The relative impact of age and attractiveness stereotypes on persuasion

The relative impact of the old-age and attractiveness stereotypes on persuasion was investigated. College students read essays that contained either cogent or specious arguments that were attributed either to young or old, socially attractive or unattractive authors. Evaluations of the essay itself were affected only by the quality of the arguments presented. Argument quality and attractiveness interacted to determine perceptions of the author and opinions on the position advocated in the essay: attractive authors were rated higher and were more persuasive than unattractive authors when the essay was strong, but were derogated and unpersuasive relative to unattractive authors when the essay was weak. Age of the author had an impact only on a few of the author-evaluation scales. A hierarchy of stereotype potency in which social attractiveness is prepotent over age is offered tentatively.