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What's in a Face?

Facial Maturity and the Attribution of Legal Responsibility

Southern Methodist University

Leslie Zebrowitz-McArthur

Brandeis University

Recent research has provided considerable evidence that when facial appearance is the only information provided about a stimulus person, babyfaced adults are perceived to have more childlike qualities than mature-faced adults who are equal in perceived age and attractiveness. The present study utilized a simulated trial format to assess the impact of facial maturity on social perceptions in a more complex situation in which other meaningful information about the stimulus person was available. The fact that babyfaced adults are perceived to be more naive than those with mature features led to the prediction that a babyfaced defendant would be more often found guilty of an offense resulting from negligent actions than would a mature-faced defendant. The fact that babyfaced adults are perceived to be more honest than those with mature features yielded the prediction that babyfaced defendants would less often be perceived as guilty of charges involving intentional criminal behavior. Finally, when defendants were known to be guilty of a negligent crime, it was predicted that subjects would recommend less severe punishment for babyfaced defendants than for mature-faced ones. The pattern of results supported the predictions.

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