An individual’s facial appearance is made up of everything that makes up one’s face such as one’s eyes, mouth, lips, nose Rinehart and Yeater (2012). Facial appearance is often utilised on television, in magazines and other mediums in contemporary society to give social desirability to its audience. People with confident personality traits tend to give out positive social desirability while it has been found that unattractive people tend to have negative personality traits (Langlois, Kalakanis, Rubenstein, Hallam, & Smoot, 2000). In contemporary society, the idea of attractiveness continues to be an intrinsic research topic and there is a significant amount of literature available. The aim of this research proposal is to ascertain the relationship between facial appearance and personality traits from individualistic and culturalist perspective.
There is significant amount of literature available on the topic. However, the studies conducted by Rinehart and Yeater (2012) and Zhang, Kong, Zhong and Kou (2014) are the major one related to the topic. There is agreement in the literature that there is a direct correlation between attractiveness and personality traits with specific focus on whether facial attractiveness rating is based on collectivistic or individualistic cultural preferences.
According to the study by (Zhang et. al, 2014) people have stereotypical assumptions about attractive facial appearance and its relationship with personality traits that attractive facial appearance represents positive personality traits. In addition, there is the misconception that people who are attractive are morally superior to those who are unattractive. Furthermore, there is assumption that people with attractive appearance are morally better than the people with unattractive appearance. The first study was on the attractiveness from averageness, hormone-depended facial feature, and symmetry point of view. The results of the study found that people with symmetrical appearance were perceived emotionally healthier in comparison to the people without symmetrical appearance. Moreover, it was found that people who possess personality traits such as intelligence, confidence and good social skills were considered to have high symmetry and be significantly attractive. These attributes were on agreeableness from both cultural perspectives.
On the other hand, the focus of the study of Rinehart and Yeater (2012) was on the relationship between sexual assault and attractiveness. It was noted by the study that young aged group women were subject to prevalent sexual assault. The study focused on the connection between relation of phenomenon of facial attractiveness and widespread sexual assault. An overwhelming number of participants preferred attractiveness over sexual and psychological history It was demonstrated overwhelmingly by the participants that their first preferential choice is attractiveness in comparison to sexual and psychological history of the other person. In simple words, the participants reported that in a risky environment, they would rather trust people to accompany them based on their attractiveness than on the basis of their sexual or psychological history.
Research Gap
The limited review of the above major studies leads towards identification of a research gap in the role of facial attractiveness from both cultural perspectives, individualistic and collectivistic. For example, study by Zhang, Kong, Zhong and Kou (2014) failed in exploring across cultures different standards of facial beauty. Moreover, it lacked in explaining the role of individualistic and collectivistic culture in perceiving attractiveness.
On the other hand, Rinehart and Yeater (2012) missed a number of areas that needed to be explored. First, the study sample was only consisted on white women. Therefore, it failed in investigating the perception regarding facial attractiveness across different ethnicities. Second, the study failed in exploring perception of different cultures regarding facial attractiveness as it was based only on the Western culture. Third, the study was performed in a control environment and focused was only one age group and social status.
Aims
Overall, the aim of this study is to explore if personality (positive or negative) influences facial appearance across individualistic and collectivistic culture. Specifically, the study will investigate the perception regarding the relationship between facial attractiveness and personality across different ethnicities, cultures, age group, and social status. However, the focus of the study will be on individualistic and collectivistic culture.
Hypothesis
From the limited literature available on the topic, it has been found that people’s perceptions of facial attractiveness are influenced by personality traits, negative or positive. Therefore, it is hypothesized that people who perceive personality traits add to facial appearance and it is across individualistic and collectivistic culture, ethnicities, social status, and age groups. Lastly, these perceptions differ across individualistic and collectivistic culture.
METHOD
Participants
The sample of this study will consist of 100 participants from the university. The participants will have different cultural and social backgrounds and different countries of birth including Australia, Taiwan, USA, Japan, UK, India, etc. They also will have different individualistic and collectivistic culture. They will be between the ages of 19 and 60 years, all living in Australia. The participants will be voluntary and have normal vision and no neurological disorders. To fulfil ethical requirements, the participants will be asked to sign a detailed consent form prior to their commencement of the study (Smith, 2015).
Materials
Variables
People’s perception regarding the relationship between personality traits and facial appearance would be the dependent variable. It will be analysed how it is affected by independent variables such as cultural background, ethnicity, social status, and age group in the context of individualistic and collectivistic culture.
Photos
About 200 photos of unfamiliar faces with neutral emotional facial expression will be extracted from Google database. By validating stimuli of standardized face attractiveness with the study by Zhang, Kong, Zhong and Kou (2014), 60 photos will be selected with low, medium, and high facial attractiveness. Likert scale will be used to collect data from the participants (Smith, 2015). First the participants will rate the facial appearance in each photo as “seriously unattractive” “not attractive”, “attractive”, and “very attractive”. It will be followed by another session where they will rate personality for each photo as “seriously negative”, “negative”, “positive”, and “very positive”.
Software
SPSS software will be needed and used to analyse the collected data from the participants. Different related test such as ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc, paird t-test, etc. will be performed by using the software (Hinton, McMurray, & Brownlow, 2014).
Survey Questionnaire
A questionnaire will be developed that will be consisted on basic demographic and other questions related to the participants such as gender, ethnicity, country of birth, age, and estimated annual income of the individual and the parents.
