1. Date Selection and Character Ratings of College Students: Making a Potential Love Connection Lauren Taylor, Amy Bart, Joseph Brown, Roxana Karimi, Paula Zouen Abstract The present study examined college student’s date selection. Thirty college students were asked to complete a self-report measure indicating the importance of 16 different characteristics in date selection. They were also asked to choose a potential date from four videotaped self-descriptions read by actors. The four video taped scenarios were manipulated by the researcher and measured with a chi-squared test using the number of times each personality type was chosen most often. Results indicated that the most preferred date using the videotape methodology was the actor described as successful. Individually, men displayed equal importance towards the success based video, and the “states wants” video, while women showed preference primarily towards the success video. The self-report data showed that both men and women placed honesty and friendliness as the most important of the 16 characteristics in a potential date. These results show little support for the idea of evolutionary theory, that men seek women based on physical appearance while women place importance on financial success. General Theory Evans & Brase (2007) conducted a study to determine whether demand characteristics can be used to explain sex differences in relationship partner traits. The study’s sample contained 61 males and 62 females. The frequency of specific stated traits, from an open-ended questionnaire, was identified and used in a 2x2x2 ANOVA (gender of target X gender of participant X gender of audience) to determine the preference for four different traits (ambitiousness, attractiveness, kindness and intelligence) and the differences between men and women and the traits they found important in the opposite sex. Results showed that men made more comments about appearance (p <.01) and women made more comments regarding success and drive. (p<.01). These results supported the hypothesis that men are more concerned with physical attractiveness. These results also supported the hypothesis that women are more concerned with future success. Frederick & Morrison’s (1999) study, investigated two questions related to date selection. First, it first examined college students dating preferences as assessed through the self-described videotapes. Second, it examined the characteristics considered most desirable in a potential love interest. The sample contained one hundred and thirty-three college student volunteers from introductory psychology courses. The participants consisted of 98 women, and 35 men. The researchers hypothesized that (a) men will choose characteristics related to attractiveness more than women and (b) women will choose characteristics related to financial status more than men. After viewing the four video tapes participants were asked to rank, on a scale of 1 to 4, which personality they would must likely date and which they would least likely date. A Chi-squared test was used to analyze responses. Participants were than asked to rate 16 different personality characteristics on a Likert scale of 1 to 7. To analyze the 16 characteristics an uncorrelated t-test was used. Results from the video portion of the study concluded that both men and women were more likely to choose the “states wants” scenario and least likely to choose the “physical appearance” scenario. The characteristic ratings showed that both genders placed emphasis on honesty, friendliness and concern to others as the most important date attributes. Results from these 16 characteristics also supported the hypothesis that women placed greater emphasis on wealth and financial security while men reported nice physique and physical attractiveness as most important. In the current study the researchers investigated the relationship between ones gender and the relative importance placed on either physical appearance or financial success. Specifically, this study tested the evolutionary theory put forth by Frederick & Morrison (1999) which argues that men are more likely to choose women based on physical appearance and women are more likely to choose a man based on financial stability and support. These ideas were examine through two procedures. The first procedure utilized four self-description videos each presenting different personality types. The second procedure examined college students’ personal preference on 16 different personality characteristics. It was hypothesized that men will choose physical appearance while women will prefer financial success when looking for a potential mate. Method Participants The participants used in the current study were 30 California State University Northridge students equally divided by gender, with 15 males and 15 females. The ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 51. The average mean age was 23.9 years. The participants ranged from freshman class to graduate status. There were 3 freshman, 3 sophomores, 5 juniors, 18 seniors and one graduate student. All participants were recruited from the area around the school’s cafeteria. There were 2 participants who were married, 1 engaged, 1 separated and 26 that indicated that they were single. Participants were rewarded for their participation with an offer of chocolate candy. Date Characteristics Scale A list of 16 attributes was created reflecting a variety of personality characteristics related to date selection. This list was taken from Frederick and Morrison’s (1999) study on date selection. Participants were asked to score characteristics on a 7 point Likert scale, with 1 being not at all important and 7 being very important. Date Selection Video Four self-description videos were created to emphasis different personalities. Video 1 was a success/status video where the actor described himself/herself as financially stable with great emphasis on job stability. Video 2 was an appearance based video where the actor described himself/herself as healthy, physically active, and concerned with appearance. Video 3 was a psychologically warm based scenario where the actor portrayed