Bev participates in a speed-dating study. On the pre-study questionnaire she reports that physical attractiveness in a potential romantic partner is very important to her. Yet at the end of the study, the people she reports wanting to meet again are not those she rates as being most physically attractive. How can we explain this discrepancy?
A) Bev misunderstood the pre-study questionnaire and does not think physical attractiveness in a potential romantic partner is important.
B) Mate selection is essentially random so Bev's preferences are not important.
C) The measures did not assess dyadic processes, such as how each person she met made Bev feel.
D) Most people think physical attraction is important, but other qualities such as humor play a larger role in attraction.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The discrepancy between Bev's reported preferences and her actual behavior suggests that the measures used in the study did not capture important dyadic processes, such as how she felt when interacting with each potential partner. It is possible that even though physical attractiveness was important to Bev, other factors such as personality or sense of humor may have been more influential in actual attraction during the speed-dating event.

Bev Participates in a Speed-Dating Study