White and Black collegiate females were administered questionnaires measuring self-image, body satisfaction, and the use of sexually attractive dress. The two groups differed significantly on adequacy of money for clothing, sexually attractive dress, and self-esteem, and were alike on body satisfaction, attitude toward unusual clothing, and flair…

Studied evaluative dimensions of how recruiters and future employees (students) view the importance of appearance. Examined differences of focus (students versus recruiters), sex, and occupational area. Respondents recognized appearance as an influence on an individual's effectiveness. Generally, extreme styles were deemed unacceptabe. (Author/RC)

The study used a shirt and an instructional manual on dressing processes to teach dressing and undressing skills to 15 congenitally disabled children. All individuals who were exposed to the instrument learned the skills, and those who were taught in the easy to difficult order were more proficient than those persons who were taught in the reverse…

Explored possible gender differences in clothes-shopping behavior among adolescents. Findings from 387 college students revealed that: parents financially assisted sons and daughters equally; there was no gender difference in shopping frequency; mothers more frequently shopped with sons than with daughters; fathers rarely shopped with any…

In the mid-nineteenth century, an abrupt transformation occurred in textiles and other art forms of northeastern Woodlands Indians. Trade, tourism, and survival needs sparked changes in materials used and garment types produced, as well as substitution of a new vocabulary of floral imagery for "pagan" iconographic traditions. (SV)

Investigated dress and body markings of 100 hospitalized and never-hospitalized adolescent psychiatric patients using in-depth interviews. Found that hospitalized patients had higher incidence of self-scarring, but other individual expressions of appearance did not differentiate two groups. Suggests that dress and appearance observations,…

Replicates and extends the authors' previous research on instructor attire on classroom dynamics. Indicates lesser effects of attire on person perceptions in live interaction as opposed to photographs. Reports that the influence of attire was limited to ratings of instructor extroversion, with no statistically significant interaction between…

The eugenics era (c. 1900?1930) produced a strong desire among mental retardation professionals to recognize and control "the feeble-minded." Some eugenicists believed it was possible to classify individuals visually by learning to recognize what they believed to be observable characteristics of idiocy and imbecility. In this paper I used…

To examine older women's appearance self-perceptions, a study surveyed two groups of older and younger subjects. The control group consisted of 93 female undergraduate students at a state university in West Virginia. The test group consisted of 85 non-institutionalized females aged 55 to 93, from senior centers, craft groups, church groups, and…

A study examined the influence of the color of an individual's clothing and hair on the feelings and attitudes of others. Subjects, 246 college students, were shown 20 slides, one at a time, and asked to answer 15 questions for each slide. The slides were of four magazine models, two male, two female, with one blonde and one brunette of each sex.…

Initial impressions of a counselor's credibility and attractiveness may affect the development of rapport as well as client attrition. Recent research has focused on contextual clues in the counseling setting which may influence client perceptions. The effects of counselor attire and the seating arrangement were examined in a counseling analogue…

Twenty-three female students, enrolled in the Apparel Construction and Fitting course at West Virginia University, were evaluated to determine whether the ability of the students to perform basic mathematical skills is related to performance in a clothing construction course. Educational implications of the results are discussed. (CT)

Concludes that clothing worn by anchorwomen appears to influence viewers' perceptions of the credibility and effectiveness of their newscasts. (FL)

Examined effects and relative contribution of three counselor behaviors (nonverbal behavior, jargon, and attire) on perceived expertise and attractiveness. Results revealed that all three independent variables significantly affected the two rated dimensions. Nonverbal behavior accounted for most of the variance and differentially affected ratings…

Undergraduates viewed a simulated therapy segment presented on four videotapes varying in traditionalism of the therapist's attire and office. Ratings of attraction were independent of therapist attire. Subjects' impressions were largely unaffected by office arrangements. Data refute formulations assigning therapist accoutrements a major role in…