M3 Attraction

Question 1

5 predictors of attraction

Answer 1

1) proximity
2) familiarity
3) reciprocal liking
4) similarity
5) physical attractiveness

Question 2

study of effect of proximity on attraction

Answer 2

festinger

1) study friendship in housing complexes
2) randomly assigned residents/rooms
3) had residents name their 3 closest friends after 1 year

results: ppl more likely to be close friends if they lived near each other

*caveat: intensification hypothesis: proximity intensifies initial attitude, not necessarily attraction

Question 3

studies (2) of effect of familiarity on attraction

Answer 3

moreland/beach
- different research assistants visit a class a different number of times
- students rated RAs on positive characteristics
- more visits = higher ratings

Reis, Maniaci, Caprariello, Eastwick, Finkel
- randomly pair 220 students to have a text conversation
- varied the number of times the pairs chatted
- more chats = more attreaction (plateaued for 2-6 chats)

Question 4

study of effect of reciprocal liking on attraction

Answer 4

curtis and miller
- ppl have convo w/ confederate to “get acquainted”
- take a break, overhear confederate expressing their like/dislike for them
- have another convo with confederate –> code for how much they seem to like confederate

results: overheard liking –> like confederate more

Question 5

study of effect of similarity on attraction

Answer 5

similarity-attraction paradigm
- obtain personality, demographic, etc. info on subjects
- have subjects rate (made up) target person (similar or dissimilar to the subject)
- higher rating when target was similar

Question 6

are “opposites attract” and the complementarity ideas true?

Answer 6

no / no evidence for either

Question 7

evidence that physical attractiveness increases romantic and platonic attraction

Answer 7

babies have more interest and positive emotion toward attractive masks (vs unattractive ones)

mothers play more with attractive babies vs unattractive ones

physical attractiveness is the strongest predictor of liking/wanting a second date

Question 8

which sex desires a physically attractive partner more

Answer 8

men

Question 9

the matching hypothesis and 3 pieces of evidence

Answer 9

idea that we’re attracted to people who have a similar level of attractiveness as us (in our league)

1) same sex friends w/ similar attractiveness make better roommates

2) more displays of affection while dating

3) more likely to stay married

Question 10

Study on dif between M/F rxns to sexual invitations

Answer 10

clark and hatfield

experimenters walk up to people of opposite sex; tell them they’re attractive and ask one of three questions

1) will you go out with me
2) will you come to my apartment tonight
3) will you go to bed with me tonight

results: F barely more likely than M to go out; M more likely for all the rest (sharp increase while F sharply decrease)

Question 11

3 downsides of being physically attractive

Answer 11

1) undesired sexual advances, resentment from same sex

2) difficulty interpreting positive feedback

3) may backfire if trying to use it to your advantage

Question 12

study of undesired sexual advances/resentment from same sex and physical attractiveness

Answer 12

thornton and moore
- subjects rate own attractiveness, self esteem, social anxiety
- control room vs room with pics of models

results: pics of models –> people rate themselves lower (especially women); shows women heavily impacted by social comparison

Question 13

experiment showing difficulty of interpreting positive feedback and physical attractiveness

Answer 13

major
- have attractive/unattractive students write essays
- told their essay would be evaluated by member of opposite sex
- seen vs unseen conditions (does evaluator see writer)
- receive positive feedback then rate own essay

results: if attractive and seen –> rate own essay lower than unseen (think they gave you more points bc you look good –> rate self lower/realistic); if unattractive and seen –> rate own essay higher than unseen (think they took off points bc ugly –> rate self higher/realistic)

Question 14

study of physical attractiveness backfiring

Answer 14

sigall/ostrove
- mock jurors come up with sentence
- defendant was wither control, attractive, or unattractive
- crime was either burglary (appearance is irrelevant); or swindle (appearance is relevant)

results: when swindle defendant was attractive –> less harsh sentence than other combinations

Question 15

3 things we find attractive in a face

Answer 15

1) particular features
2) symmetry
3) averageness

Question 16

particular facial features that are attractive

Answer 16

1) M and F like baby faces with big eyes

2) F like large chins and defined cheek bones

3) M like small chins, high cheek bones, narrow cheeks

Question 17

2 reasons we prefer average beauty over abnormal beauty (and caveat)

Answer 17

1) average is more likely to be symmetrical
2) perceptual fluency

*caveat: prefer average of above average over normal average

Question 18

universal body attractiveness features

Answer 18

F like men of avg weight, V shaped torso and hips

M like women of average weight, waist 1/3 narrower than hips

Question 19

evolutionary perspective of attraction and caveat

Answer 19

M prefer young, healthy, fertile women

F prefer M who can protect and provide

*caveat: these preferences may be due to socialization; patriarchy and norms

Question 20

3 basic premises of human attachment theory

Answer 20

1) human infants require extensive care
2) infants use attachment figures as secure bases to explore and safe havens for comfort and protection
3) differences in caregiving lead to different patterns of attachment to others during life

Question 21

3 types of attachments and prevalence

Answer 21

secure: most common
insecure avoidant: middle
insecure anxious ambivalent: least common

Question 22

char of secure attachment (caregiver, child as an adult, child’s beliefs)

Answer 22

caregiver: responsive, encourages exploration

relationships as an adult: trust others to maintain love and support

beliefs: self is likeable, trust others, believe love can last

Question 23

char of anxious ambivalent attachment (caregiver, child as an adult, child’s beliefs)

Answer 23

caregiver: sometimes responsive, preoccupied with own needs, overbearing affection, discourages exploration

as an adult: fall in love easily, fear abandonment

beliefs: self doubt, think others are less willing to commit to relationships

Question 24

char of avoidant attachment (caregiver, child as an adult, child’s beliefs)

Answer 24

caregiver: distant, unresponsive, forced exploration

as an adult: defensive detachment from other people, short love

beliefs: hard to get to know self, rare to find someone to love

Question 25

5 characteristics after 1 year of marriage

Answer 25

1) lower relationship satisfaction 2) fewer shared pleasurable experiences 3) more shared instrumental experiences 4) more ambivalence 5) lower passionate love

Question 26

gottman's big 4 predictors of relationship problems

Answer 26

1) criticism 2) contempt 3) defensiveness 4) stonewalling

Question 27

gottmen's 4 remedies

Answer 27

1) give specific claims and requests 2) validate partner and try to see other POV 3) take responsibility 4) conscious communication; speaking and listening