Attitudes Toward Stereotyped Behaviors

This investigation examined trait inferences that people make of individuals who engage in body rocking. In Study 1, participants interacted with either a rocking or a nonrocking individual In Study 2, participants observed videoclips of rocking and nonrocking individuals in various settings. In Study 3, participants observed video-clips of a person engaging in body-rocking, headrolling, or no-stereotyped behavior. Results of the 3 studies suggest that people hold specific negative attitudes toward people who engage in body-rocking, and that amplitude of body-rocking is a factor in determining these negative attitudes. People tend to attribute body-rocking to high-neuroticism and anxiety, and to low-agreeableness.