Using a sample of 157 young adolescents (mean age = 11.79 years, SD = .45) from the Replication and Extension of the Pennsylvania Early Adolescent Transitions Study (REPEATS), the present research examined relations among several indicators of physical attractiveness (PA): facial and full-body P4 ratings, height, weight, and triceps skinfold thickness. Appraisals were made of whether multiple PA indicators accounted for more variation in measures of psychosocial functioning than did single P4 indexes. Gender variation in relations among PA indexes and psychosocial functioning was assessed also. Facial attractiveness was the most frequent statistically significant predictor of psychosocial functioning, even when compared with the simultaneous regression equations involving all the PA indexes. Results of separate analyses of males and of females were consistent with this finding and no systematic significant gender differences were found. It was concluded that past research that used facial PA adequately represented the links between PA and psychosocial functioning in early adolescence.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adams, G. R.
(1977). Physical attractiveness research: Toward a developmental social psychology of beauty. Human Development, 20, 217-239.
2.
Adams, G. R.
(1980). Social psychology of beauty: Effects of age, height, and weight on self-reported personality traits and social behavior. Journal of Social Psychology, 112, 287-293.
3.
Adams, G. R.
, Day, T., Dyk, P. H., Frede, E., & Rodgers, D.R.B. (1992). On the dialectics of pubescence and psychosocial developmentJournal of Early Adolescence, 12, 348-365.
4.
Barocas, R.
, & Karoly, P. (1972). Effects of physical appearance on social responsiveness. Psychological Reports, 31, 495-500.
5.
Bar-Tal, D.
, & Saxe, L. (1976). Physical attractiveness and its relationship to sex-role stereotyping. Sex Roles, 2, 123-133.
6.
Berscheid, E.
, & Walster, E. (1974). Physical attractiveness. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 7, pp. 157-215). New York: Academic Press.
7.
Brundage, L. E.
, Derlega, V. J., & Cash, T. F. (1977). The effects of physical attativeness and need for approval on self disclosure. Personality and Social Psychology Buletin, 3, 63-66.
8.
Buck, S.
, & Tiene, D. (1989). The impact of physical atractiveness, gender, and teaching philosophy on teacher evaluations. Journal of Educational Research, 82, 172-177.
9.
Byrne, D.
, London, O., & Reeves, K. (1968). The effects of physical attractiveness, sex, and attitude similarity on interpersonal attraction. Journal of Personality, 36, 259-271.
10.
Cash, T. F.
(1990). The psychology of physical appearance: Aesthetics, attributes, and images. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body images: Development, deviance, and change (pp. 51-79). New York: Guilford.
11.
Cash, T. F.
, & Begley, P. J. (1976). Internal-external control, achievement orientation, and physical attractiveness among college students. Psychological Reports, 38, 1205-1206.
12.
Cash, T. F.
, Begley, P. J., McCown, D. A., & Weise, B. C. (1975). When counselors are heard but not seen: Initial impact of physical attractiveness. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22, 273-279.
13.
Cash, T. F.
, & Bums, D. S. (1977). The occurrence of reinforcing activities in relation to locus of control, success-failure expectations, and physical attractiveness. Journal of Personality Assessment, 41, 387-391.
14.
Cash, T. F.
, & Pruzinsky, T. (1990). Body images: Development, deviance, and change. New York: Guilford.
15.
Cash, T. F.
, Winstead, B. A., & Janda, L. H. (1985). Your body, yourself: A Psychology Today reader survey. Psychology Today, 19, 22-26.
16.
Clayson, D. E.
, & Klassen, M. L. (1989). Perception of attractiveness by obesity and hair color. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 68, 199-202.
17.
Cross, J. F.
, & Cross, J. (1971). Age, sex, race, and perception of facial beauty. Developmental Psychology, 5, 433-439.
18.
Curran, J. P.
, & Lippold, S. (1975). The effects of physical attractiveness and attitude similarity on attaction in dating dyads. Journal of Personality, 43, 528-538.
