Influence of Looking Behavior of a Social Model on Subsequent Looking Behavior of Observers of the Model

Abstract

Male Ss viewed a film depicting the eye movements of a model as he viewed a series of pictures. Some of the pictures depicted nude or seminude male and female pictures, while the remainder showed fully clothed males and females in conventional advertisement poses. Ss' own eye movements were subsequently recorded as they observed a parallel set of pictures in the presence of a female E. Ss were assigned to one of four conditions: model looks at figures and is verbally approved by E, while looking at sexual stimuli; model looks at figures but receives no approval; model avoids figures and receives approval while avoiding sexual stimuli; model avoids figures but receives no approval. GSR records were secured from all Ss. Exposure to the model resulted in imitative looking responses when the stimuli were sexually significant; imitative behavior did not occur when the stimuli were neutral. The addition of verbal reinforcement had little effect on Ss' looking behavior. The GSR records indicated that the sexually significant pictures had had an emotional impact on the observers. It was concluded that exposure to a social model may result in a modification of sexually significant perceptual responses. In addition, evidence was secured that observers who are emotionally aroused and uncertain how to respond in a social situation are readily influenced by the behavior of a model.