Abstract
Social perception—the process of interpreting social cues to evaluate others—is foundational to human interaction, influencing judgments about traits such as attractiveness, competence, and warmth. This thesis examines the nuanced interplay between static and dynamic cues in social perception, exploring how these cues shape evaluations across various dimensions and contexts. The research utilises state-of-the-art motion-capture technology to isolate and analyse full body biological motion, providing a robust methodological framework for understanding their contributions relative to static features.Chapter 1 introduces the theoretical and empirical context of social perception, emphasising the need to integrate static and dynamic cues. It highlights their importance in forming judgments of attractiveness, competence, and warmth, setting the stage for subsequent empirical investigations.
Chapter 2 documents the development and application of a comprehensive motion-capture protocol, which serves as the foundation for the stimuli database used throughout this research. This database, collected from a hundred participants, allows precise analysis of dynamic cues, enabling interdisciplinary applications across psychology, biomechanics, and robotics.
Chapter 3 quantifies the roles of static and dynamic cues in social judgments, demonstrating that while static features (e.g., BMI, WHR, WCR) influence attractiveness, dynamic behaviours such as walking and dancing enhance ecological validity and perceptions of competence and warmth.
Chapter 4 explores sexual dimorphism and gendered expectations through two studies. Study 1 shows that congruence between sex information and dynamic cues enhances judgments of attractiveness, competence, and warmth, while incongruence shifts reliance toward dynamic behaviours. Study 2 reveals that fluid and expressive male dancing challenges traditional notions of masculinity, suggesting cultural variability in interpreting gendered movements. Together, these studies highlight the dynamic and context-dependent nature of sexual dimorphism in social perception.
Chapter 5 is a general discussion that synthesises the findings, illustrating the complementary roles of static and dynamic cues. Static features provide a stable foundation for judgments, while dynamic behaviours offer depth and contextual relevance. This discussion situates the findings within broader fields of psychology and theoretical frameworks, such as evolutionary psychology and the Stereotype Content Model.
In conclusion, this thesis contributes to understanding social perception by integrating static and dynamic cues, challenging traditional notions of sexual dimorphism, and advancing methodologies. The findings have broad implications for theory and practice, influencing fields such as health diagnostics, robotics, and leadership development.
| Date of Award | 9 Jun 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Ed Morrison (Supervisor), Ana Gheorghiu (Supervisor) & Hui Yu (Supervisor) |