The Effect of Facial Deformity on Petitioning

In a natural setting, the influence of facial deformity on the response to a petition request was investigated. Seventy-two hundred adult members of the general public were confronted by four Actors who presented themselves normally for one-half of the experiment and exhibited a facial de-formity (burn scar, birthmark or protruding teeth) for the other half. The experiment was designed in order that the influence offacial appearance (4) x sex of Actor (2) x sex of passerby (2) x strength of petition (2) could be examined. Although the results confirm that the petition model is sensitive to variables of interpersonal perception, the principal finding was the non-effect of facial deformity with regard to the number of evasions, signings, and refusals obtained. It is suggested that aversion to the deformed petitioner may be tempered by other reactions such as curiosity and sympathy.