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Conclusion

The aesthetics were perceived differently from another. In conclusion:

The Bohemian was perceived differently in the income category (low), and in the popularity category (low). 

The College Student was perceived differently in the income category (low), the hobby category (much more athletics), and the popularity category (low). 

The Businesswoman was perceived differently in the adjectives category (high), income category (high), and the hobby category (much more academics).

The Trendsetter was perceived differently in the hobby category (much more expenditures), the friendliness category (high), and the popularity category (high).

The Party Girl was perceived differently in the income category (high), the hobby category (much more expenditures), and the popularity category (high).

The Rocker was perceived differently in the adjective category (low), the hobby category (much more pure entertainment), and the friendship question (low).

Personal Perception Categories

My study agreed with Angerosa’s thesis that when compared with similar styles to the perceiver’s own, they tended to view it more favorably. 

Females tended to view the Trendsetter and Bohemian more favorably, and the Party Girl less favorably. Females also generally wanted to be friends with all subjects more when answering questions.

There didn’t seem to be many consistent patterns across age groups.

Areas of Improvement (what to fix for next time)

- not enough sampled members

- stratified sample, despite being randomly sampled within the groups

- more questions, and perhaps follow ups for clarification

- easier data processing software/methods so I could do more with the data

- less anonymous data to make followups easier

Conclusion

It did seem that despite our personal attempts to remove perception bias, both personal identifiers and qualities of the perceived subject biased the way we view one another. As a whole, the Businesswoman fared the best across the board, with objectively consistent rankings of Intelligent, Successful, and Hardworking. The Rocker fared the worst, with not only low rankings on friendliness and income perception, but also consistently was rated Unapproachable, Aggressive, and Demanding. As a whole, the more mainstream and polished an aesthetic seems, polished being defined as consistent with a traditional work space, the higher students ranked an aesthetic all around.

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Raw Data and Test Questions

Here is the original survey sent to the 32 selected subjects.

Here is the raw data worked with, with each sheet indicating a different question / identifications for the subjects. 

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Here are the 6 looks that I polled with, which are respectively:

The Bohemian, Subject 1, Bohemian

The College Student, Subject 2, Casual

The Businesswoman, Subject 3, Office

The Trendsetter, Subject 4, Trendy

The Party Girl, Subject 5, Evening

The Rocker, Subject 6, Rocker

Also attached is the original sketch created to plan the outfits. 

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Identifier 3: Personal Style

Did the perceiver’s personal style affect their viewpoint of aesthetics or categories?

*note of bias: There were only two responders for the Business Casual, Alternative, and Not Caring sections, which would likely sway the data.*

Casual/Dressed Down

The Casual self-perceivers viewed the College Student the exact same as everyone else.

Trendy

The Trendy self-identifiers viewed the Trendsetter slightly more positively than the average.

Business Casual

The Business Casual self-identifiers viewed the Business Woman much more positively than the average, especially for the friendship question. However, there was a very small sample size.

Alternative

The alternative self-identifiers viewed the Rocker much more positively, however, there was an extremely small sample size so the evidence is inconclusive. 

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Identifier 2: Gender

Did the gender identification of the perceiver affect their viewpoint of any of the aesthetics or categories?

On average, this is how people perceived each aesthetic, compared with the full sample average, adjective wise:

It appears that females differed greatly from males in their adjective choices with higher perception of 'exciting' and 'intelligent' for the Bohemian, 'unapproachable' for the College Student, 'demanding' for the Businesswoman, 'exciting' for the Trendsetter, 'bossy' and 'pretentious' for the Party Girl, and 'aggression' and 'unapproachable' for the Rocker.

It appears that males differed greatly from females in their adjective choices with higher perception of 'shy' for the Bohemian, 'aggressive' for the College Student, 'pretentious' for the Trendsetter, 'successful' and 'intelligent' for the Party Girl, and 'demanding' for the Rocker.

On average, this is how people perceived each aesthetic, compared with the full sample average, friendship wise:

Friendliness was perceived higher for girls for the College Student and the Trendsetter, and slightly higher for the Rocker.

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Identifier 1: Grade

Does the grade of the perceiver selected affect the viewpoint of any of the aesthetics or categories?

