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Univcm'ty THESE; {OUR / NO OVERNIGHT LOANS N’ “‘+ hou" overdup,‘ , ' wuunzmgnmmLnttlgnfllwngu1qu * J MS m pponunm wruuon THIF '7 ' MAN" ‘ UNI n" q r W 97H“ 53 4034304 -—,:-—+7 4 1.x“? 19"? n 3'5: N” 31'; on. . 1’ :1 W PERSONAL AND CLOTHING ATTRACTIVENESS AS RELATED TO INITIAL AND CONTINUED IMPRESSION FORMATIONS BY Jacqualine Stephens McLemore A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Human Environment and Design 1978 ABSTRACT PERSONAL AND CLOTHING ATTRACTIVENESS AS RELATED TO INITIAL AND CONTINUED IMPRESSION FORMATIONS BY Jacqualine Stephens McLemore The purpose of this project was to study the relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness during initial and subsequent observations. Two groups of five observers each were tested to determine their reliability concerning the judging of the variables. Observations were made during a college lecture situation as the means of data collection. The data were compiled once a week for five weeks from a population con- sisting of 30 female students. Each subject was rated on personal attractiveness and clothing attractiveness using a 10 point bipolar adjective scale. Correlation coefficients and a one-way analysis of variance were the major forms of statistical analysis used to determine the relationships between variables. The findings of this study showed that personal attractiveness and clothing attractiveness were signif- icantly related for the initial and subsequent observation Jacqualine Stephens McLemore and rating periods. No significant change was found for ratings of either clothing attractiveness or personal attractiveness over time. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to express earnest appreciation to her advisor, Dr. Anna M. Creekmore, for her counsel, time and encouragement in directing this study; to each of the members of her committee, Dr. John F. A. Taylor, Mr. Richard Graham and Mrs. Ila Pokornowski for their cooperation and constructive criticism; to Jim McComb for his assistance with the computer programming and statistical analysis; and to her husband, Kerry, for his independent spirit and sensitive support. ***** ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABES O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE . . . . . . . . . . Initial Impression Formation . . . . . . Communication Theory . . . . . . . . The Perceptual Process . . . . . . . The Importance of Initial Impressions Personal Attractiveness . . . . . . . . . Intervening Variables in the Judgment of Personal Attractiveness . . . . Clothing Attractiveness . . . . . . . . . III. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM . . . . . . . . Definition of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . Hypotheses O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IV. PROCEDURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selection of the Observers . . . . . . . Initial Testing of Volunteers . . . . . Maitland Graves Design Judgment Test Design Perception of Volunteers . . . Reliability of Volunteers . . . . . . Appointment of Volunteers to Variable Groups . . . . . . . . . . The Measurement Technique . . . . . . . . Collection of Preliminary Data . . . . . Still Photo Data Collection . . . . . Film Data Collection . . . . . . . Method of Analysis for Preliminary Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Correlation . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preliminary Data Findings . . . . . . Preliminary Data Conclusions . . . . iii Page h \Dflhb 19 21 28 28 29 29 31 31 33 33 35 36 36 37 39 39 40 42 43 43 46 Chapter Selection of the Sample of Stimulus Persons . . . . . . . . . . . . Data Collection Procedure . . . . Method of Analysis . . . . . . . Correlation . . . . . . . . . Analysis of Variance . . V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION . . . . Descriptive Data . . . . . . . . Clothing Attractiveness and Personal Attractiveness . . . . . . . Clothing Attractiveness Inter- Observer Reliability . . . Personal Attractiveness Inter- Observer Reliability . . . Differences Between Personal and Clothing Attractiveness Ratings Over Time Summary of Findings . . . . . . . VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . Implications of Findings . . . . Recommendations for Further Study Appendix A. SCHEDULE OF PRELIMINARY PROCEDURES AND DATA COLLECTION . . . . . . . . . B. MAITLAND GRAVES DESIGN JUDGMENT TEST RESPONSE SHEET 0 O O C O O C O O C. DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSONAL AND CLOTHING ATTRACTIVENESS VARIABLES AND RATING INSTRUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . D. PRELIMINARY DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE SHEET E . SEATING CHART O O O O O O O O O O BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv 72 73 74 76 77 81 Table l. 10. LIST OF TABLES Range and measures of central tendency of volunteer's scores on Maitland Graves Design Judgment Test . . . . . . . . . . . . Correlation coefficient for inter-observer reliability on preliminary data using Snedecor's r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Significance of the correlation coefficient between observer and expert clothing attrac- tiveness ratings for the preliminary data . Significance of the correlation coefficients between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness for the preliminary data . . Class level and major of subjects . . . . . Actual range, mean and standard deviation of clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness for each observation . . . . Significance of the correlation coefficients between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness for each observation . . . . Correlation coefficients for inter-observer reliability on clothing attractiveness over five week data collection . . . . . . . . . Correlation coefficients for inter-observer reliability on personal attractiveness over five week data collection . . . . . . . . . Significance of F ratios for average ratings of personal attractiveness and clothing attractiveness among five observations . . Page 35 44 45 46 54 55 56 57 58 60 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION All persons make judgments concerning their near environment. These judgments are based on perception and interpretation of stimuli. While verbal communication is especially helpful in the discernment process, non-verbal stimuli also communicate ideas.1 Appearance is one clue evident in non-verbal communication. In general, persons judged as having an attractive appearance have also been perceived as possessing favorable characteristics.2 Stone has theorized that by appearing, a person presents information about the self. Thus, in accordance with Stone's theory, the quality 1Susanne K. Langer, Philosophy in a New Key (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1973), p. 93. 2Robert E. Kleck and Carin Rubenstein, "Physical Attractiveness, Perceived Attitude Similarity and Inter- personal Attraction in an Opposite-Sex Encounter," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 31 (No. 1; 1975): 107- 1143 Gerard J. Smits and Irene M. Cherhoniak, "Physical Attractiveness and Friendliness in Interpersonal Attrac- tion," Psychological Reports 39 (1976): 171-174; Thomas K. Cash and Phyllis J. Begley, "Internal-External Control, Achievement Orientation and Physical Attractiveness of College Students," Psychological Reports 38 (1976): 1205- 1206; and Karen Dion, Ellen Berscheid and Elaine Walster, "What Is Beautiful Is Good," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 24 (No. 3; 1972): 285-290. or level of attractiveness of a stimulus person's appearance may help to determine the outcome of initial impression formed by the viewer.3 Appearance has not been specifically defined, although different researchers have investigated various parts of appearance such as facial form,“ grooming5 and clothing.6 Individually, each component was found to affect separate evaluations made of the stimulus person. Clothing, a highly manipulative part of the near environment, has received only limited study concerning its role as a part of personal appearance. The intent of this study was to investigate the relationship which may exist between clothing attrac- tiveness and personal attractiveness during initial and 3Gregory P. Stone, "Appearance and the Self," Human Behavior and Social Processes, ed. Arnold M. Rose (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1962), p. 396. l‘Norman Cavior and Howard L. Ramona, "Facial Attractiveness and Juvenile Delinquency Among Black and White Offenders" (Unpublished paper). 5Chris L. Kleinke, "Effects of Dress on Com- pliance to Requests in a Field Setting," The Journal of Social Psychology 101 (1977): 223-224. 6Barbara Hunt Conner, Kathleen Peters and Richard H. Nagasawa, "Person and Costume: Effects on the Formation of First Impression," Home Economics Research Journal 4 (No. 1; 1975): 32-41. repeated observations of stimulus persons where verbal communication does not take place. A positive relation between the variables would substantiate the theory that clothing has a strong influence as a communicator especially when discourse does not occur. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE The theoretical framework for this study is organized in the review of literature under the following headings: (1) Initial Impression Formation, (2) Personal Attractiveness and (3) Clothing Attractiveness. Initial Impression Formation Communication Theory First impressions are formed as consequences of communication. Early theories developed by Aristotle and Plato maintained that three basic elements were required in order for communication to occur. They were: (1) the speaker, (2) the speech and (3) the audience. According to these theories, communication was considered to be synonymous with rhetoric and was defined as "all the means available for persuasion."1 Present-day communication theories include an expanded number of re-named elements. The three basic components, however, remain much the same. A current 1The Works of Aristotle, trans. Rhys, W. Roberts, ed. W. D. Ross (London: Oxford University Press, 1946), p. 30. model, devised by Berlo, has emphasized the importance of the perception and interpretation of the message (speech) by the encoder (audience). Based on the premise that one cannot impart what one does not know, the perceptual process has been investigated with regard to communication.2 The early Greeks recognized the five familiar senses of taste, touch, sight, smell and hearing. Perhaps more important to the study of perception was the realization that humans were separated from animals because of the ability to think.3 Ever since Plato hypothesized that the perceptual process required symbols, the nature of those images has continued to be the topic of debate.“ Today perception is viewed as a basic act of logical intuition which is inseparable from all waking activity. Although Plato's idea that small replicas of objects are held in the eye has been discarded, the capacity for abstract thought 2David K. Berlo, The Process of Communication (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1960), pp. 30-99. 