Week 3 Paper(s)

[clarrain]

Last week I read both the papers on facial structure and gender discussed in the Slack group (the one I originally shared, and the second paper shared by Andrew), to determine which paper would be best suited for the needs we have in our research papers.

The paper I shared, "What gives a face its gender?" by Elizabeth Brown and David I Perrett, outlines an experiment in which prototypes of female and male facial features were generated and then isolated from the face to determine which features provided the most information about a person's gender. This research indicated that the jaw gives the most significant information about gender. However, the data that is more relevant is not the research itself but the facts presented in the introduction: the female nose is smaller, wider, and more concave, with a depressed bridge, and the female has a smaller mouth and a less pronounced jawline and brow ridge. Female cheekbones are also more rounded (this information can be found in the final two paragraphs of page 829 - the first page of the paper).

The paper Andrew shared, "The Intersection of Gender-Related Facial Appearance and Facial Displays of Emotion" by Reginald B. Adams, Jr., Ursula Hess, and Robert E. Kleck, examines the connections between gender stereotypes and displays of emotion between the genders. Though this paper does cite the information from the paper I shared, it is only in a brief and vague two sentences (page 8, under "Confound between gender appearance and facial maturity"). The 1993 paper provides much more detail and insight into the specific facial features that indicate gender, whereas this paper focuses more on expression and social constructs.

What Gives a Face Its Gender?
The Intersection of Gender-Related Facial Appearance and Facial Displays of Emotion