9th Grade

On average, this is how the students perceived each aesthetic, compared with the full sample average, adjective wise:

On average, this is how the students perceived each aesthetic, compared with the full sample average, friendship wise:

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Aesthetic 6: The Rocker

The Personality Question

Here is how the Rocker measured up to the other aesthetics, adjective wise:

The top 3 adjectives to describe the Rocker were: Aggressive, Unapproachable, Demanding.

Half of the adjectives were considered positive, and the other half were considered negative. Here is how many positive adjectives the Rocker was described with, on average:

This positive adjective quantity WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Rocker differs from other aesthetics, adjective wise. 

The Money Question

Here is how the Rocker measured up to the other aesthetics, income wise:

The top income bracket the Rocker was sorted in was: 10-50K

In order to qualify for the Upper Middle Class, economists estimate you must make $100K and above. Considering that, this is how the Rocker measured up:

The Rocker being perceived as Upper Middle Class WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Rocker differs from other aesthetics, income wise.

The Hobby Question

Here is how the Rocker measured up to the other aesthetics, hobby wise:

The top hobby chosen for the Rocker was: Pure Entertainment

Because hobbies are not categorized objectively as good or bad, I will instead conduct a chi-squared test to see if the Rocker’s hobbies differed from the average: 

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Rocker differs from other aesthetics, hobby wise.

The Friendship Question

Here is how the Rocker measured up to the other aesthetics, friendliness wise:

The Rocker being perceived as friendly WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Rocker differs from other aesthetics, friendliness wise.

The Popularity Question

Here is how the Rocker measured up to the other aesthetics, popularity wise:

The top follower quantity the Rocker was sorted in was: 100-500 followers

For the sake of this study, we shall quantify ‘popular’ as 2000+ followers. Considering that, this is how the Rocker measured up:

The Rocker being perceived as 'popular’ WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Rocker differs from other aesthetics, popularity wise.

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Aesthetic 5: The Party Girl

The Personality Question

Here is how the Party Girl measured up to the other aesthetics, adjective wise:

The top 3 adjectives to describe the Party Girl were: Successful, Pretentious, Bossy.

Half of the adjectives were considered positive, and the other half were considered negative. Here is how many positive adjectives the Party Girl was described with, on average:

This positive adjective quantity WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Party Girl differs from other aesthetics, adjective wise. 

The Money Question

Here is how the Party Girl measured up to the other aesthetics, income wise:

The top income bracket the Party Girl was sorted in was: 50-200K+ (3 way tie)

In order to qualify for the Upper Middle Class, economists estimate you must make $100K and above. Considering that, this is how the Party Girl measured up:

The Party Girl being perceived as Upper Middle Class WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Party Girl differs from other aesthetics, income wise.

The Hobby Question

Here is how the Party Girl measured up to the other aesthetics, hobby wise:

The top hobby chosen for the Party Girl was: Expenditures

Because hobbies are not categorized objectively as good or bad, I will instead conduct a chi-squared test to see if the Party Girl’s hobbies differed from the average: 

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Party Girl differs from other aesthetics, hobby wise.

The Friendship Question

Here is how the Party Girl measured up to the other aesthetics, friendliness wise:

The Party Girl being perceived as friendly WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Party Girl differs from other aesthetics, friendliness wise.

The Popularity Question

Here is how the Party Girl measured up to the other aesthetics, popularity wise:

The top follower quantity the Party Girl was sorted in was: 500-2000 followers

For the sake of this study, we shall quantify ‘popular’ as 2000+ followers. Considering that, this is how the Party Girl measured up:

The Party Girl being perceived as 'popular’ WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Party Girl differs from other aesthetics, popularity wise.

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Aesthetic 4: The Trendsetter

The Personality Question

Here is how the Trendsetter measured up to the other aesthetics, adjective wise:

The top 3 adjectives to describe the Trendsetter were: Exciting, Pretentious, Unapproachable.

Half of the adjectives were considered positive, and the other half were considered negative. Here is how many positive adjectives the Trendsetter was described with, on average:

This positive adjective quantity WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Trendsetter differs from other aesthetics, adjective wise. 

