Clothes Doth Make the Man, in the Eye of the Beholder

Abstract

The present study was designed to explore the impact of uniforms on the beholder. Several questions were raised: Do uniforms convey a specifiable stereotype, and does this impression survive with increased contact? E wore a Roman collar and black suit of the Catholic priest to one class and a regular coat and tie to a second class. Initial differences on a semantic differential were compared and then replicated using a second naive E. The Es, in priestly uniform, were perceived as more moral, socially isolated, and unscientific. Nine classes later, E in specialized dress was still perceived as socially isolated and unscientific but no longer as more moral.