Competence ratings in US predict presidential election outcomes in Bulgaria

Sussman, Abigail B.; Petkova, Kristina; Todorov, Alexander

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2013.02.003

Cited by 67 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The finding is also consistent with those from previous studies showing substantial consensus between children and adults (Cogsdill et al, 2014), between Americans and Bulgarians (Sussman et al, 2013), and between Americans and Japanese (Rule et al, 2010). First, Koreans and Americans showed remarkable consensus in competence judgments, eliminating the possibility that Koreans are less capable of trait inferences than Americans.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…First, we predicted crosscultural consensus in competence judgments on the basis of previous work indicating high cross-cultural consensus in the perception of traits from faces (Rule et al, 2010;Sussman et al, 2013). First, we predicted crosscultural consensus in competence judgments on the basis of previous work indicating high cross-cultural consensus in the perception of traits from faces (Rule et al, 2010;Sussman et al, 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Competence Judgments Based on Facial Appearance Are Better Predictors of American Elections Than of Korean Elections

Kim

et al. 2015

Psychol Sci

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Competence judgments based on facial appearance predict election results in Western countries, which indicates that these inferences contribute to decisions with social and political consequence. Because trait inferences are less pronounced in Asian cultures, such competence judgments should predict Asian election results less accurately than they do Western elections. In the study reported here, we compared Koreans' and Americans' competence judgments from face-to-trait inferences for candidates in U.S. Senate and state gubernatorial elections and Korean Assembly elections. Perceived competence was a far better predictor of the outcomes of real elections held in the United States than of elections held in Korea. When deciding which of two candidates to vote for in hypothetical elections, however, Koreans and Americans both voted on the basis of perceived competence inferred from facial appearance. Combining actual and hypothetical election results, we conclude that for Koreans, competence judgments from face-to-trait inferences are critical in voting only when other information is unavailable. However, in the United States, such competence judgments are substantially important, even in the presence of other information.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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confidence: 99%

Competence Judgments Based on Facial Appearance Are Better Predictors of American Elections Than of Korean Elections

Kim

et al. 2015

Psychol Sci

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“…Within politics, numerous studies have shown that political candidates receive larger vote shares and are more likely to win elections, the more competent-looking their faces are (Antonakis & Dalgas 2009, Ballew & Todorov 2007, Chen et al 2014, Laustsen 2014, Lenz & Lawson 2011, Martin 1978, Sussman et al 2013, Todorov et al 2005; for a review, see Olivola & Todorov 2010a). Other studies have similarly shown that electoral outcomes are predicted by how dominant (Chen et al 2014, Chiao et al 2008, Little et al 2007), sociable (Castelli et al 2009), threatening (Mattes et al 2010, Spezio et al 2008, stereotypically Republican , and even stereotypically politician-like (Olivola et al 2014b) candidates' faces are.…”

Section: Consequences Of Social Attributions From Facesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Attributions from Faces: Determinants, Consequences, Accuracy, and Functional Significance

Todorov

Olivola

Dotsch

et al. 2015

Annu. Rev. Psychol.

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837

836

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Since the early twentieth century, psychologists have known that there is consensus in attributing social and personality characteristics from facial appearance. Recent studies have shown that surprisingly little time and effort are needed to arrive at this consensus. Here we review recent research on social attributions from faces. Section I outlines data-driven methods capable of identifying the perceptual basis of consensus in social attributions from faces (e.g., What makes a face look threatening?). Section II describes nonperceptual determinants of social attributions (e.g., person knowledge and incidental associations). Section III discusses evidence that attributions from faces predict important social outcomes in diverse domains (e.g., investment decisions and leader selection). In Section IV, we argue that the diagnostic validity of these attributions has been greatly overstated in the literature. In the final section, we offer an account of the functional significance of these attributions.

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“…These impressions predict important social outcomes in domains including law (13), finance (14), and politics (15). Different traits are important in different domains (16), but there is good agreement between individuals and cultures about the extent to which a face signals core social traits such as trustworthiness, competence, and sociability (17,18). However, these inferences generally have poor validity, meaning that facial appearance is an important source of bias even when more diagnostic information about a person is available (19,20).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Facial appearance affects science communication

Gheorghiu

Callan

Skylark

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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First impressions based on facial appearance predict many important social outcomes. We investigated whether such impressions also influence the communication of scientific findings to lay audiences, a process that shapes public beliefs, opinion, and policy. First, we investigated the traits that engender interest in a scientist's work, and those that create the impression of a "good scientist" who does high-quality research. Apparent competence and morality were positively related to both interest and quality judgments, whereas attractiveness boosted interest but decreased perceived quality. Next, we had members of the public choose real science news stories to read or watch and found that people were more likely to choose items that were paired with "interestinglooking" scientists, especially when selecting video-based communications. Finally, we had people read real science news items and found that the research was judged to be of higher quality when paired with researchers who look like "good scientists." Our findings offer insights into the social psychology of science, and indicate a source of bias in the dissemination of scientific findings to broader society.science communication | impression formation | social cognition

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Competence ratings in US predict presidential election outcomes in Bulgaria

Cited by 67 publications

References 23 publications

Competence Judgments Based on Facial Appearance Are Better Predictors of American Elections Than of Korean Elections

Competence Judgments Based on Facial Appearance Are Better Predictors of American Elections Than of Korean Elections

Social Attributions from Faces: Determinants, Consequences, Accuracy, and Functional Significance

Facial appearance affects science communication

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