Psychology - Relationships - Factors affecting attraction: Filter theory

Question 1

What is the filter theory?

Answer 1

An explanation of relationship formation. States that different factors progressively reduces the range of available romantic partners to a much smaller pool of possibilities.

Question 2

What can filters include in filter theory?

Answer 2

social demography, similarity in attitudes and complementary

Question 3

Kerchoff and Davis (1962)

Answer 3

found that there were filtering factors at different stages of the partner selection process as people try to choose the “best fit” partner for the, and “narrow down the field of availables”

Question 4

What is the first level of filter?

Answer 4

Social demography

Question 5

Social demography (1st level of filter)

Answer 5

Social characteristics and concerns variables such as age, ethnicity, social background, geographical location and the likelihood of meeting.

Question 6

What is the second level of filter?

Answer 6

Similarity in attitudes

Question 7

Similarity in attitudes (2nd level of filter)

Answer 7

Psychological characteristics and looks at whether they have the same attitudes, beliefs and values, can help predict stability.

Question 8

What is the third level of filter?

Answer 8

complementarity of needs

Question 9

Complementarity of needs (3rd level of filter)

Answer 9

Emotional characteristics. People who have different needs that compliment each other can cause attraction due to mutual satisfaction

Question 10

What was the procedure of Kerckhoff and Davis’s study?

Answer 10

Longitudinal study of 94 couples from Duke University in the USA, 1 person in each couple answered 2 questionnaires to assess degree of shared attitudes and complementarity of needs to assess closeness. 7 months later they each completed another to see how close they felt and it was compared.

Question 11

What were the findings of Kerckhoff and Davis study?

Answer 11

Couples divided into: short term (18 months or less), found similarity of attitudes and values were important; and long term (18 months or more), found complementarity of needs predicted closeness

Question 12

What was the conclusion of Kerckhoff and Davis study?

Answer 12

Long term and short term relationships rely on different filters to predict closeness, attraction and permanence in a relationship

Question 13

What are the strengths of filter theory?

Answer 13

• Research support by Kerchoff and Davis’s study - Research support by Taylor (2010) - Research support by Hoyle (1993) and Tidwell

Question 14

Taylor (2010)

Answer 14

Supports filter theory. 85% of Americans who got married in 2008 was to someone in their own ethnic group supporting the social demographic idea

Question 15

Hoyle (1993)

Answer 15

Supports filter theory in the importance of attitude similarity and sharing common values as perceived attitude similarity can predict attraction more strongly than actual attitude similarity

Question 16

Tidwell

Answer 16

Tested Hoyle’s (1993) hypothesis during a speed dating event whereby participants had to make quick decisions about attraction through a questionnaire and found perceived similarity predicted romantic liking more than actual similarity.

Question 17

What are the weaknesses of the filter theory?

Answer 17

• Failure to replicate K&D’s research by Levinger (1970) - Criticised and contradicted by Anderson (2003) - Online dating contradicts it so it lacks temporal validity

Question 18

Levinger (1970)

Answer 18

Many studies failed to replicate Kerckhoff and Davis findings. Levinger researched 330 couples and found no evidence of filter theory of the 2nd and 1st filter. And the question “when does a short term relationship become a long term relationship?”

Question 19

Anderson (2003)

Answer 19

contradicted filter theory and found from longitudinal study that over time couples become similar in attitudes and emotional responses increasing attraction - Emotional convergence