Impressions of babyfaced individuals across the life span.
1992; American Psychological Association; Volume: 28; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1037/0012-1649.28.6.1143
ISSN1939-0599
AutoresLeslie A. Zebrowitz, Joann M. Montepare,
Tópico(s)Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
ResumoFour questions were addressed concerning perceptions of babyfaced individuals from infancy to older adulthood: (a) Do perceivers make reliable babyface judgments at each age; (b) does a babyface have the same effects on trait impressions at each age; (c) are the effects of a babyface independent of the effects of attractiveness; and (d) what facial maturity features are associated with babyface ratings, and do these features predict trait impressions? Ratings of portrait photographs revealed that perceivers reliably detect variations in babyfaceness across the life span. Facial measurements revealed that large eyes, a round face, thin eyebrows, and a small nose bridge characterized a babyface. Trait impressions showed a babyface overgeneralization effect at each age: Babyfaced individuals were perceived to have more childlike traits than their maturefaced peers, and this effect was independent of attractiveness. Considerable evidence indicates that appearance has a significant impact on social perceptions and social interactions, which may have important implications for personality development. Not only is appearance one of the initial qualities that children and adults mention in their descriptions of people (Fiske & Cox, 1979; Livesley & Bromley, 1973), but it also influences the traits they ascribe to others (see Alley, 1988; Bull &
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