himself/herself as kind hearted and concerned with nature. Video 4 was the control video in which the actor described what he or she was looking for in a potential mate. Actors for the video were classmates chosen based on ethnicity and age. All actors were video taped from the waist up in identical conditions. Procedure The study was conducted in two parts. In the first part, participants were asked to sign a consent form, fill out a demographic information sheet, and fill out the date characteristics scale. In the next part of the study the participants viewed one of the four scenarios randomly selected by the researcher. Male participants watched the female videotapes and female participants watched the male videotapes. Before the participants watched the video they were asked to focus on the personality and self-description of the actors to make their decision. The participants were also able to rewind and review the videotapes as often as they needed to in order to make their choices. After watching the videos, the participants were asked to rank their choice of potential dates (on a scale of 1-4). After participating in the study, each participant was immediately debriefed as to the purpose of the study. Along with being verbally debriefed each participant was given a debriefing sheet. Upon completing the study, participants were offered a variety of chocolates as a reward for their participation. Results Date Preference/ Video tapes For the overall sample, participants choose the “Status/ Success” scenario most often (χ²(3)=4.619, ns) and the “Physical Appearance” scenario least often (χ²(3)=7.533, p<.05) but no real significance was found when performing a chi-squared analysis (the second one is significant). Date Selection Characteristics Means for all 16 characteristics are provided in Table 1. Overall, honesty (M=6.467, SD=.730 ), friendliness (M=6.200, SD=1.196), and Communication skills (M=6.200, SD=.887) were the most important date attributes as rated by the participants in the study. Least important attributes for selecting a date included same major (M=1.800, SD=.961) and Material possessions (M=3.033, SD=1.671) While performing an uncorrelated sample t-test results showed that women placed greater emphasis on Wealth (t(28)=3.976, p<.01, η²=.361) and Financial Security (t(28)=2.828, p<.01, η²=.222), than men did. There were no significant results showing that men had preference for any of the 16 characteristics. Discussion Part one examined college students preference for different personality types based on videotaped scenarios. The researchers predicted that male students would prefer to date female students who presented themselves as physically attractive and focused on appearance. The females were expected to choose men who presented themselves as financially stable and geared toward success. The hypothesis for men was not supported by the data, but the female hypothesis was supported. Both men and women chose the success-based scenario as the one they would most likely prefer in a date. The student in this particular video described themselves as having strong motivations and a high quality of living. These results did not support with the original study conducted by Frederick and Morrison (1999), where the “states wants” scenario was chosen most often. The results of the videotaped portion did not fully support past research on evolutionary theory, or the current research hypothesis. There are several ways to explain these results. The lack of significance in the chi-squared test for most frequently chosen date could be due to small sample size which resulted in one scenario never being chosen and so entered as 0 in the statistical analysis program. The selection of the participants was restricted to summer school students at California State University Northridge. Due to the small population, randomization was not attainable and therefore the results could be attributed to other environmental aspects. A second threat to internal validity was instrumentation. Videos were presented to participants in an area where noise was present. Therefore, videos were not easily heard and participants could not make sound decisions on which personality type they preferred. Finally, even under perfect conditions, a video tape does not reproduce the circumstances in which individuals actually make dating decisions. Part two of the study examined the importance of sixteen different personality characteristics in a potential date. Results showed that men and women report that honesty, friendliness, and communication skills are the most important characteristics in a potential date. These results supported past research done by Fredrick & Morrison (1999). In addition, women showed greater preference for financial security and wealth than men. On the other hand, men did not show a greater preference for any of the characteristics compared to women. These results partially supported those from part one of the study. As seen in the videotapes, women still preferred men who showed material success and financial stability. The men's results were inconclusive. These results could also be supported by the threats to internal validity of selection. After examining the current study, future modifications could be made to help minimize possible threats and to increase internal validity. Using a larger sample that allows for randomization could decrease chances of a selection bias in the sampling. External validity could also be increased by gathering the participants from an expanded range of students. It is also suggested for further replication that environment is controlled and all possible distractions are diminished. References Evans, K., & Brase, G. (2007). Assessing sex differences and similarities in mate preferences: Above and beyond demand characteristics. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24(5), 781-791. Fredrick, C.M.& Morrison, C.S (1999). Date selection choices in college students: Making a potential love connection. North American Journal of Psychology. 1(1). 41-50 Table 1 Date Characteristics Scale: Means and Standard deviation for Total Sample and by Sex.