attraction

Question 1

social psychology definition

Answer 1

“the scientific investigation of how the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others”

Question 2

interpersonal attraction

Answer 2

• the study of attraction between people
• considers the degree to which we like others
• relates to both platonic relationships (friendships) and romantic relationships
• love is the most intense form of attraction and includes other elements such as sexual desire and deep concern for each other

Question 3

proximity

Answer 3

• proximity means being physically or functionally close to someone
• the smaller the distance between two people, either at school, work, home or some other place they visit regularly (including online), the more likely they are to be attracted to each other

Question 4

proximity research- Festinger’s study

Answer 4

• Festinger (1950) studied students who were studying in college apartments
• the students were assigned to their apartments; they did not choose where they lived themselves
• the researchers then asked them, ‘Which student in the estate do you see most of socially?’
• they found that students were the friendliest with those living next door, slightly less friendly with those two doors away and least friendly with those at the end of the corridor
• they also found that students who lived near a stairwell had more friends, including those on the next floor, than those living at the end of the corridor

Question 5

familiarity

Answer 5

• proximity is likely to lead to frequent interactions with someone
• in turn, more frequent contact allows two people to know each other better and develop a relationship
• In other words, closer proximity can lead to more encounters (exposure), which leads to familiarity
• the more familiar we are with someone, the more likely we will feel attracted to them

Question 6

mere exposure effect

Answer 6

Individuals show an increased preference (or liking) for a stimulus as a consequence of repeated exposure to that stimulus

To sum up:

the more familiar a person is, the more likely we will feel attracted to them

this includes preferring to look at mirror images of ourselves (the way we appear in a mirror) while our friends prefer the more familiar non mirror image

Question 7

similarity

Answer 7

the more similar a person is to us, the more attracted we feel towards them

This includes similarities in:
Beliefs
Age
Education
Socio-economic background
Personality
Political beliefs
Religion

Question 8

what makes a person physically attractive

Answer 8

• research suggests that most people prefer: large eyes, a small nose and chin and prominent cheekbones

when these features are actually measured, it appears that highly attractive faces are more symmetrical and closer to average within the culture than others.

Question 9

matching hypothesis

Answer 9

we are more likely to be attracted to a partner who is of similar attractiveness to us

Research:

Participants rated the physical attractiveness of couples in photographs

Shown photos of ‘real’ couples and ‘random’ couples.
Results: the ‘real’ couples were consistently found to be judged as more equal in attractiveness than the ‘random’ pairs

Question 10

complementary factor

Answer 10

one person seeks one thing from a relationship while the other seeks something else

people like to be with others whose needs, behaviours and resources complement their own

this provides balance and some evidence that similarity may not always be important

Question 11

psychological attractiveness

Answer 11

people are more likely to like those who display positive attitudes towards others and life in general compared to those who display negative attitudes

Psychologically attractive - friendly, patient and good listeners, stay positive, criticisms are constructive

Question 12

Halo effect

Answer 12

• the tendency to use global evaluations to make judgements about specific traits
• in other words a trait such as ‘attractive’ determines personality traits such as ‘outgoing’ or ‘kind’.

Question 13

Solomon Asch (1946) study

Answer 13

we form impressions in a holistic way and that central traits have a disproportionate influence on impressions

central Traits:

• kindness
• honesty
• friendliness

peripheral traits:

• Shyness
• Irritability
• Anxiety

RESEARCH

warm and cold personalities:

Asch (1946) found that:

• ‘warm’ people were more likely to be considered popular, friendly and generous compared to ‘cold’ people
• no difference between the terms reliable and honest.
• warm and cold - central traits
• therefore, have a strong influence on our impressions of others.

Question 14

reciprocity principle

Answer 14

we tend to find people more attractive if we think they like us (reciprocity)

If someone likes us, then we probably like them.