Factors Affecting Attraction In Romantic Relationships

Question 1

What are factors that affect attraction in romantic relationships?

Answer 1

-Self-disclosure.
-Physical attractiveness.
-Filter theory.

Question 2

What is self-disclosure?

Answer 2

The idea that relationship formation is built on trust with another person, which is demonstrated by gradually revealing personal information.

Question 3

What are the features of self-disclosure?

Answer 3

-Social Penetration Theory (SPT).
-Reciprocity.

Question 4

Who devised Social Penetration Theory (SPT)?

Answer 4

Altman & Taylor (1973).

Question 5

What are the features of Social Penetration Theory (SPT)?

Answer 5

-Two main dimensions: breadth & depth.
-‘Onion Metaphor’ is used to describe these dimensions.
-As trust is built, the depth of information grows.
-Ranges from superficial self-disclosure (breadth but little depth) to core self-disclosure (depth).

Question 6

Who studied reciprocity link with self-disclosure?

Answer 6

Reis & Shaver (1988).

Question 7

How does reciprocity link with self-disclosure?

Answer 7

-There has to be a balance of self-disclosure between partners for a relationship to develop.
-Instead of one sharing and one listening, reciprocity is needed.
-This could lead to greater intimacy and a deeper understanding of the romantic relationship.

Question 8

How did Hass & Strafford (1988) study self-disclosure?

Answer 8

57% of gay men & women said that honest self-disclosure was the main way they maintained & deepened their committed relationships.

Question 9

How did Sprecher (2013) study self-disclosure?

Answer 9

Couples who disclosed in a reciprocal manner reported greater closeness & compatability, in comparison to couples who didn’t disclose in a reciprocal manner.

Question 10

Evaluation points for self-disclosure:

Answer 10

-Real life application (research allows individuals to improve on their own relationships).
-Can’t operationalise self-disclosure, as it’s open to subjective interpretation.
-Correlation, no causation.

Question 11

What is physical attractiveness?

Answer 11

The fact that humans have preferences about the physical appearances of other people.

Question 12

What are the features of physical attractiveness?

Answer 12

-Halo Effect.
-The matching hypothesis.

Question 13

What do women find physically attractive about men?

Answer 13

-Broad shoulders.
-Smaller hip-to-waist ratios.

Question 14

What do men find physically attractive about women?

Answer 14

-Childlike face.
-Small nose & chin.

Question 15

Who devised the Halo Effect?

Answer 15

Dion (1972).

Question 16

What are features of the Halo Effect?

Answer 16

-A cognitive bias that involves generalising conclusions about a person based solely on their attractiveness.
-Attractive people are consistently rated as more successful, kind & sociable in comparison to unattractive people.
-We tend to behave more positively towards more attractive people.

Question 17

Who devised the matching hypothesis?

Answer 17

Walster (1966)

Question 18

What are features of the matching hypothesis?

Answer 18

-Based on the assumption that people of similar attractiveness levels tend to pair up.
-Cognitive mechanism that uses self-rating and rating of others based on physical appearance.
-We balance the need for biological satisfaction with avoiding rejection by an individual who is ‘out of our league’.

Question 19

How did Palmer & Peterson (2012) study physical attractiveness (halo effect)?

Answer 19

Asked participants to rate attractive & unattractive people in terms of how politically competent & knowledgeable they believed them to be. Attractive people consistently rated higher.

Question 20

How did Walster & Walster (1969) study physical attractiveness (matching hypothesis)?

Answer 20

Told students that they had been assigned an ideal partner for the dance (when pairs have been randomly assigned).

The pairs with similar physical attractiveness expressed greater liking for each other than those with dissimilar levels of physical attractiveness.

Question 21

Evaluation points for physical attractiveness:

Answer 21

-Landy & Aronson (1969) show how the halo effect occurs in other contexts.
They found that unattractive defendants were more likely to be sentenced by the jury, supporting the idea that we generalise physical attractiveness as an indicator of less visual traits such as trustworthiness.
-Modern dating in society is increasingly visual, with the rise of online dating, particularly using apps such as Tinder.
-Physical attractiveness is subjective & prone to individual differences, so associated theories lack scientific validity.

Question 22

Who devised filter theory?

Answer 22

Kerchoff & Davis (1962).

Question 23

How did Kerchoff & Davis (1962) devise filter theory?

Answer 23

Compared attitudes & personalities of student couples in the short term (< 18 months) and long term relationships (> 18 months).

Question 24

What are the 3 stages of filtering?

Answer 24

Level 1: Social Demography.
Level 2: Similarity In Attitudes.
Level 3: Complementary.

Question 25

What is social demography (level 1)?

Answer 25

Proximity, religion, education level. This leads to homogamy (forming a relationship with someone who is similar).

Question 26

What is similarity in attitudes (level 2)?

Answer 26

Similar psychological factors. Encourages deeper communication and more self-disclosure.

Question 27

What is complementary (level 3)?

Answer 27

Concerns the ability of partners to meet each other’s needs. Partners will complement each other (e.g. one likes to use humour, one likes being made to laugh).

Question 28

Evaluation points for filter theory:

Answer 28

-Winch (1958) found that similarity of interests, attitudes and personality are typical of the early stages of a relationship, and that complementarity of needs was more important than physical attractiveness.
-Lack of temporal validity due to the proliferation of online dating and contact through social media channels (e.g. proximity is not an issue in relationship formation).