이성 간 인상 형성에서 일어나는 단편 판단 (Thin-slice Judgement)의 성차

Abstract

People can infer information about others from a brief observation, namely by the thin-slice judgment. The present study investigates the gender difference of thin-slice judgment during the impression formation of the opposite sex. College students were asked to infer personality traits and body sizes of a target person and evaluate her/his likableness as a potential girl/boyfriend based on a brief exposure to face, voice, or both. Consistent with the findings of evolutionary psychology on mating strategy, we predicted and confirmed that male participants inferred body sizes (Body Mass Index: BMI) of a female target more precisely than personality traits whereas female participants inferred personality traits (emotional stability and conscientiousness) of a male target more accurately than BMI. In addition, the likableness judgment of each target was largely affected by the features that each gender could infer with higher precision. The significance and limitations of the results are discussed.