On debunking the attitude similarity myth

The influence of ethnocentrism in organizational contexts: perceptions of interviewee and managerial attractiveness, credibility, and effectiveness

“…In fact, McCroskey and Dunham (1966) observed that even when the real source of a message is unknown, interactants will create a source in their minds. Decades of research in communication have revealed that perceptions of source attractiveness and source credibility are two key dimensions of the interpersonal communication process (c.f., Hovland, Janis, & Kelley, 1953;McCroskey, 1966;McCroskey & McCain, 1974;McCroskey & Young, 1981;O'Keefe, 1990;Sillars & Scott, 1983;Sunnafrank, 1991Sunnafrank, , 1992. The purpose of the present research is to examine the influence of ethnocentrism on perceptions of attractiveness and credibility.…”

“…For the most part, people initiate and maintain communication with those to whom they are attracted (McCroskey & McCain, 1974). Many studies indicate that perceived similarity is related to attraction (Capella & Palmer, 1990Sillars & Scott, 1983;Sunnafrank, 1991Sunnafrank, , 1992. In his seminal work, Byrne (1971) noted that attraction is a function of the proportion of similar opinions held by two people and that culture mediates perceptions of attraction.…”

The role of sexual attitude similarity in romantic heterosexual relationships

“…Despite its 30-year history, the similarity-attraction paradigm continues to invite discussion, debate, and empirical investigation (e.g., Byrne, 1992;Cappella & Palmer, 1992;Sunnafrank, 1992). Of recent interest has been the question of whether the associations between similarity and attraction evident in stranger dyads are present in more developed relationships.…”

Affiliation with new peer acquaintances during two initial social support interactions

“…Although we controlled for some potential effects of similarity in the current investigation because all participants were in the 11th grade and matched in terms of gender, we acknowledge that there are many other types of similarity to consider in future investigations. For example, similarity of attitudes (Sunnafrank, 1983, 1984, 1986a, 1992), as well as similarity of physical attractiveness, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (Berger & Calabrese, 1975; Byrne & Nelson, 1965) may predict the nature and quality of interactions between strangers. In addition, the consideration of perceived similarity (aside from actual similarity) may provide insight into why individuals communicate the way they do in affiliative interactions.…”

“…The experimenter led all dyads to expect the potentially positive outcome of receiving support from a similar, same‐sex peer. Although attitude similarity has predicted (albeit inconsistently) interpersonal attraction during initial interactions (Sunnafrank, 1983, 1984, 1986a, 1992), we gave adolescents no prior information regarding one another's attitudes given that individuals rarely have that information when meeting strangers in real life. Also, because all adolescents were in the 11th grade and matched on gender, we controlled for the most obvious similarity variables that could influence interaction behaviors, perceptions of attraction to others, and perceptions of others' attraction to the self (Berger & Calabrese, 1975; Byrne & Nelson, 1965).…”