relationships- factors affecting attraction: physical attractiveness Flashcards
importance of attractiveness: facial symmetry
-Shackleford and Larsen found people w/symmetrical faces re rated as more attractive
-sign of genetic fitness that cannot be faked (makes it an ‘honest signal’)
-physical attractiveness are evolutionary ones- attributes that signal high quality are naturally selected
importance of attractiveness: baby face
Neotenous (baby face) features thought to trigger protective and caring instincts, related to the formation of attachment in infancy
-this is also an evolutionary explanation bc features that strengthen attachment are naturally selected
importance of attractiveness: halo effect
-hold preconceived ideas about the attributes of physically attractive people. We believe that all their other attributes are overwhelmingly positive.
-e.g., Dion et al. (1972) physically attractive people consistently rated as kind, strong, sociable and successful compared w/ unattractive people.
who came up w/ matching hypothesis?
Walster et al. (1966)
procedure: matching hypothesis
-computer dance- students rated on physical attractiveness by objective observers and completed questionnaires
-told questionnaire data used to pair partners, but randomly paired with partners
findings: matching hypothesis
-physically attractive partners were liked the most and more likely to be asked on another date- hypothesis not supported
-Berscheid et al. (1971) REPLICATED study and students selected partners themselves. This time they chose partners of similar physical attractiveness.
conclusion: matching hypothesis
-suggests tend to seek and choose partners whose physical attractiveness matches our own
-partner choice is a compromise- avoid rejection by choosing the most physically attractive and settle for those in our ‘league’
ao3 of physical attractiveness: halo effect
-Palmer and Peterson (2012) found PA people were rated more politically knowledgeable and competent than unattractive people
-halo effect persisted even when p’s were told the ‘knowledgeable’ people actually had no expertise
-suggests dangers for democracy if politicians are elected just because they are considered physically attractive by enough voters.
ao3 of physical attractiveness: research support for evolutionary processes
-Cunningham et al. (1995) found large eyes and small nose in females were rated attractive by white, Asian and Hispanic males
-consudered PA is consistent across cultures- attractive features (symmetry) are sign of genetic fitness and so perpetuated (SS)
-so, importance of PA makes sense in evolutionary terms
ao3 of physical attractiveness: real-world research does not support matching hypothesis
-Taylor et al (2011) studied online dating activity logs, which measured actual dating choices and not fantasy preferences
-real world test of the hypothesis found people sought dates w/ partners who were more physically attractive than themselves
-contradicts the central prediction that real couples seek to match attractiveness
ao3 of physical attractiveness: CA to real-world research not support matching hypothesis
-choosing people for dating is different from real-world romance. Feingold’s (1988) meta-analysis found a significant correlation in ratings of physical attractiveness between romantic partners. People may express ideals in dating selection and also in lab research.
-support for the matching hypothesis from real-world
studies.
