and effect relationship could not be determined in this study, a positive relation- ship between awareness of and conformity to the clothing mode and peer acceptance would give some support to the proposed theoretical relationship between clothing as a norm with peer acceptance as a possible sanction. Hypotheses were drawn up proposing positive rela- tionships between conformity to the clothing mode and peer 55 56 acceptance in both the informal friendship system of the sophomore class and the formal school organizational system. Awareness of the clothing mode was also propoSed to be pos- itively related to peer acceptance in the formal and infor- mal school structure. Furthermore, if a positive relation- ship existed between the above variables it was hypothesized that a positive relationship would occur between awareness of and conformity to the clothing mode. The population selected for this study was the same as that used for an interregional project presently in prog- ress. The subjects were the sophomore class of a central Michigan high school and consisted of 121 boys and 110 girls. A questionnaire and 16 millimeter motion pictures were selected as a means of data collection. The film per- mitted a means of establishing a modal pattern of dress for the boys and girls of the population studied. Conformity to the mode was also determined by an analysis of the filmed subjects. The questionnaire provided a means of measuring two types of peer acceptance. The first, a measure of the amount of participation in the formal organizations of the school system and the second a uni-dimensional measure of informal peer acceptance indicating the closeness of the relationship existing between each individual and all other classmates. Illustrations of clothing items in the question- naire were used to measure an individual's awareness of the clothing mode. 57 Separate analyses were conducted for boys and girls to eliminate possible differences due to sex. Partial cor- relations were the major form of statistical analysis used to determine relationships between variables since the anal- ysis could be manipulated to eliminate the effect of social class on the variables related. Chi square tests were used as a check of the relationships between the variables since some of the data were not normally distributed as is assumed for the calculation of correlations. Means and standard deviations of the scores were determined for all of the var- iables which included awareness of the clothing mode, con— formity to the clothing mode, informal peer acceptance, and formal peer acceptance. T-tests were used to determine the significance of the difference between the means of the boys and girls. Comparisons of the mean scores of the boys and girls showed that girls conformed more to their clothing mode than boys. The scores of boys and girls were not significantly different for the variables of clothing mode awareness, peer acceptance in the informal school structure, and peer accept- ance in the formal school structure. A summary of the proposed hypothesis and the results are recorded below: Hypothesis 1. Clothing mode conformity will be pos- itively related to clothing mode awareness. A significant relationship was found between awareness 58 of and conformity to the clothing mode for both boys and girls. These findings confirm the above hypothesis. Hypothesis 2. Clothing mode awareness will be pos- itively related to peer acceptance in the formal school structure. The correlation coefficient measuring the relation- ship between awareness of the clothing mode to participation in school organizations was significant for the boys while the coefficient for the girls was highly significant. Thus, the hypothesis was supported by the findings of both sexes with a more significant relationship for the girls. Hypothesis 3. Clothing mode conformity will be pos- itively related to peer acceptance in the formal school struc- ture. A positive relationship between conformity to the clothing mode and peer acceptance measured by participation in the formal school structure was not significant for either the boys or the girls. Therefore, the third hypothesis was not confirmed. Hypothesis 4. Clothing mode awareness will be pos- itively related to peer acceptance in the informal school structure. Awareness of the clothing mode was discovered to be significantly related to peer acceptance in the informal friendship structure of the sophomore class. These findings were significant for both sexes. 