Lesson 5 - Factors Affecting Attraction, Filter Theory Flashcards
What is the filter theory?
It is the theory by Kerckhoff and Davis, that there are filtering factors that everyone uses to narrow down the field of availables.
What are the 3 filters that the theory uses?
Social Demography
Similarity in Attitudes
Complementarity of needs
In this order.
What is Social Demography (Filter Theory)?
The filter is based on social characteristics, such as age, ethnicity, social background, geographical location, and the likelihood of being able to meet them.
What is Similarity in Attitudes (Filter Theory)?
This is based on psychological characteristics. People should have the same attitudes, beliefs and values, and this mostly applies after the relationship has lasted 18 months. They will spend the first 18 months weighing up if they have correlating beliefs, and attitudes.
What is Complementarity of Needs (Filter Theory)?
This filter is based on emotional characteristics, and it is the idea that people who have different needs in a relationship, are more likely to be attracted to one another. If one person likes to be bossy, the other should be comfortable just being laid back and not really making decisions. If the people are too similar (e.g are both bossy), this may cause a clash.
Evaluation of Filter Theory - Similarity and complementarity are not essential.
Levinger (1970) found that there was no evidence, among the 330 couples that he used in his study, to back up the idea that similarity of attitudes or complementarity of needs was important when looking at how permanent and stable a relationship is. Levinger also disputed the idea that 18 months is the point that a relationship becomes long term (way too long).
Evaluation of Filter Theory - Emotional Convergence
Anderson (2003) contradicted filter theory. He argued (using his longitudinal study) that cohabiting partners became more similar over time when it came to their attitudes and emotional responses, and this is called “Emotional Convergence”.
Evaluation of Filter Theory - Same Ethnicity
Taylor (2010) found that 85% of the couples in America that got married in 20008 had married someone from their ethnic group. Individuals seem to choose partners that were similar to them, and had similar backgrounds.
Evaluation of Filter Theory - Online Dating
This contradicts the filter theory as it may not be accurate to see how relationships progress and form. The internet means there is a reduction in social demography, and it is much easier to meet people with differing social demography. This is different to the past 30 years, and this contradicts the filter theory.
What was the method of the study by Kerckhoff and Davis?
Longitudinal Study
94 couples from Duke
Each person in the couple answered 2 questionnaires to assess the degree of shared attitudes, values and complementarity of needs in order to assess closeness.
7 months later they did this again.
What were the findings of Kerckhoff and Davis’ study?
Short term partners (18m or less) showed that similarity of attitudes and values were important for closeness.
Long term partners (18m or more) relied on complementarity of needs as a predictor for closeness.
Long and short term relationships rely on different filters to predict closeness, attraction and permanence.
Evaluation of the KD study - Longitudinal Study
An advantage of this study by K+D is that it allowed them to follow up with couples 7 months later, and they could test the filter theory over a long time period. This is very beneficial because the filter theory can then be tested.
Evaluation of the KD study - Different filters important at different phases
They showed that in a short / beginning relationship, similarity of attitudes was more important, but in long term relationships complementarity was more important.
Evaluation of the KD study - Individual Differences
A disadvantage of this research is that similarity may not be important to every individual. The entire concept of “opposites attract” opposes this study, and that is another viable theory.
Evaluation of the KD study - Questionnaires
The use of questionnaires can be criticised. When using these with such a sensitive topic, people may lie for social desirability and actually the data collected may not be high quality. This means the results may not be valid.
