matching Hypothesis - page 1
Keywords: coursework-intro, methodology
By sabrina on 22/02/2008
Level: A Level (Year 13)
Page Number: 1 of 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
The Matching Hypothesis
Introduction
The Matching Hypothesis is a social psychological theory based on relationships, proposed by Goffman in 1952. It suggests that in order for a relationship to be a long and successful one; both partners in the relationship must be equally matched in attractiveness. The reason for this is due to fear of rejection, therefore when searching for a potential life partner the primary drive is to select someone who is similarly attractive.
Walster et al (1966) carried out a study to test the Matching Hypothesis he did this by advertising a “computer dance” during College fresher’s week in the United States. The total number participants were 752, 376 males and 376 females. When signing up for the dance, the judges rated the participants on physical attractiveness, and asked to complete a questionnaire; the results were inserted into a computer database to pair the participants up for the dance. However, the real purpose of the questionnaire was to use later in the research to assess similarity. Instead, the participants were paired randomly; however, it was made sure that the men were all taller than their female dates. The participants completed a second questionnaire during the dance about their partners. The results found that the more attractive the date they were more likely to liked by their date than less attractive dates. This does not prove the Matching hypothesis as the experiment concluded that the physical attractiveness was the most important factor. However, in order for the matching hypothesis to work, individuals must be able to choose their own partners.
Although the initial experiment did not prove the Matching Hypothesis, a follow up found that some participants continued to date after six months were those similarly matched in terms of attractiveness than those who were not. This later finding supports the matching hypothesis. Walster repeated this experiment by rectifying a few errors in methodology by allowing the participants to choose their own dates from a choice and given time to interact with their chosen partner hence confirming the matching hypothesis as most participants tended to choose someone who were similarly attractive to them.
Another study carried out to test the Matching Hypothesis carried out by Silverman (1971) also supported the Matching Hypothesis. He carried out an observational study on real-life couples in public places. Observers independently rated the couples on a 5-point scale and found a high similarity between the attractiveness ratings
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