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The Journal of Social Psychology Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vsoc20
Children's Reactions to Faces Before and after Minor Facial Surgery a
Vicky Houston & Ray Bull
b
a
Department of Psychology , Glasgow College , United Kingdom b
Department of Psychology , Portsmouth Polytechnic , United Kingdom Published online: 01 Jul 2010.
To cite this article: Vicky Houston & Ray Bull (1992) Children's Reactions to Faces Before and after Minor Facial Surgery, The Journal of Social Psychology, 132:4, 557-559 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1992.9924738
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or
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The Journal of Social Psychology, 132(4), 557-559
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 12:09 03 February 2015
Children’s Reactions to Faces Before and After Minor Facial Surgery VICKY HOUSTON Department of Psychology Glasgow College, United Kingdom RAY BULL Department of Psychology Portsmouth Polytechnic, United Kingdom BULL AND RUMSEY (1988) noted that, in research on the topic of facial appearance, reactions to attractive faces were compared with reactions to average-looking faces and that little research had examined reactions to mildly deformed or disfigured faces. The two published studies of children’s reactions to adults’ faces (Elliott, Bull, James, & Lansdown, 1986; Rumsey, Bull, & Gahagan, 1986) both found evidence that younger children do not display negative stereotyping, although older children do, but these studies differed with regard to their determination of the age at which children first come to display evidence of this difference. Rumsey et al. found that by age 1 1, the children in their study demonstrated significant stereotyping, but Elliott et al. found no significant evidence for this tendency in their l l- to 9year-olds (and 6-year-olds) but did in their 13-year-olds. In the present study, reactions to a representative sample of the photographs used by Rumsey et al. were determined by using a procedure similar to that of Elliott et al. Forty-eight 16- and 12-year-old boys and girls from a school in Glasgow, Scotland, were the subjects. The photographs were of men and women at a London hospital before and after they underwent minor, internal oral surgery that led to slight improvements in their facial appearance. Each subject saw photographs of two adults taken before surgery and of two different adults taken after surgery. While looking at each photograph, subjects rated them on the 10 7-point agreement scales developed by Elliott et al. (1986).
Address correspondence to Ray Bull, Department of Psychology, Portsmouth Polytechnic, King Charles Street, Portsmouth, POI 2ER, United Kingdom. 557
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 12:09 03 February 2015
For each of the agreement scales, a four-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed (Photograph Pre- Versus Postoperation x Age x Subject Gender x Face Gender). The main effects revealed more agreement that the postoperation faces were “warmiaffectionate,” F( 1 , 133) = 14.85, p < ,001; “attractive,” F( 1, 133) = 16.27,p < ,001; and had “lots of friends,” F(1, 133) = 22.71, p < .001; and less agreement that they were “aggressive,”F(I, 133) = 16.09,p< .00l;“sad,”F(l. 133) = 9 . 7 2 , p < .Ol;“shy,” F( I , 133) = 4.58, p < .05; and that they had “no sense of humor” F( I , 133) = 5.64, p < .025. However, significant three-way (Photograph Pre- Versus Postoperation x Age x Subject Gender) interactions revealed that, whereas the 16-year-old girls and boys and the 12-year-old girls demonstrated negative stereotyping of preoperation faces for “warm/affectionate,” F( 1 , 133) = 3.94, p < .05; “attractive,” F( I , 133) = 6. I I , p < .025; “has lots of friends,” F(1, 133) = 7.01, p < . O l ; and “aggressive,” F(1, 133) = 16.09, p < .001; the 12-year-old boys did not. Furthermore, although there was no main effect for “intelligent,” a similar three-way interaction, F( I , 133) = 5 . I I , p < .05. found that whereas the 16-year-olds (particularly the boys) and the 12-year-old girls associated “intelligent” with the postoperation photographs, the 12-year-old boys judged the pre-operation faces to be more intelligent. Similarly, a two-way (Photograph Pre- Versus Postoperation x Subject Gender) interaction for “is dishonest,” F( 1 , 133) = 6.25, p < ,025. showed that whereas the 16-year-old girls and the 12-year-old girls judged the preoperation face as more dishonest, the 16-year-old boys’ scores on dishonesty were unaffected by facial appearance and the 12-year-old boys saw the preoperation face as less dishonest. Thus, on a number of scales there was a lack of effect on the 12-year-old boys’ scores (but there were effects on the scores of the 12-year-old girls as well as the older boys and girls). One explanation of these findings can be found not in the difference in the photographs used but in the procedures used. In this study and that of Elliott et al., agreement scales were used and subjects never saw both the pre- and postoperation photographs of the same person, whereas Rumsey et al. showed their subjects both the pre- and postoperation photographs of the same stimulus individuals. This procedural difference could explain the differences found between the two earlier studies with regard to the age of the initial display of negative stereotyping.
REFERENCES Bull, R . , & Rumsey, N . (1988). The social pychology offirial appearance. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Houston & Bull
559
Elliott, M., Bull, R . , James, D . , & Lansdown, R . (1986). Adults’ and children’s reactions to photographs taken before and after facial surgery. Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery, 4, 18-2 1 . Rumsey, N . , Bull, R . , & Gahagan, D. (1986). A developmental study of children’s stereotyping of facially deformed adults. British Journal of Psychology, 77,269274.
