Factors Affecting Attraction in Romantic Relationships

Vocabulary flashcards on Self-disclosure, Physical Attractiveness, and Filter Theory for AQA A Level Psychology based on lecture notes.

Self-disclosure

The act of revealing personal information about oneself to another person.

Social Penetration Theory (SPT)

A theory proposed by Altman & Taylor (1973) describing the process of self-disclosure, where a relationship develops as partners move from shallow levels of disclosure to deeper layers involving private information, thoughts, and secrets.

Superficial Self-disclosure

The outermost layer of disclosure in Social Penetration Theory, involving low-depth details such as job, hobbies, or where someone lives.

Intimate Self-disclosure

A layer of disclosure in Social Penetration Theory involving information such as ambitions, previous relationship history, or family fall-outs.

Personal Self-disclosure

A deeper layer of disclosure in Social Penetration Theory that reveals hopes, desires, past mistakes, and personal insecurities.

Core Self-disclosure

The deepest layer of self-disclosure in Social Penetration Theory, involving innermost fears, guilt, embarrassment, or high-risk details that carry a risk of rejection.

Reciprocity of Self-disclosure

The concept proposed by Reis & Shaver (1988) stating that for a relationship to develop, one partner's disclosure must be responded to with empathy and disclosure from the other partner, creating a balance that increases intimacy.

Social Comparison Theory (SCT)

A general theory formulated by Festinger (1954) stating that individuals assess their own worth and value by comparing themselves to others, which can be applied to self-disclosure to gauge reactions and validate self-worth.

Upward Comparison

In Social Comparison Theory, occurring when an individual feels that others or their romantic partner are superior to them in traits such as appearance, wealth, or intelligence.

Downward Comparison

In Social Comparison Theory, occurring when an individual feels that others or their romantic partner are inferior to them in traits such as being less interesting or less athletic.

Babyface Hypothesis

A hypothesis suggested by Berry & McArthur (1986) stating that people are drawn to unthreatening infantile facial features (large eyes, soft skin) which act as social releasers prompting nurture and feelings of protectiveness.

Dimorphism

In facial physical attractiveness, having features that make a face identifiably feminine or masculine, which across cultures signals normal development and enhances attractiveness.

The Halo Effect

A cognitive bias coined by Dion et al. (1972) where an array of positive personal qualities, skills, and traits ('what is beautiful is good') are automatically attributed to physically attractive people.

Matching Hypothesis

A theory proposed by Walster et al. (1966) suggesting that people tend to pair up with romantic partners who are of roughly the same level of physical attractiveness as themselves.

MACHO Scale

A psychological measurement scale used in research (Towhey, 1979) to assess sexist attitudes, showing that high scorers are significantly more influenced by physical attractiveness when judging likeability.

Androcentrism

A bias wherein male perspectives are treated as the default standard, frequently observed in attractiveness research focusing on male evaluations of female looks.

Filter Theory

A theory proposed by Kerckhoff & Davis (1962) stating that individuals narrow down a field of available potential partners through a series of sequential criteria or filters to reach a field of desirables.

Social Demography

The first level of filtering in Filter Theory, consisting of variables such as geographical location (proximity), social class, education, ethnicity, religion, and age that determine who an individual is likely to meet in daily life.

Similarity in Attitudes

The second level of filtering in Filter Theory, key during the first 18 months of a relationship, where partners select each other based on shared values, beliefs, and worldviews.

Law of Attraction

A term coined by Byrne (1997) describing the consistent empirical finding that similarity in attitudes causes attraction between individuals.

Complementarity

The third level of filtering in Filter Theory, crucial for long-term relationship stability, wherein each partner brings skills or traits that fulfill the needs of the other partner.

Emotional Convergence

A phenomenon identified by Anderson et al. (2003) where partners in a romantic relationship become increasingly emotionally similar to each other as their relationship progresses over time.

Attitude Alignment Effect

An effect identified by Davis & Rusbult (2001) demonstrating that romantic partners gradually adjust their attitudes over time to align with each other.