Relationships Retrieval Questions 2 Flashcards
Who did Kerckhoff & Davis (1962) use when studying the filter model of attraction?
Student couples in short term relationships
Define the matching hypothesis
A theory that argues that people are attracted to others who have a similar level of physical attractiveness to their own
What is the halo effect?
people who are judged to be attractive are typically perceived in positive light and have more desirable characteristics (so seen as more attractive)
Name the three factors affecting attraction
1)self-disclosure
2)physical attractiveness
3)filter model
Name the 5 factors in the social demography filter in the filter model of attraction (3 needed)
proximity
ethnicity
level of education
social class
religion
What is the real-life application of self-disclosure as a factor affecting attraction?
-help people to improve communication in relationship by increasing self disclosure
-use it deliberately and skilfully to increase intimacy & strengthen bond
-Hass et al (1998) 57% gay men & women said open & honest self-disclosure was main way their relationships were maintained
-if people understand how important it is they may be more likely to do it
Name the three filters in the filter model of attraction
1) social demography
2)similarity of attitudes
3)complementarity of needs
Who proposed the matching hypothesis?
Walster
What is the relationship between attraction and self-disclosure?
As self-disclosure increases, attractiveness increases (positive correlation)
What did Levinger et al find when investigating the filter model in 1974?
-found no evidence that either similarity of attitudes and values or complementarity of needs influenced progress towards permanence in relationships
-suggested this was due to social changes over time
What decade was the filter model produced in?
1960s
What did Taylor et al. (2011) find when investigating the role of physical attractiveness?
-investigated activity log on dating website and found they were more likely to try and arrange a meeting with a potential partner who was more physically attractive than them
-this contradicts the matching hypothesis which suggests website users should seek more dates with a person who is similar in terms of attractiveness, because it provides them with a better chance of being accepted by a potential partner
The matching hypothesis is a nomothetic approach to studying factors affecting attraction. Why is this a problem?
-tries to generate behavioural laws applicable to all people
-BUT studies suggest there are significant individual differences in the importance of physical attractiveness to one’s choice of a partner
-an idiographic approach would be more suited
What did Feingold find when investigating the matching hypothesis?
-found supportive evidence for matching hypothesis
-meta-analysis of 17 studies using real-life couples
-strong correlation between partner’s ratings of attractiveness just as predicted by the hypothesis
Explain 3 consequences of mismatching according to the matching hypothesis (2 needed)
1) less attractive partner may feel insecure or jealous of the attention given to their partner
2) the less attractive partner may feel unattractive compared to their partner causing low self-esteem
3) threaten the long term success of the relationship
What does complementarity mean (3rd filter of the filter model)
two partners complement each other when they have the traits that the other lacks
According to the filter model, why is similarity of attitudes important in the early stages of a relationship?
it encourages greater and deeper communication, and promotes self-disclosure
What does breadth mean in self-disclosure?
-revealing lots of low risk information
-happens at the start of a relationship
What does the filter model argue is important for the long term success of a relationship?
Complementarity of needs
Why do we select people who are of an equal physical attractiveness to out own?
-to avoid rejection by someone more socially desirable than ourselves
-we have greater chance of a relationship being formed with a potential partner if they are in ‘our own league’
What does depth mean in self-disclosure?
-revealing high risk personal information
-happens as the relationship gets closer
What did Sprecher et al (2004) find about self-disclosure when studying heterosexual relationships?
-found strong positive correlations between several measures of relationship satisfaction and self-disclosure
-both their and their partners
Why is the filter model accused of lacking temporal validity?
social demography filters do not apply today
1)proximity is no longer important due to changes in technology e.g. social media and message apps
2)no longer concerned by being similar in terms of ethnicity or social class as social norms have changed
What is the attitude alignment effect and why was this a weakness of the filter model?
-Davis and Rusbult discovered an attitude alignment effect on long-term relationships
-romantic partners over time bring their attitudes into line with each other’s
-suggesting that similarity is an effect of initial attraction and not the cause
-this is a problem as it suggests that we do not know the cause of attraction if similarity is a cause of a relationship
When researching the filter theory. what did Winch (1958) find when he surveyed 25 married couples who had been married for less than 2 years?
A significantly stronger correlation in spouses between complementing needs than between similar needs
What does reciprocity mean in terms of self-disclosure?
self-disclosure must be two-way
What theory did the idea of self-disclosure from part of?
Social penetration theory
What cultural differences were found by Tang (2013) which suggested a cultural bias in the research?
-reviewed research regarding sexual self-disclosure
-concluded men/women in USA (individualistic culture) disclosed significantly more then in China (collectivist culture)
-so increased self-disclosure in attraction is not applicable to all
Why is there a potential gender bias in the matching hypothesis?
-Meltzer et al (2014) found men rate their long-term relationships more satisfying if their partner is physically attractive
-while for women their partner’s attractiveness didn’t have a significant impact on relationship satisfaction
-shows significant gender differences in how important appearance is for attraction
