2 - Factors Affecting Attraction Flashcards
What are the three factors affecting attractiveness we have to learn about?
- Self disclosure
- Physical attractiveness (including halo theory + matching hypothesis)
- Filter theory
Define self-disclosure
Revealing personal info about yourself. Romantic partners reveal more about their true selves as their relationship develops, increasing intimacy
What is social penetration theory?
Theory that we gradually reveal our inner self to someone else (gradually self-disclose) from revealing insignificant info to deep feelings and desires
Should self-disclosure be reciprocal? Why?
Yes
- Self-disclosing deep personal info implies you trust your partner
- When there is a balance of this, there is mutual trust, building intimacy
- If one person shares more, there may be a breakdown of trust as one person is more invested in the relationship than the other
Who introduced the theory that self-disclosure should be reciprocal?
Reis + Shaver
What are the two elements of self-disclosure + who proposed them?
Breadth + depth
Proposed by: Altman + Taylor
Outline the ‘breadth’ of self-disclosure
Start of relationship: we reveal a narrow breadth of info (many topics ‘off limits/TMI’
As relationship progresses: we reveal a wider breadth of info
Outline the ‘depth’ of self-disclosure
Start of relationship: info we reveal is shallow + superficial
As relationship progresses: info we reveal becomes more personal
What is a metaphor for the self-disclosure theory
Onion
- Gradually peel back superficial surface layers to reveal meaningful info to partner + form an intimate relationship
What happens regarding self-disclosure if a relationship starts to break down?
- Individuals stop disclosing + disengage with the relationship (DEPENETRATION)
- Partners may try to save the relationship + reconnect by disclosing more (e.g. at couples therapy) but this doesn’t always work
Give 2 positive evaluation points for theory of self-disclosure
Research support: Aron et al
- List of 36 questions for partners to ask each other
- Questions increasingly personal + 4 min stare at end
- People reported growing closer + feeling more intimate as questions progressed
- Supports self disclosure gradually helping form intimate bonds
Real world practical application
- Partners can be taught importance of self-disclosure to improve bond
- Hass + Stafford found over 50% homosexuals said self-disclosure was the main way they strengthened their relationship
- Teaching partners with poor communication skills to self-disclose can improve relationships by reducing communication issues
Give 2 negative evaluation points for theory of self-disclosure
Most self-disclosure research is correlational
- Most research support is correlational
- E.g. Sprecher + Hendricks found correlation between heterosexual self-disclosure + relationship satisfaction
- Hard to establish definite cause-effect as another intervening factor may have caused the correlation
Self-disclosure may not improve relationships in all cultures
- Self-disclosure improves relationships in WEIRD cultures
- Tang et al found Chinese partners disclosure significantly less sexual thought/deep feelings, but are still in satisfied relationships
- Self-disclosure therefore may not be a universal factor affecting attractiveness + relationship formation
Define physical attractiveness
How attractive we find a person (specifically their face) which is important for a relationship
When is physical attractiveness most key?
At the very start of the relationship (initial attraction to the partner)
What type of physical features are people most attracted to?
Those that would give a high chance of successful reproduction (sexual selection) + then give offspring a higher chance of survival (natural selection)
Give some examples of attractive physical features
- Facial Symmetry (sign of genetic fitness, diseases + infection can cause asymmetry)
- Neotenous features (‘baby face’) (trigger a protective/caring instinct)
- Good waist-hip ratio in women (small waist = not pregnant, larger hips = fertile)
Who investigated the optimum waist-hip ratio? What was it found to be?
Singh (by studying former Miss America contestants)
It was 0.7
What are the aspects of physical attraction affecting relationships that we look at?
- The Halo Effect
- The Matching Hypothesis
What is the Halo Effect?
When one trait (e.g. attractive physical appearance) has a cognitive bias on how the individual is perceived overall
How does the Halo Effect influence how physically attractive people are perceived?
