Factors Affecting Attraction: Physical Attractiveness Flashcards
What did Shackelford and Larson find
People with symmetrical faces are rated as more attractive
Why are people with symmetrical faces rated as more attractive
It is thought it that this is a signal of genetic fitness that cannot be faked - an honest signal
What is symmetries linked to genetic fitness seen as being desirable
Genes are likely to be passed on and there for symmetry will be passed on too
What kind of explanations are based on physical attractiveness
Evolutionary- we have evolved a liking for attributes that signal high quality
What are seen as attractive
Baby face features
What does neotenous mean?
Baby face
Why are baby face features seen to be attractive
They’re thought to trigger protective and caring instincts related to the formation of attachment in infancy
Why is the baby face explanation evolutionary
Because features that strengthen attachment are adaptive
What is important after the formation stage of a relationship
Attractiveness
What did McNulty et al find?
Initial attractiveness continued to be an important feature of the relationship after marriage
What does the halo effect describe
How physical attractiveness is generalised
What is the halo effect
We hold preconceived ideas about the attributes attractive people. We believe that all their other attributes are overwhelmingly positive
What did Dion et al find
Physically attractive people are consistently rated as kind, strong, sociable and successful compared with unattractive people
What did Walster at al look at
Matching hypothesis
What is the matching hypothesis
We choose a partner whose attractiveness matches our own
What do people need to do with the matching hypothesis
We need to do it to assess our own value to a potential partner e.g. If we view ourselves 6/10 we will seek a mate of similar level
What is choosing a person said to be
A compromise
What do evolutionary theories suggest?
We would seek te most attractive mates
What else do people have to do when choosing a partner
We have also have to balance the potential for being rejected because the partner we aim for is out of our league in terms of attractiveness
Name a strength of physical attractiveness
Research support - Palmer and Peterson
What did Palmer and Peterson find
Physically attractive people were rated more politically knowledgeable and competent than unattractive people
What has Palmer and Peterson’s research led to
Has implications and suggests politicians might be elected merely because they are considered physically attractive by enough voters
Why does Palmer and Peterson’s research support physical attractiveness are
Shows that the halo effect can be observed in real-life situations
Name a limitation of physical attractiveness
Mixed support for matching hypothesis- Walster et al
