PSCI 173S Chapter 3 Readings + Article

The first step towards a relationship is

Interpersonal attraction

Interpersonal attraction

The desire to approach someone

A longstanding assumption about attraction

We are attracted to others whose presence is rewarding to us

The two different types of rewards that influence attraction

direct and indirect

Direct rewards of attraction

Pleasures associated with attraction (attention, acceptance, physical admiration, etc)

Indirect Rewards of Attraction

Can include subtle things, such as anything about new acquaintances that resemble ourself

Eli Finkel and Paul Eastwick assert that the fundamental basis of attraction is

Instrumentality

Instrumentality

the extent to which someone is able to help us achieve our present goals

Determines whether or not we meet people in the first place (based on physical distance)

Proximity

Festinger, Schachter, and Back

People who were assigned to live closer to one another were much more likely to become friends

Why does proximity have such influence on attraction

Increases the chance that two people will interact/become familiar,

Mere exposure effect

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them (relates to attraction)

Limits of the influence of familiarity

As we gain more information, may facilitate distance,

Just as we are more likely to befriend people close to us,

We are more likely to become enemies with people close to us

Downside of meeting after digital dating

We often overexaggerate our good qualities online, and the veil is broken upon meeting; we also edit our attitudes and tastes, leaving much to be discovered when they cannot be edited

T or F? On average, when people who have met online get together for the first time, they are mildly disappointed, and liking goes down

True

1 multiple choice option

Problems related to proximity in long-distance relationships

Out of sight, out of mind seems to be true (not inevitable)

Out-of-sight-out-of-mind in long distance relationships is offset by

Committment

Why are long-distance reunions often stressfull

Must sacrifice some autonomy/relearn how to cohabitate and depend on wone another; renegotiated roles and rhythms, confront issues with each other

____ of long-distance dating partners who reunite break up within 3 months

1/3

Most common ways that modern couples start

Online encounters

____ are twice as likely to find a relationship online

LGBTQ

1 multiple choice option

Downsides of online dating

Continuous, ambiguous rejection, fewer partners than it may seem (inactive profiles), overwhelmed by perception of abundance of choice (overestimating match potential/being picky)

There is a __ chance that two people in the same general area will match on Tinder, and a __ chance that a match will ever actually meet up

2%

__ of Tinder matches result in casual hookups

.3%

The effects of familiarity depend both on what

We learn about another, and the amount of interdependence we are forced to share

Convenience and proximity

Nearby people are convenient because we have to invest less in getting to them

Distance after initial proximity is often

More difficult than expected

Drivers of ttrction

Proximity, physical attraction, reciprocity, similarity

Physical attraction and first impressions (bias)

We overwhelmingly tend to believe that good-looking people are more, sociable, likable and better than unattractive people

The bias for beauty

What is beautiful is good

T or F? Our bias for beauty is unconscious

True

Negative bias held against attractive people

Assumed to be promiscuous

Judgements of beauty tend to be ____ idiosyncratic

Somewhat

3 multiple choice options

T or F? Newborns do not exhibit the same type of universal preferences for facial features that the rest of the adult world do

False

Women are universally deemed more attractive if they have

Baby-face features (big eyes, small nose/chin, full lips) and mature features (prominent cheekbones, narrow cheeks, broad smile

Men are universally deemed more attractive if they have

Strong/dominant features (Strong jaws and broad foreheads) OR feminine features (Warm and friendly)

Whether a woman is more attracted to dominant or feminine features is largely influenced by

Their average levels of progesterone during their menstrual cycles and their current relationship status

Single women tend to prefer

Dominant facial features

1 multiple choice option

Women in relationships tend to prefer

Feminine facial features

1 multiple choice option

Its common for attractive faces to have

Averaged faces (symmetrical/proportional)

Male preferences for female bodies

Normal weight, small waist-to-hip ratio, medium breast size

T or F? Blind men are unaffected by the waist-to-hip preference of seeing men

False

T or F? Thing women are not more attractive to men than women of normal weight

True

Mens bodies are deemed most attractive when

Their waists are slightly narrower than their hips, broad shoulders, muscles, taller than the woman, smell (related to healthy diet), intelligent

How attractive men are deemed is moderated by

Their salary

T or F? Symmetrical attractive people have been shown to have a more pleasant natural scent than those of less conventionally attractive people

True

Evolutionary considerations for physical attractiveness

Cross-cultural alignment on what is "physically attractive,"

babies have inborn preferences for attractive faces, attractive/symmetrical people tend to have better mental/physical health and reproductive success and intelligence,

women with the ideal WHR are generally young and not pregnant (reproductively viable),

men with ideal WHR tend to be healthier,

physical attractiveness is most important in equatorial areas of poor health (parasites and pathogens),

attractive people reproduce more successfully and often,

women become more attracted to attractive male bodies while fertile

Men think women smell better just prior to ovulation (surge in testosterone)

Ideal female WHR

0

Ideal male WHR

0

Though there are universals in physical attraction, there are differences related to

Culture

Cultural explanation for why women with more body weight were seen as particularly attractive during the Renaissance

Food insecurity increased desire. This was facilitated culturally

Though there appears to be cultural variation regarding body weight both now and in the past, there was NOT variation in regard to

