Sex and the Perception of Imaginary Individuals

The effect of the E's sex upon Ss' characterizations of an imaginary individual was investigated. Seventy-seven male and female undergraduates were divided into two groups, with a female E assigned to one group and a male E to the other. The experimental procedure was held constant for both groups, with the independent variable being the sex of the E. It was found that when the Ss were told to rate an imaginary individual, the sex of the E had a significant effect on the Ss' tendency to rate their imaginary individual as "humorous." Moreover, the extent to which the Ss rated their imaginary individuals as "honest," "warm," "good-natured," "strong," and "persistent" varied significantly when the sex of the Es and Ss were varied systematically. These findings indicate that the sex of an E influences in predictable ways the S's characterizations of individuals that they have not met and can only imagine. Such effects may be a hidden source of variance in certain experimental and clinical measurements.