3William H. Ittelson and Hadley Cantril, "Percep- tion: A Transactional Approach," The Human Dialogue: Perspectives on Communication, ed. FloydIW. Matson and Ashley Montague (New York: The Free Press, 1967), pp. 207-213; and Susanne K. Langer, "On a New Definition of Symbol," The Human Dialogue: Perspective on Communi- cation, ed. Floyd W. Matson andIASEley Montague (New York: The Free Press, 1967), pp. 548-554. I’Berlo, The Process of Communication, pp. 30-99. is still considered to be dependent upon the manipulation of symbols.5 Existing communication theories have approached the study of symbols with primary interest in discursive thought.6 Just as with the Greeks, there is general agreement that communication involves language.7 Thus, impressions formed of others would be made on the basis of speech. Philosopher Susanne K. Langer has presented a re-definition of symbols particularly with respect to art. Langer has argued that language cannot always be translated without some loss of meaning. Especially in the expression of the emotional nature of humans, language is often a poor medium. According to Langer, feelings possess definite forms which have the potential for articulation through the use of non-discursive (non-verbal) symbolism. As a departure from traditional theory, speech would not be considered the only means of communication. With this thought in mind, Langer defined symbols as vehicles for the conception of objects rather than units of language alone.8 sIttelson and Cantril, "Perception: A Transactional Approach," pp. 207-213. 6Langer, "On a New Definition of Symbol," pp. 548-554. - 7Berlo, The Process of Communication, pp. 30-99. 8Susanne K. Langer, Philosophy in a New Key (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1973), p. 93. The Perceptual Process The first perception of a stimulus by a viewer is that of a whole. All of the characteristics that the stimulus possesses are not analyzed separately and then pieced together to form a general impression.’ Instead, the viewer strives to form an impression of the entire stimulus during the initial scanning process. Even when a minimum of evidence is presented, the impression made by the viewer tends to be complete.1° As a result of the information received during initial impression formation, the viewer invents concepts, assumes relationships between the concepts and makes predictions from the assumptions with regard to the stimulus.11 "The integration of these factors is accomplished in a fraction of a second, and is, more frequently than not,-entire1y unconscious."12 Because of the quick nature of initial impression formation, the viewer cannot be aware of all of the parts ’H. C. Smith, Sensitivity to People (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1966), pp. 12-13. 1“Kenneth Boulding, The Image (Ann Arbor, Mich.: Ann Arbor Paperbacks, 1961), p. 53; and Smith, Sensitivity to People, p. 12. 11Ibid., p. 13. 12Hadley Cantril, "The Nature of Social Perceptions," Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences 10 (1948): 142-153. of the stimulus at once. In addition, not all of the characteristics considered by the viewer are regarded with the same degree of intensity.13 One person may assess another's eyes for physical or psychological value, while another person will not.‘“ This phenomenon has been referred to as dissective attention, that is, the obser- vation of certain elements and their relationships chosen from a whole unit.15 As a result of dissective attention, all viewers do not receive exactly the same messages from the stimulus. The total impression, however, has been shown to be similar for a group of viewers regardless of the separate dissective attentions.16 Individuals respond selectively to symbols during the perceptual process. Research has indicated that viewers are not always conscious of these symbols although they perceive them. Results of a study conducted by McKeachie during the 19503 indicated for that period of time women were believed to have better personalities when they wore 13Boulding, The Image, p. 53. 1"Smith, Sensitivity to People, p. 12. 15John F. A. Taylor, Philosophy of Art, lecture, October 23, 1975. 16Boulding, The Image, p. 53. lipstick than when they did not, all other variables being held constant. Yet, when asked to identify the independent variable during the two observations made, the viewers were not able to agree as to the source of the stimulus.17 "The psychology of perception involves the whole field of attitudes and opinions, of judgments and beliefs."18 While impressions are formed on the basis of characteristics the stimulus possesses and are generally agreed upon, men- tion must be made of factors which may affect perception. Two considerations are the viewer's context and memory. The physical condition and mood of the viewer together with the immediate surroundings may affect the manner in which information from the stimulus is processed. The viewer's memory may also affect the conclusion of the perception by bringing to mind similar situations." The Importance of Initial Impressions Although Langer developed her theory with respect to art, her ideas concerning symbolism lend themselves to the contemplation and study of initial impression formation. 17W. J. McKeachie, "Lipstick as a Determinator of First Impressions of Personality," Journal of Social Psychology 36 (1952): 241-244. 18Cantril, "The Nature of Social Perceptions," PP. 142-153. 10 During initial meetings, stimulus persons may send out clues regarding the state they are in, and in doing so, inspire a physical response from the perceiver. According to Langer, such clues would be considered signals. However, when clues are used as a means of self-expression and invoke a concept in the mind of the viewer, they would be desig- nated as symbols.20 Interest is provoked, then, in the nature of symbols evident for perception during initial impression formation. Language, of course, is particularly useful in making judgments about stimuli. But, situations exist where discourse cannot or does not occur, or where speech is inadequate for the expression of human feeling.21 One current estimate has placed 65 percent of the social meaning of situations as being carried out by non-verbal messages.22 Sociologist Gregory Stone claims that iden- tifications of one another are ordinarily facilitated by appearance and are often accomplished silently or non- verbally.23 Appearance, of which clothing is a part, 1’Smith, Sensitivity to People, p. 12. 2°Langer, Philosophy in a New Key, pp. 60-61. 21David W. Johnson, Reaching Out: ,Interpersonal Effectiveness and Self-Actualization (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-HaIl, Inc., 1972), p. 10. zzIbid. 23Gregory P. Stone, "Appearance and the Self," Human Behayior and Social Processes, ed. Arnold M. Rose Tfioston: Hougfiton Mifflin Company, 1962), p. 396. 11 is particularly helpful because "we live constantly with the knowledge of our body. The body is one of the basic experiences in everyone's life.”2“ The image created by the body is a rich and complex source of information and involves such dimensions as space, time, emotion, con- sciousness and value. Expression of the total body image goes beyond the capacity of discourse and is within the realm of non-verbal symbolism.25 The process of making first impressions is an awareness that emerges as a result of the weighing of a complicated host of factors.26 This procedure is only imperfectly understood. Stone has suggested, "By appearing, the person announces his identity, shows his value, expresses his mood or proposes his attitude."27 Michigan State University Placement Bureau director, John Shingleton, has stated that the interviewer makes his decision in the first five minutes. That decision is based on limited data of which appearance is a part.28 Consequently, appearance, 2"Paul Schilder, The Image and Appearance of the Human Body (New York: International Universities Press, Inc., 1930), p. 201. 25Boulding, The Image, pp. 46-51. 26Cantril, "The Nature of Social Perception," p. 5. 27Stone, "Appearance and the Self," p. 396. 28Martin F. Kohn, "College Students Face a New Ball Game," Detroit Free Press, 12 February 1978, pp. l-D, 9-D. 12 a factor evident during most verbal and non-verbal communication, may be fundamental in the formation of first impressions. Further investigation is required to better understand the numerous symbols, and how such symbols are used in non-verbal communication. The second portion of the review of literature is given to the perusal of current research which has dealt with the relationship of personal attractiveness to impression formation. Personal Attractiveness Considerable research has been conducted, par- ticularly in the field of psychology, regarding personal (or physical) appearance. Used as a basis for the investi- gation of clues affecting initial impressions, these studies generally indicate that personal attractiveness is a sig- nificant variable in many areas of life. The research reports have shown that awareness of personal attractiveness begins at an early age, and that standards are agreed upon, with children of eight years using the same criteria for judging attractiveness as adults.29 Other studies among pre-school age children have indicated a relationship between attractiveness and peer's perceptions of their 29Norman Cavior and David A. Lombardi, "Developmental Aspects of Judgment of Physical Attractiveness," Develop- mental Psychology 8 (No. 1; 1973): 67-71. 13 popularity, with unattractive pre-schoolers receiving more nominations for undesirable social behaviors.30 Attractiveness has also been shown to be desirable in adult-child interaction, in that attractive children exhibiting contrary behavior were evaluated by adults less negatively than unattractive youngsters displaying the very same behavior.31 In investigative work among adolescents, positive relationships were found between the perception of personal attractiveness, popularity and attitude similarity. That is, in a laboratory setting, those students judged to be physically attractive were also thought of as being popular, while those who were discerned to be unattractive were con- sidered unpopular.32 High levels of personal attractiveness have also been shown to be desirable, particularly by 30Karen K. Dion and Ellen Berscheid, "Physical Attractiveness and Social Perception of Peers Among Pre-School Children" (Unpublished paper). 31Karen Dion, "Physical Attractiveness and Evaluation of Children's Transgressions," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 24 (No. 2; 1972): 207-213. 32Norman Cavior and Paul R. Dokecki, "Physical Attractiveness, Perceived Attitude Similarity, and Academic Achievement as Contributors to Interpersonal Attraction Among Adolescents," Developmental Psychology 9 (No. l; 1973): 44-54. l4 teen-age girls who are believed to use attractiveness as an interpersonal stimulus.33 While attractiveness may be desired, further along in the life cycle, males and females of similar levels of personal attractiveness have been found to be more likely to associate when dating.3“ Support for the "matching hypothesis" has been given by findings which indicate an equality exists between the attractiveness levels of spouses.35 This phenomenon may be considered a reinforcement of the self-image, by the surrounding of oneself with individuals comparable in physical characteristics. Murstein and Christy gave additional credibility to the "matching hypothesis" in work with middle-aged married couples. Their examination of marital adjustment showed that it is important for men to think of their wives as being attractive, while the reverse is not true for women. Thus, men may place more concern on 33Richard M. Lerner, James B. Orlos and John B. Knapp, "Physical Attractiveness, Physical Effectiveness and Self-Concept in Late Adolescents," Adolescence 9 (No. 1; 1973): 44-54. ‘ 3"Bernard Murstein, "Physical Attractiveness and Marital Choice," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 22 (No. l; 1972): 8-12. 35Norman Cavior and Patrick J. Boblett, "Physical Attractiveness of Dating Versus Married Couples," Pro- ceedings of 80th Convention, APA, 1972, pp. 175-176. 