59 Hypothesis 5. Clothing mode conformity will be pos- itively related to peer acceptance in the informal school structure. The correlation coefficient measuring the relation- ship between conformity to the clothing mode and acceptance in the friendship structure of the sophomore class were’ highly significant for both boys and girls. These results support the fifth hypothesis. In conclusion, the findings of this study revealed positive relationships between conformity to and awareness of the clothing mode and peer acceptance. These findings support the major objective of this study indicating that a theoretical relationship may possibly exist between the clothing mode as a norm and peer acceptance as a positive sanction for conformity to the clothing norm. Implications of the Findiggg The results of this study supported all of the pro- posed hypotheses with the exception of the relationship be- tween conformity to the clothing mode and peer acceptance reflected by participation in the formal school structure. Although the hypotheses were significantly supported it should be noted that none of the correlation coefficients were above .50 indicating that although significant, the relationships were rather weak. Since the data revealed a definite relationship between peer acceptance and conform- ity to clothing mode the proposed theory that the clothing 60 mode is a norm accompanied by the sanction of peer accept- ance cannot be discounted. Perhaps further refinement of measures would produce higher correlations. Since the two measures of peer acceptance indicate two types of acceptance, that which is defined by partici- pation in school organizations and that defined by closeness of friendships, it appears that they may constitute two dif- ferent sanctions. It is possible that peer acceptance in the informal school structure (friendship system) may be a positive sanction for conformity to the clothing norm, where- as peer acceptance in the formal school structure may be a sanction for another behavioral norm such as academic achieve- ment or perhaps skill in sports. I Further study of the findings shows that girls' cloth- ing awareness scores correlate significantly with partici- pation in the formal organizations of the school system; however, almost no relationship exists between conformity to the clothing mode and participation. These results im- ply that girls who participate in school organizations, show- ing leadership qualities, are aware of the clothing mode but do not conform. Perhaps these girls are also leaders in dress and purposely deviate from the clothing mode. The fact that a significant relationship does occur between clothing and peer acceptance particularly acceptance in the friendship system, shows the value of clothing in the interaction process. Those educators concerned with 61 student relationships should consider the importance of clothing in peer acceptance. Parents who ignore the age- old comment from their adolescents "everyone else wears them" may in fact not fully understand the process of so- cialization in the child's perception of the modal pattern of dress and consequently the effect that non-conformity may have upon the child's social adjustments. The results of the study may also be of value to social workers dealing with financially deprived adolescents who cannot conform to the modal pattern of dress and are thus deprived of a healthy relationship with peers. Recommendations In working with the data for this research project the writer came to feel that the clothing mode might include not only particular items of clothing but also the general appearance of those items as well as the appearance of the individual with regard to cleanliness and neatness. A ten point scale was drawn up for use as a subjective evaluation of each student's general appearance and evaluations were made of each subject during the viewing of the film. Par- tial correlations were calculated between appearance and peer acceptance by the rest of the class (informal school structure). Results were significantly related with coef- ficients of .34 and .38 for boys and girls respectively. On the basis of this observation another study might be conducted using a wider definition of clothing mode to 62 include more than mere clothing items. This would require the development of a more refined measure of general appear- ance as opposed to the highly subjective measure used for this observation. Additional analysis of the present data could be made by analyzing the measure of peer acceptance in the informal school structure with respect to the desired and actual peer acceptance. It would be possible to discover an individual's desired relationship with other individuals and compare that to the actual relationship his classmates desire with him. This could then reveal some interesting relationships when correlated with