matching hypothesis

theory

• walster and walster suggests that we look for partners who are similar to ourselves in terms of physical attractiveness

• the computer dance

  • male + female students invited to dance. physical attractiveness rated by objective observers on arrival and completed questionnaire about themselves

  • used a computer to select their partners, randomly selected

  • findings - most liked partners were also most attractive, without taking their own attractiveness into account

  • however, walster repeated this study and allowed individuals to select their partners themselves and found that this time. people chose partners who matched them in physical attractiveness

  • conclusion - we choose partners who match us in fear of rejection when going after partners more attractive

eval.

• one limitation is that there is refuting research

• taylor (2011) studied the activity logs of a popular dating site. this is significant since it used people’s actual dating choices, not just preferences.

• researchers found that individuals sought out meetings with people who were more physically attractive than them

• this undermines the external validity of the matching hypothesis because there are still many people who seek partners more attractive than themselves.

  • CP - however, choosing individuals for dating may be considered different to choosing partners for a romantic relationship #

  • feingold conducted a meta analysis of 17 studies and found a significant correlation between ratings of physical attractiveness and romantic partners

  • furthermore, seeking a more attractive partner doesn’t necessarily mean they get them