Arousal and attraction: A response-facilitation alternative to misattribution and negative-reinforcement models.

Abstract

Arizona State UniversityPrevious explanations of arousal-attraction phenomena have focused on misattribution and rein-forcement processes. Two studies were conducted to test an alternative response-facilitation explana-tion of these findings. In general, both studies followed previous methods, with the addition of condi-tions in which Ss attention was directed to the actual source of their arousal. Study I was basedon the fear-arousal method used by Button and Aron (1974) and found enhanced attraction to aconfederate in high-fear-arousal subjects. Contrary to the misattribution model, the focus-of-atten-tion manipulation had no eifect on attraction. Study 2 used a nonthreatening source of arousal(exercise) and also included a focus-of-attention manipulation. Contrary to the misattributionmodel, arousal facilitated sexual attraction even when subjects' attention was directed to the actualarousal source. Although the results of Study 1 are consistent with a negative-reinforcement model,the findings from Study 2, and from several other studies in the area, are not. The simple response-facilitation model best explains these results and provides a parsimonious alternative explanationfor several other sets of data.What role does cognitive labeling play in emotional experi-ences? Schachter and Singer (1962) proposed that all emotionshave a common set of underlying physiological symptoms: Wediscriminate fear from anger from joy by attending not todifferential physiological cues but to the context in which weexperience the arousal. Berscheid and Walster (1974) appliedthe two-factor theory to the emotion of romantic love. Accord-ing to this viewpoint, romantic love occurs when we experiencephysiological arousal in the presence of a member of the oppo-site sex whom we find attractive. One implication of this viewis that romantic attraction can be increased by any extraneoussource of physiological arousal that coincides with exposure toa potential lover.