15 personal attractiveness, both in themselves and in their spouses, than women.36 In addition to playing an important role through- out human development and in heterosexual relationships, personal attractiveness has been found to be a variable in the formation of impressions that are made during interpersonal contacts. Generally, persons judged to be unattractive have been shown to be associated with negative qualities.37 However, those persons exhibiting high levels of personal attractiveness have been perceived as being likable,38 personable39 and as displaying similar attitudes to those who were observers.“° Attractive persons 36Bernard Murstein and Patricia Christy, "Physical Attractiveness and Marriage Adjustment in Middle-Aged Couples," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 34 (No. 4; 1976): 537-542. 37Arthur G. Miller, "Role of Physical Attractiveness in Impression Formation," Psychonomic Science 19 (No. 4; 1970): 241-243. 38Robert E. Kelck and Carin Rubenstein, "Physical Attractiveness, Perceived Attitude Similarity and Inter- personal Attraction in an Opposite-Sex Encounter," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 31 (No. 1; 1975): 107-114. 39Gerard J. Smits and Irene M. Cherhoniak, ”Physical Attractiveness and Friendliness in Interpersonal Attraction," Psychological Reports 39 (1976): 171-174. “°Carol Drucker, James Theraux and Judith Levenson, "Did You Ever See a Beautiful Conservative?" (Unpublished paper, National Science Foundation Grant GS 2932 and NIHM Grant 16661). 16 have also been considered to be more independent than those who were judged to be unattractive.“1 Persons who rated high on attractiveness have been perceived as being in control of their lives rather than being swayed by external stimuli."2 Accordingly, females who have been judged to be attractive were considered as being potentially more capable of performing traditional tasks than were females judged to be unattractive."3 In another hypothetical circumstance which involved crimes unrelated to levels of attractiveness such as burglary, juridic offenders who were considered unattractive were punished more severely than those offenders who were thought of as being attractive.““ Some real-life instances have lent support to the hypothesis that attractiveness is preferable and “lDennis Krebs and Allen A. Adinolfi, "Physical Attractiveness, Social Relations and Personality Style," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 31 (No. 2; I975): 245-253. “zThomas K. Cash and Phyllis J. Begley, "Internal- External Control, Achievement Orientation and Physical Attractiveness of College Students," Psychological Reports 38 (1976): 1205-1206. “3Michael K. Hill and Harry A. Lando, "Physical Attractiveness and Sex-Role Stereotypes in Impression Formation," Perceptual and Motor Skills 43 (1976): 1251-1255. I"’Harold Sigall and Nancy Ostrove, "Beautiful But Dangerous: Effects of Offender Attractiveness and Nature of the Crime on Juridic Judgment," Jgurnal of Personality and Social Psychology 31 (No. 3; 1975): 410-414. l7 desirable in our present society. Benson and Karabenik's study which involved help-seeking showed that highly attractive persons actually received help at a rate of 47 percent, as compared to a rate of 35 percent for unattractive help seekers."s In another case concerning juridic offenders, Cavior and Ramona's results indicated that actual delinquents were judged significantly lower in facial attractiveness than non-delinquents.“6 Results such as these indicate that attractive persons have been thought of as possessing more socially desirable traits than unattractive persons, and thus have been expected to lead easier, happier lives than unattrac- tive persons. On this basis, Dion, Berscheid and Walster developed the hypothesis that in our culture, "what is beautiful (that which is attractive personally) is good.“7 To some in our society, the placement of such apparently high values on attractiveness may have seemed somehow undemocratic or immoral. Current research studies have “sBenson, Karabenick and Lerner, "Pretty Pleases: The Effects of Physical Attractiveness, Race and Sex on Receiving Help," Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 12 (1976): 409-415. - “‘Norman Cavior and Howard L. Ramona, "Facial Attractiveness and Juvenile Delinquency Among Black and White Offenders" (Unpublished paper). “7Karen Dion, Ellen Berscheid and Elaine Walster, "What Is Beautiful Is Good," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 24 (No. 3: 1972): 285-290. 18 endeavored to try to disprove the Dion, Berscheid and Walster hypothesis. This effort has proved easier said than done. Some of the following conclusions have indicated that very high levels of beauty may have diminishing returns. In a project which dealt with personal space, subjects approached attractive photographs closely in a laboratory setting, but did not come closer to the more attractive persons than to unattractive persons in a real-life situation.“8 Similarly, Stokes and Bickman found that subjects took longer to communicate with an attractive help-giver than an unattractive one, giving rise to the hypothesis that "beauty is unapproachable."“9 In an effort to delimit the beauty implies "goodness" (desirable characteristics) stereotype, Dermer and Thiel found support to the effect that highly attractive women were perceived to be vain, unsympathetic to oppressed peoples, materialistic and likely to have extra-marital affairs. However, they also found support for the idea that highly attractive women are expected to be better “aPatricia H. Powell and James M. Dabbs, Jr., "Physical Attractiveness and Personal Space," The Journal of Social Psychology 100 (1976): 59-64. “gsusan J. Stokes and Leonard Bickman, "The Effect of the Physical Attractiveness and Role of the Helper on Help Seeking," Journal of Applied Social Psychology 4 (No. 3; 1974): 286-294. \O l9 spouses, have socially desirable personalities, marry men of higher occupational status and experience greater social and professional happiness.5° Intervening Variables in the Judgment of Personal Attractiveness One explanation of why a person is given a low attractiveness rating may lie within the self-esteem variable of the viewer. Judges who had low self-esteem felt unattractive, whether they were perceived by others as being so or not. In addition, they thought of themselves as being similar, physically and attitudinally, to unattrac- tive persons. These judges also gave more enduring negative qualities to those persons estimated to have high levels of attractiveness.51 "The image the individual has of himself colors the image he has of others, and that image in turn colors the image the person estimates others have of him."52 s°Marshall Dermer and Darrel L. Thiel, "When Beauty May Fail," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 31 (No. 6; 1975): 1168-1176. 51Diane Graham and Raymond P. Perry, "Limitations in Generalizability of the Physical Attractiveness Stereotype: The Self-Esteem Exception," Canadian Journal of Behavioral Sciences 8 (No. 3; 1976): 263-274. 52Lois Edith Dickey, "Projection of Self Through Judgments of Clothed Figures and Its Relation to Self- Esteem, Security-Insecurity and to Selected Clothing Behaviors" (Ph.D. dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, 1967), p. 16. 20 Dickey's results indicate, as well, that that which is perceived in interpersonal situations is influenced by the frame of reference of the perceiver. Individuals who had high self-esteem attributed significantly more high self-esteem characteristics when describing others, than did individuals who had low self-esteem.53 In Mitchell and Orr's study, persons with low self ratings of personal attractiveness felt that they had the potential to be socially competent. However, they also believed, that because of their perceived low level of personal attrac- tiveness, they would be considered by others as being significantly less socially skillful. The same study produced results which showed that individuals with low self ratings of personal attractiveness reported higher levels of anxiety, and therefore avoided opposite-sex encounters, than did those persons with self-judged high personal attractiveness ratings.5“ Despite attempts to discredit the hypothesis, "What is beautiful is good," personal attractiveness has been shown to be an important consideration throughout all developmental stages of life, as well as in the process 53Ibid., p. 159. 5“Kenneth R. Mitchell and Fred B. Orr, "Heterosexual Social Competence, Anxiety, Avoidance and Self-Judged Physical Attractiveness," Perceptual and Motor Skills 43 (1976): 553-554. 21 of impression formation. Personal attractiveness has been defined in many ways, usually involving only facial or body form, or a combination of the two. This definition has depended on whether the study attempted to measure the attraction of individuals to each other as opposed to attractiveness without the heterosexual connotation. In most instances, the clothing variable has not been isolated from attractiveness for examination. Because the body is covered much of the time, clothing may be one of the clues perceived consciously or unconsciously when the personal attractiveness of an individual is being determined. Such a clue could play an important role in many situations, particularly the formation of first impressions, where discourse between individuals is not conducted. The third portion of the review of literature examines the work done in the context of clothing attractiveness and initial impression formation. Clothing Attractiveness A limited amount Of research has endeavored to measure clothing attractiveness independently of personal attractiveness. Findings have shown that, while clothing may not be regarded as a strong factor in assessing per- sonal characteristics when subjects are acquainted and 22 involved in verbal interaction,55 apparel does have an effect on judgments made during initial impression formation. Quick decisions are often necessary in highly urbanized societies. These judgments may be made on minimal information, and clues are desired in order to gain knowledge about a person's occupation or attitudes. The results of a fairly early study conducted by Hoult, indicated that clothing may provide some of these clues. Men who had been previously judged as being attractive were considered less attractive when wearing clothing that had been independently judged as being unattractive.56 Consequently, particular types of clothing may convey images which are identifiable by a majority of persons in a group during a certain period of time. Reports of work concerning this hypothesis reveal that clothing ensembles can be composed to form recognizable models. Results of a 1968 study by Hamid demonstrated that types of apparel, instead of facial characteristics, were 55Barbara A. Kerr and Don M. Dell, "Perceived Interviewer Expertness and Attractiveness: Effects of Interviewer Behavior and Attire and Interview Setting," Journal of Counseling Psychology 23 (No. 6; 1976): 553-556. 56Thomas Ford Hoult, "Experimental Measurement of Clothing as a Factor in Some Social Ratings of Selected American Men," American Sociological Review 19 (1954): 324-328. 23 consistently paired with ten different concepts by a group of peOple.57 In another project, Hamid also gave evidence that evaluations of persons differ on the basis of the kind of clothing worn.58 More recent findings point out that clothing ensembles produce a specific kind of image-- athletic, social, intellectual--off the body in addition to reinforcing that particular opinion when worn.59 Dress, because consistent recognizable.images are formed, may be said to be a communicator. The wearing of clothing involves perception and interpretation by both the wearer and the observer. "The way in which an individual reacts to the world around him, his behavior, is influenced by his perceptions of it and his efforts to satisfy his needs. These perceptions, then, are selective and are consistent with one's self concept."5° Stone's theory. 