PSYC307 Ch 11

Paduang women in Thailand, Mursi women in Ethiopia, Mentawai

women in Indonesia, Ainu women of Northern Japan are examples of…

the different ways people make themselves more visibly appealing in their culture. 

Universally Attractive Features in Faces

• clear complexion

• bilateral symmetry

• average features (“An average-sized nose, average sized eyes, an average-sized smile, and an average distance between the eyes”)

• biracial faces → again because they are averaged (Eurasian sample)

What makes the perception of beautiful bodies different than the perception of beautiful faces?

the kinds of bodies that are usually considered most attractive are those that depart from the average, whereas average faces are seen as most attractive.

In West Africa, the word for “fat” is often considered ____

a compliment, indicating strength and beauty

What is true about African Americans in the US compared to other cultures (re: body weight ideals)?

African Americans have a heavier ideal body weight than European Americans, and they feel less social pressure to be slender

propinquity effect

People are more likely to become friends with people they interact with frequently (an accessibility universal).

Describe how strong the propensity effect is using the Maryland State Policy Academy Study example.

The simple fact of proximity—who stood next to whom alphabetically—was a more important influence on the selection of friends than personality, background, or religious belief. → friendships aren’t that voluntary, they are more about circumstances that bring people together.

Mere Exposure Effect

familiarity is lovely!

• “the more we’re exposed to someone or something, the more we like it, because it becomes familiar”

• lots of cross cultural similarity in this (even chickens are more attracted to chickens in close proximity)

similarity-attraction effect

possibility of friendship or a romantic relationship is stronger if both people are similar (in attitudes, personality, religion, social background, economic level, and activities)

• one of the most powerful and reliable predictors of development of interpersonal relationships

Coloured Chickens Study + What does it Show?

Researchers investigated whether chickens were attracted to similar others by dying them either green or red.

Findings: chickens showed no hint of a similarity-attraction effect.

Implications: The similarity-attraction effect is not as universal across species as the mere exposure effect.

What was found in regards to the similarity-attraction effect in North Americans vs Japanese samples?

find that the similarity-attraction effect is stronger among North Americans than Japanese people.

• Japanese peoples likings for strangers who are similar vs dissimilar from them did not differ as much as Americans, who rated similar people are more likeable.

Having close relationships is… (MC Q)

• a culturally-specific finding

• only true for those with friends

• a universal foundation for the human experience

• difficult to achieve for certain people

Having close relationships is a universal foundation for the human experience.

Fiske’s 4 Models of Social Interactions:

1. communal sharing

2. authority ranking

3. equality matching

4. market pricing

communal sharing

the emphasis, by members of a group, is on their common identity- each person is treated equally, with the same rights and privileges.

• commonly seen in families → resources are pooled and they belong to larger whole instead of distributed based on merit

authority ranking

People are ordered along a hierarchical social dimension, and those with higher ranking have prestige and privileges that those with lower ranking do not. 

• common in the military → rank determines

  benefits, power, duties, prestige, and obligations.

  The lower-ranked members earn less money, are

  allowed fewer privileges, and are obligated to fol-

  low the orders of those above them.

• ex: parent’s opinion of what kinds of television programs a child should be able to watch might overrule the child’s preferences

equality matching

which is based on the idea of balance and reciprocity. Relative position of individuals does not matter; each gets his or her own turn regardless of rank.

• uncommon in Western societies, some examples include car pooling or reciprocal dinner invitations

What is an example of equality matching that exists in many African, Asian, and Carribean countries?

rotating credit association → every family in a tribe makes an equal contribution and all the money goes to one family so they get to enjoy extra money for a while, then it rotates and they do the same for the next family.

• notice: relative position of individuals does not matter; each gets his or her own turn regardless of rank.

Market Pricing

• based on proportionality and ratios

• common in Western society, not as frequently used in other non-individualistic cultures

• relative status of individuals in the transaction is irrelevant, nor do they have a formalized relationship with each other

• calculated a transaction based on an agreed-upon value

  • ex: I can purchase your pound of coffee with a sack of flour and six seashells.

  • Or I can get your help in repairing my leaky roof in exchange for $500

Give an example of all the 4 types of interpersonal relationships showing up in a family dinner setting.

• each person is allowed to eat until he or she is satisfied (communal sharing)

• the father might occupy the seat at the head of the table (authority ranking)

• for dessert each person can claim a same-sized cupcake (equality matching)

• child might be paid $1.00 for each time she loads the dishwasher (market pricing)

Describe High vs Low Relational Mobility

High Relational Mobility: people have flexible ties, with plenty of opportunities for forming new connections, rather than being bound by existing ones.

• if current relationships are not that satisfying, they can look toward forming new one → because both members of a couple have that choice, staying together is a conscious decision that comes with mutual commitment.