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 12:09 03 February 2015
Received August 9, 1991
The Journal of Social Psychology Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vsoc20
Children's Reactions to Faces Before and after Minor Facial Surgery a
Vicky Houston & Ray Bull
b
a
Department of Psychology , Glasgow College , United Kingdom b
Department of Psychology , Portsmouth Polytechnic , United Kingdom Published online: 01 Jul 2010.
To cite this article: Vicky Houston & Ray Bull (1992) Children's Reactions to Faces Before and after Minor Facial Surgery, The Journal of Social Psychology, 132:4, 557-559 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1992.9924738
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or
indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 12:09 03 February 2015
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
The Journal of Social Psychology, 132(4), 557-559
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 12:09 03 February 2015
Children’s Reactions to Faces Before and After Minor Facial Surgery VICKY HOUSTON Department of Psychology Glasgow College, United Kingdom RAY BULL Department of Psychology Portsmouth Polytechnic, United Kingdom BULL AND RUMSEY (1988) noted that, in research on the topic of facial appearance, reactions to attractive faces were compared with reactions to average-looking faces and that little research had examined reactions to mildly deformed or disfigured faces. The two published studies of children’s reactions to adults’ faces (Elliott, Bull, James, & Lansdown, 1986; Rumsey, Bull, & Gahagan, 1986) both found evidence that younger children do not display negative stereotyping, although older children do, but these studies differed with regard to their determination of the age at which children first come to display evidence of this difference. Rumsey et al. found that by age 1 1, the children in their study demonstrated significant stereotyping, but Elliott et al. found no significant evidence for this tendency in their l l- to 9year-olds (and 6-year-olds) but did in their 13-year-olds. In the present study, reactions to a representative sample of the photographs used by Rumsey et al. were determined by using a procedure similar to that of Elliott et al. Forty-eight 16- and 12-year-old boys and girls from a school in Glasgow, Scotland, were the subjects. The photographs were of men and women at a London hospital before and after they underwent minor, internal oral surgery that led to slight improvements in their facial appearance. Each subject saw photographs of two adults taken before surgery and of two different adults taken after surgery. While looking at each photograph, subjects rated them on the 10 7-point agreement scales developed by Elliott et al. (1986).
Address correspondence to Ray Bull, Department of Psychology, Portsmouth Polytechnic, King Charles Street, Portsmouth, POI 2ER, United Kingdom. 557
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 12:09 03 February 2015
For each of the agreement scales, a four-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed (Photograph Pre- Versus Postoperation x Age x Subject Gender x Face Gender). The main effects revealed more agreement that the postoperation faces were “warmiaffectionate,” F( 1 , 133) = 14.85, p < ,001; “attractive,” F( 1, 133) = 16.27,p < ,001; and had “lots of friends,” F(1, 133) = 22.71, p < .001; and less agreement that they were “aggressive,”F(I, 133) = 16.09,p< .00l;“sad,”F(l. 133) = 9 . 7 2 , p < .Ol;“shy,” F( I , 133) = 4.58, p < .05; and that they had “no sense of humor” F( I , 133) = 5.64, p < .025. However, significant three-way (Photograph Pre- Versus Postoperation x Age x Subject Gender) interactions revealed that, whereas the 16-year-old girls and boys and the 12-year-old girls demonstrated negative stereotyping of preoperation faces for “warm/affectionate,” F( 1 , 133) = 3.94, p < .05; “attractive,” F( I , 133) = 6. I I , p < .025; “has lots of friends,” F(1, 133) = 7.01, p < . O l ; and “aggressive,” F(1, 133) = 16.09, p < .001; the 12-year-old boys did not. Furthermore, although there was no main effect for “intelligent,” a similar three-way interaction, F( I , 133) = 5 . I I , p < .05. found that whereas the 16-year-olds (particularly the boys) and the 12-year-old girls associated “intelligent” with the postoperation photographs, the 12-year-old boys judged the pre-operation faces to be more intelligent. Similarly, a two-way (Photograph Pre- Versus Postoperation x Subject Gender) interaction for “is dishonest,” F( 1 , 133) = 6.25, p < ,025. showed that whereas the 16-year-old girls and the 12-year-old girls judged the preoperation face as more dishonest, the 16-year-old boys’ scores on dishonesty were unaffected by facial appearance and the 12-year-old boys saw the preoperation face as less dishonest. Thus, on a number of scales there was a lack of effect on the 12-year-old boys’ scores (but there were effects on the scores of the 12-year-old girls as well as the older boys and girls). One explanation of these findings can be found not in the difference in the photographs used but in the procedures used. In this study and that of Elliott et al., agreement scales were used and subjects never saw both the pre- and postoperation photographs of the same person, whereas Rumsey et al. showed their subjects both the pre- and postoperation photographs of the same stimulus individuals. This procedural difference could explain the differences found between the two earlier studies with regard to the age of the initial display of negative stereotyping.
REFERENCES Bull, R . , & Rumsey, N . (1988). The social pychology offirial appearance. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Houston & Bull
559
Elliott, M., Bull, R . , James, D . , & Lansdown, R . (1986). Adults’ and children’s reactions to photographs taken before and after facial surgery. Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery, 4, 18-2 1 . Rumsey, N . , Bull, R . , & Gahagan, D. (1986). A developmental study of children’s stereotyping of facially deformed adults. British Journal of Psychology, 77,269274.
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 12:09 03 February 2015
Received August 9, 1991
