filter theory and attraction

Question 1

What factors do both partners tend to share for romantic relationships to form

Answer 1

-geographical location
-ethnic group
-attitude
(Not always true)

Question 2

What does the filter theory state

Answer 2

people help themselves in their selection of romantic partners by applying 3 levels of filters to candidates

Question 3

Who proposed the filter theory

Answer 3

Kerckhoff and Davis 1962

Question 4

What did Kerckhoff and Davis compare

Answer 4

attitudes and personalities of student couples in short term (U18) and long term relationships

Question 5

What did Kerckhoff and Davis suggest about the filter theory

Answer 5

As we go through relationships our filter narrows down till we find the desirable one

Question 6

What do gating features allow us to do

Answer 6

act as a filter allowing us to decide who is and who isn’t a potential partner

Question 7

Where are gating features easily detected

Answer 7

Face to face interactions

Question 8

What are gating features examples (physical)

Answer 8

• physical attractiveness
• age
• social class
• race
• sexuality
• gender

Question 9

What are gating features examples not physical

Answer 9

• stuttering
• shyness
• social anxiety

Question 10

How do gating features affect people negatively

Answer 10

prevents people who’re less attractive or socially competent from developing relationships

Question 11

What is a way that you can bypass gating

Answer 11

online gating features aren’t immediately evident

Question 12

How many levels of filters are there in filter theory

Answer 12

3

Question 13

What does social demography refer to

Answer 13

factors that influence the chances of potential partners meeting each other

Question 14

What are examples of social demography

Answer 14

• location
• social class
• education level
• ethnic group
• religion

Question 15

What is assumed about potential partners

Answer 15

• they live close
• attended same school/uni
• similar social circles

Question 16

According to the filter theory who’re you more likely to form relationships with

Answer 16

someone who’s socially culturally similar to you

Question 17

What doesn’t social demography discount

Answer 17

possibility of relationships forming beyond these parameters

Question 18

What could affect the chances or relationships forming

Answer 18

living far away from people

Question 19

Why is it easier to from relationships when they live closer to you

Answer 19

less effort

Question 20

What did Kerchhoff and Davis 1962 find

Answer 20

Similar attitudes were important to the development of romantic relationships only for couples less than 18 months

Question 21

What do partners need to agree on in early stages

Answer 21

basic values

Question 22

When agreeing on basic values what does it encourage

Answer 22

deeper communication and promotes self disclosure

Question 23

What did Byrne (1997) find

Answer 23

most people found having similar attitudes attractive at the beginning of a relationship

Question 24

What did Byrne conclude

Answer 24

similarity causes attraction and that relationships are less likely to last if there’s no similarity

Question 25

When does complementarity happen

Answer 25

one partner has traits that the other one lacks

Question 26

What is an example of complementarity

Answer 26

one partner being more dominant or confident in the relationship than the other

Question 27

Why is complementarity attractive

Answer 27

creates the feeling that together the 2 ppl are whole adding depth to the relationship making it more likely to flourish

Question 28

What did Kerckhoff and Davis find about the need for complementarity

Answer 28

opposites attract but only in the later stages of a relationship

Question 29

What is the validity of the filter theory

Answer 29

- high face validity - reflects most peoples experiences of romantic relationships - particularly true of the way relationships change over time

Question 30

What did Winch's study in 1958 find

Answer 30

similarities in personality interests and attitudes between partners are typical of the earliest stages of a relationship

Question 31

What did Winch find about complementary needs

Answer 31

it's more important than similarity between partners who had been happily married for several years

Question 32

Who's study does Winch's study support

Answer 32

Kerckhoff and davis conclusions

Question 33

What does filter theory lack

Answer 33

temporal validity - predictions don't stand up over time

Question 34

What has the rise of internet and dating apps reduced the importance of

Answer 34

social and demographic variables

Question 35

What does the internet increase the likelihood of

Answer 35

people pursuing a relationship outside their own social demographic

Question 36

What did Levinger find

Answer 36

many studies have failed to replicate the original findings that formed the basis of the filter theory (reduced liability)

Question 37

What did Levinger point towards

Answer 37

social changes over time and problems with defining the depth of relationships in term of length

Question 38

What problem does assuming that a longer relationship is a deeper one create

Answer 38

when applying the filter theory to other heterosexual couples within individualistic cultures

Question 39

What problems did Anderson et al find about the filter theory

Answer 39

In terms of cause and effect

Question 40

What did a longitudinal study by anderson et al find out

Answer 40

cohabiting couples become more similar in their emotional responses over time (emotional convergence0

Question 41

What did Davis and Rusbult discover

Answer 41

an attitude alignment effect in longer term relationships

Question 42

What did romantic partners being over time

Answer 42

their attitudes into line with each other

Question 43

What did Davis and rustbult find in their study

Answer 43

similarity is an effect of initial attraction and not a cause

Question 44

What were anderson et al's findings

Answer 44

similarity increases over time

Question 45

What did anderson et als finding's suggest

Answer 45

complementarity is not a particularly common feature of long term relationships

Question 46

What did gruber-baldini carry out

Answer 46

longitudinal study of married couples

Question 47

What did Gruber-baldini find

Answer 47

similarities between spouses in terms of intellectual ability and flexibility of attitudes increased over a 14yr period