Ideal WHR

In speed dating _____ is generally the most important qualifier for potential mates

Physical attractiveness

3 multiple choice options

___ report a higher level of interest when it comes to having a physically attractive mate (across sexual orientation)

Men

1 multiple choice option

Four years into a marriage, a ___ satisfaction with their partner is correlated with their partner's looks, whereas this is not true for ____

men; women

1 multiple choice option

87% of cosmetic surgeries in the U.S. are performed on women. This reflects how

Men find physical attraction more important in a partner than women

1 multiple choice option

T or F? There is no correlation overall between a woman's beauty and the amount of time she spends interacting with men

True

T or F? There is no correlation overall between a man's beauty and the amount of time he spends interacting with women

False

Costs of beauty

Increased chance of divorce, lied to more (interested people are more likely to misrepresent themselves in order to gain their favor),

Matching describes how

Partners in romantic relationships tend to have similar levels of attractiveness

Matching is most strong in

Serious and committed relationships

Appears to operate as an inherent screening device when assessing potential mates

Matching

What is the exception to matching

It is less prominent in relationships that were preceded by platonic friendship

The matching phenomenon reflects the principle of

Reciprocity

We tend to enjoy the most success in the relationship marketplace when we pursue partners who are likely to return our interest. This is referred to as

Reciprocity

A formula used to rate our realistic interest and others and the likelihood that we will approach them (Shanteau and Nagy)

Physical attraction to person x probability of them accepting you = their desirability

Overall attractiveness of a potential reproductive partner

Mate value

Which is a woman most likely to respond to positively

Innocuous openers

1 multiple choice option

Men prefer for women to approach them

Directly

1 multiple choice option

When it comes to our attitudes, age, race, and somewhat to our personalities, we like those that are like us. This is referred to as

Similarity

Prominent similarities in relationships

Demographic, education level, attitudes/values, personality

Why is personality and similarity complex

Similarity is reflected by an overall, consistent preference for our mates to be agreeable, conscientious, and emotionally stable - similarity in other personality domains are vastly less important

Is there support for the notion that opposites routinely attract

No

What might explain why we often believe that opposites attract

How much we think we have in common may not reflect actual similarity (perception), discovering dissimilarities takes time, one person might reflect who the other wants to become, dissimilarity may decrease over time, some similarities are more important than others, matching is a broad process, complimentary traits

Similarity and interethnic relationships

Apart from race/ethnicity, these couples tend to be highly similar

1 multiple choice option

Common characteristics of people that date outside of their race/ethnicity

Tend to have had more contact with other groups, live in areas where relationships with members of same ethnicity are scarce, just as satisfied with their relationships, are just as likely to marry

Suggests that developing relationships are influenced by three different types of information that differ in importance and influence as time goes by and they learn more about each other: stimulus, value, and role

Stimulus-value-role theory

Per stimulus-value-role theory, what is most important in the beginning of a relationship

Stimulus information

2 multiple choice options

Per stimulus-value-role theory, what is most important after getting to initially know someone

Value information

2 multiple choice options

Per stimulus-value-role theory, what is most important after getting to really know someone

Role information

2 multiple choice options

Stimulus information (Stimulus-value-role theory)

Obvious attributes including age, sex, looks, etc.

Value information (Stimulus-value-role theory)

Similarity in attitudes and beliefs

Role information (Stimulus-value-role theory)

Compatibility in life areas (parenting, housekeeping, careers, etc.)

Occur when a quality that initially attracts one person to another gradually becomes one of the more obnoxious and irritating things about them

Fatal attractions

When we are attracted to someone because they reflect who we would like to be, we see them as versions of our

Ideal selves

Common types of similarities that appear to routinely matter most

Religion (if applicable), housework, gender roles

What is meant in "matching is a broad process"

People may differ in terms of traits, but still maintain equitable mate values. This might be reflected in fame, wealth, health, talent, and/or looks

Women start seeking younger men as mates around

75

3 multiple choice options

Though the exchange between feminine beauty and reproductive viability and masculinity and financial independence is often described evolutionarily, the cultural perspective might argue that

This exchange is facilitated by culture, as it provides women with direct access to political and economic power, which is often denied to them

Some traits that are indeed different tend to compliment one another in relationships, suggesting that "opposites attract." In actuality, this reflects the principle of

Instrumentality

Reactions that provide a good fit for our own is

Complimentary

Though there are differences in what men and women seek in partners, they overwhelmingly both seek

Warmth and loyalty, attractiveness and vitality, and status and resources

Standards for the traits of potential mates vary according to whether one is pursuing

Shorter or longer-term relationships

Common dealbreakers for BOTH men and women

Objectionable traits and poor hygiene

____ and people of higher mate value tend to have more dealbreakers

Women

1 multiple choice option

Individual standards for mates tend to remain unchanged over time. However, if they do change, what might explain this?

Mate value might have changed, struggling to find partner, adjusting to current partner's traits, aging

Overall people become ____ discriminating the older they get, when it comes to mate selection

Less

1 multiple choice option

(Cameron & Ross) Article examines

Correlations between negative affectivity and relational security and break-ups of long-distance and same-city relationships

(Cameron & Ross) The presence of negative affectivity and relational security of men predicted breakup only for

Long-distance dating

1 multiple choice option