57Paul N. Hamid, "Style of Dress as a Perceptual Cue in Impression Formation," Perceptual and Motor Skills 26 (1968): 904-906. 58Paul N. Hamid, "Changes in Person Perception as a Function of Dress," Perceptual and Motor Skills 29 (1969): 191-194. 59Barbara Hunt Conner, Kathleen Peters and Richard H. Nagasawa, "Person and Costume: Effects on the Formation of First Impression," Home Economics Research Journal 4 (No. 1; 1975): 32-41; and Lois Edith Dickey, “Projection of Self Through Judgments of Clothed Figures and Its Relation to Self-Esteem, Security-Insecurity and to Selected Clothing Behaviors," pp. 163-164. 6°Ibid., p. 7. 24 later supported by Reed's findings,61 proposes that clothing is perceived as being a symbol of the self, of the identity, attitude, value and mood of persons. Dickey substantiated these findings based on a study of self-esteem and projection of self as measured by descrip- tion of clothed figures. She concluded that attitudes toward clothing reveal differences in personality characteristics.62 The idea that clothing is a means of communication as well as self-identification was corroborated by the results of Douty's study. Perception of the social status and personal characteristics of the women participants changed when their clothing was changed.63 Additionally, other women were found to identify with subjects who wore the same clothing type as the group to which they belonged: (1) high, (2) low, (3) counter or (4) non-fashion.6“ The 61Gregory P. Stone, "Appearance and the Self," in Human Behavior and Social Processes: An Interactionist Approach, ed. A. M. Rose (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1962), pp. 86-118; and Julia Reed, "Clothing as a Symbolic Indicator of the Self" (Ph.D. dissertation, Purdue University, 1973), Abstract. 62Lois Edith Dickey, pp. 164-165. 63Helen I. Douty, "Influence of Clothing on Perception of Persons," Journal of Home Economics 55 (No. 3; 1963): 197-202. ‘RJulia Reed, Abstract. 25 evidence verifies the selectivity of clues to which individuals react regardless of the limitless number available for perception. Individuals have shown con- sistency in their choices of character traits with regard to clothing. They have also shown that they are unaware of the exact number of the clues to which they responded.65 Further evidence that clothing communicates specific ideas is borne out by some more recent research. In one study, the length and type of conversation during an interview situation was found to be dependent upon the wearing of distinctive religious dress.66 A different study which investigated the wearing of institutional clothing as a form of punishment resulted in findings which showed a direct relationship between the clothing and poor academic performance as well as inappropriate behavior.67 An experiment involving neatly dressed and 65Lois Edith Dickey, pp. 163-164; Paul N. Hamid, "Some Effects of Dress Cues on Observational Accuracy, A Perceptual Estimate and Impression Formation," The Journal of Social Psychology 86 (1972): 279-289; and Paul Schilder, The Image and Appearance of the Human Body, p. 201. “sLynette N. Long and Thomas J. Long, "Influence of Religious Status and Religious Attire on Interviewers," Psychological Reports 39 (1976): 25-26. 67Eugene J. Clements, John Platt and D. B. Tracy, ”Effects of Punitive Dress and Classroom Behavior of Institutionalized Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents," Psychological Reports 39 (1976): 335-338. 26 sloppily dressed help-seekers proved that the neatly dressed individuals were significantly more likely to receive assistance (81 percent to 32 percent) than those who were sloppily dressed.68 Limited endeavors have been made to study clothing independently of personal attractiveness. In so doing, dress has been found to be a symbolic communicator of the self. Clothing may play an important part in structuring the nature of interpersonal relationships. Writers of popular literature attest to this idea by prescribing certain kinds of clothing for success in particular endeavors.69 Clothing may indeed be manipulated due to its plastic character. Considering that research has shown personal attractiveness to be desirable and beneficial, the relationship of personal attractiveness to clothing attractiveness is worthy of examination. Clothing as a part of a perceptual field that has a potential for 68Chris L. Kleinke, "Effects of Dress on Compliance to Requests in a Field Setting," The Journal of Social Psychology 101 (1977): 223-224. 69Sale W. Sommer, "How Clothes Shape Your Future," Industry Week, 10 October 1977, p. 52; Catherine Breslin, TREE) Your—CIothes Work For or Against You?" Family Circle, 28 July 1977, pp. 37-39; Susan Cheever Cowley, "Dress for the Trip to the Top," Newsweek, 26 September 1977, pp. 76- 77; and John T. Molloy, Dress for Success (New York: Warner Books, 1976). p. 24. 27 affecting impressions formed of a person was studied by Florkey. She discovered that social participation and clothing attractiveness were related. In addition, clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness were concluded to be strongly associated, based on a correlation coefficient of .70 which is highly significant beyond .01 probability level.70 Given findings such as these, further investigation would be enlightening as to the bearing that clothing attractiveness has on personal attractiveness, partic- ularly during initial impression formation when other clues such as voice, content of speech, or touch are minimal or non-existent. 70Lois A. Florkey, "Clothing Attractiveness and Personal Attractiveness Related to Social Acceptance of Adolescent Boys and Girls" (Master's thesis, Michigan State University, 1976), p. 33. CHAPTER III STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship which exists between clothing attractive- ness and personal attractiveness during the formation of initial and subsequent impressions when verbal cues are not evident. The following definitions, hypotheses and assumptions were used to guide the research study. Definition of Terms Attractiveness was defined as the quality of appeal to the viewer. Attractiveness was not to be confused with attraction, the variable under examination in research dealing with heterosexual relationships. Personal attractiveness involved the appeal of the total visual image presented by an individual. These fac- tors included facial appearance, body conformation, grooming and body movement. R Clothing attractiveness consisted of the aesthetic quality of the clothing design worn by the individual in terms of the elements of design: line, form, color and texture. Emphasis was placed on the design elements so 28 29 that clothing attractiveness would not be confused with the currentness of the wearing apparel. New items may be popular but are not necessarily attractive to the persons wearing them. Initial impression formation was defined as the first judgment made upon the perception of a stimulus. gimp, as defined by the study, was the interval between observation and rating periods. Hypotheses The following hypotheses have been proposed for this study: A. There will be a positive relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attrac- tiveness during initial impression formation. B. There will be a positive relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attrac- tiveness for each subsequent impression formed over time. C. There will be a difference in clothing attractiveness ratings over time. D. There will be a difference in personal attractiveness ratings over time. Assumptions A. Clothing attractiveness is measurable. B. Personal attractiveness is measurable. C. The quality of the photo copies of the Maitland Graves Design Judgment Test did not affect the observer's choices of "better" design. 30 Each of the two groups of observers was unaware of the other group's variable, to insure the uncontamination of the data. The clothing worn for each observation was typical of the subject's wardrobe. The observers were able to objectively rate the subjects based on the elements and prin- ciples of design. The individuals employed as experts from the Department of Human Environment and Design at Michigan State University were qualified to evaluate clothing attractiveness because of their clothing and design experience. CHAPTER IV PROCEDURE The procedure for this study includes some of the subjects used in a larger interregional research group at Michigan State University.1 Measures for clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness were developed from Florkey's attractiveness study.2 The unique contribu- tion of this project is the comparison of the attractiveness facets with two other variables: initial impression formation and subsequent impressions formed over time. Selection of the Observers Two groups of data collectors, known as observers, were required for this study. One group was needed to lInterregional project W-98, "The Relationship of Clothing to the Personal and Social Acceptability of Adolescents," interregional research included 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. The Michigan State University Study was under the direction of Anna M. Creekmore, Agricultural Experiment Station Project, 1020. 3Lois A. Florkey, "Clothing Attractiveness and Personal Attractiveness Related to Social Acceptance of Adolescent Boys and Girls," pp. 16, 23. 31 32 observe and rate the personal attractiveness of each subject, while the other group of observers was needed to observe and rate the clothing attractiveness variable. Because the intent of the research was to measure the aforementioned variables with regard to initial impression formation, the subjects and the observers could not be previously acquainted. Consequently, volunteers for the observer positions were recruited from a curriculum not included within the sample. Permission was secured from two instructors of Interior Design at Michigan State University to make requests in their classes for the assistance of junior and senior level students in the research project. Upper level interior design students were chosen because of their knowledge concerning the elements and principles of design. This information, acquired as a result of their education, gave the potential observers a common base from which to draw in making observations of personal or clothing attractiveness.