Theories of the formation of romantic relationships

Question 1

The Matching Hypothesis

Answer 1

The claim that relationships form on the basis of similarity
-In particular based on similarity of attractiveness

Question 2

Assumption of theory

Answer 2

• Everyone wants a partner of maximum attractiveness
• No one wants to be rejected
• We are all aware of how attractive we are

Question 3

A01

Answer 3

• Attractiveness crucial,
• want attractive partner,
• settle for someone similar,
• i.e., a value match,
  (i) couples are of similar attractiveness,
  (ii) well- matched will be happier

Question 4

A02

Answer 4

• Correlation between couples 0.4ish in ‘picture studies’,
• consistent (Murstein plus Feingold meta- analysis),
• more similar couples appear happier (Silverman),
• simplistic,
• other factors involved,

Question 5

IDA

Answer 5

-cultural issues, e.g. arranged marriages may differ in importance of attractiveness

Question 6

Two hypotheses

Answer 6

• Couples will be of similar levels of attractiveness

- Couples who are well matched are more likely to be compatible than those who are mismatched

Question 7

Hypothesis 1: Couples will be of similar levels of attractiveness (Murstein)

Answer 7

P- The matching hypothesis states that couples will be of similar levels of attractiveness
E-Murstein used photographs of faces of couples compared with random couples. The real couples consistently were judged to be similar levels of attractiveness (+0.38) whereas random couples were not (+0.00)
E- This shows how couples have a moderate tendency to chose a partner that is equally as attractive as them

Question 8

Hypothesis 1: Couples will be of similar levels of attractiveness (Silverman)

Answer 8

P- The matching hypothesis has also been shown to be true in a natural setting
E- Silverman investigated matching that had already occurred. Couples were observed in naturalistic settings (e.g. bars, clubs, theatres) Two males and two females formed the observer team. They each rated the dating partner of the opposite sex (5 point scale) and found and extremely high degree of similarity between the attractiveness of the couple members
E-This therefore also supports the hypothesis as they still were matched with couples of equal attractiveness; high ecologically validity as real setting.

Question 9

General trend

Answer 9

• Similar procedures have yielded intracouple attractiveness correlations of .39(price & vandenburg), .53(critelli & waid) and .42 (Feingold)
• Seventeen studies were analysed by Feingold (meta-anaylsis) found the inter-partner correlation for attractiveness to be higher for couples than friends. For couples correlations were homogeneous (similar- increased accuracy) across 27 samples, with an avg. correlation of .39.

Question 10

Hypothesis 2: Couples who are well-matched in attractiveness are more likely to be happy than those who are mismatched. (Silvermans)

Answer 10

-In Silverman’s study, the more similar their attractiveness, the happier they seemed to be with each other (as a degree of intimacy e.g. holding hands)- 60% of highly similar, 46% of moderately similar and 22% of least similar appeared to be happy.

Question 11

Methodological issues

Answer 11

• Ratings of attractiveness are subjective/ open to interpretation
• In Silverman’s they knew who were in couples, so could alter judgement to fit hypoth
• The result is more accurate for Feingold because of meta-analysis

Question 12

Further evaluation: The matching hypothesis is too simplistic

Answer 12

• From the evidence on the matching hypoth, we can see that attractiveness is not the only factor as the correlation is not 1.
• Furthermore, Kerckhoff and Davis’ filter model uses a range of factors why people form relationships and take into account other factors

Question 13

Further evaluation: The matching hypothesis ignore cultural differences

Answer 13

• May be culturally biased as it was develop in the USA where partners are able to select anyone. This is the norm in our culture, but to assume this is the case everywhere could lead to ethnocentrism.
• Many non-westerners form arranged marriages, so attractiveness is likely to be a less important factor
• Broude & Greene studied 142 cultures world wide and reported that 130 have arranged marriages. Also UNICEF found that 55% of marriages worldwide are arranged.
• This limits the generalisability of the MH because we cannot use it to explain formation of relationships in all cultures

Question 14

Practical applications

Answer 14

-The MH has practical applications as it has influenced dating websites, by including pictures on the website, people will select potential partners based on their similarity of attractiveness

Question 15

The Filter Model (Kerckhoff and Davis)

Answer 15

-Argues that relationships develop through three ‘filters’ to help us discard unsuitable partners. They suggested that we use a a serious of filters to narrow the ‘ field of availables’ and to a much smaller ‘field of desirables’

