Page 1: Introduction

Title and Instructor

• Social Psychology - Personal Relationships

• Dr. Steven McNair (he/him)

• Contact: Steven.McNair@Glasgow.ac.uk

Attendance

• Remember to log attendance on Moodle under Psych 1B > Lectures > Lecture Attendance > Developmental and Social at 9am or 1pm.

Page 2: Lecture Aims

Learning Objectives

• Explain affiliation and two relevant theories:

  • Privacy Regulation Theory

  • Social Affiliation Model

• Describe ostracism and its implications in an online context.

• Discuss examples of target-centred attractiveness.

Page 3: Introduction to Affiliation and Ostracism

Overview

• Part 1 of the lecture focuses on affiliation and ostracism.

Page 4: Affiliation

Definition

• Affiliation: Tendency to form social bonds with others.

Reasons for Affiliation

• To form groups and rely on others for support.

Page 5: Ostracism

Definition

• Ostracism: Exclusion from society or a group.

• Highlight on Professor Kip Williams as a leading expert on the topic.

• Developed the Cyberball program to study ostracism.

Findings

• Yes to the need to belong.

• Rejection causes emotional pain, even if one feels indifferent to membership.

• Cyberball studies reveal significant results about social belonging.

Reference

• Further details on ostracism can be found at: http://williams.socialpsychology.org/

Page 6: Implications of Ostracism

Brain Response

• Emotion and social exclusion activate brain regions:

  • Anterior cingulate cortex

  • Right ventral pre-frontal cortex

Study Findings

• Research by Eisenberger et al. (2003) indicates distinct pathways for social and physical pain (Chen et al., 2008).

Page 7: Temporal Need-Threat Model

Overview

• Williams (2009) established the Temporal Need-Threat model.

• Two distinct phases of social exclusion:

  • Stage 1: Reflexive phase

  • Stage 2: Reflective phase

• Initial sign of exclusion leads to social pain, threatening fundamental needs.

Recovery

• Excluded individuals identify strategies to meet their social needs once more.

Page 8: Cyber-Ostracism and Cyber-Rejection

Online Exclusion

• Research shows that not receiving likes negatively impacts emotional well-being (Schneider et al., 2017).

Study Design

• Research by Lutz & Schneider (2021):

  • Investigated cyber-ostracism and cyber-rejection with 211 participants divided into three groups (inclusion, exclusion, rejection).

  • Key results: Rejected participants felt greater threats to belonging and self-esteem.

Page 9: Psychological Determinants of Affiliation

Theories of Affiliation

• Privacy Regulation Theory (Altman, 1975): Our privacy needs change over time, adjusting levels accordingly.

• Social Affiliation Model (O’Connor & Rosenblood, 1996): Affiliation motivation varies with circumstances.

Page 10: Modern Perspective on Affiliation

Cognitive Resources

• Dunbar posits limits on friendships due to cognitive load.

• The capacity for social relationships depends on relational nature.

Page 11: Activity: Dunbar Number

Class Engagement

• Robin Dunbar proposed limits on social contacts related to various categories.

• Mentimeter activity will anonymously determine class opinions on social contact limits.

Page 12: Slide Removed

Notes

• A slide was removed that answered an interactive question; this will be uploaded after the lecture.

Page 13: Individual Differences in Affiliation

Variability

• People differ in their need for affiliation due to:

  • Central nervous system differences: Introverts manage social arousal.

  • Cultural influences: Individualistic societies show greater desire for affiliation.

Page 14: Part 2 - Interpersonal Attraction

Introduction

• Transitioning to interpersonal attraction as the second part of the lecture.

Page 15: Interpersonal Attraction Definitions

Key Concepts

• Interpersonal attraction: Positive evaluations of others and a desire to engage with them.

• Importance to friendships and romantic relationships.

Determinants

• Factors influencing attraction will be discussed in detail.

Page 16: Determinants of Attraction - Target-Centred

Factors

• Physical characteristics

• Similarity to self

• Reciprocity

• Proximity

Page 17: Attractiveness of Physical Characteristics

Key Components

• Considerations of physical attractiveness include:

  • Dimorphism: Gender differences in attractiveness norms.

  • Symmetry: Matcher faces are preferred.

  • Averageness: Faces that represent a population average are often favored.

Page 18: Physical Characteristics - Dimorphism

Research Findings

• Feminine female faces are preferred in attractiveness ratings by both genders.

• Mixed evidence for male facial preferences is noted.