The Money Question

Here is how the Trendsetter measured up to the other aesthetics, income wise:

The top income bracket the Trendsetter was sorted in was: 

In order to qualify for the Upper Middle Class, economists estimate you must make $100K and above. Considering that, this is how the Trendsetter measured up:

The Trendsetter being perceived as Upper Middle Class WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Trendsetter differs from other aesthetics, income wise.

The Hobby Question

Here is how the Trendsetter measured up to the other aesthetics, hobby wise:

The top hobby chosen for the Trendsetter was: Expenditures.

Because hobbies are not categorized objectively as good or bad, I will instead conduct a chi-squared test to see if the Trendsetter’s hobbies differed from the average: 

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Trendsetter differs from other aesthetics, hobby wise.

The Friendship Question

Here is how the Trendsetter measured up to the other aesthetics, friendliness wise:

The Trendsetter being perceived as friendly WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Trendsetter differs from other aesthetics, friendliness wise.

The Popularity Question

Here is how the Trendsetter measured up to the other aesthetics, popularity wise:

The top follower quantity the Trendsetter was sorted in was: 500-2000 followers

For the sake of this study, we shall quantify ‘popular’ as 2000+ followers. Considering that, this is how the Trendsetter measured up:

The Trendsetter being perceived as 'popular’ WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Trendsetter differs from other aesthetics, popularity wise.

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Aesthetic 3: The Businesswoman

The Personality Question

Here is how the Businesswoman measured up to the other aesthetics, adjective wise:

The top 3 adjectives to describe the Businesswoman were: Intelligent, Successful, and Hardworking

Half of the adjectives were considered positive, and the other half were considered negative. Here is how many positive adjectives the Businesswoman was described with, on average:

This positive adjective quantity WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Businesswoman differs from other aesthetics, adjective wise. 

The Money Question

Here is how the Businesswoman measured up to the other aesthetics, income wise:

The top income bracket the Businesswoman was sorted in was: 100-200K

In order to qualify for the Upper Middle Class, economists estimate you must make $100K and above. Considering that, this is how the Businesswoman measured up:

The Businesswoman being perceived as Upper Middle Class WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Businesswoman differs from other aesthetics, income wise.

The Hobby Question

Here is how the Businesswoman measured up to the other aesthetics, hobby wise:

The top hobby chosen for the Businesswoman was: Academics

Because hobbies are not categorized objectively as good or bad, I will instead conduct a chi-squared test to see if the Businesswoman’s hobbies differed from the average: 

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Businesswoman differs from other aesthetics, hobby wise.

The Friendship Question

Here is how the Businesswoman measured up to the other aesthetics, friendliness wise:

The Businesswoman being perceived as friendly WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Businesswoman differs from other aesthetics, friendliness wise.

The Popularity Question

Here is how the Businesswoman measured up to the other aesthetics, popularity wise:

The top follower quantity the Businesswoman was sorted in was: 100-500 followers

For the sake of this study, we shall quantify ‘popular’ as 2000+ followers. Considering that, this is how the Businesswoman measured up:

The Businesswoman being perceived as 'popular’ WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Businesswoman differs from other aesthetics, popularity wise.

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Aesthetic 2: The College Student

The Personality Question

Here is how the College Student measured up to the other aesthetics, adjective wise:

The top 3 adjectives to describe the College Student were: Unapproachable, Hardworking, and Aggressive/Demanding/Shy

Half of the adjectives were considered positive, and the other half were considered negative. Here is how many positive adjectives the College Student was described with, on average:

This positive adjective quantity WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the College Student differs from other aesthetics, adjective wise. 

The Money Question

Here is how the College Student measured up to the other aesthetics, income wise:

The top income bracket the College Student was sorted in was: 10-50K

In order to qualify for the Upper Middle Class, economists estimate you must make $100K and above. Considering that, this is how the College Student measured up:

The College Student being perceived as Upper Middle Class WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the College Student differs from other aesthetics, income wise.

The Hobby Question

Here is how the College Student measured up to the other aesthetics, hobby wise:

The top hobby chosen for the College Student was: Athletics

Because hobbies are not categorized objectively as good or bad, I will instead conduct a chi-squared test to see if the College Student’s hobbies differed from the average: 

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the College Student differs from other aesthetics, hobby wise.

