Filter theory of attraction

Who’s theory of attraction is filter theory?

Kerckhoff and Davis’s

What does filter theory suggest?

That we choose romantic partners by using a series of filters that narrow down the ‘field of availables’.

What are the three levels of filter theory?

Social demography

Similarity in attitudes

Complimentary of needs

What does filter theory narrow down the field of availables to?

The field of desirables (potential partners)

Explain the social demography stage

This is variables such as age, social background and geographical location.

These determine the likelihood of individuals meeting in the first place.

We find these people more attractive as we have these things in common.

In this stage, attraction has more to do with social rather than individual characteristics.

Explain the stage of similarity of attitudes.

This involves individuals’ psychological characteristics.

Examples are career, food, aspirations, music taste

Kerchoff and Davis found this to be the best predictor of the relationship becoming stable.

Partners who are very different in terms of attitudes and values are not considered suitable for a relationship.

Explain the complimentary of needs stage.

People who have needs that compliment each other (eg the need to be caring and the need to be cared for) like eachother as they provide eachother with mutual satisfaction of their needs.

Winch (1958) - concluded that social needs should be complimentary rather than similar if marriages are to work.

KEY STUDY: what was the aim of Kerchoff and Davis’ 1962 study?

To study how compatible the couples were according to filter theory.

What was the procedure of the study?

94 dating couples were studied.

Each partner completed questionnaires assessing how similar their attitudes and values were, and also their degree of complimentary.

After 7 months, the couples completed a further questionnaire assessing how close they felt to their partner compared to how close they felt at the beginning of the study.

What were the findings of the study?

Initial results - only similarity appeared to be related to partners closeness.

But then the researchers divided the couples into short-term (together under 18 months) and long-term (together over 18 months) and a difference emerged:

Short-term couples - similarity of attitudes and values was the most significant predictor of how close they felt to their partner

Long-term couples - only complimentary of needs was predictive of how close each individual felt to their partner.

Conclusions of the study.

Complimentary of needs is the most important factor of closeness in long-term relationships.

Positive eval

Positive application - Duck (1973) suggested that the filtering process avoids people wasting time in a potential partner that might not be compatible. So it stops people making the wrong choice.

Negative eval

Lacks temporal validity - Kerchoff and Davis’s study was from the 60’s. Levinger failed to replicate the results in 1970 as social changes in society since 1962. Society has changed much more in 55 years - so the findings aren’t relevant.

Hoyle (1993) suggested that perceived similarity is more important than actual similarity. This was proven in Tidwell’s speed dating study using a questionnaire measuring perceived and actual similarity.

Conclusion

Filter theory is a better explanation for attraction than evolutionary, as it is a more holistic theory that offers multiple reasons for attraction.