| The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of money issues on social perception; specifically, to examine the degree to which reported income, money attitudes, and gender influence the perceptual judgments made about others. The almost total exclusion of money from empirical studies of factors in person perception provided the rationale for this study. An underlying assumption at the heart of this study is that the judgments formulated about others through the process of perception have a significant impact on the nature, quality, and, ultimately, the effectiveness of interpersonal relationships. The experimental sample consisted of 230 university and college students ages 17 to 28 with diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. The reference group consisted of 18 employed men, ages 25 to 52, who all earned less than {dollar}18,000 a year. The ethnic breakdown was 78% white, 11% Asian, 6% Hispanic and Fijian. The experimental subjects were asked to attribute personality traits for a hypothetical target by answering the Adjective Check List (ACL). Additionally, these subjects were asked to provide answers about themselves on a demographic questionnaire and the Money Belief and Behavior Scale (MBBS). It was hypothesized that the following variables would be significant factors in the quality of personality traits attributed to the target: (1) the income of the target; (2) the income of the subject (judge); (3) gender; and (4) belief in a work ethic. The reference group of low income men were asked to answer the ACL for themselves; these scores served as a comparison for the attributions made for the "poor" man.; The results supported the hypothesis that the income of the target is a significant factor in social judgments; the income of the judge, however, was not found to be a significant influence on person perception. Although no group and gender interaction was found, the results revealed a significant difference in the way males and females viewed the target, regardless of the target's income. The factor analysis yielded three factors but failed to extract a factor of Effort/Ability and, therefore, the test of work ethic beliefs was not completed. The actual scores of the low-income men in the reference group were significantly higher than the scores attributed to the "poor" man; in fact, the scores of the reference group subjects were very similar to the attributions for the "rich" man.; The findings point to the impact of money attitudes, habits, emotions, and conflicts on the ways in which people are perceived and social judgments are formed. The results are discussed in terms of their relevance to clinical and social psychology, especially the implications of money issues on interpersonal relationships. Suggestions for further research are considered. |