The Friendship Question

Here is how the College Student measured up to the other aesthetics, friendliness wise:

The College Student being perceived as friendly WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the College Student differs from other aesthetics, friendliness wise.

The Popularity Question

Here is how the College Student measured up to the other aesthetics, popularity wise:

The top follower quantity the College Student was sorted in was: 100-500 followers

For the sake of this study, we shall quantify ‘popular’ as 2000+ followers. Considering that, this is how the College Student measured up:

The College Student being perceived as 'popular’ WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the College Student differs from other aesthetics, popularity wise.

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Aesthetic 1: The Bohemian

The Personality Question

Here is how the Bohemian measured up to the other aesthetics, adjective wise:

The top 3 adjectives to describe the Bohemian were:  Shy, Trustworthy, and Exciting.

Half of the adjectives were considered positive, and the other half were considered negative. Here is how many positive adjectives the Bohemian was described with, on average:

This positive adjective quantity WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Bohemian differs from other aesthetics, adjective wise. 

The Money Question

Here is how the Bohemian measured up to the other aesthetics, income wise:

The top income bracket the Bohemian was sorted in was: 10-50K

In order to qualify for the Upper Middle Class, economists estimate you must make $100K and above. Considering that, this is how the Bohemian measured up:

The Bohemian being perceived as Upper Middle Class WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Bohemian differs from other aesthetics, income wise.

The Hobby Question

Here is how the Bohemian measured up to the other aesthetics, hobby wise:

The top hobby chosen for the Bohemian was: Pure Entertainment

Because hobbies are not categorized objectively as good or bad, I will instead conduct a chi-squared test to see if the Bohemian’s hobbies differed from the average: 

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Bohemian differs from other aesthetics, hobby wise.

The Friendship Question

Here is how the Bohemian measured up to the other aesthetics, friendliness wise:

The Bohemian being perceived as friendly WAS NOT statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be NO EVIDENCE that the Bohemian differs from other aesthetics, friendliness wise.

The Popularity Question

Here is how the Bohemian measured up to the other aesthetics, popularity wise:

The top follower quantity the Bohemian was sorted in was: 100-500 followers

For the sake of this study, we shall quantify ‘popular’ as 2000+ followers. Considering that, this is how the Bohemian measured up:

The Bohemian being perceived as 'popular’ WAS statistically different from other aesthetics:

To conclude, there seemed to be EVIDENCE that the Bohemian differs from other aesthetics, popularity wise.

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Outline

My specific experiment's methodology is as follows:

Disseminate the following poll amongst randomly selected Cary Academy Upper School students, who were selected from a stratified sample:

POLL

Describe this person with 3 of the following adjectives.

Exciting

Successful

Intelligent

Trustworthy

Hardworking

Competent

Aggressive

Demanding

Bossy

Pretentious

Shy

Unapproachable

How much would you anticipate this person makes each year? 

(<10k, 10-50k, 50-100k, 100-200k, 200k+)

Name something this person would do for fun 

(pure entertainment, academics, expenditure related, athletics, etc)

Would you want to be this person’s friend? 

(Y/N)

How many social media followers would you expect this person to have? 

(<100, 100-500, 500-2000, 2000-5000, 5000+)

The subjects will have to answer these questions for 6 different pictures, which will be photographs of 6 different styles, which are as follows:

Casual

College student

Trendy day wear

Dressy

Office attire

Evening attire

Alternative

Bohemian/hipster

Emo/goth

The subjects will then have to answer the following questions about themselves:

POLL

How do you view what you wear? 

(Importantly, Somewhat Importantly, Medium, Unimportantly, Very Unimportantly)

How would you describe your personal style? 

(casual/dressed down, trendy, business casual, alternative, don't care)

What grade are you in? 

(9,10,11,12)

What gender do you identify as? 

(F, M, Other)

I will poll 32 students, 8 from each grade. They will reply in an anonymous online form.

When I have received this data, I will conduct a chi squared test to see if there is a significant difference in income, likeability, etc.