People with physically attractive features are perceived to be better (more kind, strong, sociable, successful) so are more likely to be sought after as a mate
How can the Halo Effect of physical attractiveness become a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Physically attractive individuals are expected to be ‘better’, so rise to this expectation and actually become more successful, kinder, etc
Give a real life example of the Halo Effect
Ted Bundy
- Kidnapped, raped + murdered many young women in 1970s
- Admitted to 30 homicides + executed
- Seen as handsome, charismatic, charming by many so got away with his crimes for a long time (Halo Effect - not expected to be a bad man)
Give a positive evaluation point for the Halo Effect
Research support
- Palmer + Peterson found physically attractive people rated as more politically knowledgable + competent
- Landy + Arason stimulated a court case + found jury of ppts gave longer sentence to ‘less attractive’ people
- Multiple pieces of research support the bias physical attractiveness has on perception of overall personality
Give a negative evaluation point for the Halo Effect
Not everybody values physical attractiveness
- Individual differences means some people don’t value physical attractiveness in a partner
- The ‘MACHO Scale’ measured sexist attitudes + found less sexist people less bothered about attractiveness
- Physical attractiveness may be important for some, but not a universal explanation for why people form certain relationships
What is the matching hypothesis?
The belief we don’t select the most attractive person as a prospective partner, but choose somebody who matches our level of attractiveness
Who proposed the matching hypothesis?
Walster + Walster
Outline the process of the matching hypothesis
- Evaluate our own attractiveness
- Pick an attainable partner or a similar level of attractiveness
Why does the matching hypothesis take place?
- Not everyone can be in relationships with the most attractive people
- Choosing someone way more attractive would be evolutionary foolish, as we would be likely to be rejected or left by our partner
- Choosing someone of a similar level means we are more likely to be selected (competing against similar individuals in intrasexual selection)
Give a positive evaluation point for the matching hypothesis
Experimental Research Support: Kendrick
- 10 men + 10 women in neutral clothes
- Given number to represent attractiveness (can’t see own number)
- Have to pair up
- Findings…
Tried to match with highest numbers first (but rejected by them)
Get offers from lower numbers (turn down, think you can do better)
End up settling with somebody with a similar number
Give a negative evaluation point for the matching hypothesis
Real world research DOESNT support: Taylor et al
- Studied activity logs of online dating site
- Online daters sought dates with more attractive partners
- Suggests matching hypothesis has low external validity
- BUT this represents who they sought dates with, not end result partner
What is the filter theory?
An explanation for relationship formation which states that a series of factors progressively reduce the range of romantic partners to a small pool of options
What are the 3 ‘filters’ in the filter theory?
1) Social demography
2) Similarity in attitudes
3) Complementarity
What is the first filter in the filter theory? Explain it
Social demography
(Features that describe populations, e.g. location + class)
- Affects the chances of meeting a person + being geographically close enough to maintain a relationship with them
- Similar social demographics (race, religion, education level, etc) increase the likelihood you will feel compatible + be attracted to them
When is social demography important as a filter?
Throughout the relationship, but more at the start
What is the second filter in the filter theory? Explain it
Similarity in attitudes
(Partners who share basic values)
- The ‘law of attraction’ in the first 18 months of the relationship
- Drawn to partners who share your basic values
- Improves communication + self-disclosure, allowing a relationship to form
When is similarity in attitudes important as a filter?
At the start of a relationship (first 18 months), replaced over time with complementarity
When is complementarity important as a filter?
After the first 18 months, as the relationship progresses into the long term
What is the third filter in the filter theory? Explain it
Complementarity
(Partners balancing out each other with traits the other lacks)
- As relationship progresses, ‘opposites attract’ keeps people together
- Partners provide traits the other lacks, so together the relationship forms a whole, making it more likely to flourish and last
Give a positive evaluation point for the Filter Theory
Research support: Kerckhoff + David
- Longitudinal study of students in relationships
- Measured ‘relationship closeness’ in questionnaire
- Measured ‘similarity of attitudes’ + ‘complementarity’ in another questionnaire
- Findings…
Couples under 18 months: greater similarity = closer
Couples over 18 months: greater complementarity = closer
- Supports existence + order of filters
Give 3 negative evaluation points for the Filter Theory
Complementarity may not be essential
- Research shows some couples never progress to need 3rd filter
- Markey + Markey studied lesbian couples + found couples with two dominant partners were more satisfied than those with one submissive
- Third filter may not be essential or generalise to everyone
‘Similarity in attitudes’ may only be perceived
- ‘Perceived similarity in attitudes’ may be better name for 2nd filter
- Montoya et al did meta analysis to find perceived similarity was a stronger predictor of attraction than actual similarity
- Filter could be renamed to increase its validity
Social change may alter filters
- First filter used to dramatically reduce field of options
- Social change (social media) means location is less of a limiting factor
- Social change has reduced importance of first filter, so other filters have to play a greater role in modern day life