clothing mode awareness and clothing mode conformity. An investigation could be made into the type of deviation from clothing mode and its relationship to peer acceptance. It appears that two types of deviation exist: (1) those students who are wearing current fashions and (2) those students who are wearing “out-dated" fashions. Another study concerning peer acceptance in the formal school structure would be desirable. Perhaps this research should be conducted at upper grade levels where organizational participation is greater, or participation should be measured in relation to the entire school system since most organizations involve acceptance by the entire school. Further studies using some type of photography as 63 a measuring instrument should take precautions in lighting. It was found that although the pictures were pleasing to the eye, darker shades as found in shoes and trousers did not reveal as much detail as might be desired. Therefore, excessive amounts of lighting of darker areas is very im- portant. BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Cartwright, D. R., and A. Zander (eds.). Groepgynamics: Research and Theory. 2nd ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1960. Chapin, Francis S. Experimental Designs in Sociological Research. Rev. ed. New York: Harper, 1947. Coleman, James S. The Adolescent Society. New York: The Free Press of Glencoe, 1961. Goode, William J., and Paul K. Hatt. Methods of Research. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1954. Gordon, C. Wayne. The Socia11_ystemT of the Hi igh School. Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1957. Hall, Edward T. The Silent Language. New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1959. Hurlock, Elizabeth. Developmental Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1 5 . 2nd ed. Kerlinger, Fred N. Foundations of Behavioral Research. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1964. Mead, George Herbert. Mind, Self and Societ . Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 19 4. McDavid, John W., and Herbert Harari. Social Psychology. New York: Harper and Row, Inc., 1968. Newcomb, Theodore M. Social Psychology. New York: The Dryden Press, Inc., 1950. Newcomb, Theodore M., Ralph H. Turner and Philip E. Converse. Social Psychology. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1965. Sampson, Edward E. (ed.). Approachesy_Contexts and Problems of Social Psycholegy_. New Jersey: PrentIEe-Hall, Inc., 1964. Sherif, Muzafer. An tOutline of Social Psycholo ogy. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1948. 64 65 Sherif, Muzafer. Social Interaction. Chicago: Aldine Pub- lishing Company, 1967. Shibutani, Tamotsu. Society and Personality. Princeton, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1961. Stone, Gregory P. "Appearance and the Self," in Human Be- havior and Social Processes, ed. by Arnold M. Rose. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1962. Strang, Ruth. The Adolescent Views Himself. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1957. Articles Bonney, M. E. "A Study of Friendship Choices in College in Relation to Church Affiliation, In-Church Pref- erence, Family Size, and Length of Enrollment in College," J. Soc. Psychol., 29, 1949, 153-66. Bogardus, E. S. "Social Distance Scale," Sociol. Soc. Res., 17, 1933, 265-71. Brown, D. "Factors Affecting Social Acceptance of High- School Students," School Review, 62, 1954, 151-55. Cannon, Kenneth L., Ruth Stapels and Irene Carlson. "Per- sonal Appearance as a Factor in Social Acceptance," Journal of Home Economics, 44, October, 1952, 710-13. Elkens, D. "Some Factors Related to the Choice Status of Ninety Eighth Grade Children in a School Society," Genet. Psychol. Monogr., 58, 1958, 207-72. Horn, Marilyn J. "A Method for Determining Normative Pat- terns of Dress,“ Proceedings of the National Tex- tiles and Clothing Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 19- 2,1 68, 49- 55. Johnson, E. E. "Student Ratings of Popularity and Scholas- tic Ability of Their Peers and Actual Scholastic Performance of Those Peers," Journal of Social Psyr chology, 47, 1958, 127-32. Newcomb, Theodore M. "The Prediction of Interpersonal At- traction," American Psycholo ist, 11, 1956, 575-86. Rosencranz, M. L. "Clothing Symbolism," Journal of Home Economics, 54, January, 1962, 18-22. 