Factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships: Physical attractiveness Flashcards
What did Shackelfold and Larsen find?
Shackelford and Larsen found people with symmetrical faces were rated more attractive. This was because facial symmetry presented a signal of genetic fitness.
From Shackelfold and Larsen’s findings what did they conclude?
Shackelfold and Larsen stated humans have evolved to like attributes that signal higher quality
Explanations based on physical attractiveness, are what type of explanation?
Explanations based on physical attractiveness are evolutionary explanations
What is the halo effect?
A term used by psychologists to describe how one’s distinguishing features tend to have a disproportionate influence on our judgements of a person’s oher attributes.
How does physical attractiveness come into play with the halo effect?
Psychologists say physically attractive people are stereotyped as kind, caring and strong. These attributes elicit positive behaviours towards physically attractive people
Who proposed the matching hypothesis?
The matching hypothesis was proposed by Elaine Walster
What is the matching hypothesis?
The matching hypothesis states people look for partners who are similar in terms of physical attractiveness. Individuals will assess their own attractiveness before approaching a potential partner. This is done to reduce the risk of rejection by selecting the most physically attractive people, so instead choosing partners that are similar to themselves
What is a strength of the research into physical attractiveness? (attractive people rated more than unattractive people)
There has been supportive evidence provided by Palmer and Peterson that has found physically attractive people were rated more politically knowledgeable and competent than unattractive people. This study supports the halo effect and provides further proof people favor attractive people
What is a strength of the research into physical attractiveness? (cultural consistencies in halo effect)
Cunningham et al found that large eyes, smakk nose and prominent cheekbones in females were rated as highly attractive by white, asian and hispanic males. On the other hand, Wheeler and Kim found that Korean and US students attributed more positive traits such a sbeing trustworthy to physically attractive people. The studies shows how the halo effect has cultural consistencies
What is a limitation of the research into physical attractiveness? (online dating does not support matching hypothesis)
A limitation is that online dating research has not supported these assumptions. Taylor et al found online daters sought dates with partners who were more attractive than themselves and did not consider their own level of attractiveness. This research does not support the matching hypothesis, undermining its validity and this may mean that the matching hypothesis is no longer useful
What is a strength of the research into physical attractiveness? (meta analysis of actual partners )
Feingold’s meta - analysis of studies of actual partners found a significant correlation in ratings of attractiveness between them. These findings support the matching hypothesis
