When counselors are heard but not seen: Initial impact of physical attractiveness

Out of a total of 72 undergraduates, 24 males and 24 females viewed the videotaped professional self-presentation of a presumed counselor who was either physically attractive or unattractive. Ss then indicated their impressions of the counselor on 12 traits and their expectancies of the counselor�...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of counseling psychology 1975-07, Vol.22 (4), p.273-279
Main Authors: Cash, Thomas F, Begley, Phyllis J, McCown, David A, Weise, Beverly C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Counselor Characteristics
Human
Physical Attractiveness
Social Perception
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Summary:Out of a total of 72 undergraduates, 24 males and 24 females viewed the videotaped professional self-presentation of a presumed counselor who was either physically attractive or unattractive. Ss then indicated their impressions of the counselor on 12 traits and their expectancies of the counselor's helpfulness for 15 personal problems. Relative to the physically unattractive counselor, the attractive counselor generally was perceived more favorably by both sexes, especially with regard to his intelligence, friendliness, assertiveness, trustworthiness, competence, warmth, and likeability. The attractive counselor also elicited more favorable counseling outcome expectancies for 8 of the specific personal problems. 2 control groups who listened to the tapes but were unaware of the counselor's appearance did not differ from each other in their ratings of the counselors. Results are discussed in the context of previous and further research on the physical attractiveness variable and in the context of their implications for counseling. (35 ref)
ISSN:0022-0167
1939-2168
DOI:10.1037/h0076730