Abstract

This research studied the first impression of a stranger in various styles of Korean or Western attire in several socially interacting contexts. The semantic differential scale was used to analyze the responses of IHO male and 180 female university students to line drawings of male and female figures in Korean or Western formal and informal attire in campus, office, and ambiguous contexts. The data were analyzed by factor analysis, one-way ANOVA, and Duncan's test. Six factors emerged to account for dimensions of first impressions. These were evaluation, potency, prestige and formality, conformity, likableness, and conspicuousness. Clothing styles had a larger effect on responses than context. Persons in traditional Korean styles were perceived as more prestigious, formal, individualistic, and less competent than those in Western styles. Conversely persons in both formal and informal Western styles were perceived as more attractive and more competent than those in traditional Korean styles. Persons in casual Western styles were considered least prestigious and least formal. A weak interaction effect was found between clothing style and social context.

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