Abstract
Physical cues influence social judgments of others. For example, shorter individuals are evaluated less positively than taller individuals. Here, we demonstrate that height also impacts one of the most consequential intergroup judgments—attributions of humanity—and explore whether this effect is modulated by the tendency to value hierarchy maintenance. In Study 1, the shorter participants perceived a range of out-groups to be, the more they dehumanized them, and this tended to be particularly pronounced among those scoring high on social dominance orientation (SDO). In Study 2, participants dehumanized an out-group more when they were led to believe that it was relatively short. Finally, Study 3 applied a reverse correlation approach, demonstrating that participants in general, and especially those scoring high on SDO, represented shorter groups in ways less consistent with full humanity than they represented taller groups. Together, this research demonstrates that basic physical height cues shape the perceived humanity of out-groups.
Highlights
Physical cues influence social judgments of others
T-tests comparing both conditions showed that participants dehumanized the short group more than the tall group on the Ascent scale, t(366.69) = -2.43, p = .016, η2 = .02, 95% CI of the difference: [-6.15, -.64], and trait-dehumanization measure, t(363.09) = -2.04, p = .042, η2 = .01, 95% CI of the difference: [-.70, -.01]; see Figure 2
Here, social dominance orientation (SDO) did not relate to dehumanization, nor did it moderate the effects of height on dehumanization
Summary
Physical cues influence social judgments of others. For example, shorter individuals are evaluated less positively than taller individuals. Height maps onto the attitudes held about short others and to actual real-world outcomes: being short is associated with several indicators of social rank such as diminished occupational and reproductive success (Gawley, Perks, & Curtis, 2009; Judge & Cable, 2004; Nettle, 2002a, 2002b; Steckel, 1995). This existing research has focused on the general perception of short individuals, and has not examined attributions of humanity or the question of whether height shapes judgments about groups. We predict that shorter groups will be perceived as less human than taller groups
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