Other materials
There will be need of 4 rooms, 4 projectors, pencils, etc. to perform the experiments. In the room, the participants will be shown the selected 60 photos on the projectors. They will be required to rate the photos on the Likert scale on 2 different occasions. On first occasion the rooms and projectors will be needed to show photos and ask the participants to rate the photos from facial attractiveness point of view. On the second occasion, they will rate the photos from their perception regarding overall personality traits of the person in the photo.
Procedures
The procedure will be mainly based on Zhang, Kong, Zhong and Kou (2014). However, the independent variables will replace with gender, ethnicity, and country of birth, cultural background, social status, and age with individualistic and collectivistic culture as the main independent variable.
First of all, the researcher will have to construct a survey questionnaire that will be consisted on demographic questions related to the participants such as gender, ethnicity, country of birth, and age. The questionnaire also will have 2 questions related to their personal individual income and income of their parents. These 2 questions will help in analysing their social status and consequently help in analysing influence of social status on perception regarding relationship between personality and facial attractiveness across individualistic and collectivistic culture (Smith, 2015). Similarly, questions related to gender, ethnicity, country of birth, and age will help in analysing influence of gender, cultural background, and age on perception regarding relationship between personality and facial attractiveness across individualistic and collectivistic culture.
It will be followed by random division of the participants into 4 groups. Each group will enter into one of the four rooms allocated for the purpose of the research. Each room will have a projector that will be used to show the selected 60 photos one by one to the participants. Each member of the group will be given the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire will be consisted on demographic questions and other questions as highlighted earlier. In the first session, the questionnaire also will have options facial appearance as “seriously unattractive” “not attractive”, “attractive”, and “very attractive” for each photo. It will be followed by another session with the similar questionnaire but, this time they will have to rate personality for each photo as “seriously negative”, “negative”, “positive”, and “very positive”. There will be gap of about 2 week period between the two periods. Moreover, each photo in both sessions will be shown on the projector for sufficient time to ensure each participant is able to rate the photo. The data collected through the sessions will be analysed with the help of different SPSS tests as highlighted above.
ANTICIPATED RESULTS
The data collected through the sessions will be analysed with the help of different SPSS tests as highlighted above. First, the data for the first session will be analysed. The analyse will help in finding how the people perceive the facial expressions in relation to their cultural background, ethnicity, social status, and age group on individualistic and collectivistic culture basis with specific focus on individualistic and collectivistic culture. It will be followed by analysis of the data for the second session. The analysis will help in analysing how people perceive the personality (negative or positive) in relation to their cultural background, ethnicity, social status, and age group on individualistic and collectivistic basis, again with specific focus on individualistic and collectivistic culture. Then the data for both sessions will be analysed. The analyses will help in finding the correlation between people perceiving the personality (negative or positive) and perceiving their facial appearance in terms of their cultural background, ethnicity, social status, and age group on individualistic and collectivistic basis with specific focus on individualistic and collectivistic culture.
All the above analysis as a whole will help in finding out do personality (positive or negative) add to facial appearance across individualistic and collectivistic culture. Moreover, from limited literature review and the discussion on the method for conducting this particular study it is anticipated to conclude that people perceive personality (positive or negative) add to facial appearance across individualistic and collectivistic culture but, the perception among the people differ on account of their age, country of birth, gender, cultural background, and individualistic and collectivistic culture that will be in-line with the hypothesis of the study.
DISCUSSION
In this part of your paper, you are talking about your results of your study – you are discussing what your research findings are. For example youre telling your reader why it is what it is…. For example if youre saying personality traits have a direct influence on facial appearance in what way is this true, give examples with referenced evidence to support your claims.
How is there a relationship between these two variables (personality traits and facial expression)
The analysis will help in meeting the accomplishing main objectives of the study. The study will examine and explore how people perceive personality and facial expression in relation to their cultural background, ethnicity, social status, and age group in the context of individualistic and collectivistic culture. . More importantly, the analysis will help to establish the correlation between people’s perception of personality (negative or positive) and facial appearance in terms of their cultural background, ethnicity, social status, and age group on individualistic and collectivistic basis with specific focus on individualistic and collectivistic culture.
Overall, the study will result in finding out do personality (positive or negative) add to facial appearance across individualistic and collectivistic culture. Moreover, this particular study is anticipated to conclude that people perceive personality (positive or negative) add to facial appearance across individualistic and collectivistic culture but, the perception among the people differ on account of their age, country of birth, gender, cultural background, and especially on the basis of individualistic and collectivistic culture that will be in-line with the hypothesis of the study.
Conclusions
The main aim of this study will be to explore whether personality (positive or negative) add to facial appearance across individualistic and collectivistic culture. Overall, the study will result in finding out do personality (positive or negative) add to facial appearance across individualistic and collectivistic culture. Moreover, this particular study is anticipated to conclude that people perceive personality (positive or negative) add to facial appearance across individualistic and collectivistic culture but, the perception among the people differ on account of their age, country of birth, gender, cultural background, and especially on the basis of individualistic and collectivistic culture that will be in-line with the hypothesis of the study. However, there will be certain limitations with the findings of this study. Due to availability of limited time and financial resources, this study will be limited in its scope such as limited sample size. Due to the limitations the findings of the study will lack authenticity and generalizability. Therefore, it is important for the future researchers to have a larger sample size to improve the authenticity and generalizability of the findings of the study (Smith, 2015).