Perceived Attributes of Models in Prime-Time and Daytime Television Commercials: A Person Perception...

<p>In four sessions over a two-week time period, 32 women and 32 men viewed 128 randomly selected prime-time and daytime television commercials from early 1980. In an adaptation of Schneider's person perception approach, the viewers rated the models on a set of 13 social psychological attributes which were subsequently factor analyzed into three factors: responsible-mature, social image-status, and independence. Perceptions of male and female models differed as a function of time of airing and product, but not as a function of the viewer's sex. Overall, women were not portrayed in a more negative way than men are portrayed in today's (1980) television commercials.</p>