Physical attractiveness, perceived attitude similarity, and academic achievement as contributors to interpersonal attraction among adolescents.

Abstract

Fifth- and eleventh-grade males and females who knew each other (knowers) judged classmates' photographs on physical attractiveness, perceived attitude similarity, and interpersonal attraction. Nonknowers (male and female classmates in different schols in same grades) judged the same photographs on physical attractiveness. The following hypothesis were supported: (a) Physical attractiveness is scalable by ranking and rating methods, which are highly correlated, (b) Males and females use similar criteria in judging physical attractiveness, (c) Knowing the persons being judged affects the judgment of their physical attractiveness, but the judgments by knowers and nonknowers are closely correlated, (d) The knowing variable has the greatest influence on physical attractiveness judgments of average attractive persons compared to persons at either extreme, (e) Physical attractiveness and perceived attitude similarity are positively correlated with interpersonal attraction at both grade levels. (/) Physical attractiveness and perceived attitude similarity are positively correlated at both age levels, (g) The preponderance of casual direction seems to be from physical attractiveness to interpersonal attraction for persons ranked as most and least attractive; for average attractive persons, causality appears to be interactive. The hypothesis that physical attractiveness decreases in importance relative to interpersonal attraction the longer a person is known was not supported. Academic performance contributed negligibly to interpersonal attraction.