AO3

• Taylor (2010)


  evidence supporting filter theory

  suggested that people are more likely to marry into the same ethnic group

  which shows support for the social demographic that we're attracted to those who are culturally similar to us
• Kerchoff & Davis


  chose an 18 month cut-off point to distinguish between short term and long term relationships

  they assumed that partners who had been together longer than this were more committed and had a deeper relationship
• Levinger (1974)


  pointed out that many studies have failed to replicate the original findings that formed the basis of filter theory

  He put this down to social changes over time and to the difficulties inherent in defining the depth of a relationship in terms of its length
• 1) failure to replicate


  many studies have failed to replicate the original findings that formed the basis of filter theory

  Taylor (2010)

  Kerchoff & Davis

  Levinger (1974)

  this highlights the issues in applying filter theory even to other heterosexual couples in an individualistic culture, nevermind homosexual couples or relationships in collectivist cultures
• Anderson et al (2003)


  found via a longitudinal study that cohabiting partners become more similar in their emotional response over time

  creating a phenomenon called emotional convergence
• Davis & Rusbult (2001)


  discovered an attitude alignment effect in long term relationships

  Romantic partners over time bring their attitudes into line with each other's which suggests that similarity is an effect of initial attraction and not cause
• 2) cause and effect


  filter theory suggests that people are initially attracted to each other because they're similar demographically and attitudinally

  evidence in the direction of casuality is wrong

  Anderson et al (2003)

  Davis & Rusbult (2001)

  These findings are not predicted by filter theory
• 3) temporal validity


  the rise of online dating has changed the process of beginning a romantic relationship

  
  

  it's reduced the importance of social demographic variables

  for example: age, income, education level

  
  

  Technology in respect to online dating apps (Tinder) have made meeting potential partners easier than ever to the extent where we might purse a date with someone outside our usual demographic limits than what would have existed 30 years ago

  For example: different cultures or social class

  
  

  therefore this shows that the progression of technology over time has impacted the social norms of dating which would not traditionally be conventional thus lacking temporal validity