IMPRESSION FORMATION ABOUT A PERSON AS A RESULT OF HOLISTIC AND ELEMENT-WISE PROCESSING OF FACIAL SIGNALS

The impression about a person is formed as a result of interaction of several signals. According to holistic (configurational) way of impression formation, facial signal significance depends on the context (and can be changed if there are other signals). In accordance with the elementwise way, social judgments depend on the contribution of each facial factor that possesses an invariant meaning. The current paper features impression formation based on two facial characteristics – physical attractiveness and abnormality (represented by orbital hypertelorism). Perception was accompanied by social judgments about personality traits, interpersonal attractiveness and reliability. It was expected that the impression of the individuals depending on physical attractiveness and anomaly would be formed in both holistic and element-wise ways. In the experiment, 4 groups of subjects (144 people) evaluated physically attractive and unattractive individuals with an increased and normal interocular distance. The interaction (holistic way) of physical attractiveness and abnormalities determined the reliability evaluation, expressed through attributed traits (danger) and criminal potentialities (the probability of committing different crimes). The independent influence of physical attractiveness and facial features of orbital hypertelorism influenced the evaluation of the potential interpersonal proximity degree. Formation of the impression in the presence of two facial signals was carried out in accordance with the holistic and element-wise ways. The actualization of the impression forming ways depends on the relevance of the facial factor and social judgments.

formation of impressions, physical attractiveness, social cognition, facial anomalies, holistic and element-wise ways of forming impressions, social judgment, social perception, trustworthiness

1. Brewer M. B. A Dual Process Model of Impression Formation. Srull T. K., Wyer R. S. (Eds.) Advances in social cognition. New York: Psychology Press, vol. I (2014): 2–36. Available at: https://books.google.ru/books?id=Kg3sAgAAQBAJ&dq=Brewer+M.+B.+A+Dual+Process+Model+of+Impression+Formation+&lr=&hl=ru&source=gbs_navlinks_s (accessed 28.09.2017).

2. Asch S. E. Forming impressions of personality. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, no. 41(3) (1946): 258–290. DOI: 10.1037/h0055756.

3. Anderson N. Cognitive algebra. Berkowitz L. (Ed.) Advances in experimental social psychology. New York: Academic Press, vol. 7 (1974): 1–101.

4. Zebrowitz L. A., Rhodes G. Sensitivity to ‘‘bad genes’’ and the anomalous face overgeneralization effect: Cue validity, cue utilization, and accuracy in judging intelligence and health. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, no. 28(3) (2004): 167–185.

5. Zorina S. V., Shalaeva N. Ju. Fizicheskie kharakteristiki litsa cheloveka kak faktor sotsial'noi pertseptsii [Physical characteristics of human face as a factor of social perception]. Vestnik Samarskogo universiteta. Istoriia, pedagogika, filologiia = Vestnik of Samara University. History, pedagogics, philology, no. 5(106) (2013): 184–187.

6. Sindromy i simptomy v klinicheskoi praktike [Syndromes and symptoms in clinical practice]. Comp. Borodulin V. I., Topolianskii A. V. Moscow: Eksmo, 2010, 464.

7. Barabanshchikov V. A., Khoze E. G. Konfigurativnye priznaki ekspressii spokoinogo litsa [Configurative signs of neutral facial expression]. Eksperimental'naia psikhologiia = Experimental Psychology, 5, no. 1 (2012): 45–68.

8. Khrisanfova L. A. Otsenka individual'no-psikhologicheskikh osobennostei pri vospriiatii morfirovannykh muzhskikh lits [Evaluation of individual psychological features in the perception of morphed male faces]. Eksperimental'naia psikhologiia = Experimental Psychology, 5, no. 3 (2012): 44–57.

9. Dion K., Berscheid E., Walster E. What is beautiful is good. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, no. 24 (1972): 285–290.

10. Kerr N. L. Beauti fuland blameless: Effect sofvictim attractiveness and responsibility on mock jurors' verdicts. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 4, no. 3 (1978): 479–482.

11. Eagly A. H., Ashmore R. D., Makhijani M. G., Longo L. C. What is beautiful is good, but..: A metaanalytic review of research on the physical attractiveness stereotype. Psychological bulletin, no. 110(1) (1991): 109–128. DOI:10.1037/00332909.110.1.109.

12. Shmelev A. G. Psikhodiagnostika lichnostnykh chert [Psychodiagnostics of personality traits]. Saint-Petersburg: Rech', 2002, 480.

13. Varlashkina E. A., Latysheva E. V. Privlekatel'naia vneshnost' kak faktor uspekha professional'noi deiatel'nosti v sfere «Industrii krasoty» [Attractive appearance as a factor in the success of professional activity in the sphere of the «Beauty Industry»]. Vestnik Omskogo universiteta. Seriia: Psikhologiia = Herald of Omsk university. Series: Psychology, no. 1 (2011): 27–33.

14. Korovina M. V. Fenomen sverkhznachimosti vneshnikh otsenok i narusheniia mezhlichnostnogo vzaimodeistviia [Phenomenon of extra significance of external evaluations and violations of interpersonal interaction]. Izvestiia Saratovskogo universiteta. Novaia seriia. Seriia: Filosofiia. Psikhologiia. Pedagogika = Izvestiya of Saratov University. New Series. Series: Philosophy. Psychology. Pedagogy, 8, no. 2 (2008): 85–88.

15. Malenova A. Iu., Iskra A. I. Gendernye osobennosti faktorov attraktsii v situatsii pervogo svidaniia [Gender features of the factors of attraction in the situation of the first date]. Vestnik Omskogo universiteta. Seriia: Psikhologiia = Herald of Omsk university. Series: Psychology, no. 2 (2011): 19–30.

16. Naboichenko E. S. Psikhologicheskoe soprovozhdenie razvitiia detei i podrostkov s atipichnymi osobennostiami vneshnosti. Avtoref. diss. doktora psikhol. nauk [Psychological support of the development of children and adolescents with atypical features of appearance. Dr. psychol. Sci. Diss. Abstr.]. Ekaterinburg, 2009, 47.

17. Shalaeva N. Iu., Gudzovskaia A. A. Tipy sotsial'nykh ustanovok v otnoshenii privlekatel'nosti/neprivlekatel'nosti drugogo cheloveka [Types of social attitudes regarding the attractiveness/unattractiveness of another person]. Vestnik Samarskogo munitsipal'nogo instituta upravleniia = Bulletin of the Samara Municipal Management Institute, no. 3 (2013): 133–141.

18. Bogardus E. S. A social distance scale. Sociology and Social Research, no. 17 (1933): 265–271.

19. Little A. C., Burriss R. P., Jones B. C., DeBruine L. M., Caldwell C. A. Social influence in human face preference: men and women are in fluenced more for long-term than short-term attractiveness decisions. Evolutionand Human Behavior, no. 29(2) (2008): 140–146.