Factors affecting attraction: physical attraction

Question 1

What is physical attraction ?

Answer 1

How appealing we find someone’s face

Question 2

What was Shackelford and Larsen’s theory ?

Answer 2

• Symmetrical faces are more attractive
• symmetry is viewed as an indicator of good health and genetic fitness
• Baby faces (neotenous features) are viewed as attractive
• E.g. big eyes, small nose
• Appeals to females as a social releaser
• Want to have attractive children so they have reproductive success

Question 3

What is the halo effect ?

Answer 3

• Dion et al
• Physical appearance can lead to a bias about someone’s personality
• These people are more likely to be viewed as kind, strong, sociable and successful
• ‘pretty privilege’

Question 4

What is the matching hypothesis ?

Answer 4

• Walster
• People choose romantic partners who are roughly of similar attractiveness to each other
• We need to have a realistic judgement about our own value to a potential partner
• We do this to avoid rejection and protect our self-esteem

Question 5

What is a limitation of the matching hypothesis ?

Answer 5

Walster:
Procedure:
- Males and females rated by an objective observer about how attractive participants were
- Completed a questionnaire (personality, self esteem questions)
- Told that the computer would generate a partner suitable
- Partner selection was actually randomly allocated
Findings:
- Matching hypothesis wasn’t supported
- Most liked partner was the most attractive
- May be due to it being an artificial situation

Taylor:
- studied matches on an online dating site
Researchers found that online dates sough potential partners that were more physically attractive than them

Question 6

What is a counterpoint of Walster’s computer dance ?

Answer 6

• Although the hypothesis wasn’t supported
• Berscheid replicated the study
• however the participant selected their own partner
• When they chose the partner it tended to be someone of similar attractiveness

Question 7

What is a strength of matching hypothesis ?

Answer 7

Murstein
- Photos of married heterosexual couples
- asked for participants to rate the photos
- Positive correlation in attractiveness between the men and women paired in the photos
- High ecological validity = realistic matching situation

Question 8

What was a strength of neotenous features ?

Answer 8

• found physically attraction to features such as big eyes and a small nose all across different cultures
• means that these aren’t culturally relative findings and can be generalised universally

Question 9

What is a limitation of the evidence that looks at physically attraction affecting attraction ?

Answer 9

Beta bias:
- Minimises differences as it assumes that it is equally important to both men and women
- Meltzer found that men rate long-term relationships more satisfactory of their partner is physically attractive