Physiognomic perception and educational-vocational preference.
The purpose of the present study was to determine whether physiognomic perception influenced community college students' selection of a variety of educational-vocational goals. Physiognomic perception, a cognitive style dimension through which people imbue objects with varying degrees of affect, was measured by a standardized and validated instrument known as the Stein Physiognomic Cue Test. The subjects were 183 community college students classified according to their stated choice of major field on a brief questionnaire. The hypothesis that students selecting various major fields of study would differ as a function of physiognomic tendencies was supported. The expectation that females would have greater physiognomic tendencies than males was not confirmed for the present sample.