Physical Attractiveness

• Physical Attractiveness:

  Buss' research on mate preferences across different cultures demonstrated that males place great emphasis on physical attractiveness when choosing a partner- as it was a cue to their fertility and reproductive health. However, recent research has suggested that physical attractiveness is just as important to females when choosing a romantic relationship. Though used for more short-term relationships, rather than more serious long-term commitments like it is for males; Eastwick.
• The 'Matching Hypothesis':

  Walster and Walster claim that when initiating romantic relationships, individuals seek partners whose social desirability approximately equals their own. Meaning individuals must asses their own 'value' in the eyes of a potential partner and select the best available candidates. Though individuals would theoretically be most attracted to the individual with the highest social desirability score, they can maximise their chances of a successful outcome by selecting someone 'in their league'.
• Matching and Physical Attractiveness:

  Over time, the 'matching hypothesis' has become associated with specifically matching on physical attractiveness alone. Walster et al claimed these were 'realistic' choices; each individual is influenced by the chances of having their affection reciprocated. Realistic choices must consider several choices: including the partner's ideal choice, whether the person wants them in return, and whether other desirable alternatives are available for both; meaning people have to settle to mating 'within their own league' whether they wish to or not.
• Key Study: Walster et al

  Procedure- to test the matching hypothesis, they advertised a 'computer dance' for new students at a US university. From a large number who bought tickets, 177 males and 170 females were randomly selected. When they came to collect their tickets, 4 student confederates rated their physical attractiveness. P's were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess their 'ideal partner' for the dance. During the dance, p's were asked to complete a questionnaire about their dates, and a follow-up was sent 6 months after.
• Key Study: Walster et al

  Findings- they didn't support the matching hypothesis, as once p's had met their dates, regardless of their own physical attractiveness, they responded more positively to physically attractive dates and were more likely to try to arrange dates with them if they were physically attractive. Other factors such as intelligence and personality didn't influence the likings of the date, or attempts to arrange dates.
• AO3: Key Study Criticisms

  Lacks temporal validity as the study was conducted in 1966, and dating today has changed. Additionally, as individuals were deceived to believing that they were being matched to their 'ideal partner', it is more likely to encourage them to arrange a second date regardless of other factors, and this could explain the results rather than PA. Attraction is also subjective; it may be that if other confederates rated them, the results may have appeared different- attraction cannot be a standardised measurement.
• AO3: Speed-dating

  Eastwick and Finkle claim that although men value PA more than women, these differences may not predict real-life partner choice. Finding prior to the speed-dating, p's showed traditional sex differences when stating important features of an ideal partner. However, these failed to predict their actual behaviour at the event. No sex differences emerged to the degree of judgements on target's PA or earning prospects. Preferences were more likely to reflect their evaluation of their target's characteristics, and their romantic attraction to them.
• AO3: Complex Matching

  Sprecher and Hatfield suggest that research often fails to find evidence of matching in terms of PA as when people come to a relationship, they offer many desirable characteristics (one of which is PA). A person can then compensate for a lack of PA with other desirable qualities (e.g. charming personality, kindness, status, money). Referring to this tendency to compensate for a lack of PA as 'complex matching'. Demonstrating how people can attract partners who may be more attractive than them (e.g. wealthy man with a younger, attractive women).
• AO3: Research Support for Sex Differences in the Importance of PA

  Meltzer provided support for the claim that males value PA more highly. Finding that objective ratings of wives' attractiveness were positively related to levels of husbands' satisfaction at the beginning of the marriage, this persists for at least years of marriage. Conversely, female's objective ratings of their husbands' attractiveness weren't related to their marital satisfaction. IDA- Beta Bias as it assumes men and women use PA in the same way.
• AO3: Matching May Not Be Important in Initial Attraction

  Taylor et al: In a study of online dating patterns, they found no evidence that dater's decisions were driven by similarities between their and the potential partner's PA. Instead, finding evidence of an overall preference for attractive partners, suggesting people don't take their PA into the decision, aiming for someone more desirable than themselves. Although the matching hypothesis didn't predict initial attraction, those who targeted similarly attractive partners were more likely to receive a response.
• AO3: Implications of Sex-Differences in Importance of PA

  Meltzer et al claims as PA is more important to males, women may experience increased pressure to maintain their PA to successfully maintain a long-term relationship. However, PA isn't the only predictor of male martial satisfaction, both men and women desire partners who are supportive and trustworthy, and those with partners with these qualities tended to be more satisfied. Thus, less attractive females who possess these qualities don't have less satisfied partners.
• AO3: Issues and Debates

  Cultural Bias- research was only conducted in Western cultures meaning it fails to account for relationships in other cultures. For example arranged marriages which aren't based on PA cannot be explained using the matching hypothesis. However, Cunningham found that White, Asian and Hispanic males rated females with prominent cheekbones, large eyes and small noses as highly attractive. Universality implies that attraction may be a decisive factor, a genetically produced mechanism to aid sexual selection- linking to our nature.
• AO3: Issues and Debates

  Lacks Temporal Validity- relationships today differ greatly, this theory doesn't account for homosexual relationships as it only focuses on men and women. Suggesting more research needs to be conducted on more recent relationship types to increase validity.

  Individual Differences- due to it being a nomothetic approach, it tries to generalise behavioural laws, but an idiographic approach may be more suitable for studying modern romantic relationships.