Leonard Saxe

Physical attractiveness and its relationship to sex-role stereotyping

On the basis of recent findings showing that physical attractiveness serves as an important evaluative cue in person perception, the present paper reviews evidence which indicates that physical attractiveness differentially affects the judgments of males and females. Recent research seems to indicate that the physical-attractiveness stereotype — which holds that attractive individuals are more positively evaluated across a wide range of dimensions than unattractive individuals — is more potent when applied to women than to men. The origins of this differential stereotyping are discussed in terms of the historically defined roles of men and women in our society. In addition, the paper discusses the implications of the physical-attractiveness stereotype for the general problem of sex-role stereotyping.

Perception of risk in genetic counseling

Abstract Genetic counseling is a psychological process of communicating and perceiving information about risks. As such, it is important to assess how information is understood by counselees and how psychological factors affect risk perception. Subjects were 76 patients at a genetic clinic whose understanding of genetic counseling was assessed, along with their motivation and way of thinking about risks. Results indicated that subjective interpretations of recurrence risks are better predictors of their reproductive intentions than the “objective” risks. Also, specific cognitive and motivational factors appear to explain much of the variance in risk perception in genetic counseling. The results have important implications for how counseling is conducted, as well as for theoretical issues about cognitive processes.

The substance use system: social and neighborhood environments associated with substance use and misuse.

Substance use theory and practice have traditionally focused on individuals who misuse substances or who are at risk for substance misuse, but this emphasis is shifting. The present study views both substance use and misuse systematically, assessing the relationships between the physical and social environments and substance use and misuse in dynamic interplay. This substance use system was examined through a survey of approximately 10,000 persons, aged 22-44, from primarily inner-city neighborhoods in the United States. Individual indicators such as race, sex, age, socioeconomic status, education, and religious service attendance relate to both the physical and interpersonal environments, even when each is controlled for the others. Qualities of both environments are strongly associated with substance dependency, even after individual indicators are controlled. These findings suggest the difficulty of bringing about change in drug and alcohol use without fundamental change in the environments where use takes place.

Zero Effects in Substance Abuse Programs Avoiding False Positives and False Negatives in the Evaluation of Community-Based Programs

The evaluation of community-based programs poses special design and analysis problems. The present article focuses on two major types of errors that can occur in such evaluations: false positives—incorrectly declaring a program to be effective—and false negatives—incorrectly declaring a program to be ineffective. The evaluation of a national demonstration of community- based programs to reduce substance abuse, Fighting Back, is used to illustrate several ap proaches to reduce the probability of errors. Both those errors that are affected by the design and those by analytic approaches are considered. Ways to assess multiple outcomes and to match the complexity of the program with design and analytic strategies are proposed. Community trials are complex interventions, and, although they can provide very useful information, their outcomes have to be understood in terms of the constructs they test and the contexts within which they are carried out.

What Is Intelligent, As Well As Attractive, Is Good

One reason that physical attractiveness affects per son perception judgments is that it is easily available informa tion. It was hypothesized that when another characteristic, such as intelligence is made apparent, that it will evoke a stereo type similar to that evoked by attractiveness. A videotaped stimulus person, whose level of intelligence and attractive ness were manipulated, was rated by 68 subjects. The findings suggest that impressions are formed on the basis of all available information, rather than being primarily influenced by physical appearance, as previous studies have implied.

Perceived Stability of Trait Labels

Subjects (n = 207) rated the stability of 115 traits. A positivity bias was found (r = .62) such that traits which were perceived as stable tended to be those that connote likableness. Also, traits relating to positive ability (e.g., intelligent, bright) were perceived as more stable than effort traits (e.g., motivated, industrious). However, no difference was found between negative ability traits (e.g., unintelligent, stupid) and effort traits. Implications for person perception research were discussed.

Factors Affecting Perceived Attractiveness of Male Physiques by American and Israeli Students

Summary Most research on effects of physical attractiveness has ignored characteristics of the body as determinants of others’ reactions. Seventy-five male and 102 female students from universities in both the United States and Israel reacted to 32 drawings of male physiques. The drawings systematically manipulated five somatic and postural dimensions of appearance (Abdomen, Shoulder, Neck, Head, and Body Shape). Results yielded a series of complex interactions among body characteristics: Abdomen, Shoulder, Neck, and Shape. The abdomen factor was responsible for the largest percentage of the variance: the presence of a protruding abdomen resulted in the most negative ratings, while its absence yielded the most positive ratings. No significant differences were found between Ss from the two cultures and only minor differences were obtained between ratings of male and female Ss.

Complexity of Process and Role in the Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Mental Health Education Program: The Deacon's Masterpiece.

Abstract Research and literature on program evaluation must attend to problems of application, which can have major effect on the outcome. Increasing numbers of innovative, multifaceted programs operating in complex settings are presenting for evaluation. Evaluation process must become flexible, creative, and multifaceted in order to produce valid and comprehensive results, and to meet the needs of this field. Evaluators and evaluation, the evaluated program, and the environment become a mutually interacting system in the process of evaluation. Evaluation goals and roles must be conceptualized, agreed upon, sanctioned, and appropriately implemented or conflict and ineffectiveness will result. Three models of evaluation emerge: objective and independent, objective but serving one interest, and pseudo-scientific public relations. Evaluation of an interdisciplinary mental health education program illustrates these issues. Evaluation technology, process, and roles must all be attended to or the weak link undermines the rest.