‘ Exact details of the study were not made known in the announcement for volunteers. The students were told that they would be cast in the role of an observer where their design knowledge could be applied, and that they (would be required to work (observe) for approximately 12 hours, for which they would be paid an hourly rate. 33 Twelve persons expressed interest in participating in the study, but only ten of the applicants could fulfill the time considerations. While more observers were pre- ferred, investigations of this nature have shown that three members per group is the minimum required to obtain valid responses. Initial Testing of Volunteers Once the volunteers for this study had been selected, a meeting was held for the purpose of clarifying details concerning the project. A schedule of preliminary procedure and data collection was given to each volunteer (Appendix A). Since none of these participants had been involved in research prior to this study, a brief expla- nation of research methods was presented. Had the vol- unteers been told what both of the variables being investigated were, a contamination of the data may have resulted. Thus the actual variables under consideration were kept secret until the preliminary testing of the volunteers was completed and the two observer groups had been formed. Maitland Graves Design Judgment Test A portion of the Maitland Graves Design Judgment Test was administered to the volunteers as a means of determining each individual's design perception. This 34 testing procedure has received criticism due to its subjective nature. However, Dr. Mabel Nemoto, Professor of Art at Michigan State University, recommended the procedure. Dr. Nemoto noted that the test is established and has been recognized as possessing some degree of validity. Furthermore, unlike the Maitland Graves Test, more recent measures have been developed to determine creativity rather than design judgment. The volunteers were each given a photocopy of the test and a response sheet (Appendix B). The photocopies were reasonably decipherable, but were not high quality reproductions. Because all of the volunteers were handi- capped by the same condition, the assumption was made that the copies did not unduly affect the responses made to the Maitland Graves Test. The portion of the Maitland Graves Design Judgment Test that was used consisted of 32 paired abstract designs. The volunteers were asked to choose the "better" of each of the paired designs based on their knowledge of design elements and principles. Responses from the volunteers were then compared by the researcher to those considered correct by Maitland Graves. This testing procedure was repeated after a period of two days. None of the volunteers had seen or taken the Maitland Graves Design Judgment Test previous to these 35 occasions, and none of them was aware that the test would be administered twice. Results of the two Maitland Graves testing periods were used to roughly indicate three things: (1) the design perception of the volunteers, (2) the reliability, competence to make consistent choices over time, of the volunteers and (3) a means of appointing the volunteers to a specific variable group. Design Perception of Volunteers Table 1 indicates that there was a wide range in the number of incorrect answers made by the volunteers Table 1. Range and measures of central tendency of volunteers' scores on Maitland Graves Design Judgment Test Number Number Incorrect Incorrect Volunteer Test 1 Volunteer Test 2 l 18 l 16 2 15 2 10 3 11 5 10 4 9 4 8 5 8 6 8 6 8 3 7 7 8 7 7 8 7 9 7 9 5 8 4 10 2 10 __2 Total TI 79 Average 9.1 7.9 Median 8.0 8.0 Mode 8.0 8.0 36 for both testing periods. However, the total number wrong for each test shows some improvement in perception from Test 1 to Test 2. Furthermore, the measures of central tendency show little variation, thus supporting the idea that the majority of the volunteers perceived the paired designs in the same way. Reliability of Volunteers The computation of a Spearman Rho was performed using the scores for each subject from the two Maitland Graves testing periods. This rank-difference method of correlation is used to determine the relationship between two things, with a result of +1 indicating a perfect relationship.3 The coefficient produced in this instance was .78, significant beyond the .01 level of probability. This strong relationship between the two sets of scores was taken as an indication that the observers as a group could be considered consistent over time. Appointment of Volunteers to VafiaBIe Groups All of the volunteers were employed as observers despite the wide range of scores on the Maitland Graves Test. This decision was made to insure having several 3J. P. Guilford, Fundamental Statistics in Psychology and Education (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1956), pp. 285-286. 37 ratings to draw from in determining the relationships between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness. The average number of incorrect answers produced by each volunteer on the Maitland Graves testings was used as the criterion for appointment to a variable group. An effort was made to balance each of the two variable groups with the same number of persons who had received a high, medium or low number of incorrect answers. The total of incorrect answers for each group was similar (Table 1), thus implying that the composition of the two groups was the same. A t-test of mean difference was performed using the mean scores of the two variable groups.“ The resulting t of .147 was found not to be sig- nificant statistically. Thus, the conclusion was made that there were no outstanding differences between the two groups with regard to design perception. The Measurement Technique Osgood invented the semantic differential to measure the connotative meanings of concepts. "An actual 'SD' consists of a number of scales each of which is a “Ibid., p. 220. 38 bipolar adjective pair, chosen from a large number of such scales for a particular research purpose."5 As was appropriate to this study, a ten point rating scale of 0-9 was devised to measure the bipolar adjective pair, unattractive-attractive, with respect to the clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness variables. Scores of 0 were considered to be very low in attractiveness, while the highest possible score was 9. After the volunteers were separated into two groups, the members of each group, now referred to as observers, were assigned a variable. Each observer was given a typewritten description of the variable assigned to her group along with instructions concerning the rating of that variable (Appendix C). The observers read the directions silently and returned the sheets to the researcher. Ques- tions regarding the instructions were answered privately. The observers were directed not to discuss the project between variable groups to avoid bias during data collection. sFred N. Kerlinger, Foundations of Behavigral Research (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., "—1973) , "p. 568. 39 Collection of Preliminary Data The objectives of the preliminary data collection were to: (1) give the observers experience in the use of the measurement technique, (2) give the observers experience in judging their assigned variable and (3) establish the reliability and validity of the observer. Still Photo Data Collection The subjects for the preliminary data collection were among those used in Agricultural Experiment Station Project 10206 and in an earlier attractiveness study.7 The 112 high school age females were photographed indi- vidually against the same background. They were shown in a frontal pose which included the head and feet. The glossy print photographs were mounted on three inch by five inch cards and were numbered to correspond to a rating sheet (Appendix D). The two groups of five observers were asked to silently view each of the 112 subjects individually for approximately ten seconds. The observers were reminded to remain objective in light of the fact that the photo- graphs had been taken ten years earlier. After viewing 6Interregional Project W-98. 7Lois A. Florkey, "Clothing Attractiveness and Personal Attractiveness Related to Social Acceptance of Adolescent Boys and Girls," p. 20. 40 each subject, the observers were then asked to rate the subject from 0-9 with regard to their assigned variable. A score of 0 was considered low on the attractiveness scale, while 9 represented a high level of attractiveness. Data from experts on clothing attractiveness were contributed by an instructor and two graduate students involved in teaching clothing construction and aesthetics at Michigan State University. The experts were directed to employ the same procedure in observing and rating the still subjects as the observers. Film Data Collection All of the observers silently viewed a 16 millimeter color film which included the same subjects shown in the still photographs. The film was shown twice during an interval of three days. Because the data collected during the two showings were used to determine reliability, the observers were not told that they would be viewing the film at either time. The assumption was that the observers would not remember how they rated the subjects, and as a result, would not bias the results. The film medium was used in addition to still photos because the observers were allowed to view subjects in motion, a condition that would be present later during the actual data collection. 41 Each subject, wearing the same clothing and hairstyle as in the still photographs, was shown against the same plain background for approximately ten seconds. The subjects walked within camera range to a point marked on the floor and faced the photographer in a pose that included the face, body and feet. The observers were asked to rate each subject from 0 (low attractiveness) to 9 (high attractiveness) with regard to their assigned variable. Although high school boys were included on the film, the observers were directed to confine their ratings to the girls in order to be consistent with the procedure for the still photos. Since Florkey had used the same film in her attractiveness study, the decision was made to use her data from the clothing attractiveness experts as a means of determining clothing attractiveness validity. These experts consisted of a graduate student and an instructor involved in teaching clothing construction and aesthetics at Michigan State University in 1975. Her experts had observed and rated the subjects on clothing attractiveness according to the same procedure as the observers in this study. 42 Method of Analysis for Preliminary Data Each subject's average score on clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness was computed for the three preliminary data collection periods. These data were encoded and then punched on computer cards. The computer program using average scores in data analysis was among those available through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The analysis requiring individual scores was computed manually on an electronic calculator. The statistical methods used for investigation of existing relationships between variables were Pearson product moment and Snedecor intraclass correlation coef- ficients. For the purposes of this project, a probability of .05 or less was accepted as an indication that the relationship did not occur by chance. The questions asked of the preliminary data were: (1) What was the inter-observer reliability for individual ratings? (2) What was the inter-expert reliability for individual clothing attractiveness ratings? (3) Were observer and expert clothing attractiveness ratings related? And (4) Were personal attractiveness and clothing attractiveness related? Associations were needed to test these questions, so correlation models were required. 43 Correlation Correlational analysis provides a comparatively direct index of the strength of association between two variables. The Pearson product moment correlation coef- ficient can be computed when both variables are measured on a linear scale.8 When a complete set of multiple scores are reported for each subject, Snedecor's intraclass corre- lation coefficient based on the analysis of variance technique can be computed.9 Each of these coefficients represents the degree to which the variables vary together. A value of +1 represents a perfect positive relationship; 0 represents no relationship; and -1 represents a perfect negative relationship. Preliminary Data Findings Inter-observer reliability improved from the still data collection period to the film 1 data collection period as indicated by the change from a weak to a moderate corre- lation coefficient1° (Table 2). Correlation coefficients 8Kerlinger, Foundations of Behavioral Research, p. 145. 9W. Mehrens and R. Ebels, eds., Principlgs of Edg- cational and Psychological Measurement (Skokie, 111.: Rand McNally, 1967), pp. 116-120. 10Leonard Maraschuilo, Statistical Methods for Behavioral Science Research (New York: McGraw Hill Book Co., 1971). 