Lecture 13

Question 1

What is functional exposure?

Answer 1

Being physcially closer e.g. same dorm floor, gives a higher chance of exposure to one another

Question 2

What is the matching hypothesis?

Answer 2

That people seek others who are similar to themselves

Question 3

Friends and lovers are more similar in what?

Answer 3

1. Education
2. Attitudes
3. Height/weight

Question 4

A possible explanation for choosing similar people is implicit egocentrism, describe this

Answer 4

Possible reason for choosing similar people is because we like ourselves. We like things/qualities that remind us of ourselves

Question 5

What is the self-verification idea when choosing similar people?

Answer 5

• That we look to gain confidence through others

- By people thinking/feeling the same as you, this will confirm your self beliefs

Question 6

What is the Dissonance/Balance Theory?

Answer 6

• Balance theory is a precursor to dissonance, it models interpersonal interactions in terms of triads
• > we are motivated to like things our friends like, dislike things our enemies like

Question 7

In the Balance Theory, how many positive interactions should a balanced triad have?

Answer 7

A positive number of relations

Question 8

Describe the idea of Reverse Causality

Answer 8

We come to grow more similar to people we like

->e.g. long term couples tend to grow similarly due to sharing a lot of the same experiences

Question 9

Describe Assortive Mating

Answer 9

• Assumes a non randomness in people’s mating choices
• Everyone wants the most attractive person
• > attractive people pair with attractive people
• > all that’s left for the unattractive people are the other unattractive people

Question 10

What are the evolutionary explanations for choosing a similar mate?

Answer 10

1. Similarity as Safety
   - >Familiarity should indicate safe stimuli, similarity could be this cue
2. Similarity as Kin Selection
   - >Kin selection = explains alturism
   - >People are more likely to act altruistically if they are benefiting genetic relatives
   - >Proposal is we use similarity to identify who we are related to

Question 11

What are caricatures?

Answer 11

An exaggeration of facial features. Extreme features are made prominent causing the face to look LESS attractive

Question 12

What is an anticaricature?

Answer 12

A minimisation of extreme features, the faces become MORE attractive

Question 13

True or False

Blended faces are considered less attractive

Answer 13

FALSE

Blended faces are considered more attractive than the original faces used

Question 14

What can distinctiveness be related to?

Answer 14

A lack of appeal

Question 15

(Averageness)

What is perceptual fluency?

Answer 15

Items that are good examples of their categories will be categorised faster
->difficulty to categorise (extra time spend) is correlated with negativity, so the longer it takes = less appealing

Question 16

How does averageness work as a cue for genetic quality?

Answer 16

Average traits in faces are more likely to be associated with good health
->deformities/extreme abnormalities can indicate bad health

Question 17

How does averageness affect familiarity?

Answer 17

People tend to prefer familiar things
->Functionality = possible that unusual items of the category might not work as well as the average. Deviating from ‘optimal’ (average) could cause a faulty design

Question 18

What is social exchange?

Answer 18

Relationship satisfaction depends on the balance of rewards and costs. Whether you like someone depends on this balance

Question 19

What is comparison level?

Answer 19

Satisfaction depends on ‘comparison level’ of the current relationship and of the imagined alternatives

Question 20

What us equity theory?

Answer 20

Cost/rewards ratio in a relationship must be compatible for both partners. Balance needs to be equally shared between the two.

Question 21

What is the sexual selection theroy?

Answer 21

• Assumes attraction is a mechanism to choose an individual who will benefit your reproduction
• > Men have minimal investment (build to produce many, not spend much time )
• > Women are more invested and therefore more selective about their mates
• > Men are more inclined to engage in sexual behaviour