A Study On The Stereotypes Of Facial Shape

With the rise of the western research on face social cognition.The relationship between human face and personality is interested by more and more psychology researchers in social cognition.It is proved that using scientific research methods to explore the different subjective impression on different face of people.Facial shape plays an important role in the face,whether people have stereotypes on different facial shape.If it exists,whether it fits the classic stereotype content model SCM dual dimension assumptions about warmth and competence.The stereotype on face shape is explicit or implicit.Why there is such a stereotype,how about its mechanism,what will has an effect on facial shape stereotypes,and will the facial shape stereotypes has the impact on social behavior?In this paper,we combine experiment with questionnaire to study the presence of facial shape stereotypes,its mechanism and its impact.The study la mainly use questionnaire to investigate 120 university students as subjects to explore the stereotypes on different facial shapes.With representatives of different facial shape of cartoon characters as materials,so that the subjects of assessed the characters on the SCM two dimensions warmth and competence.The result shows that the round face are regarded as more warm,square face are regarded as more competent.In the study lb,72 university students were selected to take part in implicit association test.We selected representatives of different facial shape of cartoon images and the words of warmth and competence as the experimental material.The result is the same as study la,people have the stereotype on facial shape on implicit level.Subjects used to contact round face with warmth words and square face with competence words.The facial shape stereotypes has both explicit and implicit existence.In the study2,we selected 350 subjects to fill the questionnaire.We selected standardized real people photographs as representative of different facial shape after several rigorous experts’ assessment.Subjects were asked to assess the dimensional stereotype of warmth and competence,also on the facial attractiveness as well as trustworthiness.The result shows that the stereotypes on different face shape exists,people think the round face are more warm,the square face are more competent.The round face are more attractive and trustworthy than square face.Facial attractiveness and trustworthiness have mediate influences on the facial shape stereotypes.In the study3,subjects from study2’ social behavior was evaluated.The result shows that facial shape stereotypes have an influence on people’s social behavior.The round face are more popular in social contact since they are thought to be warmer,the square face will have more opportunity in interviews since they are thought to be more competent.