I will also make graphs regarding each of the questions and see if there is any significant factor, from the perceiver's end or the perceived end, that affects psychological first impressions.

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Background Literature

Before I begun this experiment, I read up on a plethora of the relevant topic literature regarding psychological effects of clothing. Here are a few things I learned:

Olivia N. Angerosa's thesis Impact of Clothing on First Impressions (2014)

Details

Focuses on 3 styles, professional, casual, trendy

"person perception" and "social identity theories"

41 question survey provided to 150 students

 Theories Used

Burns and Lennon (1993) found that characteristics of perceivers matter just as much as characteristics of targets

 Person perception theory

"how individuals perceivers selected, interpret and integrate information about other people" (Smith and Collins 09)

3 variables:

Object/target variables

Perceiver variables

Situational variables

Object/target variables

Based on visual cues such as physical appearance and facial attractiveness

Clothing style / height are static cues

Facial expression, posture, and body movement are 'dynamic cues'

Perceiver variables

These include cognitive structure, personal goals, physical traits, etc

*note: I did not research situational variables further, considering that situational variables will not matter for my personal experiment*

 Social theory

 Clothing is often used to portray group membership

Clothing is essentially adopted based on who you hang with

Styles group together - you hang out with who you dress like

You dress like you would be perceived - University of San Paolo study confirmed that econ majors dressed business, art majors dressed artistically, etc

Clothing is also used to show association - brands, college sweatshirts, bands, etc

Results

Found that if individuals dress similarly to perceivers, they are viewed more favorably.   

Women in general tended to rate every subject with higher rankings

Professional rated above both casual and trendy

Casual and trendy rated equally

 Professional vs. Casual

Professional was viewed as more confident, intelligent, and successful

Casual was viewed as more friendly and likely to lead an exciting life

No relationship was found between personal style and how that affects professional vs. casual outfits

Gender did not affect perception of professional vs. casual

Casual vs. Trendy

Casual and Trendy were viewed very similarly

No relationship was found between personal style and how that affects casual vs. trendy outfits

Gender DID affect perception of casual vs. trendy outfits, women rating casual outfits higher than men. 

Professional vs. Trendy

Professional was viewed as more hardworking, intelligent, trustworthy, successful

Trendy was more friendly and likely to lead an exciting life

Gender did not affection perception of professional vs. trendy

Neil Howlett, Karen Pine, Ismail Orakçıoğlu, and Ben Fletcher’s The Influence of Clothing on First Impressions (2013)

Details

Male attire only

308 social media participants, mostly female

Digitally created images

How does clothing psychology affect the outer world?

Teachers perception of student intelligence and stuff was based on how they dress

Consumerism meant that more well dressed people were seen as credible and therefore better able to sell things

Men care more about office dress

Color affects perception but only for the perceiver, not on another individual (positive colors do exist, as far as clothing goes)

Questions analyzed

With just a short period of time of looking at a photo, can people make decisions and judgments? 

Will minor manipulation to clothing change how people feel (cut of suit, etc)?

Will the earnings of perceiver will affect their perception?

Results

Better fitting suit got ranked higher on everything

The higher the income, the lower the ratings generally

People can therefore make snap judgments

Confidence

Significant for suit type (higher for better fitting)

Significant for income (lower for high income)

Success

Semi significant for suit type (marginally higher for better fitting)

Significant for income (lower for high income)

Trustworthiness

Not significant for suit type (not higher for better fitting)

Significant for income (lower for high income)

Howlett's Psychology Today study (2013)

Details

Focused on women's clothing, specifically high earning / position women in office jobs

Ranked by their bosses, conservative clothing was rated better

In order to control for over stigmatization of non-conservative clothing in the office, "non-conservative" was slightly above the knee skirt and one button undone, not provocative

Psychological gender roles as well as far as clothing goes?

 Results

Provocative clothing was ranked lower by an employer, especially on women

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Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Grace, and I’m conducting a small-scale experiment regarding the interaction between style and first impressions. I hope to not only collect data and make conclusions about how a perceiver’s qualities (the individual viewing a subject) affects their perception of others, but also address the big research question: Does what you wear drastically affect how people view your personality and traits?