Abstract

This study was conducted in order to test if people are able to correctly identify a person’s sexual orientation based on seeing a photo alone. This study used 12 stimulus photos, 6 of men and 6 of women, to see if participants would be able to correctly assume the depicted individuals sexual orientation. I hypothesized that participants would not be able to properly identify an individual’s sexual orientation based off of a photo alone. I also hypothesized that conservativeness would be positively correlated with an increased confidence score. My final hypothesis was that stimuli photos that featured individuals with unconventional appearances would be identified as not heterosexual. Unconventional appearances referred to multiple piercings, unnatural hair colors, and hair length. The study was conducted online through Qualtrics. Participants were recruited through Facebook, a social media website. Results found that individuals are able to identify an individual’s sexual orientation better than chance alone. The results also found that conservativeness was not positively correlated with an increased confidence score. Finally, individuals who had unconventional appearances were more likely to be identified as not heterosexual.

Recommended Citation

Smith, Kelsey (2016) "The Impact of Appearance on Students’ Opinions of Others," Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal: Vol. 1: Iss. 19, Article 7.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/psych_journals/vol1/iss19/7