Is the mere exposure effect in face attractiveness image-based or face-based? B Cullen1, F Newell2 |
|---|
1School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland |
| According to the Mere Exposure Effect (Zajonc, R.B. 1968 Attitudinal effects of mere exposures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 1-27) repeated exposures of a face increases the preference for that face (e.g. Peskin M, Newell F.N, 2004, Familiarity breeds attraction: effects of exposure on the attractiveness of typical and distinctive faces. Perception, 33, 147–157). The effect is typically obtained with a single, repeated image of a person, randomly presented with other face images. Yet, faces are often seen across different images. Here we investigated whether the MEE is affected by image changes such as facial expression or viewpoint. We found no difference in attractiveness ratings to repeated, random exposures of face images shown in a neutral, happy or angry expression (Experiment 1). However, when face images were presented continuously for each person, we found higher ratings for ‘happy’ expressions (Experiment 2). Furthermore, ratings were higher for continuous image exposures than exposures to different images of the same person across viewpoints (Experiment 2). Ratings also increased the more frequently a person’s face image was presented as ‘happy’. These findings suggest that the MEE is image-based, rather than person-based, and suggest its generalizability to the real world is limited. |
| Up Home |
|---|