44 Table 2. Correlation coefficient for inter-observer reliability on preliminary data using Snedecor's r Still Film 1 Film 2 Observers Data Data Data Personal attractiveness .30 .49 .79 Clothing attractiveness .28 .52 .51 for personal attractiveness and clothing attractiveness were similar for the first two collections of data. The increase in reliability between observers of personal attractiveness on the film 2 data may be attributable to the fact that an observer, one who had the highest number of incorrect answers on the Maitland Graves Test, was absent for the second showing of the film. Inter-expert clothing attractiveness reliability for the still data was very strong as indicated by a corre- lation coefficient of .80 using the Snedecor r statistical treatment. The film clothing attractiveness experts, the 1 also exhibited same as those used in Florkey's study,1 strong reliability as indicated by an r of .87 based on the Hoyt r statistical treatment. 11Lois A. Florkey, "Clothing Attractiveness and Personal Attractiveness Related to Social Acceptance of Adolescent Boys and Girls," p. 30. 45 Observer and expert ratings of clothing attractiveness were found to be significantly related beyond the .01 probability level for still and film data (Table 3). Table 3. Significance of the correlation coefficient between observer and expert clothing attrac- tiveness ratings for the preliminary data Expert Clothing Attractiveness Stills Film 1 Data Film 2 Data Observer clothing attractiveness .64** .30** .23* *Significant at .01. **Significant at .001. Clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness were positively related for each of the preliminary data collection periods (Table 4). The increase in the corre- lation coefficients over time roughly corresponds to the increased reliability of the observers over time (Table 2). 46 Table 4. Significance of the correlation coefficients between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness for the preliminary data Clothing Attractiveness Stills Film 1 Data Film 2 Data Personal attractiveness .665** .669** .745** **Significant at .001. Preliminary Data Conclusions Although the observers had been advised to remain objective in their ratings, low scores were expected on both variables because the photographs and film used were ten years old. As a result, the moderate correlation coeffi- cients on film personal and clothing attractiveness data (Table 2) obtained by the observers were taken to mean that the observers were internally reliable judges of the vari- ables under consideration. Furthermore, the consistent correlation coefficients between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness indicated that the observers as a group were reliable judges over time (Table 4). Both the still and film clothing attractiveness experts were determined to be internally reliable because of the very strong correlation coefficients for the subject ratings (pp. 44-45). They were considered valid judges of 47 clothing attractiveness because of their teaching participation in the Clothing and Textiles program at Michigan State University. The clothing attractiveness observers were determined to be valid judges of that variable because of the significant correlation between their ratings and those of the clothing attractiveness experts (Table 3). Although they are statistically significant, the lower coefficients for the film data may be attributed to having only two experts. The positive relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness (Table 4) was very similar to the final results, a correlation coefficient of .69, in Florkey's study. The researcher concluded that the preliminary data collection had been beneficial in acquainting the observers with the use of the rating scale and the assigned variables because of this substantiation of Florkey's findings.12 Selection of the Sample of Stimulus Persons In order to study the relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness during the 12Lois A. Florkey, "Clothing Attractiveness and Personal Attractiveness Related to Social Acceptance of Adolescent Boys and Girls," p. 33. 48 formation of first and subsequent impressions, a situation was sought where both clothing and appearance could be easily observed. University lectures were found to fulfill these criteria. In such instances, appearance is public information and data involving appearance and clothing can be collected anonymously without invading the privacy of those observed. The original plan was to use a lecture class with approximately 80 students so that the collection of the data would not interfere with the instructor or appear too obvious to the subjects. A survey-type course would also be likely to draw a cross-section of ages, majors and sexes. Plans to conduct the research under these conditions were changed, however, when enrollment in the proposed class fell below the amount required for the sample. Within the framework of the revised plan, the selected sample consisted of students enrolled in Human Environment and Design 483, a lecture class dealing with historic costume, during Spring Term 1976, at Michigan State University. Data Collection Procedure The sample used allowed the opportunity for control because the researcher was the graduate assistant in the class and could observe the data collection process. 49 A seating arrangement of subjects and observers was set up in order that: (l) the observers would know where to look for each subject and (2) each of the subjects would be visible to each of the observers (Appendix E). The researcher made certain that the chairs were in order prior to every data collection period. Before the first data collection session, each observer was given a folder containing (1) a seating chart, (2) directions and (3) rating sheets, as data collection equipment (Appendix E). The observers were directed to arrive before the class began for the best opportunity to see each subject in motion. The observers were also advised to work quickly, inconspicuously and to avoid conversation with the subjects since their ratings were to be based on non-verbal communication. Discourse between observers was not allowed in order to keep the results from being biased. Subjects entered the lecture hall from two doorways in the back. They walked to their assigned seats, indicated on a chart posted in the back of the room, or to the center front of the lecture hall to collect class hand-out mate- rials. This traffic pattern enabled the observers to see a full view of the subjects from the front and back, in upright and seated positions. A rating scale of 0 (low) to 9 (high) was used to rate personal attractiveness and clothing attractiveness 50 for each subject during the actual data collection process. Subjects were rated on both variables once a week for a period of five weeks. Method of Analysis The average score for each subject on clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness was computed for each of the five data collection periods. These data were encoded and then punched on computer cards. Computer pro- grams which used average scores in the data analysis were among those provided through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The analysis requiring individual scores for each subject was tallied manually on an electronic calculator. Just as with the preliminary data analysis, the statistical methods used for examination of existing relationships between variables were Pearson product moment and Snedecor intraclass correlation coefficients. The analysis of variance treatment was used as a method of testing for significance of differences between the means of pairs. For the purposes of this research, a probability of .05 error or less was accepted as an indicator that the relationship did not occur by chance. The questions asked of the data in this study were: (1) What was the reliability of the observers on clothing 51 attractiveness? (2) What was the reliability of the observers on personal attractiveness? (3) What was the relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness during initial impression formation? (4) What was the relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness for each subsequent impression? (5) Were ratings on clothing attractiveness different over time? And (6) Were ratings of personal attractiveness different over time? Correlation As discussed in the preliminary data analysis section, correlation provides an index of the strength of association between two variables. Pearson's r's were computed when both variables were measured on linear scales. A variation of the Snedecor intraclass correlation coeffi- cient used during the preliminary data analysis was employed to determine inter-observer reliability. This variation allows for more than two parallel sets of incomplete ratings, a condition which resulted when subjects or observers were absent during data collection.13 The correlation coefficients obtained represented the degree to which the variables varied together. A value of +1 represents a perfect positive relationship; 0 represents 13W. Mehrens and R. Ebels, eds., Principles of Educational and Psychological Measurement, pp. 116-I20. 52 no relationship and -1 represents a perfect negative relationship. Analysis of Variance The means of several samples of the same general character are tested for differences with the analysis of variance technique. The test for determining the significance of the differences between two variables is the F test, with the ratio: larger variance F = . smaller variance When the appropriate degrees of freedom are applied to the two variances compared, F can be interpreted for significance. If F is significant, then the two groups are different. If F is not significant, then the null hypothesis is accepted.'“ 1"J. P. Guilford, Fundamental Statistics in Psychology and Education, pp. 224, 257-258. CHAPTER V RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The discussion of the results will include a description of the research circumstances as well as information concerning relationships between clothing attractiveness, personal attractiveness and impression formation. Descriptive Data The sample, which consisted of the HED 483 Historic Costume class during Spring Term 1976, at Michigan State University, was not a random selection of college students. Since a cross-section of students was not represented, generalizations to other populations cannot be made. The class was composed of 30 upper level females from five different major areas of study (Table 5). These subjects were viewed and then rated on clothing attractive- ness or personal attractiveness by two groups of five observers. The observers, also female, were junior and senior level interior design students. Because all of the participants were women, confusion between attrac- tiveness and heterosexual attraction was eliminated. 53 54 Table 5. Class level and major of subjects Level Major Junior Senior Graduate Clothing and Textiles 5 R 3 English History 1 Home Economics Education 1 Retailing of Clothing and Textiles 7 12 Total (30) 13 16 1 glpthing Attractiveness and Personal Attractiveness The mean scores on clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness were very similar for each weekly observation period. Personal attractiveness means and standard deviations were generally slightly lower than those for clothing attractiveness (Table 6). Clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness were hypothesized to be positively associated with each other during initial impression formation and during each subsequent impression formation (Hypotheses A and B). These hypotheses were based on the theory that clothing and appearance are important communicators particularly in 55 Table 6. Actual range, mean and standard deviation of clothing attractiveness and personal attrac- tiveness for each observation Actual Standard Attractiveness Observation Range Mean Deviation Clothing 1 0-9 4.0 2.4 2 1-8 3.9 2.3 3 1-9 4.0 2.5 4 0-8 3.6 2.5 5 1-9 4.2 2.1 Personal 1 0-7 4.1 2.1 2 0-8 3.8 2.1 3 2-8 3.8 2.2 4 1-9 3.3 2.1 5 0-8 3.9 1.8 situations where discourse does not occur.1 Since attractive individuals have been shown to be perceived as possessing desirable characteristics,2 a positive correlation between separate ratings of clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness would be an indicator of whether attractive persons are perceived as also wearing attractive clothing. As indicated in Table 7, clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness were very strongly related for the 1Miller, "Role of Physical Attractiveness in Impression Formation," pp. 241-243. 