S. Sprecher et S. Duck, SWEET TALK - THE IMPORTANCE OF PERCEIVED COMMUNICATION FOR ROMANTIC AND FRIENDSHIP ATTRACTION EXPERIENCED DURING A GET-ACQUAINTED DATE, Personality & social psychology bulletin, 20(4), 1994, pp. 391-400
The acquaintance process has long been of interest to social psycholog
ists, but previous research has rarely considered communication as a c
onsolidator of initial attraction. In this study, pairs of previously
unacquainted men and women were matched and sent on a get-acquainted d
ate. The researchers examined how the perceived quality of the communi
cation during the interaction affected the dating and friendship attra
ction the partners had for each other, their desire to see each other
again, and the actual continuation of the relationship. The importance
of two frequently studied social psychological variables was also con
sidered; partner's physical attractiveness and similarity (both as per
ceived by the subjects). Most subjects judged the communication to be
high in quality and experienced at least some attraction for their par
tner (and mare friendship than romantic attraction), but very few coup
les went on to have a second date. Quality of communication was found
to be related to attraction and the desire to see the other again. Its
importance, however, was greater for women than for men and greater f
or friendship attraction than for romantic attraction.