ERIC Number: EJ727190
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 21
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-9165
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Is Cleanliness Next to Godliness? The Role of Housekeeping in Impression Formation
Harris, Paul B.; Sachau, Daniel
Environment and Behavior, v37 n1 p81-101 2005
We conducted a study to determine if the cleanliness of an apartment would affect observer impressions of the resident. Participants (210 female and 126 male undergraduate students) read a story in which a character's apartment was described as clean or dirty or in which no information about housekeeping was provided. For each condition, half the characters were male and half were female. After reading the story, participants rated the personality of the character. Poor housekeepers received lower ratings on measures of Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Intelligence, and Femininity but received higher ratings on measures of Openness and Neuroticism. Results indicated no significant interactions between housekeeping and participant or character gender. Findings support the idea that housekeeping is a cue utilized in environmental impression formation.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Housework, Personality Traits, Homemaking Skills, Attitude Measures, Reader Response, Social Cognition, Homemaking Skills, Gender Differences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A