Some factors involved in judging personal characteristics

Abstract

Two groups of men and two groups of women were asked to check a list of personal characteristics according to the three degrees, above average, average, and below average, in judgment of themselves and of friends. Further, one group of each sex was asked to rate the characteristics as desirable, undesirable or neutral. A contact pencil was used for checking in order that the time could be measured in fifths of a second. The data are tabulated in detail. It seems to require more time to judge undesirable traits than desirable, and more time to judge friends than selves. The sexes agree generally on the desirability of traits, but women require, on the average, more time for judging than men. Individuals tend to class themselves high with respect to desirable traits and low with respect to undesirable or neutral. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)