Which of the following statements is true regarding the physical traits thought to be attractive?

How do humans decide whom they like and want to get to know better?

The Propinquity Effect, Similarity, Reciprocal Liking, Physical Attractiveness/liking, Evolution/Mate selection psych, attachment style, theories of relationship satisfaction...

The Propinquity Effect People 

People who you come into contact with the most are the most likely to become your friends and lovers.

Exposure to any stimulus produces liking for it.

Similarity between people, whether in at- titudes, values, demographic characteristics, or physical appearance is also a powerful cause of attraction and liking. Similarity is a more powerful predictor of attraction than complementarity, the idea that opposites attract.

In general, we like others who be- have as if they like us.

Physical Attractiveness and Liking

Physical attractiveness also plays an important role in liking. People from different cultures perceive facial attractiveness quite similarly. The “what is beautiful is good” stereotype indicates that people assume that physical attractiveness is associated with other desirable traits.

Evolution and Mate Selection Evolutionary psychology

explains love in terms of genetic factors that have evolved over time according to the principles of natural selection. According to this perspective, which is not without its critics, men and women are attracted to different characteristics because this maximizes their reproductive success.

Attachment Styles in Intimate Relationships

People’s past relationships with their parents are a significant determinant of the quality of their close relationships as adults. There are three types of attachment relationships: secure, avoidant, and anxious/ambivalent

Theories of Relationship Satisfaction: Social Ex- change and Equity Social exchange theory

states that how people feel about their relationship depends on their perception of the rewards they receive and the costs they incur. In order to determine whether people will stay in a relationship, we need to know their comparison level (expectations about the outcomes of their relationships) and comparison level for alternative relationships (how happy theyd be with someone else)

comparison level for alternatives

(expectations about how happy they would be in other relationships), as well as their investment in the relationship.

states that the most important determinant of satisfaction is that both parties feel comparably rewarded by the relationship. The equity of rewards and costs is different in communal relationships than in exchange relationships.

What does research tell us about romantic breakups?

The Process of Breaking Up • The Experience of Breaking Up

Is composed of stages. Strategies for responding to problems in a romantic relationship include both constructive and destructive behaviors. Fatal attractions occur when the qualities in a person that once were attractive become the very qualities that repel.

The Experience of Breaking

A powerful variable that predicts how a person will weather the breakup is the role he or she plays in the decision to terminate the relationship

How do new technologies influence how we form close relationships

Basic determinants of attraction such as propinquity, similarity, and familiarity manifest themselves differently in the modern era of text messages, the Internet, and social media.

The Promise and Pitfalls of Online Dating 

Online dating expands your pool of potential mates, but carries its own risks; these include unproven compatibility algorithms and deceptive profile descriptions and photos.

Sam has his eye on Julie and wants her to like him. According to research in social psychology, which of the following is least likely to work?

Emphasize that they have complementary personali- ties; after all, “opposites attract.”

Rachel is considered physically attractive by her American classmates because of her large eyes and small nose “baby face” characteristics. In another culture, she would most likely be considered

attractive because people’s perceptions of “baby face” attractiveness are similar across cultures.

Which of the following is false?

People in communal relationships tend to keep track of who is contributing what to the relationship.

Kate and Jamie are dating. According to the investment model of close relationships, which of the following is least likely to influence their commitment to the relationship?

Their perception that what they are putting into the relationship is roughly the same as what they are get- ting out of it

__________involves intense longing for another person, accompanied by physiological arousal, whereas___________ is the intimacy and affection we feel without arousal.

passionate love, companionate love

Which of the following statements regarding attachment style is true?

The attachment style that adults display is shaped by their partner’s behavior and the type of relationship they’ve created as a couple.

Matthew and Eric have been friends since the beginning of the school year. According to equity theory, their friendship will suffer if

Eric is much more likely to help Matthew out when he needs it than Matthew is to help Eric.

Elliot worries that his girlfriend doesn’t really love him ________and smothers her with attention. According to attachment theory, Elliot probably has a(n) attachment style, because when he was an infant, his caregivers were__________ .

anxious-ambivalent, inconsistent and overbearing

You are considering breaking up with your significant other after 1 month of being a couple. While the relationship gives you lots of rewards and has few costs you have recently met someone new whom you anticipate will give you even more rewards for even fewer costs. Your dilemma stems from the fact that you have a ___________ and a _____________ .

high satisfaction level, high comparison level for alternatives

Research on the ability of dating Web sites to effectively match up mates using mathematical compatibility analyses indicates that

the Web sites are no better at producing happy relationships than are more old-fashioned ways of meeting a dating partner, like being set up by friends.

three types of attachment styles?

secure, avoidant and anxious

3 basic determinants of attraction?

similarity, familiarity, propinquity (people we come in contact with the most)

What makes a person physically attractive?

Which of the following statements accurately describes the physical attractiveness stereotype?

Which best describes the dominant evolutionary explanation for why people tend to find symmetry attractive?

Is attractiveness evolutionary?