Social Psychology – Chapter 7
Sources of Liking Based on Social Interacton
Similarity
Aristoteles: similarity hypothesis – the more similar two people are to each other, the
more they tend to like each other
Sir Francis Galton: correlatonal data on married couples spouses resembled one
another in many respects
Newcomb: similarity produces/predicts atracton
Complementarites – atracton of opposites mutually reinforcing characteristcs:
not good basis for atracton (revealed by research)
o Excepton: male-female interacton one is submissive the other one
dominant
Similarity-Dissimilarity Efeett A eonsistent Predietor of Atraeton
Similarity-dissimilarity efeet – similarity tends to arouse positve feelings /
dissimilarity tends to arouse negatve feelings
Attitude similarity – the extent to which individuals share the same ways of thinking/
feeling toward something/another person
Experiments on attude similarity:
1. Assessment of attudes
2. Exposure to attudes, such as beliefs, values, interest of a stranger
outcome confirms similarity-dissimilarity efect
Atracton is determined by proportoon of similarity – the number of topics on which
people express similar views is divided by the total number of topics on which they
have communicated the higher the proportons of similarity the greater the liking
Efect of attude similarity is strong
Do We Seek Similarity Even with Respeet to Physieal Atraetvenesss
Matehiong hypothesis – choosing partners similar to ourselves in physical
atractveness, even though we´dd prefer very atractve ones
o true for men efort in building a relatonship with stranger similar to them
o untrue for women no strong efort to impress partners regardless of
whether they were similar or not
Do Trivial Similarites enerate Atraetons
Implieit egotsm (geltungsbedürfnis) – positve associaton with something about
ourselves does increase atracton towards others sharing whatever these are
Why Do We Like Others Who Are Similar to Ourselves but Dislike Those Who Are Diferents
Balaonee theory – people naturally organize their likes and dislikes in a symmetrical
way
o Balaneet when two people like each other and discover they´dre similar
(pleasant)
, o Imbalaneet when two people like each other but discover they´dre dissimilar
(unpleasant)
Atempt to restore balance by inducing one of them to change and
thereby inducing similarity (maintained by underestmatng/ignoring
dissimilarity)
o Nonbalaneet two people disliking each other (neither pleasant nor
unpleasant)
Soeial eomparisoon theory (Festnger) – one compares oness attudes and beliefs with
those of others
o obtaining eonsensual validaton – evidence that people share our views
Reciprocal Liking or Disliking: Liking Those Who Like Us
Rule of reciprocity – actng towards other in the way they have acted towards us – operates
with respect to atracton
we like those who express liking towards us and vice versa
Social Skills: Liking People Who Are Good at Interactng with Others
Soeial skills – a combinaton of apttudes that help individuals who possesses them to
interact efectvely with others
Valuable social skills:
soeial astuteness (soeial pereepton)t capacity to perceive & understand others
accurately efectve, positve relatonships
interpersonal infueneet ability to change others attudes or behavior by using a
variety of techniques (persuasion, “foot-in-the-door” technique)
soeial adaptabilityt capacity to adapt to a wide range of social situatons and interact
efectvely with a wide range of people
expressivenesst ability to show emotons openly, in a form others can readily perceive
Personality and Liking: Why People with Certain Traits are More Atractve than Others
“Big Five” personality traits: openness to experience, conscientousness,
extraversion, agreeableness, emotonal stability (neurotcism)
onareissism – extreme and unjustfied high self-esteem
o initally liked because they seem charming, extraverted, more open, more
competent
What Do We Desire in Others? Gender Diferences and Changes over Stages of a
Relatonship
several traits that are valued in everyone – no mater what kind of relatonship:
trustworthiness and cooperatveness (seen as most important traits) followed by
agreeableness and extraversion
other traits are valued diferently – to a greater/lesser degree – depending on the
kind of relatonship having with the other person
Sources of Liking Based on Social Interacton
Similarity
Aristoteles: similarity hypothesis – the more similar two people are to each other, the
more they tend to like each other
Sir Francis Galton: correlatonal data on married couples spouses resembled one
another in many respects
Newcomb: similarity produces/predicts atracton
Complementarites – atracton of opposites mutually reinforcing characteristcs:
not good basis for atracton (revealed by research)
o Excepton: male-female interacton one is submissive the other one
dominant
Similarity-Dissimilarity Efeett A eonsistent Predietor of Atraeton
Similarity-dissimilarity efeet – similarity tends to arouse positve feelings /
dissimilarity tends to arouse negatve feelings
Attitude similarity – the extent to which individuals share the same ways of thinking/
feeling toward something/another person
Experiments on attude similarity:
1. Assessment of attudes
2. Exposure to attudes, such as beliefs, values, interest of a stranger
outcome confirms similarity-dissimilarity efect
Atracton is determined by proportoon of similarity – the number of topics on which
people express similar views is divided by the total number of topics on which they
have communicated the higher the proportons of similarity the greater the liking
Efect of attude similarity is strong
Do We Seek Similarity Even with Respeet to Physieal Atraetvenesss
Matehiong hypothesis – choosing partners similar to ourselves in physical
atractveness, even though we´dd prefer very atractve ones
o true for men efort in building a relatonship with stranger similar to them
o untrue for women no strong efort to impress partners regardless of
whether they were similar or not
Do Trivial Similarites enerate Atraetons
Implieit egotsm (geltungsbedürfnis) – positve associaton with something about
ourselves does increase atracton towards others sharing whatever these are
Why Do We Like Others Who Are Similar to Ourselves but Dislike Those Who Are Diferents
Balaonee theory – people naturally organize their likes and dislikes in a symmetrical
way
o Balaneet when two people like each other and discover they´dre similar
(pleasant)
, o Imbalaneet when two people like each other but discover they´dre dissimilar
(unpleasant)
Atempt to restore balance by inducing one of them to change and
thereby inducing similarity (maintained by underestmatng/ignoring
dissimilarity)
o Nonbalaneet two people disliking each other (neither pleasant nor
unpleasant)
Soeial eomparisoon theory (Festnger) – one compares oness attudes and beliefs with
those of others
o obtaining eonsensual validaton – evidence that people share our views
Reciprocal Liking or Disliking: Liking Those Who Like Us
Rule of reciprocity – actng towards other in the way they have acted towards us – operates
with respect to atracton
we like those who express liking towards us and vice versa
Social Skills: Liking People Who Are Good at Interactng with Others
Soeial skills – a combinaton of apttudes that help individuals who possesses them to
interact efectvely with others
Valuable social skills:
soeial astuteness (soeial pereepton)t capacity to perceive & understand others
accurately efectve, positve relatonships
interpersonal infueneet ability to change others attudes or behavior by using a
variety of techniques (persuasion, “foot-in-the-door” technique)
soeial adaptabilityt capacity to adapt to a wide range of social situatons and interact
efectvely with a wide range of people
expressivenesst ability to show emotons openly, in a form others can readily perceive
Personality and Liking: Why People with Certain Traits are More Atractve than Others
“Big Five” personality traits: openness to experience, conscientousness,
extraversion, agreeableness, emotonal stability (neurotcism)
onareissism – extreme and unjustfied high self-esteem
o initally liked because they seem charming, extraverted, more open, more
competent
What Do We Desire in Others? Gender Diferences and Changes over Stages of a
Relatonship
several traits that are valued in everyone – no mater what kind of relatonship:
trustworthiness and cooperatveness (seen as most important traits) followed by
agreeableness and extraversion
other traits are valued diferently – to a greater/lesser degree – depending on the
kind of relatonship having with the other person
