Byrne

Year

1961

Aim

To investigate the relationship between interpersonal attraction and attitude similarity

Procedure

Asked to rate a number of issues based on their importance. Two Weeks later they were shown an anonymous questionnaire

• identical to that of the participant on all issues

– opposite to that of the participant on all issues

– similar on important issues and dissimilar on unimportant

ones

– similar on unimportant issues and dissimilar on important

ones.

Participants were asked to indicate their feelings towards

the stranger and rate this person on such characteristics as

intelligence and morality.

Results

• Participants provided more positive ratings towards the

stranger when their attitudes were similar.

• Similarity in important attitudes was more closely

associated with positive ratings than similarity in less

important attitudes.

Conclusion

Perceived similarity of attitudes indeed increases

interpersonal attraction.