Effects of interior and exterior building design on perceived competence.

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of two contrasting exterior and interior building designs on the perception of therapist competence. Subjects (64 females and 64 males) viewed a videotape which displayed, for 10 seconds, the exterior of a building representative of either a hard design (cement walls, flat roof, no windows), or a soft design (conventional wall siding, angled roof, windows). The subjects then viewed a five minute segment of a male therapist interviewing a male client in a room representative of either a hard design (gray walls, masonite flooring, metal chair, overhead fluorescent light) or a soft design (neutral-warm wall color, cushioned chair, soft lighting, carpet). The subjects then rated the therapist on nine Likert-type scales. Ratings were then compared among the four groups (hard and 50ft, exterior and interior) and between male and female subjects. It was hypothesized that the subjects would rate the therapist higher in the soft exterior/soft interior condition. The hypothesis was not supported. The therapist's behavior appeared to mediate the divergent interior treatment conditions. However, there were consistent interaction effects involving subject gender and building exterior for eight of the nine questionnaire items. The male subjects consistently rated the therapist higher in the hard exterior condition while the female subjects consistently rated the therapist lower in the hard exterior condition. There was also a main effect for gender on one questionnaire item and a main effect for exterior design on one questionnaire item. In both instances the male subjects' higher ratings in the hard exterior condition accounted for the significant main effects.