66 Tindall, R. "Relationships Among Indices of Social Adjust- ment," J. of Educational and Psychological Measure- ments, XV, Summer, 1955. Other Sources Bjorngaard, Arlene Louise. "The Relationship of Social Class and Social Acceptance to Clothing and Appearance of a Selected Group of Ninth Grade Girls." Unpublished Master's Thesis, Michigan State University, 1962. Dillon, Mary Louise. "The Modal Pattern of Dress and Its Relationship to Peer Acceptance Among Eighth Grade Boys." Unpublished Master's Thesis, Michigan State University, 1963. ‘ Hamilton, Janice Marie. "Acceptable and Non-Acceptable Clothing Behavior and Students' Role in a High School Community." Unpublished Master's Thesis, Kansas State University, 1965. Interregional project W-98, "The Relationship of Clothing to the Personal and Social Acceptability of Adoles- cents," interregional research currently in progress at Colorado State University, University of Hawaii, University of Nevada, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, Utah State University, Washington State University, and University of Wisconsin. Michigan State Univer- sity S tudy under the direction of Anna M. Creekmore, Agricultural Experiment Station Project 1020. Kittles, Emma Louise Holmes. "Experimental Use of Techniques for Determining the Influence of Clothing upon So- cial Acceptance of Junior High School Girls." Un— published Master's Thesis, Ohio State University, 1956. Masumoto, Sachiko. “The Relationship of Dress and Behavior Associated with Dress to the Social Participation of the Adolescent Boy.“ Unpublished Master's Thesis, Pennsylvania State University, 1958. McGuire, Carson, and George D. White. "The Management of Social Status." Unpublished research paper in Human Development, No. 3 (revised), Department of Educa- tional Psychology, The University of Texas, 1963. Michigan Education Directory_and Buyers Guidei 1967-68. 67 Toomire, Phyllis A. "Social Acceptance and its Relation- ship to Appearance and Selection of Clothing by Teen-Age Girls." Unpublished Master's Thesis, Southern Illinois University, 1964. Census of the Population: 1960. U.S. Bureau of the Census. _; Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce. General Social and Eco- U.S. Bureau of the Census. Michigan Washington, D.C.: nomic Characteristics, 1960. U.S. Department of Commerce. VanDeWal, Shally Lynne. "A Study of the Relationship Be- tween Clothing Conformity and Peer Acceptance Among Eighth Grade Girls." Unpublished Master's Thesis, Purdue University, 1968. Vener, Arthur. "Adolescent Orientation to Clothing." published Doctoral Dissertation, Michigan State University, 1959. Young, Mary Jane. "The Relationship of Clothing to Peer Acceptance and to Personal Appearance of Adolescents." Unpublished Master's Thesis, Michigan State Univer- sity, 1967. Un- APPENDIX A 69 Table 9. Chi square contingency table for boys' clothing awareness and conformity Clothing mode Clothin mode awareness conformity 804-1800 1801-2600 2601-3485 Total 591-1800 9 19 6 34 1801-2600 7 14 17 38 2601-3485 3 15 31 49 Total 19 48 54 121 x2 = 18.26 c = 0.36 P = .01 Table 10. Chi square contingency table for boys' clothing awareness and formal peer acceptance Clothing mode Forma1_peer acceptance awareness 5-7 8-14 15-51 Total 804-1800 11 7 1 19 1801-2600 24 15 9 48 2601-3485 14 24 16 54 Total 49 46 26 121 x2 = 10.66 c = 0.28 P = .05 Table 11. Chi square contingency table for boys' clothing conformity and formal peer acceptance Clothing mode Formal peer acceptance conformity, 5-7 8-14 15-51 Total 591-1800 19 10 S 34 1801-2600 18 13 7 38 2601-3485 12 23 14 49 Total 49 46 26 121 2 x = 9040 C = 0027 P NS 70 Table 12. Chi square contingency table for boys' clothing awareness and informal peer acceptance Clothing mode Informal peer accgptance awareness 36-125 126-225 226-350 Total 804-1800 11 7 1 19 1801-2600 22 18 8 48 2601—3485 11 24 19 54 Total 44 49 28 121 x2 = 14.66 c = 0.33 AP = .01 Table 13. Chi square contingency table for boys' clothing conformity and informal peer acceptance Clothing mode Informal peer acceptance conformity 36-125 126-225 226-350 Total 591-1800 23 11 o 34 1801-2600 12 15 11 38 2601-3485 9 23 17 49 Total 44 49 28 121 x2 = 26.07 c = 0.42 P = .001 Table 14. Chi square contingency table for girls' clothing conformity and clothing awareness Clothing mode Clothing_mode awareness conformity 70-1200 1201—1800 1801-2448 Total 769-1350 13 9 1 23 1351-1900 12 28 9 49 1901-2448 11 20 7 38 Total 36 57 17 110 x2 = 8.47 c a 0.27 P = NS 71 Table 15. Chi square contingency table for clothing mode awareness and formal peer acceptance —— -. Clothing mode Formal peer acceptance awareness 5 6-11 12-54 Total 70-1200 23 12 l 36 1201-1800 18 25 14 57 1801-2448 6 5 6 17 Total 47 42 21 x2 a 14.95 c = 0.35 P = .01 Table 16. Chi square contingency table for girls' clothing conformity and formal peer acceptance Clothing mode Formal peer acceptance conformity 5 6-11 12-54 Total 769-1350 12 8 3 23 1351-1900 22 17 10 49 1901-2448 13 17 8 38 Total 47 42 21 110 x2 = 2.40 c = 0.15 P = NS Table 17. Chi