factors affecting attraction : physical attraction Flashcards
What is physical attractiveness in the context of romantic relationships?
An important part of a romantic relationship, it applies to how appealing we find a person’s face.
What did Shackleford and Larsen find regarding facial symmetry?
People with symmetrical faces are rated more attractive as it may signal genetic fitness.
What features may trigger a protective instinct in attraction?
Baby face features.
What is the halo effect?
One distinguishing feature influences our judgments of a person’s other attributes, such as their personality.
What is Karan Dion’s perspective on physical attractiveness?
‘What is beautiful is good’ – attractive people are often rated as kind, strong, sociable, and successful.
What does the matching hypothesis suggest?
We are attracted to a person who approximately matches us on physical attractiveness.
What was the purpose of the study conducted by Walster and Walster?
To test the idea that individuals look for partners similar to themselves in terms of physical attractiveness.
Describe the procedure of the ‘computer dance’ study.
Males and females were invited to a dance, rated for physical attractiveness, and paired randomly by a computer.
What did the findings of the ‘computer dance’ study reveal?
Most liked partners were the most physically attractive, not necessarily considering their own attractiveness.
What was the outcome of Bercheid’s replication of the ‘computer dance’ study?
Participants tended to choose partners who matched their physical attractiveness.
Fill in the blank: We tend to seek and choose a partner who matches our own physical attractiveness, so if we judge ourselves a ______ out of 10, we are likely to seek someone at the same level.
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