EFFECTS OF ATTRACTIVENESS AND GENDER ON THE PERCEPTION OF ACHIEVEMENT-RELATED VARIABLES

The present study was an examination of the effects of physical attrac tiveness and gender on perceptions of academic success, achievement-re lated traits, intelligence, initiative, and attributions of ability an d effort in relation to academic success. It was hypothesized that att ractive persons and men would be rated more favorably along these dime nsions than would unattractive persons and women. The participants wer e 144 U.S. undergraduates who observed photographs of attractive and u nattractive men and women and then rated the persons in the photograph s on the aforementioned dimensions. Physical attractiveness had a diff erential effect on the dimensions within achievement. Also, being perc eived as physically attractive created positive impressions of achieve ment-related traits for men but negative impressions for women.