19.
Dion, K. K.
, Berscheid, E., & Walster, E. (1972). What is beautiful is good. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24, 285-290.
20.
Door, D.
(1981). Factor structure of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. Personality and Individual Differences, 2, 113-119.
21.
East, P. L.
, Hess, L. E., & Lerner, R. M. (1987). Peer social support and adjustment of early adolescent peer groups. Journal of Early Adolescence, 7, 153-163.
22.
Faulstich, M. E.
, Carey, M. P., Ruggiero, L., Enyart, P., & Gresham, F. (1986). Assessment of depression in childhood and adolescence: An evaluation of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC)American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 1024-1027.
23.
Goldman, W.
, & Lewis P. (1977). Beautiful is good: Evidence that the physically attractive are more socially skillful. Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, 13, 125-130.
24.
Harter, S.
(1979). Perceived competence scale for children. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver.
25.
Harter, S.
(1982). The perceived competence scale for children. Child Development, 53, 87-97.
26.
Harter, S.
(1983). Supplementary description of the self-perceived profile for children: Revisions of the perceived competence scale for children. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver.
27.
Hedl, J.
, & Papay, J. (1982). The Factor structure of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children: Kindegarten through the four grades. Personality and Individual Differences, 3, 439-446.
28.
Horvath, T.
, & MacDonald, L. L. (1989). Evaluation of a young child's behavior effects of attractiveness and sex. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 69, 1051-1056.
29.
Horvath, T.
, Szmigelski, L., & Fenton, L. A. (1987). Some attractiveness parameters from birth to four years. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 64, 1243-1248.
30.
Jackson, D. J.
(1983). The influence of sex, physical attractiveness, sex role, and occupational sex linkage on perceptions of occupational suitability. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 13, 31-44.
31.
Johnson, B. M.
, & Collins, W. A. (1988). Perceived maturity as a function of appearance cues in early adolescence: Ratings by unacquainted adults, parents, and teachers. Journal of Early Adolescence, 8, 357-372.
32.
Jovanovic, J.
, Lamer, R. M., & Lamer, J. V. (1989). Objective and participantive attractiveness and early adolescent adjustment. Journal of Adolescence, 12, 225-229.
33.
Kleck, R. E.
, Richardson, S. A., & Ronald, C. (1974). Physical appearance cues and interpersonal attaction in children. Child Development, 45, 305-310.
34.
Langlois, J. H.
(1986). From the eye of the beholder to behavioral reality: Development of social behavior and social relations as a function of physical attractiveness. In C. P. Herman, M. P. Zanna, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Physical appearance, stigma, and social behavior: The Ontario Symposium (Vol. 3, pp. 23-51). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
35.
Langlois, J. H.
, & Downs, A. C. (1979). Peer relations as a function of physical attractiveness: The eye of the beholder or behavioral reality? Child Development, 50, 409-418.
36.
Langlois, J. H.
, & Roggman, L. A. (1990). Attractive faces are only average. American Psychological Society, 1, 115-121.
37.
Lenerz, K.
, Kucher, J. S., East, P. L., Lamer, J. V., & Lamer, R. M. (1987). Early adolescents' organismic physical characteristics and psychosocial functioning: Findings from the Pennsylvania Early Adolescent Transitions Study (PEATS). In R. M. Lamer & T. T. Foch (Eds.), Biological-psychosocial interactions in early adolescence (pp. 225-247). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
38.
Lerner, R. M.
(1987). A life-span perspective for early adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & T. T. Foch (Eds.), Biological-psychosocial interactions in early adolescence (pp. 9-34). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
39.
Lerner, R. M.
, Delaney, M., Hess, L. E., Jovanovic, J., & von Eye, A. (1990). Early adolescent physical attractiveness and academic competence. Journal of Early Adolescence, 10, 4-20.
40.
Lerner, R. M.