2Dion, Berscheid and Walster, "What Is Beautiful Is Good," pp. 285-290. 56 Table 7. Significance of the correlation coefficients between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness for each observation Clothing Attractiveness Observation Initial 2 3 4 5 Personal attractiveness .93** .93** .96** .96** .90** **Significant beyond .001 probability level. initial and each continued observation. Since all of the correlation coefficients were significant beyond the .001 probability level, Hypotheses A and B were supported. These strong associations could indicate that clothing has considerable influence on evaluations of a person's attractiveness by others. Clothing Attractiveness Inter- Observer Reliability The strong relationship between average scores of clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness must be considered in terms of inter-observer reliability for each observation period. Table 8 shows that reliability was strong for the initial impression testing period. This could indicate that there was agreement on what clothing communicated when a stimulus person was first viewed. 57 Table 8. Correlation coefficients for inter-observer reliability on clothing attractiveness over five week data collection Clothing Week Attractiveness Rating 1 2 3 4 5 Individual .61 .38 .43 .63 .45 Average .88 .74 .79 .89 .80 Subsequent inter-observer reliability coefficients for individual ratings vary from weak to strong over the other data collection periods. These results show that the sub- jects' apparel apparently communicated somewhat different ideas concerning becomingness of design to each observer. However, average clothing attractiveness reliability coefficients were consistently strong over time (Table 8). PersonalyAttractiveness Inter- Observer Reliability While inter-observer reliability coefficients for clothing attractiveness were generally moderate over the five week data collection period (Table 8), Table 9 shows that aR consistently weak coefficient existed for each of the obser- vation and rating sessions for personal attractiveness. These low coefficients for individual ratings indicate a lack of agreement on the personal attractiveness variable. 58 Table 9. Correlation coefficients for inter-observer reliability on personal attractiveness over five week data collection Personal Week Attractiveness Rating 1 2 3 4 5 Individual .17 .11 -.10 .06 .05 Average .49 .38 -.56 .25 .19 Such results came as a surprise because inter-observer reliability coefficients on both clothing and personal attractiveness during the preliminary data collection were similar (Table 2). In addition, there was stronger agree- ment among the personal attractiveness observers when view- ing subjects from the ten year old preliminary data than when observing their peers. Such results are a contradiction of earlier studies which suggest that while individuals pay particular attention to different details, there is general agreement on levels of attractiveness.3. These findings may indicate a problem within the data collection procedure. The observers were seated behind and to one side of the subjects and, thus, were facing their backs (Appendix D). 3McKeachie, "Lipstick as a Determinator of First Impressions of Personality," pp. 241-244; and Cavior and Lombardi, "Developmental Aspects of Judgment of Physical Attractiveness," pp. 67-71. 59 Given the variability of a real-life research setting, these observers may not have been able to view each subject's face. These findings suggest that clothing may be a strong, consistent communicator from the front or back, but that in the appraisal of personal attractiveness, facial form is of great importance. R Differences Between Pprsonal and Clothing Attractiveness Ratings Over Time Hypotheses were made to the effect that ratings of clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness would change over time (Hypotheses C and D). These hypotheses were based on the assumption that clothing and grooming, two facets of appearance, would be different for each observation period. Also considered was the theory that growing familiarity with the subjects would cause a change in the manner in which the subjects were regarded by the observers. Table 6 shows that average ratings did change slightly on each day for each variable, but that the ratings did not get consistently higher or lower over time. The results of an analysis of variance between the average scores for each subject, for each day on both variables are reported in Table 10. The F ratio for clothing attrac- tiveness and for personal attractiveness was not significant for the five observations even at the .05 probability level. These results indicate that the ratings for the two 60 Table 10. Significance of F ratios for average ratings of personal attractiveness.and clothing attractiveness among five observations Attractiveness df F Ratio Significance Clothing 4 .38252 .8208 Personal 4 .74709 .5619 variables did not change significantly over time. Thus, Hypotheses C and D were not accepted. The reason for the similarity of ratings on both variables may lie in the widely spaced length of time over which the data were collected. Since the ratings were made once a week for a period of five weeks, there may not have been enough time for the observers to become familiar with the subjects on the basis of non-verbal interaction. The results may actually indicate five different "initial" impressions. Additionally, the sample was made up of very similar subjects with regard to age, sex and major area of study (Table 5). All but three of the subjects out of 30 were in some manner involved in the study of clothing. The possibility exists that, while some degree of individuality was evident, the basic interpretations of the appropriate- ness of clothing and grooming were similar for most of the subjects. Given these homogeneous circumstances, the lack 61 of significant differences between ratings over time should not be considered unusual. Summary of Findings Clothing attractiveness was found to be signifi- cantly associated with personal attractiveness during initial impression formation and during each of four other impression formation periods. Inter-observer reliability of individual ratings on clothing attractiveness was moderate over time. Inter-observer reliability of personal attrac- tiveness for the five observations was quite weak. No significant differences were found between ratings of either personal attractiveness or clothing attractiveness over time. The significant findings between clothing attrac- tiveness and personal attractiveness support the proposed theory that clothing is a communicator particularly in situations where discourse does not occur. CHAPTER VI SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Summary The major concern of this study was to investigate the association between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness during impression formation. The study was designed to enable the exploration of judgments formed during initial and subsequent observations. A review of the pertinent literature revealed that communication is facilitated through the use of symbols. Thus, language is considered a prime means of communication. Situations exist, however, where verbal discourse does not take place or where words may not be adequate for the expression of ideas. Those things, verbal or non-verbal, which are used for the expression of ideas are considered symbols. Appearance is evident in most non-verbal communica- tion. Previous research has revealed that there is general agreement on levels of attractiveness with respect to appearance. Furthermore, recent studies have indicated that attractive individuals are often perceived as 62 63 possessing desirable personal characteristics and as leading happy, fulfilled lives. Appearance has not been precisely defined, and different researchers have investigated various aspects of appearance such as grooming or facial form. Although little research has been done in the area, clothing may be considered a component of appearance because some type of apparel is usually worn. Clothing may also be found to exist as a non-verbal symbol in communication because the choice of wearing apparel is expressive of the individual. A cause and effect relationship between cloth- ing attractiveness and personal attractiveness could not be drawn because of the limits of the data. A positive rela- tionship between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness, however, would give some support to the proposed theory that both personal attractiveness and clothing attractiveness are communicators particularly in situations where verbal discourse does not occur. Ten female observers were recruited and tested on their design perception before they were assigned to judge either clothing attractiveness or personal attractiveness. Preliminary data were collected as a means of training the observers to view and rate the subjects on their assigned variable using a scale of 0-9, as well as to determine inter-observer reliability. Color photographs and a 16 millimeter film, used in an interregional research project 64 completed by Michigan State University in 1972,1 of 112 high school females were used as the means of preliminary data collection. Each subject was rated for both personal attractiveness and clothing attractiveness on a scale of 0 (low attractiveness) to 9 (high.attractiveness). The sub- jects were rated three times over a period of a week as a measure of inter-observer reliability. Expert data on clothing attractiveness were collected from four graduate students and one instructor involved with teaching clothing construction and aesthetics at Michigan State University. These data were used to determine the validity of the clothing attractiveness observers. Pearson product-moment and Snedecor intraclass correlation coefficients were the statistical treatments used in the analysis of the preliminary data. The results indicated that clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness were positively related during each of the three preliminary data collections (Table 4). Inter-observer reliability was found to be approximately the same for personal attractiveness and clothing attrac- tiveness during each data collection and showed improvement 1"The Relationship of Clothing to the Personal and Social Acceptability of Adolescents," Washington Agricul- tural Experiment Station Bulletin No. 750. 