Lecture 8 - Liking and Loving Flashcards
What are the main two determinants of initial attraction?
- Physical attraction
- Self-fulfilling prophecies
What is one of the most common reasons for physical attraction, and who found this?
Symmetrical faces are judged as more attractive across age, gender and culture (Little & Jones, 2006).
What is one reason that symmetry of the face is attractive?
It’s proposed to be a sign of healthiness - damaged genes or disease can cause unsymmetrical faces (Penke et al., 2009).
What did Snyder et al., (1977) find about self-fulfilling prophecies?
Men who found their call handler more attractive (after seeing a picture of her) were more friendly and engaged.
What types of people care more about physical attraction in the initial stages?
- High self-monitors, as these people change personality more in different situations.
- People looking for short term relationships.
What is propinquity?
Physical proximity
How does propinquity link to attraction?
The more the physical proximity one has with an individual, the more likely you are to get to know them.
Why does propinquity link to attraction?
- Manifestation of the mere exposure effect - interaction breeds familiarity, which increases likeability and attractiveness.
- Interaction breeds mastery and connectedness - increased learning and social support from others.
Why does similarity increase potential attraction?
- more opportunities to meet at shared interest events
- more positivity
- assumption that those similar to us will like us
- similar others validate our own beliefs and attitudes.
What are the two main types of relationships, and how development occurs from one type to the other.
Exchange and communal.
Healthy relationships develop from exchange to communal relationships.
What are exchange relationships?
Those which are focussed on the rewards received from others.
What are communal relationships?
Those which are based on concern and caring.
Close friends are more likely to have what type of relationship?
Communal
Why are close friends more likely to have communal relationships?
Disclosure increases liking and trust.
What is cognitive interdependence?
Thinking about the self and the partner as parts of a whole. Differences between the self and the other melt away and shared traits become more prominent.
Why might cognitive interdependence occur?
- access to thoughts and feelings of close others more frequently
- access to information across a variety of different situations.
- actor-observer perspective. You care more about the ‘other’ so
What is behavioural interdependence?
Behavioural of each person in a relationship influences the other.
Which study demonstrated behavioural interdependence?
Aron et al., (1991) - found that PPS gave themselves more money if a stranger was sharing, but gave themselves an equal amount to their best friend.
What is affective interdependence?
As closeness and trust increase, intimacy and commitment increase.
Define intimacy.
A positive emotional bond that includes understanding and support.
Define commitment.
The combined forces that hold the partners together in an enduring relationship.
What are two individual differences that mediate relationship quality?
- Attachment style
- Gender
How does gender influence relationships?
Men are more utilitarian:
- Focus on shared activities rather than shared emotion
- focus on the rewards rather than the wellbeing of the relationship.
What are the effects of positive relationships?
Increased well being:
- more social support
- stronger immune response
- lower death rates
