Human Relationships Flashcards
Mere exposure effect and proximity
interaction with someone increases our level of familiarity with that person and there is evidence that this familiarity often leads to liking. As a result, proximity and the number of interactions people have with one another is a sociocultural factor that increases familiarity and therefore attraction
Social proof
the idea that we are attracted to people who we perceive to be more well-accepted in society. This includes factors of race, status, career, viewpoints, amongst many others, and how they are perceived in society.
Evolutionary explanations
the goal of humans is to survive and reproduce. Any such behaviours that are beneficial in passing on our genes will be carried on through generations. Females are attracted to males who can provide better economic care for future offspring while males look for females who are younger and can produce healthy offspring (Buss)
Jones et al. (2007)
Aim: investigate if social clues play a role in attraction
Procedure:
- female participants were shown pairs of male faces and asked to rate their attractiveness
- later they were shown the same pairs of faces again and asked to rate their attractiveness, but this time the face was presented with a female face staring at the man’s face
- the female face was shown staring at the man’s face with either a smile or neutral expression
- participants were then asked to rate the attractiveness of the faces again
Findings:
- the second round of rating did not change for the face that was not accompanied by a female face staring at it
- ratings in the second round were higher for the pictures that had a smiling woman staring at the male face
- rating were lower for pictures where the woman was staring at the man’s face with a neutral expression
Conclusion:
- when forming attraction, people use social clues and mimic the attitudes of other people. In this case, the woman mimicked a positive response to the men. As a result, attraction can be influenced by social factors
Moreland and Beach (1992)
Aim: investigate the impact of familiarity on attraction
Procedure:
- 4 women of similar appearance posed as students and were told not to interact with any of the other students
- 3 of the 4 women attended different numbers of class sessions. One woman did not attend class but posed as a student for a photograph that was used by the instructor during a presentation
- in the end, students were shown slides of the women and completed measures of each woman’s perceived familiarity, attractiveness, and similarity
Findings:
- the number of times the confederates had attended class didn’t influence the other students’ recognition of them, but it did influence their liking for them
- as predicted by the mere-exposure hypothesis, students who had attended more often were liked more
Conclusion:
- suggests that familiarity often leads to attraction. As a result, an increase in the number of interactions between individuals leads to a higher likelihood of attraction
Genetic explanations
The basis of interpersonal attraction may be biological markers of genetic compatibility, which will result in the healthiest offspring. This includes preferences for masculine faces as markers of high levels of testosterone, which is connected to a strong immune system and healthy genes
Buss (1989)
Aim: identify cross-cultural similarities and differences in attraction
Procedure:
- 10,000 participants across 33 countries
- participants completed a questionnaire in which they had to rate each of the characteristics (intelligence, good finances) on how important they are in choosing a mate
- they were also asked the desired age of marriage, as well as the desired age differential between spouses
Findings:
- men preferred younger women
- women preferred men who were older and has higher social status
- women values good financial prospects, while men valued physical attractiveness
Conclusion:
- women and men seek traits that are likely to help procreate healthy offspring
- males for younger fertile females and females for men who are older and can provide security. Supports ideas of evolution and importance of finding a fit partner who can help procreate healthy offspring
Johnston et al (2001)
Aim: investigate facial preferences of females at 2 different phases of their menstrual cycle
Procedure:
- female participants at 2 different phases of their menstrual cycle (pre and post ovulation
- participants were asked to view and identify faces to meet certain targets such as an attractive male face. The face varied in their jawlines, cheekbones, and other facial features
Findings:
- when females were at the stage of their menstrual cycle with the highest chance of conception, they had a stronger preference for masculine faces. All other targets were unaffected by the participants menstrual cycle
Conclusion:
- suggests that perceived beauty depends on an interaction between displayed hormone markers, which display high levels of testosterone in males and genetic fitness, and the hormonal state of women
- also links to evolutionary explanations of using visual markers to help find the fittest partner which will help provide healthy offspring
Similarity attraction model
claims we are attracted to others who resemble ourselves and we perceive people more positively if we believe that they share our attitudes to important issues.
Matching hypothesis
we seek individuals whose attractiveness or social desirability is similar to our own, especially in initial stages of the relationship
Berscheid et al (1971)
Aim: investigate whether people are more likely to date someone of similar physical attractiveness
Procedure:
- participants of different attraction levels were randomly split into 2 groups: High probability of reject (POR) or low POR.
- high POR were told that there would be a preliminary meeting with their tentative date prior to the dance where their date would be given the chance to either accept it or reject them
- low POR were told that their dates had agreed to attend the dance with whoever was chosen by a computer algorithm
- they wanted to test if the change in rejection levels would alter who people ask out on dates
Findings:
- attractive participants chose more physically attractive and popular dates than unattractive participants did, regardless of what group they were in (high or low POR)
- in other words, the increasing fear of rejection had no effect on the choosing strategy of participants
Conclusion:
- supports the matching hypothesis: that individuals seek contact with people whose attractiveness is similar to their own
Byrne (1961)
Aim: investigate the relationship between interpersonal attraction and attitude similarity
Procedure:
- participants had to rank several issues on their importance (most important to least). Examples include religion, marriage, etc.
- 2 weeks later, they were shown an anonymous questionnaire from another student and they had to indicate their feelings towards the stranger and rate the person on perceived intelligence and morality. In fact, the questionnaire was faked so their response was one of the following:
1. identical to that of the participants on all issues
2. opposite to that of the participants on all issues
3. similar on important issues
4. similar on unimportant issues
Findings:
- participants provided more positive ratings towards the stranger when their attitudes were similar
- similarity on important issues were more closely associated with positive ratings than similarity on unimportant issues
Conclusion:
- perceived similarity of attitudes indeed increases interpersonal attraction
Four horsemen
The 4 main elements of communication that have been proven to be predicative of relationship deterioration:
- criticism
- contempt
- defensiveness
- stonewalling
Criticism
a general statement that expresses a dispositional attribution: inferring that someone’s personality is responsible for the behaviour, rather than cause by external factors: situational attribution
Contempt
treating someone with disrespect of mocking sarcasm
