THE EFFECTS OF CLOTHING STYLE UPON THE REACTIONS OF A STRANGER

Our reactions to a stranger can often be influenced by the clothes he wears. In this study a male experimenter, whilst posing as a market researcher, dressed either smartly or untidily. Style of dress was found to have a significant influence upon the number of agreements from both older and younger women to answer the interviewer's questions. Dress did not have a significant influence upon men and older individuals were more influenced by clothing than were the younger ones. The results of this study are believed to have implications for many kinds of interview settings.