Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2009. / Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 122 p. Includes bibliographical references.

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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 38-41)

Although humanoid robots are being designed to assist people in various tasks, there remain gaps in our understanding of the perceptions that humanoid faces evoke in the user. Understanding user perceptions would help design robots that are better suited for the target user group. Younger and older adults’ preferences for robot appearance were assessed out of three levels of human-likeness. In general, people perceived a mixed human-robot appearance less favorably compared to highly human and highly robotic appearances. Additionally the nature of task also influenced people’s overall perceptions of robots. Robots were most positively evaluated for assistance with chores and less positively for personal care and decision-making. Moreover, task and robot humanness had an interactive effect on people’s likability, trust, and perceived usefulness toward robots. Age-related differences in preferences of robot humanness were also observed. Older adults showed a higher inclination toward human-looking appearance of robots whereas younger adults’ preferences were more distributed across the levels of humanness. An appearance with mixed human-robot features was more likely to be rejected by older adults than by younger adults, and the difference was most striking for a decision-making task. Besides the humanness of the robot face, perceptions of robot appearances were also influenced by factors such as robot gender, specific facial features/aesthetics, expressiveness, perceived personality, and perceived capability. Future studies should measure the relative weight of these different factors in the formation of perceptions, both at a global level and at a task-specific level.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 35 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-31).

The purpose of this study was to discover whether the gymnasts' body shape affects the judging of gymnastics. The goal was to discover whether the judges' perceptions of the gymnasts' body shape related to the gymnasts' performance scores. A second goal was to discover whether performance scores differed when given by judges with two levels of experience (experienced and novice). Videotapes of compulsory routines performed by 16 gymnasts on bars, beam and floor were constructed to simulate a competition. Eighteen judges, nine novice and nine experienced, evaluated the routines. They were also required to rate their perception of the aesthetic appeal of the 16 gymnasts' body shape. Each gymnasts' body mass index (BMI) was calculated from their height and weight measurements to quantify body shape. The scores were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. The results showed a significant main effect of BMI on judges' perception of gymnasts' body shape scores, $F(3,48)=9.50, p<.001.$ Gymnasts with a medium-low BMI received significantly higher perception scores than gymnasts with a medium-high BMI and gymnasts with a high BMI. The results also showed a significant main effect $(p<.001)$ of BMI on performance scores. Gymnasts with a high BMI received higher performance scores than those gymnasts with a low BMI, medium-low BMI and medium-high BMI. The effect of judge experience was very close to significant $(p<.059)$ in relation to performance scores. Experienced judges gave lower performance scores than novice judges. Although all judges preferred smaller body shape, this preference did not affect the performance scores award by the judges.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-87).

Thesis (M.S.)--Springfield College, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Body image refers to how individuals experience and perceive their bodies and can be affected by many factors, including peers and family members. Adolescence is a time when body image concerns are emphasized due to the bodily changes of puberty as well as increased internalization of cultural ideals and pressure to adhere to those ideals. Appearance-related teasing is one particular sociocultural factor that is gaining attention in the research field due to the emphasis placed on appearance during adolescence. The current study examined how appearance-related teasing by peers, parents, and siblings affected young adolescents' body image both directly and indirectly via social comparison. Further, because body image is a multidimensional construct and can include body dissatisfaction and drive for muscularity, the present study examined both of these constructs separately. I collected self-report questionnaires from 73 adolescent girls and 67 boys in middle school. I used Pearson correlations, linear regression, and mediation analyses to examine these hypotheses. First, I hypothesized that adolescents who were teased about their appearance by at least one of their parents would also have siblings who teased them. I found significant correlations between both fathers' and mothers' teasing and siblings' teasing, suggesting that parents are modeling teasing behaviors to their children. Second, I hypothesized that appearance-related teasing by fathers, mothers, peers, and siblings would each be associated with body dissatisfaction for girls and drive for muscularity for boys. My findings indicated that mothers', fathers', peers', and siblings' teasing predicted girls' body dissatisfaction and that mothers' and fathers' teasing predicted boys' drive for muscularity. Therefore, appearance-related teasing appears to be detrimental behavior that negatively influences adolescents' body image. Third, I hypothesized that appearance-related social comparison would mediate the relationship between appearance-related teasing from all sources and body dissatisfaction among girls and drive for muscularity among boys. Appearance-related social comparison fully mediated the relationship between fathers' teasing and girls' body dissatisfaction and the relationship between mothers' teasing and boys drive for muscularity. My findings suggest that boys and girls who were teased about their appearance were more likely to engage in social comparison, which negatively impacted their body image. Therapists need to be aware of the role family members' and peers' appearance-related teasing play in the development of adolescents' body image in order to address the occurrence and negative effects of teasing. In addition, researchers will need to conduct future studies further investigating appearance-related teasing by family members and peers and design intervention and prevention programs to address teasing and social comparison among the family and peer contexts.

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