This study investigated the factors underlying the perception of the physique as a social stimulus, the reliability of our measures and the effects of anxiety and group affiliation on Ss' judgments. A total of 490 Ss were asked to judge physiques by ranking (160 Ss) and by using the semantic differential (330 Ss). Results indicate that physiques are perceived differently and that group affiliation and anxiety affect stereotyping. Osgood's evaluative factor accounted for the largest portion of variance. The test re-test reliability of the semantic differential was higher than for the ranking method.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BerlyneD. E.Conflict, arousal, and curiosity. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1960.
2.
EysenckH. J.EysenckS. B. G.Manual for the Eysenck Personality Inventory. San Diego, Calif.Educational & Industrial Testing Service, 1963.
3.
GordonR.Stereotypy of imagery and belief as an ego defense. Brit. J. Psychol. (Monogr. Suppl.), 1962, No. 34.
4.
KikerV. L.MillerA. R.Perceptual judgment of physiques as a factor in social image. Percept. mot. Skills, 1967, 24, 1013–1014.
5.
MillerA. R.KikerV. L.The experimental analysis of the physique as a social stimulus: Part I. Paper read at Western Psychol. Assn, San Francisco, Calif., May, 1967.
6.
OsgoodC. E.SuciG. J.TannenbaumP. H.The measurement of meaning. Urbana: Univer. of Illinois Press, 1957.
7.
SheldonW. H.Atlas of men. New York: Gramercy, 1954.
8.
TaylorJ. A.The relationship of anxiety to the conditioned eyelid response. J. exp. Psychol., 1951, 41, 81–92.
