Factors affecting attraction Flashcards
What is self disclosure
Revealing personal info about urself
Romantic partners reveal more about their true selves as the relationship develops
These revelations strengthen the relationship if used appropriately
unless ur like me
whos a single oversharer
Social penetration theory
Altman and Taylor
1973
tAke iT sLOw pUT iT doWN oN MEE
Relationships are a gradual process of revealing your inner self to someone
In romantic relationships it involves reciprocal exchange of info between partners
Leads to a deep understanding of each others’ lives
There are 2 elements to this idea - breadth and depth
Altman and Taylor use the onion metaphor (layers) to explain this
Low risk info is revealed early or in a relationship and high risk info comes out as the relationship progresses
What is reciprocity of self disclosure
Reis and Shaver, 1988
Tends to be a balance of self disclosure in successful romantic relationships, as well as breadth and depth
After disclosing info, you want your partner to respond in a rewarding way, with understanding and empathy
Increases intimacy and deepens the relationship
What is appropriateness of the disclosure
Sometimes disclosing personal info is inappropriate, e.g. on a 1st date, suggests that the individual is lacking in social skills
More attractive people will be sensitive to these norms
What is attributions for the disclosure
The reasons we believe a person is self-disclosing to us are important
Less attraction occurs if an individual is seen as the kind of person who discloses personal information to everyone
However, more attraction occurs if we believe an individual sees us as someone they especially want to disclose info to
What are gender differences
Women generally are seen as better communicators of and more interested in intimate info, therefore intimate self-disclosures by males may be seen as less appropriate than those by females
Alternatively self-disclosure by a male may be seen as very rewarding by a female
Meanwhile males may feel threatened by females self-disclosing intimate details to them
What is content for disclosure
Disclosure of highly intimate info may be seen as inappropriate and as violating social norms, especially if a relationship is in its early stages
This could decrease attraction
Attraction is strongest when self-disclosure is of moderate intimacy and weaker when too high or low
What is a +ve evaluation for support for research studies
Several predictions about self-disclosure derived from the social penetration theory have been supported by research
Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) studied heterosexual dating couples and found strong +ve correlations between several measures of relationship satisfaction and self-disclosure (both theirs and their partners)
What is physical attractiveness
johnny depp
margot robbie
shall i go on
An important factor in the formation of romantic relationships
The term usually applies specifically to how appealing we find a person’s face
There is a general agreement within and across cultures about what is considered physically attractive
What did Shacklford and Larson 1997 find about physical attractiveness
Found people with symmetrical faces are more attractive as they have an honest signal of genetic fitness (its hard to fake facial symmetry)
People are also attracted to baby-face features (neotenous)- - large eyes, delicate chin and a small nose as they trigger an instinct of protection and caring
What did Mcnutly et al 2008 suggest about physical attraction
It continued to be an important feature of a relationship after marriage, for at least several yrs
What is Dion et al’s 1972 Halo Effect
Means “what is beautiful is good”
Physically attractive people are rated as kind, strong, sociable and successful compared to unattractive people
Belief that good looking people will have such characteristics makes them more attractive to us, so we behave more positively towards them - a self-fulfilling prophecy
therefore adam sandler can do no wrong
What is the matching hypothesis
Hypothesis 1 = attractive people expect an attractive partner
Hypothesis 2 = couples who are equally matched are happier
What did Walkster et al 1966 suggest about the matching hypothesis
People choose romantic partners who are roughly of similar physical attractiveness to each other
To do this we have to make a realistic judgement about our own ‘value’ to a potential partner
What is research support for the halo effect
Palmer and Peterson 2012
Found physically attractive people were rated as more politically knowledgeable and competent than unattractive people
Persisted when people knew that the knowledgeable people had no expertise
Obvious implications for the political process
