THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS AND SOCIAL DESIRABILITY ON JUDGMENTS REGARDING A SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASE

In the first study, gender of subject, physical attractiveness (attrac tive or unattractive), and social desirability (desirable or undesirab le) of the male defendant were varied in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design. Guilty verdicts were rendered significantly more frequently when the defendant was socially undesirable and also when the mock jurors were female. The physical attractiveness manipulation did not have a signif icant main effect on judicial outcome. In the second study, gender of subject, physical attractiveness and social desirability of the plaint iff were manipulated in the same scenario as in the first study, while defendant physical attractiveness and social desirability were mainta ined in a neutral fashion. Guilty verdicts were significantly more lik ely when the plaintiff was socially desirable. The physical attractive ness manipulation did not significantly affect judicial outcome.