THEORIES OF ATTRACTION

1
THEORIES OF ATTRACTION

• EVOLUTIONARY THEORY(SOCIOBIOLOGICAL)
• REINFORCEMENT AND NEED SATISFACTION
• ECONOMIC THEORIES EXCHANGE AND EQUITY
• COMMUNAL AND EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIPS
• FILTER MODEL

2
THEORIES OF ATTRACTIONp.63 RED/ p.7 GRN

• It is difficult to test theories of
  inter-personal attraction and relationships,
  because
• 1. They are so varied
• 2. There are many different types of
• relationship
• 3. Relationships change over time
• 4. They cannot be tested in the lab or
  manipulated in any way
• 5. Variables cannot be controlled

3
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY(also called sociobiological
thoery)

• Based on evolution
• An adaptive behaviour is one which promotes
  survival.
• This is apparent in terms of reproductive
  success.
• This theory implies that we seek out healthy
  people with whom to reproduce.
• BUSS proposed that men prefer younger women
  because they are more fertile.
• Because we share 50 of our genes with our
  parents, they have a strong interest in ensuring
  our survival.

4
KIN SELECTION

• survival of an individuals genes stretches to
  the survival of close relatives. We will do more
  to help the survival of a relative because they
  share our genes.
• FELLNER AND MARSHALL 81 - found evidence for
  this.
• Ps were asked if they were willing to be a
  kidney donor.
• 86 said yes for their own children
• 67 said yes for their parents
• 50 said yes for siblings

5
EVALUATION OF EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

• 1. It can account for the enormous amount of
  giving parent does.
• 2. It cannot account for the function of
  homosexual and lesbian relationships, or
  heterosexual couples who decide not to have
  children
• 3. It focuses on sexual relationships
• 4. It cannot explain why some people may love
  their best friend as much as their sexual partner.

6
REINFORCEMENT AND NEED SATISFACTION THEORYp.65
red/ p.9 grn

• We receive reinforcement from others in the form
  of
• Love Sex Status Help Money
• Agreement with our opinions.
• Positive reinforcement Results in
• Approval of others increased self
  esteem
• Comfort from others satisfies dependency
• Control of others satisfies power needs
• Making love satisfies sexua
• This is OPERANT CONDITIONING

7
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• BYRNE 71 showed that classical conditioning is
  also involved in liking.
• Ps were asked to listen to someone expressing
  EITHER
• Similar attitudes
• this created positive feelings
• Dissimilar attitudes
• -this created negative feelings
• Why is this an example of classical
  conditioning?

8
EVIDENCE THAT CLASSICAL CONDITIONING OCCURS IN
ATTRACTION

• VEITCH AND GRIFFITT76 exposed Ps unknowingly
  to a good news bulletin or a bad news
  bulletin in a waiting room.
• Those who had listened to the good news
  reported more good feelings, and if rating
  others, gave them a higher rating.
• This supports classical conditioning theory,
  because
• Positive feelings Increase of
  
• Attraction
• How did Veitch and Griffitt measure these
  changes? (p.9/65)

9
EVALUATION OF NEEDS SATISFACTION

• RABBIE AND HOROWITZ 60 found that if strangers
  won a game together, they expressed more liking
  for each other than if they lost.
• But DUCK crticised these studies for being low in
  external validity
• Why might this be?

10
EVALUATION OF NEEDS SATISFACTION THEORY

• 1. We are more attracted to those who positively
  
• reinforce us.
• ARGYLE found that people who are
• friendly, cooperative, smiling and warm are
  more
• liked.
• BUT
• 2. Conditioning cannot account for all of
  interpersonal
• attraction. It can account for short term
• relationships better than long term.
• 3. The theory assumes that people are selfish
  and out to
• maximise their rewards
• 4. The theory is more relevant to
  individualistic
• than collectivist cultures

11
ECONOMIC THEORIES OF RELATIONSHIPS

• SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY
• Thibaut and Kelley proposed that we attempt to
  maximise rewards and minimise costs of
  relationships
• Task make a list of rewards and costs

12
4 STAGES OF LONG-TERM FRIENDSHIP

• Find the meaning of each of these
• SAMPLING
• BARGAINING
• COMMITMENT
• INSTITUTIONALISATION
• We all have a comparison level, built from past
  relationships

13
EQUITY THEORY

• HATFIELD extended social exchange theory to
  include fairness over time.
• People expect to receive rewards in proportion to
  what they are giving
• Imbalance is tolerated if both partners accept
  the situation

14
4 ASSUMPTIONS OF EQUITY THEORY

• Individuals try to maximise rewards they receive
  and minimise costs
• There is negotiation to produce fairness
• If the relationships is unfair (inequitable) it
  causes distress
• The disadvantaged person will try to make the
  relationship equitable

15
EVIDENCE FOR EQUITY THEORY

• Hatfield asked newly weds to rate their
  relationship for fairness, and how happy thy were
• This correlated positively
• If they felt they over-benefitted, they tended to
  feel guilty
• Those who judged their marriage as equitable were
  happiest

16
EVALUATION OF EQUITY THEORY

• This theory takes more into account than social
  exchange theory
• It assumes humans are selfish
• Married couples who were highly concerned with
  exchange were less happy

17
COMMUNAL AND EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIPS P.68

• CLARK AND MILLS - argue that there are 2 types
  of relationship
• COMMUNAL EXCHANGE
• Close friends acquaintances
• Family strangers
• Focus on others focus on balancing
• needs needs
• Romantic relationships are concerned about
  meeting needs of the other

18
PAULA EXPERIMENT

• Clark rigged a situation where Male Ps met Paula
• Group A were told she was single
• Group B were told she was married
• Each P was asked to finish a task she had started
  in a particular colour felt tip.
• Most of group A continued in same colour
• Most of group B continued in a different colour

19
PAULA CONTD

• Choosing the same colour felt tip indicated a
  combined effort and therefore a communal approach

20
FILTER THEORY

• Kerckhoff and Davis argued that relationships go
  through a series of filters, each of which is
  essential for the relationship to begin or to
  continue
• Example Men often seek female partners initially
  on looks. Other compatibility factors are
  considered after the initial advance (or even
  much later in the relationship)

21
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESSPROXIMITY

• Proximity filter we only meet a very small
  fraction of the people living in our area
• Similarity filter most of those we do meet will
  be of similar social class and education to
  ourselves and possibly the same racial or ethnic
  group

22
COMPLEMENTARITY

• Complementarity of emotional needs the ability
  to satisfy the other persons needs was the best
  predictor of survival of long term relationships
  that were studied over a 7 month period

23
STUDY TO DEMONSTRATE COMPLEMENTARITY

• Asked student Ps in relationships to answer a
  questionnaire on the degree to which their own
  and their partners needs were complementary
• Then asked to estimate how strong their
  relationship is now compared to 7 months ago

24
EFFECT OF SHARED BELIEFS

• Kerckhoff and Davis found that chances of a short
  term relationship becoming more permanent
  depended most on shared beliefs
• In order for a couple to be compatible, social
  attributes and values need to be similar whereas
  personality traits need to be complementary

25
EVALUATION OF FILTER THEORY

• Considerable evidence that factors important in
  the early stages of a relationship differ from
  those that matter later on
• Helps us to make theoretical sense of the wide
  range of factors that influence the formation and
  maintenance of interpersonal relationships
• - Focuses on romantic relationships so tells us
  little about factors influencing the development
  of friendships