Reference

• Notable figure: Perrett et al. (1998) | Nature 394.

Page 19: Physical Characteristics - Dimorphism (2)

Gender Preferences

• Findings indicate variations based on sexual orientation, with distinct preferences observed:

  • Straight women favor masculine male traits.

  • Differences between female preferences based on orientation.

  • Gay men prefer masculine traits significantly.

Page 20: Physical Characteristics - Symmetry

Importance of Symmetry

• Facial symmetry correlates with attractiveness; well-matched left and right sides are desired.

• Evolutionary psychology connects symmetry to physical health metrics.

Page 21: Physical Characteristics - Averageness

Average Faces

• People exhibit preferences for faces that are average within their populations.

• Images can be generated computationally to represent averages.

Page 22: Examples of Average Faces

Cultural Representation

• Examples provided for different nationalities:

  • Chinese

  • Hungarian

  • Japanese

  • Korean

  • Puerto Rican

  • Burmese

  • Cambodian

  • English

  • Ethiopian

  • Filipino

Page 23: Preferring the Familiar

Exposure Effect

• Preference extends beyond faces; applies to sounds, photos, etc.

• Study by Verrier (2012) exploring familiarity impact on voting patterns in Eurovision:

  • Results demonstrate significant effects of prior exposure on voting scores.

Page 24: Activity: Thoughts on Familiarity

Participation Request

• A Microsoft Form will collect thoughts on preference for familiarity.

• Participants to recount personal experiences regarding gravitating towards familiar entities or their opposites.

Page 25: Part 3 - Interpersonal Attraction (2)

Continuation

• Continuing the exploration of interpersonal attraction.

Page 26: Attractiveness Implications

Research Findings

• Dion, Berscheid, and Walster (1972) discovered that attractive individuals are rated higher on almost all personality traits.

The Halo Effect

• Attractive individuals perceived as having better life prospects.

Page 27: Attractiveness Implications (2)

Cross-Cultural Findings

• Batres & Shiramizu (2022): Attractiveness leads to higher ratings on positive traits and lower ratings on negatives across diverse cultures.

Page 28: Evolutionary Basis of Attraction

Evolutionary Psychology

• Focuses on reproduction and survival.

• Attractiveness signals associated with health and pathogen avoidance.

Page 29: Attractiveness Stereotype

Critical Review

• Feingold (1992) argues no correlation exists between attractiveness and intellectual or mental health traits.

• Attractive people may be more socially skilled due to societal treatment.

Page 30: Similarity to the Self

Attraction Dynamics

• Attraction often found among individuals with similar backgrounds and personalities.

• Research by Jones et al. (2004) highlights attraction tied to arbitrary similarities.

Page 31: Reciprocity Principle

Interpersonal Dynamics

• People generally like those who reciprocate their feelings; the reciprocity principle influences attraction.

• Studies indicate that liking is influenced by mutual recognition and attraction.

Page 32: Proximity

Key Attraction Factor

• Proximity influences attraction; physically close individuals tend to interact more.

• Provides motivation to bond with others in regular social settings.

Page 33: Key Takeaways

Summary Points

• Ostracism negatively impacts well-being, threatening fundamental needs.

• Individuals manage relationships to avoid overload based on time and resources available.

• Attraction is influenced by average and symmetrical faces as well as similarities, reciprocity, and physical proximity.

• Attractive individuals are viewed as possessing more positive traits.

Page 34: Key Terms

Definitions

• Affiliation

• Ostracism

• Cyber-ostracism

• Cyber-rejection

• Privacy Regulation Theory

• Social Affiliation Model

• Dunbar number

• Dimorphism

• Symmetry

• Averageness

• Attractiveness stereotype

• Similarity

• Reciprocity

• Proximity

Page 35: References

Literature List

• Altman, I. (1975). The environment and social behavior: privacy, personal space, territory, and crowding.

• Aronson, E., & Worchel, P. (1966). Similarity versus liking as determinants of interpersonal attractiveness.

• Batres, C., & Shiramizu, V. (2023). Examining the "attractiveness halo effect" across cultures.

• Various other studies corroborating concepts discussed throughout the lecture.

Page 36: References (2)

Continuation

• Listing of additional studies and findings relevant to the field of social psychology inherent to the lecture subject.

Page 37: Conclusion

Final Remarks

• Reminder for next week’s lecture

• Business notes: Steven.McNair@Glasgow.ac.uk and office hour details.

• Attendance reminder once again for Moodle sign-in.