Speech 381 Attraction Homework Assignment

Fitting assignment with Valentines Day coming up next week!

First, be sure to have read Ch. 5 in the text.  Second, interview 3-4
individuals who are in a close relationship (either a romantic
relationship or a close friendship) asking them to tell you why they
were initially attracted to their partner/friend.  Couples interviewed
separately might be interesting, too. You can interview people in close
friendships and/or people in romantic relationships.

Ask your interviewees the following questions: (feel free to paraphrase,
embellish or otherwise personalize these questions to suit you and the
interviewees you select).

1.  What was the primary force which brought the two people together?
(e.g., proximity, physical attraction, rewards, similarity,
complementarity?)  If this is an established relationship, what factor
seems to keep the relationship working?

2. Were there barriers that had to be overcome?  How did they affect the
development of the relationship?

3. How fast (or slow) was the development of the relationship?  What
propelled or inhibited  the development of the relationship?


After obtaining your interviewees’ answers, consider the following
issues:
1.  Can we generally attribute attraction to one factor, or are several
involved at one time.
2.  Are there sex differences or age differences in the responses?
3.  Are two people generally attracted to each other for similar
reasons?
4.  What is the role of communication (actual talk) in judgments of
attraction?
5.  How do judgments of attraction change over time?

After collecting your ‘data’, summarize the responses (you do not have
to identify your sources -- they can remain anonymous if you or they
wish) and analyze any patterns or insights you have identified from your
interviewees’ answers.  You should synthesize course concepts and
produce a coherent 1-2 page paper that demonstrates your understanding
of the social science of attraction.  Address the aforementioned
questions (not necessarily in question-answer format).  Organize your
thoughts and your analysis.  Your write-up should focus far more on
applying course terms and concepts rather than mere description of the
relationship.  Type the assignment and be sure to make it brilliant,
free of typos & grammatical errors.  Your job is to show me you
understand the material we've been covering.  It's worth 50 points, so
do a good job!  DUE: Friday, February 15th.