Low Relational Mobility: relationships are stable and often lifelong; less opportunity for new relationships, relationships determined by circumstance. Their commitments and obligations to existing ones continue to guide them.

• it doesn’t take as much work to keep relationships, relationships exist in ways that are largely independent of one’s actions.

Cultures that have low relational mobility:

• derive from East and Southeast Asia, North and West Africa, and the Middle East

• Farming communities → interdependent with their neighbors for access to irrigation and other collective needs.

• Societies with severe ecological threats or a high prevalence of disease-causing pathogens→ tend to form close-knit communities and distrust outsiders.

halo effect

first thing we often learn about someone is their level of physical attractiveness & it is cognitively easier to assume they have other positive features as well.

The tyranny of the beautiful exists in ______ context but not in a ________ context.

American (high relational mobility); Ghanian (low relational mobility)

One clear advantage of having higher residential mobility:

willing to move → better employment/financial opportunities (compared with those who stay near the family and don’t want to move away).

Benefits to Friendship!

• quality of one’s friendships is one of the best predictors of happiness

• having close friends increases the lifespan

What is a key difference between Ghanians and Americans regarding enemies?

• Ghanians are way more likely to report being the target of their enemies who are often members of their ingroup (friends, neighbours, relatives)

  • Low relational mobility means they just have unavoidable relationships with whom they don’t get along with, they might develop into full-blown enemies.

• Americans were less likely to report having enemies and even if they did, likely those enemies would be members of the outgroup.

  • High relational mobility means they just avoid people they aren’t a fan of instead of developing enemies.

Which cultural group gives a lot of unsolicited advice?

Russians! (Russians were almost twice as likely as Americans to say that their last offering of advice was unsolicited)

Simpatico

Latin American people emphasize maintaining harmonious relationships, and on making expressive displays of graciousness and hospitality.

• speak more, make more eye contact, and show more positive feelings toward each other 

• more sociable in general

Parental love and romantic relationships both stem from ________ _________.

evolutionary origins

• young humans require such a long period of protective care and socialization that they depend on having loving parent(s) to take care of them.

• better chance of surviving with two parents → romantic relationship with parents continues to be a selective advantage

Three elements that make up love:

(at differing levels based on stage/type of relationship)

intimacy—feelings of closeness and connection

passion—physical attraction and sexual desire

commitment—the decision to maintain the loving relationship

What is true about Western levels of intimacy?

• couples experience a great deal of intimacy, especially in terms of self-disclosure

  • even East Asian and Mexicans who are acculturated to Western culture are more likely to self-disclose to romantic partners

• romantic relationships might claim a higher position in the hierarchical network of close relationships for Westerners.

What is true about Western levels of passion?

• higher degrees of passion for their romantic partners

• relationship satisfaction is based more on feelings of passion

  •  strong passion → less likely to consider connecting romantically with others (high relational mobility cultures)

What cultural variation exists in commitment?

feelings of commitment are stronger in Asia than in the West

people who idealized their partners the most were shown to…

love their partner the most and were more likely to still be together several months later.

• When partners idealize each other, the relationship is buffered against any ugly truths that might threaten it, and romantic love can thrive.

Three Distinct Phases in Functions of Marriages in the USA

1. help with basic needs - food production, child care, safety, shelter

2. as women’s labour was less involved → marriage became for personal needs such as companionship and fulfilling psychological and emotional needs

3. women pursuing higher education/independence → marriage became to fulfill need of self-expression/ personal fulfillment

What were findings when people were asked: ““If someone had all the other qualities you desired, would you marry this person if you were not in love with them?” What does that imply?

About 50% of the participants from India and Pakistan said they would marry this person (and another 25% said they were undecided); the vast majority (more than 80%) of Americans, Britons, Australians, and Latin Americans said they would not.

Implication: love is considered a necessary feature for marriage in some cultures, but not others.

William Goode’s Theory about Romantic Love

proposed that romantic love would become more important in cultures as the strength of extended family ties decreased

• love can interfere with an individual’s ability to respect the wishes of the family members

• smaller family → less relationships smo needs to consider, easier to be with whomever you’d like

• larger family → more relationships a person needs to consider, harder to be with whomever you’d like

Example of culture in which people view arranged marriages as being more likely to succeed than love marriages.

India

• study reported that over time the couples in arranged marriages reported having the most love. 

Differences between Japanese/Chinese men in arranged marriages vs women.

• Japanese men: satisfaction in arranged > love marriages

• Chinese men: satisfaction in arranged = love marriages

• Women were found to be less satisfied in arranged than love marriages → costs of arranged marriages are carried largely by women in those cultures.

Ghana is a _____ society. Ghanians are generally ______ about friendships, and are more likely to view ______ as a natural part of their relationships.

1. low relational mobility

2. more cautious

3. enemies