factors affecting attraction - filter theory

what is filter theory

all the romantic partners potentially available to us are reduced by a series of filters to a limited collection of people we would like to form a relationship with 

Kerchoff and Davis?

• compared attitudes and personalities of student couples in the short term (less than 18 months)

• the decided a filter theory to explain how romantic relationships form and develop

what is a field of availabilities

• entire set of potential partners

• however not everyone who is available is desirable

what is field of desirables

narrower range of desirable potential partners

what are the three filter levels

1. social demographic 

2. similarity of attitudes

3. complementary filter

what is the social demographic filter level

• level one

• accessibility of a potential partner - likely to want someone who is similar to you socially and culturally 

• anyone who is too ‘different’ is discounted 

• outcome is homogamy - being with someone who is similar to you both culturally and socially 

explain similarity in attitudes level

• level two 

• sharing similar beliefs and attitudes promotes self disclosure

• Bryne: similarity increases attraction 

• Bahns: similarity is important as it makes the relationship run more smoothly 

explain complementary level

• level three 

• meeting each others needs - most important for long term couples

• gives the feeling of being whole when with the other person

what are the evaluation points 

1. failure to replicate

2. cause and effect

3. temporal validity

4. face validity  

evaluation - faliure to replicate

P: many studies have failed to replicate the original findings that formed the basis of the filter theory

E: Kerchoff and Davis chose an 18 month cut off point to distinguish between short and long term relationships

E: they assumed partners who had been together longer than this had a more committed and deeper relationship

L: this highlights the problems in applying filter theory even to other heterosexual couples in the individualistic culture, never mind to homosexual partners in another culture 

evaluation cause and effect 

P: filter theory suggests that people are initially attracted to each other because they are similar. But there is evidence that this direction of causality is wrong

E: Anderson et al found in a longitudinal study that cohabiting partners become more similar in emotional responses over time (emotional convergence)

E: furthermore, Davis and Rusbult discovered an attitude alignment effect in longer term relationships.

L: these findings are not predicted by the filter theory

evalutation temporal validity 

P: the rise of online dating in recent years has changed beyond recognition the process of beginning a romantic relationship

E: it has reduced the importance of some social demographic variables 

E: technology such as the internet and mobile apps like tinder have made meeting potential partners easier to the extent that we might persue a date with someone outside the usual demographic

L: therefore the limits that applied say 30 years ago no longer apply 

evaluation - face validity 

P: filter theory assumes that the key factors in a relationship change over time

E: this makes sense and agree with most peoples experience of romantic relationships so the theory has face valdiity

E: Winch found evidence that similarities of personality, interest and attitudes between partners are typical of earliest stages of a relationship 

L: this echos the matching hypothesis but not just in terms of physical attractiveness between partners happily married, complementary of needs is more important than similarity according to Winch