65 over time (Table 2). Inter-expert judgment of clothing attractiveness was found reliable due to strong correlation coefficients of .80 and .87. The clothing attractiveness observers were considered valid on the basis of significant correlations between observer and expert ratings of clothing attractiveness for the preliminary data (Table 3). In total, the results of the preliminary data collection revealed the observers to be valid and moderately reliable judges of clothing attractiveness and personal attractive- ness. Thus, all ten observers were retained for the actual data collection. The population for the actual data collection consisted of an upper level college lecture class at Michigan State University during the spring of 1976. Thirty female students were anonymously viewed and rated by a group of five female observers on clothing attractive- ness. The subjects were also rated on personal attractive- ness by a second group of five female observers. Each observer group was informed of only the variable they were rating so that a contamination of the data would not occur. Both observer groups used a bipolar adjective rating scale of 0 (low attractiveness) to 9 (high attractiveness). Data were collected once a week for a period of five weeks. The major form of statistical analysis employed for determining associations between variables was the Pearson 66 product-moment correlation coefficient. Snedecor intraclass correlation coefficients were used in the calculation of inter-observer reliability on individual ratings. An analysis of variance was used to determine differences in ratings over time. Conclusions The proposed hypotheses, results and conclusions are summarized as follows: A. There will be a positive relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attrac- tiveness during initial impression formation. B. There will be a positive relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attrac- tiveness for each subsequent impression formed over time. Average scores were computed for each subject, on clothing attractiveness and on personal attractiveness for each observation period. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were derived between average ratings of cloth- ing attractiveness and personal attractiveness for each of the five days. The magnitude of these correlation coefficients (.93, .93, .96, .96, and .90), all significant beyond the .001 probability level, between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness for each day suggests a strong rela- tionship between the two variables during initial impression 67 formation and during each of the subsequent observations. Thus, Hypotheses A and B were supported. These results are tempered somewhat by an examina- tion of inter-observer reliability on individual ratings. The Snedecor intraclass correlation coefficients for individual ratings of clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness are reported in Tables 8 and 9. Table 8 reveals that the clothing attractiveness observers were moderately to strongly reliable over time (r ranges from .63 to .38 on individual ratings). The results of inter- observer reliability for individual ratings of personal attractiveness, however, show very weak reliability coef- ficients. This indicates that there was not agreement between observers on the personal attractiveness variable either during initial impression formation or for any of the following impression formation periods. While indi- vidual assessments differed between observers, possibly due to the inability of all of the observers to see each subject's face equally well, the average score on personal attractiveness was still strongly related to average scores on clothing attractiveness for each data collection period. Thus, Hypotheses A and B should still be accepted, although the relationship between clothing attractiveness and per- sonal attractiveness over time may not be as strong as the correlation coefficients imply. 68 C. There will be a difference in clothing attractiveness ratings over time. D. There will be a difference in personal attractiveness ratings over time. Average scores were calculated for each subject on clothing attractiveness and on personal attractiveness for each observation period. An analysis of variance was used to indicate whether ratings of clothing attractiveness or personal attractiveness differed over the five data col- lection periods. The analysis produced F ratios which were not significant even at the .05 probability level. Thus, there were no significant differences among the ratings of clothing attractiveness and of personal attractiveness over time. Hypotheses C and D were not supported. The results of this study supported two of the four proposed hypotheses. Clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness were found to be significantly related during initial and subsequent impression formations. Ratings of clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness were found not to differ significantly over time. Implications of Findings The data revealed the existence of a definite relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness during the impression formation process. The highly significant correlation coefficients present 69 strong support for the idea that clothing plays a major role in communicating ideas during the evaluations that individuals make of one another. This idea is further supported by the inter-observer reliability coefficients which indicated moderate to strong agreement on the clothing variable, but did not indicate such agreement on the per- sonal attractiveness variable. Clothing is only one of the many components of appearance. But, because of its high visibility, clothing-~front or back--may provide a useful clue in the assessment of others even at a distance. Other components, such as facial form, may require observation at closer range in order to make an evaluation of a person's attractiveness in a non-verbal situation. Thus, clothing is an important aspect in non-verbal communication because of the large amount of information available requiring little effort to obtain. The results of this study also revealed no differ- ence in the ratings of clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness for each subject over time. Because the sample used was a very homogeneous group, perhaps a variety of clothing, hairstyles and grooming habits was not exhib- ited. The possibility exists that the length of time between observations was too long to enable the observers to become familiar with the subjects. Thus, other clues besides appearance did not enter into the evaluations of 70 the subjects, and each observation may have been almost a repeat of the initial impression process. Many real-life situations exist where evaluations of others are made on the basis of non-verbal interaction. The results of this study indicate that clothing is a reliable and readily accessible communicator of ideas in such instances. The results further indicate that the judgments made during initial impression formation may not change readily when contacts between people are infrequent and non-verbal in nature. Recommendations for Further Study A refinement of the data collection procedure is strongly recommended. Real-life situations offer limited means for control in terms of viewing subjects adequetely enough to produce reliable ratings. The use of film or the observation of subjects through one-way mirrors could help overcome this obstacle. Replications of this study using different samples would be beneficial in determining the association of clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness. A cross-section of ages, occupations and sexes would provide greater range in the ratings obtained and add to the under- standing of the components of attractiveness. Furthermore, a random sampling technique would be beneficial with regard 71 to statistical inference. Thus, a study investigating the relationship between clothing attractiveness and personal attractiveness where the sample is randomly selected is strongly recommended. Research is recommended for determining the effects of differences which may exist between observers, partic- ularly with respect to sex, but also considering physical and psychological variability which may affect ratings. This research endeavored to study attractiveness from the attitude of the viewer. Additional studies could provide comparisons between the subject's self perception of attractiveness and perception of the subject's attractiveness by observers. Finally, because clothing was found to be a strong communicator as a component of appearance, the recommenda- tion is made for the separate study of fabric and clothing styles in an effort to determine the communicative value of clothing off the body as well as when worn. APPENDICES APPENDIX A SCHEDULE OF PRELIMINARY PROCEDURES AND DATA COLLECTION APPENDIX A SCHEDULE OF PRELIMINARY PROCEDURES AND DATA COLLECTION RESEARCHER: Jacquie McLemore l403-B Spartan Village Phone: 355-0761 Office: Room 404 Human Ecology Phone: 353-3877 (Schedule is posted outside door) Event* Data Place Time Introduction 4-20-76 5 Morrill Hall 4:00 p.m. Preliminary data 1 4-22-76 5 Morrill Hall 3:30 p.m. Preliminary data 2 4-25-76 102 Human Ecology 8:00 a.m. Actual data directions 4-28-76 300 Human Ecology 8:00 p.m. Actual data collection 5-06-76 300 Human Ecology 2:45 p.m. Actual data collection 5-13-76 300 Human Ecology 2:45 p.m. Actual data collection 5-20-76 300 Human Ecology 2:45 p.m. Actual data collection 5-27-76 300 Human Ecology 2:45 p.m. Actual data collection 6-03-76 300 Human Ecology 2:45 p.m. *Attendance is required for payment. 72 APPENDIX B MAITLAND GRAVES DESIGN JUDGMENT TEST RESPONSE SHEET APPENDIX B MAITLAND GRAVES DESIGN JUDGMENT TEST REPONSE SHEET NAME: LEVEL: 1. 17. 2. 18. 3. 19. 4. 20. 5. 21. 6.. 22. 7. 23. 8. 24. 9. 25. 10. 26. 11. 27. 12. 28. 13. 29. 14. 30. 15. 31. 16. 32. 73 APPENDIX C DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSONAL AND CLOTHING ATTRACTIVENESS VARIABLES AND RATING INSTRUCTIONS APPENDIX C DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSONAL ATTRACTIVENESS VARIABLE AND RATING INSTRUCTIONS You are rating the variable of personal attractiveness. Personal attractiveness is defined as: The total visual image of a person. Personal attractiveness is made up of the relationship of design elements (line, form, color, texture) and involves the becomingness of a person. You will observe the subjects, one at a time, and rate them on a scale of 0-9. 0 is the lowest score. 9 is the highest score. Rate each subject on personal attractiveness only. 74 75 DESCRIPTION OF THE CLOTHING ATTRACTIVENESS VARIABLE AND RATING INSTRUCTIONS You are rating the variable of clothing attractiveness.l Clothing attractiveness is defined as: The pleasingness or becomingness of clothes to the person. When you rate the subjects, keep in mind the elements of design (line, form, color and texture). Try to be objective about your ratings if the clothing you are observing is of another style period and is not currently pOpular. You will observe the subjects, one at a time, and rate them on a scale of 0-9. 0 is the.lowest score. 9 is the highest score. Rate each subject on clothing attractiveness only. APPENDIX D PRELIMINARY DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE SHEET APPENDIX D PRELIMINARY DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE SHEET Rate these subjects on a scale of 0-9 A score of 0 is low A score of 9 is high Subject Subject Subject Subject Subject 4 ____ 43,____ 76.____ ll7.____ l67.____ .____ 44.____ 77._____ 118.____ 1692____ 10.____ 45.____ 78.____ 120._____ l70.____ ll._____ 46.____ 79.____ 122.____ l77.____ 18.____’ 52.____ 80.____ 125.____ l78.____ l9. ___ 53.____ 81.____ 126.____ l79.____ 23._____ 54._____ 82.____ 127.____ l80.____ 24.____ 57.____ 83.____ 128.____ 181.____ 25._____ 58._____ 84.____. l32._____ 183.____ 26.____ 59._____ 91.____ 133.____’ 189.____ 27.____ 60.____. 92.____. 134.*___ 190.____ 28.____ 61.____ 99._____ l37._____ 191.____ 29._____ 62.____ 100.____ l46.____ 226.____ 30.____ 63.____ 101.____ 147.____ 227.____ 33,____ 64.____ 102.____ l49.____’ 2292.... 34._____ 65.____ 103.____ 150.____ 230.____ 36.____ 66.____ 104._____ 151.____ 231.____ 37.____ 68.____ 105.____ 152.____ 232.____ 38.____ 71.____ 106.____ 155.____ 2332____ 39.____ 72.____ ll3.____ 156._____ 240.____ 40.____ 73.____ ll4.____ 157.____ 41.____ 74.____ 115.____' 158.____ 42.____ 75.____ 116.____' l66.____ \I Ch APPENDIX E SEATING CHART mo 40 Boom mo xomm m0