Identikit Model II® - a potential tool for judging cosmetic appearance

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Identi-Kit Model II® as a tool for investigation of social reactions to cosmetic variations associated with facial anomalies. In one study, a group ofjudges rated cosmetic appearance from photographs, while another group rated cosmetic appearance from Identi-Kit constructions. A high correlation was found between ratings obtained from the two sets of stimuli. In a second study, three groups of different judges rated cosmetic appearance of Identi-Kit constructions with three types of facial stigmata associated with facial clefting. Ratings of appearance were found to vary systematically as the number of stigmata were increased. Based on the findings of these studies, the authors suggest that Identi-Kit constructions may be useful for investigating the effects of changing specific facial characteristics while holding others constant.