Factors affecting attraction in romantic relationship: PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS

Question 1

Physical attractiveness

Answer 1

Shakleford and Larsen (1997)
* found that people with symmetrical faces are rated as more attractive
* its thought that this is a signal of genetic fitness
* explanations based on physical attractiveness are evolutionary ones - we have evolved a liking for attributes that signal high quality

Question 2

Halo effect

Answer 2

physically attractive individuals are stereotyped to be kind, caring and strong
* positive attitudes attached to physical attractiveness makes us behave more positively towards these individuals

Question 3

Matching Hypothesis

Answer 3

Waltser and Waltser (1969)
* we look for partners who are similar to ourselves in terms of physical attractiveness
* before approaching a potential partner, the individual will assess their own level of attractiveness in relation to others
* we avoid the risk of rejection in selecting the most physically attractive people and so we choose partners that are similar to ourselves

Question 4

Evaluation

Answer 4

+ Research support
- Doesnt consider online dating
+ Cultural consistency
+ Supportive evidence

Question 5

+ Research Support

Answer 5

Palmer and Peterson (2012)
* physically attractive people were rated more politically knowledgeable and competent than unattractive people.
* supports the halo effect
* however, it suggests politcians are elected due to attractiveness

Question 6

- Online dating hasn’t supported its assumptions

Answer 6

Taylor et al (2011)
* found online daters sought dates with partners who were more attractive than themselves and didnt consider their own level of attractiveness
* this doesnt support matching hypothesis and undermines its validity

Question 7

+ Cultural consistency

Answer 7

Cunningham et al (1995)
* found that large eyes, small nose and prominent cheekbones in females were rated as highly attractive by white, Asian and Hispanic males
Wheeler and Kim (1997)
* found that Korean and US students attributed more more positive traits such as trustworthy to physically attractive people
* theres cultural consistency in physical attractiveness research and suggests it may have evolutionary roots

Question 8

+ Supportive evidence

Answer 8

Feingolds (1988)
* meta-analysis of studies of actual partners found a significant correlation in rating of attractiveness between them
* these findings support the hypothesis