THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS ON GAINING ACCESS TO ALCOHOL -WHEN SOCIAL-POLICY MEETS SOCIAL DECISION-MAKING

Despite numerous legal interventions, miners continue to purchase and consume alcohol. Prior research had suggested that the decision to req uest identification to prove legal age was susceptible to various judg ement and decision heuristics. This research examined whether the phys ical attractiveness of the potential consumer and the presence or abse nce of others were significant predictors of alcohol accessibility. Ba rtenders (n = 130) rated a target individual who was either high or lo w in attractiveness. Results indicated that attractiveness was a signi ficant predictor of ''proofing likelihood''. High levels of attractive ness were associated with a decrease in the likelihood of being asked to provide proof of legal age for the purchase of alcohol. Individuals presented alone were seen as significantly older than when grouped wi th others. Implications of these findings for the restriction of alcoh ol availability among minors are considered.