Factors Affecting Attraction In Romantic Relationships Flashcards
(28 cards)
What are factors that affect attraction in romantic relationships?
-Self-disclosure.
-Physical attractiveness.
-Filter theory.
What is self-disclosure?
The idea that relationship formation is built on trust with another person, which is demonstrated by gradually revealing personal information.
What are the features of self-disclosure?
-Social Penetration Theory (SPT).
-Reciprocity.
Who devised Social Penetration Theory (SPT)?
Altman & Taylor (1973).
What are the features of Social Penetration Theory (SPT)?
-Two main dimensions: breadth & depth.
-‘Onion Metaphor’ is used to describe these dimensions.
-As trust is built, the depth of information grows.
-Ranges from superficial self-disclosure (breadth but little depth) to core self-disclosure (depth).
Who studied reciprocity link with self-disclosure?
Reis & Shaver (1988).
How does reciprocity link with self-disclosure?
-There has to be a balance of self-disclosure between partners for a relationship to develop.
-Instead of one sharing and one listening, reciprocity is needed.
-This could lead to greater intimacy and a deeper understanding of the romantic relationship.
How did Hass & Strafford (1988) study self-disclosure?
57% of gay men & women said that honest self-disclosure was the main way they maintained & deepened their committed relationships.
How did Sprecher (2013) study self-disclosure?
Couples who disclosed in a reciprocal manner reported greater closeness & compatability, in comparison to couples who didn’t disclose in a reciprocal manner.
Evaluation points for self-disclosure:
-Real life application (research allows individuals to improve on their own relationships).
-Can’t operationalise self-disclosure, as it’s open to subjective interpretation.
-Correlation, no causation.
What is physical attractiveness?
The fact that humans have preferences about the physical appearances of other people.
What are the features of physical attractiveness?
-Halo Effect.
-The matching hypothesis.
What do women find physically attractive about men?
-Broad shoulders.
-Smaller hip-to-waist ratios.
What do men find physically attractive about women?
-Childlike face.
-Small nose & chin.
Who devised the Halo Effect?
Dion (1972).
What are features of the Halo Effect?
-A cognitive bias that involves generalising conclusions about a person based solely on their attractiveness.
-Attractive people are consistently rated as more successful, kind & sociable in comparison to unattractive people.
-We tend to behave more positively towards more attractive people.
Who devised the matching hypothesis?
Walster (1966)
What are features of the matching hypothesis?
-Based on the assumption that people of similar attractiveness levels tend to pair up.
-Cognitive mechanism that uses self-rating and rating of others based on physical appearance.
-We balance the need for biological satisfaction with avoiding rejection by an individual who is ‘out of our league’.
How did Palmer & Peterson (2012) study physical attractiveness (halo effect)?
Asked participants to rate attractive & unattractive people in terms of how politically competent & knowledgeable they believed them to be. Attractive people consistently rated higher.
How did Walster & Walster (1969) study physical attractiveness (matching hypothesis)?
Told students that they had been assigned an ideal partner for the dance (when pairs have been randomly assigned).
The pairs with similar physical attractiveness expressed greater liking for each other than those with dissimilar levels of physical attractiveness.
Evaluation points for physical attractiveness:
-Landy & Aronson (1969) show how the halo effect occurs in other contexts.
They found that unattractive defendants were more likely to be sentenced by the jury, supporting the idea that we generalise physical attractiveness as an indicator of less visual traits such as trustworthiness.
-Modern dating in society is increasingly visual, with the rise of online dating, particularly using apps such as Tinder.
-Physical attractiveness is subjective & prone to individual differences, so associated theories lack scientific validity.
Who devised filter theory?
Kerchoff & Davis (1962).
How did Kerchoff & Davis (1962) devise filter theory?
Compared attitudes & personalities of student couples in the short term (< 18 months) and long term relationships (> 18 months).
What are the 3 stages of filtering?
Level 1: Social Demography.
Level 2: Similarity In Attitudes.
Level 3: Complementary.
