Stereotypes
© 2013, John B. Pryor
Illinois State University
1
2
List some characteristics you
might think that these women
would possess.......
1
2
List some characteristics you
might think that these men
would possess.......
3
Thai Dancer
Masai Woman
- Kenya
Zulu Woman
Woman from
Western Europe
Indian
Woman
Concepts of beauty
vary from culture
to culture
Concepts of beauty vary somewhat over history...
20’s
70’s
30’s
80’s
40’s
50’s
90’s
60’s
Miss
America
across
the decades
Miss America 2007
Miss America 2010
Your ideal?
Miss America 2013
First Miss America of Indian descent
What facial features are found
most attractive?
Langolis, Roggman, & Musselman (1994)
 Evolutionary pressures favor human
attributes close to the population
 Cognitive processes favor prototypical
category members
 “Average-is-attractive” hypothesis
 Computer average faces are judged as
more attractive
What is beautiful is good!!
Physically attractive people are
perceived as more:
sensitve, modest,
poised, interesting, strong,
sociable, kind, warm,
socially adept, and
sexually responsive
Beauty & Gender Stereotypes

Handsome men are
perceived as more
masculine

Beautiful women are
perceived as more
feminine
Method from Snyder, Tanke, & Berscheid
 Males
& females isolated in separate
rooms
 Both fill out general information
questionnaire – Photo is taken of male
 Experimenter takes up questionnaires
 attaches either attractive or unattractive
photo of a female to her questionnaire
 detaches male photo
Method from Snyder, Tanke, & Berscheid
 Experimenter
exchanges male/female
questionnaires
 Male rates his expectations of female
 Male & female interact over telephone
 Male rates his impressions of female
 Independent judges rate their
impressions of the females without
hearing what the male said
How expectations influence behavior
Male’s Expectation
Male’s
Interpretation
Female’s
Behavior
after Darley
& Fazio
Male’s
Behavior
Female’s
Interpretation
Stability of the Attractiveness
Stereotype over Lifespan
Newborn infants are assumed to have
more positive characteristics if they are
attractive as opposed to unattractive
Newborns don’t show a preference,
but one year olds react more favorably
to attractive than unattractive adults
Stability of the Attractiveness
Stereotype over Lifespan

People assume that individuals 60-93
have more desirable personality traits if
they are attractive
Is there a down side to being
physicaly attractive?
Other people sometimes attribute an
attractive person’s success to good
looks
 Attractive women often are assumed to
be vain & materialistic
 Attractiveness is a plus for male
politicians, but not female

Describe yourself
1. Not at all independent
Very
independent
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
2. Not at all emotional
Very emotional
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
3. Very passive
Very active
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
Describe yourself
4. Not at all able
Able to devote self
to devote self
to devote self
completely
completely
to others
to others
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
5. Very rough
Very gentle
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
Describe yourself
6. Not at all helpful
Very helpful
to others
to others
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
7. Not at all competitive
Very competitive
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
8. Not at all kind
Very kind
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
Describe yourself
9. Not at all aware of
Very aware of
feelings of others
feelings of others
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
10. Has difficulty
Can make
making decisions
decisions easily
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
11. Gives up
Never gives
very easily
up easily
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
Describe yourself
12.Not at all
Very selfself- confident
confident
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
13. Feels very inferior
Feels very superior
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
14. Not at all
Very
understanding
understanding
of others
of others
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
Describe yourself
15. Very cold
Very warm
in relations
in relations
with others
with others
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
16. Goes to pieces
Stands up well
under pressure
under pressure
0..........1..........2..........3..........4
Scoring the PAQ


Masculine Scale: Items 1,3,7,10,11,12,13,16
Feminine Scale: Items 2,4,5,6,8,9,14,15
MEDIANS
Masculine Scale
Feminine Scale
Males
Females
23
22
21
25
Above Median
for Feminine
Androgynous
Below Median
for Feminine
Traditional
Masculine
Above Median
for Masculine
Above Median
for Feminine
Traditional
Feminine
Below Median
for Feminine
Undifferentiated
Below Median
for Masculine
Androgyny: definition having characteristics of both
sexes
Greek roots:
andr--man
gyne--woman
Bem’s Flexibility Hypothesis
 Androgynous
females can act more
independent if the situation calls for
independence.
 Androgynous males can act more
caring (nurturent) if the situation
calls for nurturence
Which pair of strangers hits
it off more?
Androgynous Male &
Androgynous Female
Androgynous Male &
Sex-typed Female
Sex-typed Male &
Androgynous Female
Sex-typed Male &
Sex-typed Female
from Ickes & Layden
Experimental Design from Andersen & Bem