Question 16

Filter 1- Social/ Demographic

Answer 16

-This filter exerts influence without being fully aware of it; tend to mix with people in similar area, colleges, and work places. This means there is a fairly small section of those who are in a similar educational or economical background that make up the field of potentials

Question 17

Filter 2- Similarity of attitudes and values

Answer 17

-This filter is applied after the couple have taken an interest in each other, the relationship may progress if they share similar beliefs and ideas. If the couple have different interests this may also mean they cannot spend as much time together. So at this stage people with different attitudes and values are filtered out

Question 18

Filter 3- Complementarity of emotional needs

Answer 18

-Once a couple have become almost established in a relationship; this refers to how well two people fit together as a couple and meet each others needs. In this case it seems to be that opposites attract.

Question 19

AO1

Answer 19

Filters to identify those who would suit us:

1. social / demographic variables,
2. similarity of attitudes / values,
3. complementarity of emotional needs
   - reduces the ‘field of availables’ to a ‘field of desirables’

Question 20

AO2

Answer 20

• consistent longitudinal / prospective evidence (e.g., Kerckhoff & Davies)
• for all 3 filters being important,

Question 21

IDA

Answer 21

• practical applications; improving the efficiency of dating agencies OR
• increasing the pool of availables (see Newcombe’s study of friendships)

Question 22

Kerckhoff and Davis (1962)

Answer 22

• a longitudinal study of student couples who had been together for about 18 months. They were asked to complete questionnaires over seven-months in which they reported on attitude similarity and personality traits with their partner.
• It was found that attitude similarity was the most important factor up to about 18 months into a relationship. After this time, psychological compatibility and the ability to meet each other’s needs became important.

Question 23

Sprecher (1998)

Answer 23

Sprecher found that couples who were matched in physical attractiveness, social background and interests were more likely to develop a long-term relationship.

Question 24

Gruber-Baldini et al. (1995)

Answer 24

GB conducted a longitudinal study of couples over 21years and found that those who were similar in educational level and age at the start of the relationship were more likely to stay together.

Question 25

Winch (1958)

Answer 25

Winch found that happy marriages are often based on each partner’s ability to fulfil the needs of the other, e.g. women who displayed a need to be nurturant were often married to men who needed to be nurtured.

Question 26

PEE- Kerckhoff and Davis

Answer 26

P- The filter model argues how there are three filers that we to through to help us ‘discard’ individuals to find a suitable partner
E- This is supported by Kerckhoff and Davis who asked university student couples to complete several questionnaires. They found that similarity in a relationship is important up to about 18 months and then psychological compatibility then becomes important.
E- This shows how after passing a naturally occurring filer of demographic similarities university) they then value interests, followed by emotional needs being met. This therefore shows that the filters play a role in the formation of relationships and must pass a certain filter to reach optimum compatibility.

Question 27

Newcomb (1961)

Answer 27

• Newcomb offered free accommodation to male students (strangers to each other) and volunteered for researchers randomly allocate their living quarters for a year. He found that the most stable relationships developed between roommates who came from similar backgrounds and who shared similar attitudes.
• However, in the second year of the study, using different participants, he allocated half the participants to roommates with similar backgrounds and interests and the other to roommates with very different backgrounds and interests. He found that familiarity rather than similarity was the key factor.

Question 28

Newcomb Evaluation

Answer 28

• The study initially supports the filter model because it sows how similar demographic backgrounds was he key factor in forming relationships.
• However the second part of the study found that familiarity was more important so it suggest that’s if we make an effort to spend time with someone different you can develop a friendship.

Question 29

Newcomb methodological evaluation (and other studies)

Answer 29

• Not necessarily generalisable: relationships here only based on friendships.
• Only involved male university students; therefore not generalisable
• Consistent support for all filters
• Longitudinal
• Only western sample
• Data only uses questionnaires
• Non-experimental (causality issues)

Question 30

Practical applications

Answer 30

-Try to expand social horizons; more time sent with different people, more likely to develop friendships
-Dating agencies can use the fact that filter 1&2 are to do with selecting similarities and filter 3 is to do with complimentary
; this will therefore improve the quality of the dating site and increase income for the dating agency.

Question 31

PEE methodological

Answer 31

P- A problem is that these studies are non- experimental.
E- We don’t know whether the similarities / complementarity caused the relationship to successfully form, or successful formation led to similarities / complementarity or whether some other variable caused both to happen.
E-With this uncertainty over causality, support for the theory from such evidence is weakened