, & Jovanovic, J. (1990). The role of body image in psychosocial development across the life span: A developmental contextual perspective. In T. T. Cash, & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: Development, deviance, and change (pp. 110-127). New York: Guilford.
41.
Lerner, R. M.
, & Karabenick, S. A. (1974). Physical attractiveness, body attitudes, and self-concept in late adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 3, 307-316.
42.
Lerner, R. M.
, Knapp, J. R., & Pool, K. B. (1974). The structure of body build stereotypes: A methodological analysis. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 39, 719-729.
43.
Lerner, R. M.
, & Korn, S. J. (1972). The development of body build stereotypes in males. Child Development, 43, 912-920.
44.
Lerner, R. M.
, & Lerner, J. V. (1977). Effects of age, sex, and physical attractiveness on child-peer relations, academic performance, and elementary school adjustmentDevelopmental Psychology, 13, 585-590.
45.
Lerner, R. M.
, Lamer, J. V., Hess, L. E., Schwab, J. S., Jovanovic, J., Talwar, R. & Kucher, J. (1991). Physical attractiveness and psychosocial functioning among early adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 11, 300-320.
46.
Lerner, R. M.
, Lerner, J. V. & von Eye, A. (1989). Early adolescent school achievement: Organismic bases (NICHD Grant No. HD23229). Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
47.
Lerner, R. M.
, Sorell, G. T., & Brackney, B. E. (1981). Sex differences in self-concept and self-esteem in late adolescents: A time-lag analysis. Sex Roles, 7, 709-722.
48.
Montgomery, L.
, & Finch, A. (1974). Validity of two measures of anxiety in children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2, 293-296.
49.
Nitz, K.
, Lerner, R. M., Lerner, J. V., & Talwar, R. (1988). Parental and peer demands, temperament, and early adolescent adjustment. Journal of Early Adolescence, 8, 243-263.
50.
Noles, S. W.
, Cash, T. F., & Winstead, B. A. (1985). Body image, physical attractiveness, and depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 88-94.
51.
Radloff, L. S.
(1977). The CES-D Scale: A new self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385-401.
52.
Reynolds, C. R.
(1980). Concurrent validity of What I Think and Feel: The Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. Journal of Consultant and Clinical Psychology, 46, 774-775.
53.
Roberts, L. N.
, & Vernon, S. W. (1983). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale: Its use in a community sample. American Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 41-46.
54.
Simmons, R. G.,
& Blyth, D. A. (1987). Moving into adolescence: The impact of pubertal change and school context. New York: Aldine.
55.
Sorell, G. T.
, & Nowak, C. A. (1981). The role of physical attractiveness as a contributor to individual development. In R. M. Lerner & N. A. Busch-Rossnagel (Eds.), Individuals as producers of their development: A life-span perspective (pp. 389-446). New York: Academic Press.
56.
Spielberger, C. D.
(1973). STAIC preliminary manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
57.
Spielberger, C. D.
, Gorsuch, R., & Lushene, R. (1970). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
58.
Walker, C. E.
, & Kaufman, K. (1984). Review of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. In D. J. Keyser & R. C. Sweetland (Eds.), Test critiques: Vol. (pp. 626-640). Kansas City, MO: Test Corporation of America.
59.
Walster, E.
, Aronson, V., Abrahams, D., & Rottmann, L. (1966). Importance of physical attractiveness in dating behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 4, 508-516.
60.
Weissman, M.
, Orvaschell, H., & Padian, N. (1980). Children's symptom and social function: Self-report scales. Journal of Epidemiology, 106, 203-214.
61.
Weissman, M.
, Sholomaskas, D., Pottenger, M., Prusoff, B. A., & Locke, B. Z. (1977). Assessing depressive symptoms in five psychiatric populations: A validation study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 106, 203-214.
62.
Windle, M.
, Hooker, K., Lenerz, K., East, P. L., Lerner, J. V., & Lerner, R. M. (1986). Temperament, perceived competence and depression in early and later adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 22, 384-392.