square contingency table for clothing mode awareness and informal peer acceptance W Clothing mode Informal peer acceptance awareness 50-150 151-230 231-346 Total 70-1200 27 6 3 36 1201-1800 22 16 19 57 1801-2448 4 6 7 17 Total 53 28 29 110 x2 = 17.40 c = 0.37 P = .01 72 Table 18. Chi square contingency table for girls' clothing conformity and informal peer acceptance Clothing mode Informal peer acceptance conformity 50-150 151-230 231-346 Total 769-1350 19 1 3 23 1351-1900 19 19 ll 49 1901-2448 15 8 15 38 Total 53 28 29 110 —2 X = 19020 C = 0039 P = 0001 APPENDIX B 74 mauwm uom monoum mucmumouum Hood HmcomeMEHUIHuasfi mo coauznauumwo mucmsvmuh .H musmwh monoum oaa ooa om om on om om ov om om OH I b d O u a C c C d u q a u o O 1 c o . 0H - om 01 6) Frequency Frequency 70F 40 - 30+- 20 - 10 - O 1 10 Figure 2. 75 A L l l . I . l I ll 1 I , [—.——-l 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 130 Scores Frequency distribution of multi-dimensional peer acceptance for girls 76 mauam mom mucmuamuum Homo Hmeuom mo soapsnflupmao hucmsvouh om ov mmuoum .m musmflm Frequency 77 whoa mom mucmpamuum noon Hmauom mo coausnfiuumflo hucmsomum monoum 0H .¢ musmflm Frequency 78 maufim How mmuoum mucmuamuum Home Hmcowmcmadvlaqs mo cowusnauumao husmsumum .m madman ououm 0mm oom 0mm oom omH ooa om <3 ...; Frequency 79 when How mmuoum oucmuamuuw noun HMCOfimamEHUIHc: mo coauanauumflo hucmsvmuh .m musmwm mwuoum 0mm oom 0mm oom oma 00H om ! q 1 I I I J O J m 0 Y . . m a . can. m e r F o ..mH . 0N 80 mauflm uom mmuoum muHEuomcou woos mcanuoau mo coausnflunmflo hucmsvmum .h musmfih oomN oo¢m ooom coma OONH oom 00¢ . . .1 . a q o - 0 10H .ON .om .ov Frequency 81 00mm when Mom mmuoum hyafiuomsou 0005 mcwnuoau mo coausnfiuumao hocmsvmum mmuoum comm comm oowm ooom coma oom- oom 00¢ . . 4 a q a 4 .m musmfim 0v Frequency 82 mauam mom monoum mmocmumam woos mcaruoau mo soausnauumao mucosvmuh .m musmam . monoum comm ccom cccm coma coma com 00¢ a C u d 1 d u 1 <3 Frquency cw whoa now monoum mmmcoumzm woos mcanuoau mo coausnauumao hucmsvmnh .ca muzmam mmuoum comm comm comm ccam cccm coma coma com coo c - ca 3 18 J ON . cm Frequency APPENDIX C Dear Students: We would like your help in our survey about teenagers and their clothing. It is only with the help of you students that our study can be of value. At the beginning of each section you will find directions for the correct procedure to follow in that section. We would very much appreciate your cooperation in completely filling out the following questionnaire to the best of your knowledge. Thank you. Name Age Male Female Check where you live: In Town Suburb Rural Area 34. 2 Below is a list of the organizations in your school. Check “your position in those to which you belong. Name of Organization Sophomore Class . Art Clu io-Visua Girls Athletic Association . Future Nurses Future Teachers . Pen Pals Pe C u . Science C u . French Club Future Business Lea ers of America Kc C u . Annua Sta . Band . Choir . Cheerleaders u ure Farmers u ure Eomemakcrs . Sootl ht Staff tudent Council ars coo . Jr. Varsit Foot Varsit Basket ll Jr. Varsi Basket Baseball Cross Coun Golf . vanastics Tennis Track . drest in Other Committee Chairman of Committee lected Officer (other than president) Write name of position President Do Not Write “In This Column Please indicate the main wage earner in your family. father mother other (please specify) (example: stepfather, uncle, brother) Please indicate the source of income for the major wage earner in your family. a) wages, hourly wages (weekly paycheck) b) profits and fees from a business or profession c) salary paid on a monthly basis d) social security or unemployment insurance e) odd jobs, irregular work, seasonal work f) if other, please eXplain Hill Please eXplain in detail what the main wage earner does at work. Please eXplain Specifically type pf work. Examples: salesman in a clothing store, waiter, manages 20 other workers in an office, works on the assembly-line, owns and manages a small store with 6 employees. Does any other person contribute to the financial support of your family? yes no If yes, please eXplain who (mother, brother, uncle). Please explain in detail the type of work done by this person. Do Not Write in This Column. 