Effects of Physical Appearance on Social Responsiveness

A behavioral analysis of the consequences of physical appearance on social behavior was undertaken with the view that physical attractiveness operates as a stimulus control variable by occasioning differential interpersonal reinforcement. Fifty-six males were requested to role-play an interaction with the taped performance of a young woman. Video-taped performances were presented under two conditions, attractive and unattractive, to Ss instructed to translate their enacted social responses into “button-presses.” The audio portions of these tapes were presented alone to two additional groups of Ss and no differences attributable to voice quality or speech content were observed. The attractive appearance evoked more social reinforcement and enhanced cognitive-evaluative ratings of calmness, popularity, and friendship desirability.