Filter theory Flashcards
what is the filter theory
the filter theory is an explanation of relationship formation and factors affecting attractiveness
what is the first stage big the filter theory ( DAN - social demography , similarity in attitudes , complementary of needs )
social demography is a wide range of factors that influence the meeting of potential partners . this could include religious , social status , level of education , ethnicity etc . in this stage attraction has more to do with social rather than individual characteristics . the benefit of proximity is accessibility as you are not going to be using a lot of energy meeting someone in the same area as you. anyone who is different does live in the same are is discounted
what is the second stage ( DAN - social demography , similarity in attitudes , complementary needs )
the seconds stage similarities in attitudes involves individual physiological characteristics specifically agreements on attitudes and basic values . through disclosure to each other partners can weight out their opinions and determine if they want to carry on or terminate a relationship . their is a need in early stage of a relationship formation partners to agree on basic values . this create greater and deeper communication and promotes self - disclosure
what is the final stage ( DAN - social demography , similarity in attitudes , complementary of needs )
the last stage is complementary of needs . people with different needs eg caring for other and wanting to be cared for like each other as they both benefit for mutual satisfaction of these opposite needs . complementary is attractive as it gives 2 individuals the feeling of being whole
A03 - ( + ) - supporting evidence - kerchoff & davis ( 1962 )
they carried out a longitudinal study on couples using a questionnaire that asked to factors similarity in attitudes and complementary in needs . relationship closeness was measured 7 months later using another questionnaire . the study found that similarity in attitudes was associated with closeness but only in relationships that had been less than 18 months for relationship that had been longer complementary of needs was associated with closeness
this is a strength because it shows similarity of needs is important at the start of a relationship and complementary of needs is important for long term as suggested by the filter theory provides the theory with validity
counter argument : levinger et al couldn’t replicate the result of the study he conducted a study using 330 couple that were steadily attached using the same methods of the original study and could not find any evidence that showed that similarity of attitudes and complementary of needs lead to the permanence of a relationship formation partners. he also suggested that the questionnaire used in the original study wouldn’t be relevant in this study due to the differences in social values and courtship patterns in the years between the original study and this study
another counter argument :
levinger also suggested that their was a problem in the definition of depth in term of how long a relationship is as in the original study the researchers used an 18 month cut off to determine if a relationship is long or short term but this is an issue because someone in a 6 month long relationship may be more committed than someone in an 18 month relationship
A03 - ( - ) direction of causality might be wrong
the filter theory suggests that we are innately attracted to one another ( social demography ) . Gruber-Baldini et al conducted a longitudinal study on married couples and found similarities between intellectual ability and attitudinal flexibility increased over a 14 year period . anderson conducted a longitudinal study that found that cohabiting couples become more similar in emotional responses this is called emotional convergence . david and rusbult discovered an attitude alignment effect in long term relationship- people became similar
limitation as rather than being a like overtime people being their attitudes together
therefore this suggest that similarity is an effect not a cause of attraction - limits validity
A03 - ( - ) - the role of filters has changed over time
in terms of social demography , online dating apps such as tinder have increased the files of potential partners - location no longer limits partner choice . an individual’s might start messaging somebody across the country because they liked the way the profile looked . people that use dating apps might pay attention to physical appearance more as they browse. in addition to this social change has lead to relationships that were previously less common like 2 people for different ethnic backgrounds
limitation as filter theory especially social demography is outdated - lack validity
A03- ( - ) - similarity rather than complementary might be associated with satisfaction - Markey and markey ( 2013 )
in a sample of lesbians couples that have been together for a mean time of 4 1/2 years they found that couples with equal dominance were the most satisfied this suggest that simalarity rather than complementary may be associated with long term satisfaction
limitation because if complement needs was valid as per the filter theory then that would mean in the most satisfying relationship one person in the relationship has to be dominant the other has to be submissive
therefore complementary of needs might not be a valid aspect of all relationships
