TY - JOUR
T1 - Social inferences from faces
T2 - Ambient images generate a three-dimensional model
AU - Sutherland, Clare AM
AU - Oldmeadow, Julian A.
AU - Santos, Isabel M.
AU - Towler, John
AU - Burt, D. Michael
AU - Young, Andrew W.
N1 - We are grateful to the journal’s Action Editor and three reviewers for insightful comments on a previous draft. Portions of this paper were based on the first author’s master’s thesis at the Department of Psychology, York, UK. The research was funded by an ESRC studentship to the first author. The funding source had no influence on the research.
PY - 2013/4
Y1 - 2013/4
N2 - Three experiments are presented that investigate the two-dimensional valence/trustworthiness by dominance model of social inferences from faces (Oosterhof & Todorov, 2008). Experiment 1 used image averaging and morphing techniques to demonstrate that consistent facial cues subserve a range of social inferences, even in a highly variable sample of 1000 ambient images (images that are intended to be representative of those encountered in everyday life, see Jenkins, White, Van Montfort, & Burton, 2011). Experiment 2 then tested Oosterhof and Todorov's two-dimensional model on this extensive sample of face images. The original two dimensions were replicated and a novel 'youthful-attractiveness' factor also emerged. Experiment 3 successfully cross-validated the three-dimensional model using face averages directly constructed from the factor scores. These findings highlight the utility of the original trustworthiness and dominance dimensions, but also underscore the need to utilise varied face stimuli: with a more realistically diverse set of face images, social inferences from faces show a more elaborate underlying structure than hitherto suggested.
AB - Three experiments are presented that investigate the two-dimensional valence/trustworthiness by dominance model of social inferences from faces (Oosterhof & Todorov, 2008). Experiment 1 used image averaging and morphing techniques to demonstrate that consistent facial cues subserve a range of social inferences, even in a highly variable sample of 1000 ambient images (images that are intended to be representative of those encountered in everyday life, see Jenkins, White, Van Montfort, & Burton, 2011). Experiment 2 then tested Oosterhof and Todorov's two-dimensional model on this extensive sample of face images. The original two dimensions were replicated and a novel 'youthful-attractiveness' factor also emerged. Experiment 3 successfully cross-validated the three-dimensional model using face averages directly constructed from the factor scores. These findings highlight the utility of the original trustworthiness and dominance dimensions, but also underscore the need to utilise varied face stimuli: with a more realistically diverse set of face images, social inferences from faces show a more elaborate underlying structure than hitherto suggested.
KW - social inferences
KW - face perception
KW - first impressions
UR - http://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/social-inferences-from-faces(797fd811-0bad-444f-adf8-3513f5bbd405).html
U2 - 10.1016/j.cognition.2012.12.001
DO - 10.1016/j.cognition.2012.12.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 23376296
VL - 127
SP - 105
EP - 118
JO - Cognition
JF - Cognition
SN - 0010-0277
IS - 1
ER -