PSY 1: Chapter 13 - Social Psychology (Section: Interpersonal Attraction)

biological factors influencing selectivity in mate choice

• egg count vs. sperm count (women have less eggs and are more selective)

• time commitment (9 months is a long time)

cultural factors influencing selectivity in mate choice

• acceptance of promiscuity for males vs females (shamed in women)

situational factors influencing feelings of attraction

• proximity

• time (bridge & arousal example)

physical factors influencing feelings of attraction

• physical appearance

  • cultural

  • symmetry (avoid disease/mutations)

  • body shape (triangle/high testosterone in men and hourglass/high estrogen in women)

  • age (mature features/being able to provide for offspring in men and immature features/fertility in women)

• attracted to similar level of attractiveness

psychological factors influencing feelings of attraction

• homophily

  • can agree

  • validation

  • feeling liked

• disimiliarity in sex

• minor flaws are attractive (over-competence is not)

factors that cause people to get married

• love (passionate and companionate)

• taking care of children

factors that cause people to get divorced

• interdependence theory

• comparison level for alternatives

• how much has been invested in the relationship already

• equity

mere proximity effect

the tendency for liking of a stimulus to increase with the frequency of exposure to that stimulus

homophily

the tendency for people to like others who are similar to themselves

passionate love

an experience involving feelings of euphoria, intimacy, and intense sexual attraction

companionate love

an experience involving affection, trust, and concern for a partner’s wellbeing

comparison level for alternatives

the cost-benefit ratio that a person believes they could attain in another relationship

equity

a state of affairs in which the cost/benefit ratios of two partners are roughly equally favorable

interdependence theory

the tendency for people to remain in relationships only as long as they perceive a favorable ratio of costs to benefits