CLASSIC COVER-UPS AND MISGUIDED MESSAGES - EXAMINING FACE-TRAIT ASSOCIATIONS IN STEREOTYPED PERCEPTIONS OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR

The relation between facial displays and personality characteristics a ttributed to a stimulus person was examined in three studies. In Study 1, 175 women and 75 men rated five hypothetical facial displays along 15 unfavorable adjectives. Instructed to imagine each display, partic ipants reported that ''tight-lipped and talking'' individuals were per ceived as uptight, rigid, and overly serious; ''hand-over-mouth talker s'' were considered guarded and shy; ''talkers who turn their head awa y'' were labeled shy and unspontaneous; ''non-smiling talkers'' were p erceived as uptight and sarcastic; and ''smilers with closed mouths'' were perceived as guarded. In Study 2, 50 college students rated drawi ngs of male or female images depicting each of the Jive facial display s. Each image was judged to be young and attractive, and as correctly depicting its intended facial display. In Study 3, 50 men and 50 women rated the five facial displays of either a male or female image along the set of unfavorable adjectives used in the first study. Results sh owed no effects of rater gender or image gender, suggesting that men a nd women raters similarly judged male and female images. Moreover, par ticipants rated the facial displays similarly to Study II The set of f acial displays developed in this research is offered as a means of inv estigating the personality-relevant conclusions reached about overall facial configuration.