Cognitive systemization and interpersonal attraction.

Abstract

Summary It has been proposed that differences in cognitive systemization, particularly differences in the manner in which persons' evaluative discriminations of others in their social environment are structured, constitute one of the significant variables which determine their differentials in attraction to such others. Reasoning from a position that views interpersonal attraction as a function of need gratification, it was hypothesized that individuals would manifest differences in their attraction to others because of the differences in reinforcement resulting from their perceptions of others as either similar to or different from themselves in cognitive complexity. Four specific predictions derived from this general hypothesis were tested in an experiment involving the exposure to both cognitively complex and cognitively simple Ss of the responses of either a cognitively simple or cognitively complex fictitious stranger, with the assessment of the degree of attraction to each by means of Byrne's attraction scale. The results of these manipulations clearly substantiated three of the four predictions, and in the case of the remaining one were in the expected direction, thus generally supporting the more basic hypothesis. Certain unanticipated findings, which seemed explainable in terms of initially unforeseen differences in reinforcement possibilities, were discussed.