4 Please indicate the source of income for the second person who contributes to your family's financial support. a) wages, hourly wages (weekly paycheck) b) profits and fees from a business or profession c) salary paid on a monthly basis d) social security or unemployment insurance e) odd jobs, irregular work, seasonal work f) if other, please explain Please indicate highest level of education achieved by each of the following: father mother main wage earner (if other than mother or father) finished 7th grade or lower finished 8th grade finished 9th grade finished 10th or 11th grade graduated from high school 1 to 3 years of college college graduate graduate school after college don't know 9' 30‘) H) (D Duo (7 W vvvvvvvvv H "b the main wage earner is a college graduate, what the highest degree he holds? H. U) Do Not Write In This Column p 7.7 List the full names of tenth gpgde students that best fit each of the following: 1. Which students in your grade are your best friends (the ones you feel closest to)? Who do you think are the most popular students in your grade? Give the names of the students in your grade that you would most like to date. List the names of students in your grade whom you would like to represent your high school at a national meeting of high school students. If all the students in your grade were asked to help on a class project which of the students would you like to work with? You will find all the tenth grade students' names listed below. We would like you to show the degree of closeness you would most prefer with each by circling the proper number beside their name. Classify each student according to the categories listed below. Notice that each. situation represents a different degree of "closeness? Please be sure to circle one number by every name. Beside each student's name circle one number which is closest to how you feel: 0 if you don't know this person very well 1 if you would be in the same class with this person 3 if you would enjoy eating lunch with this person 4 if you would choose this student to be a close friend -—._-1 Students' Names Circle Students' Names Circle Number here Number here 10 I. You will find on the following pages, pictures of both boys and girls items of clothing. The pictured items are divided into categories according to style and ways of wearing them. Circle one item in each category which you think is most commonly_ worn by the majority of boys or girls in your class. A. Girls Shirt Length _ ,_,_.,.-._ ~.——- ‘ 1. 3. 5. 6. ,,.About 6" . About 4” -.About 1" - 2" At Knee Cap Just Below 2" Below .Above Knee Above Knee .Above Knee Knee Knee EB. Girls Leg Covering Colored Fish Net Colored 1ctured Knit Hosiery Hosiery Hosiery -Nylon Socks Hosiery Bobby Socks No or Anklets vaer m 0 1 B ...“. r .1 .K S Skirt 8: Blouse Skirt 8: Shell 13 E. Girls Fabric Design of Dresses or Skirts 1. Solid Cblor 1+. Large Print 7. Small Stripe 8. Medium Stripe :' MW '7; mum": .Zl‘illL'T Ffjml? "W“? r :5 Elgl—ISIélg mgmimfiwim: I El I H; at e- W II T gm;m;m&MfiM% .Is sis-ensue swimmflpm&Mmmfi MI§IEIEI§IEI§ sg‘ "nannies; !flli‘;.im:llflv-_glm; Elgl§I§I§I§IE nun-£2 :mrvmu Lllm- .uw runw- 10. Plaid 11. Small Stripe Plaid 12. Gingham.Check {W ‘W' t 14 F. Girls Shoes ‘1’ i 2. Plain Loafer 3. Tassel Loafer u.Buckle Loafer 5. High Top (Tie or Buckle) 6. Moccasin 8. White Tennis Shoe 9. Colored Tennis Shoe 1o. Plain Flats 11. Flats with Open Work 12.-Sandal j’T/‘I'Zéd / Q A 5:: 13. Patent Block Heels 14. Stack Heels (Pump or Sling Back) (Pump or T-Strap) 15 e. Boys Trousers L_egg_t_.1_1 ‘ is a i . Long with Wrinkle 20 Top of Shoe 3. Ankle Ankle 3.. Boys Trousers ' fit , I l/ 1. very Tight 2.Tight 3. Medium 4. Loose 5. Baggy I. Boys Trousers 21.13. J. Boys Trousers gm 1.Jeans 2. Causal Slacks 3. Dress Slacks 16 K. Boys ‘Shirt Collars / \A ;\ : 1. 2 30 O u. Button-down Collar Cbnvertible can” Cbllarless Knit Shirt Plain Collar 7. Turtle Neck Jersa’rm or 1Sweatshirt Mock Turtle Neck 1‘1 0 1. [2. . Solid Collar Small Stripe Plaid Large Print Small Print Horizontal Polka Dot Stripeo H.130?8 mum IN or OUT 0 1. 2. 30 u. ’ 50 Dress Shirt Dress Shirt Pullover Pullover J ac Shirt m OUT OUT IN our N7. Boys Shirt 99.19.21 1. Back 6. Gold 11. Purple 2. Light Blue 7. Green 12. Red 3. Dark Blue 8. Olive—Green 13. Tan 4. Brown 9- Gray in. White 5. Cranberry 10. Orange9 15. Yellow 17 0. Boys Shoes & Socks :%2 lip On With Buckle 2. Slip On ’ I . ‘ e . ~_ / 11. Tie Oxford 12. Wing Tip )4 High Cut. Pointed 11+. Desert Boot 15. wboy Boot 16. Military or Work Boot Toe. Dress Shoe . Low Sided, White 10. Open Weave Fabric Sport Tennis 1. White Socks 2. Dark Socks 3. Patterned Socks 4. Light Socks 5. No Socks (black. Grey, brown, (tan, gold. rust. dark blue 8. green) cranberry. light green) LI. low so back over the pictures and write war by any one of the items in each category which you think is the "newest thing going“. Write “OUT" by the items which are completely ”out or it'. If none of the pictures in a category represents what you think is the '11!" or "00‘!". iten show how your idea is different by marking over the pictured item most nearly like it. ”’Vliiiiflulfirflfittfifiitit!“