Effect of interpersonal communication on attraction.

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that attraction for attitudinally dissimilar strangers is enhanced when subjects reply verbally to the opinions expressed by these individuals In the present investigation, subjects received written opinions from an attitudinally similar or dissimilar stranger and then either had or did not have an opportunity to respond to the stranger. Attraction for disagreeing strangers was enhanced (a) when subjects responded directly to a disagreer and (b) when subjects responded in their own words. Under these circumstances communication with attitudinally similar and dissimilar strangers served to eliminate the typical positive relationship between similarity and attraction. It was suggested that the perceived impact of verbal responses on the opinions of a stranger contributed to the reduction of the effectance motive and the modification of attraction. Experimental results were considered in terms of their implications for understanding and investigating interpersonal attraction in natural conversational settings.

On debunking the attitude similarity myth

“…Research on speaking-in-reply to the attitudes expressed by relative strangers (Brink, 1977;Lombardo, Weiss, & Stich, 1973) demonstrates that individuals are equally attracted to attitudinally similar and dissimilar strangers when given an opportunity to fashion a reply to the strangers' expressions. The method employed in these studies involves unseen strangers (experimental accomplices) expressing attitudes which are known to be similar or dissimilar to the subjects' attitudes.…”