Filter theory

Created by

Imaan

Cards (8)

Filter theory
An explanation of relationship formation that states that different factors progressively reduce the range of partners to a smaller pool of choices
Filter theory - Kerchoff and Davis
Social Demographic
A wide range of factors that can influence the chances of people meeting their potential partners (e.g. social class, levels of education)
Homogamy - outcome of this filter - means that you are likely to form a relationship with someone that is both socially and culturally similar.
Filter theory - Kerchoff and Davis
2. Similarity of attitudes
Means that we find partners that share similar beliefs to us
Kerchoff and Davis found a similarity of attitudes was important to development of relationships that were less than 18 months and that it encourages greater self disclosure.
Filter theory - Kerchoff and Davis
3. Complementarity
Simliarity of attitudes becomes less important and gets replaced by a need for your partner to balance your traits with opposite ones of their own.
Gives a long term relationship the feeling of forming a "whole" and adds depth to it.
Research Support
Kerchoff and Davis did a longitudinal study where both partners did questionnaires to assess filters 2 and 3.
closeness assossciated with filter two but only for couples that were together for <18 months.
BUT this evidence can be hard to use as it is self report data - social desirability and it is hard to interfere with the early stages of an r.s.
Complementarity - A03 
May not be central to longer term relationships
Markey & Markey found that lesbian couples that had equal dominance were very happy, with a mean time of a relationship of 4.5 years (rather than one being dominant and one being submissive.)
Actual need v.s. perceived similarity
A meta analysis of 313 studies done by Matthew Monotya showed that actual similarity affected short interactions rather than long term relationships.
A03
Reductionist because it simplfies complex relationships down to 3 stages