Psy final report

FNBE APRIL INTAKE 2013

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY PSYC0103

GROUP ONE (WEDNESDAY 3:00PM)

CHARACTERISTIC VS. APPERANCE

SUBMISSION DATE: 22 JANUARY 2014

MEMBER NAME: STUDENT IDCHEONG SIEW YING 0314618

CHIA WEE MIN 0315186PEERUN BIBI AMEERAH 0313939

MAHIABDUL MUHSIN 0314421NAWAZ SHAREEF 0310405

VOON SZE LUN 0315032

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ACKNOWLEGDEMENT

We, Cheong Siew Ying, Chia Wee Min, Peerun Bibi Ameerah, Mahiabdul Muhsin, Nawaz

Shareef and Voon Sze Lun have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have

been possible without the kind support and help of many individuals and organizations. We

would like to extend our sincere thanks to all of them.

We are highly indebted to our lecture, Chia Yee Peng for her guidance and constant

supervision as well as for providing necessary information regarding the project and for her

support in completing the project through this semester. Your opinions and instruction were

precious. Thank You!

Moreover, we want to thank all classmates and online participants. We would like to thank

Akshay Ramlalawon who advises us in designing the survey, formulating the questions and

appropriate answers in a logical way. Furthermore, thanks to Nushrat Jahan, Abdool

Muhammad Wazeer, and other friends who shared the survey over the internet.

Our thanks and appreciations go to our colleague in developing the project and people who

have willingly helped us out with their abilities. Thank You.

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Table of Content

No. Content Page

01. Acknowledgment02. Table of content03. Abstract04. Introduction05. Method

5.1 Participant 5.2 Apparatus / Materials 5.3 Procedure

06. Result 6.1 Demographic 6.2 Graph 6.3 Diagram

07. Discussion08. References09. Appendix10.

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ABSTRACT

In recent year a similar research found that men are more likely to choose attractive partners

while women prefer males with a higher social class.

To further enquire about their preferences a survey was carried out with the collaboration of a

100 participants who were asked to reply to a few questions with their partners in mind. This

literature review explores the differences between male and female while choosing their ideal

partner. The researchers expected results to indicate whatever someone is more attracted by

appearance or characteristic of their partner in a relationship.

The results were obtained through a survey of males and females of different age groups

starting from 15 to 35+ years old. The questionnaire was distributed among students of

Taylor’s university and also online to make it more accessible.

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INTRODUCTION

Initially, as time elapse close relationships becomes more personal when processes of

switching rewards and self-revelation last well. When heading to a close relationship, the

nature of interchanging rewards and the type of rewards alters, and people become

cognitively, psychologically, and affectively interdependent. People also feel obsessive love,

that is, they experience sexual thoughts and intense desire for their partner, and want to be

intimate to the person for whom they express passionate love. Temptation, especially

interpersonal attraction, is a process that follows when we glance at somebody and realize

how eye-catching this person is. This leads to the beginning to a friendship or a romantic

relationship.

Interpersonal attraction is the desirability between people, which leads to attachments, and

romantic relationships. The analysis of interpersonal attraction is a chief part of investigation

in social psychology. Interpersonal attraction is correlated to how much we adore, dislike, or

hate somebody. It can be noticed as force acting between two individuals that seems to pull

them closer and bear their break up. It is advised that to define attraction, character and

condition should be taken into consideration.

Basically psychology is the science, which deals with the study of human mental and

physical behaviors and characteristics. We have designed the survey to find the difference

between men and women’s ways of thinking and opinions in specific topics. Whether they

are approximately the same or there is ocean of difference between these two genders. That

will be revealed statically by a graphical interpretation, after the survey has been answered

completely by a significant number of people of both sexes.

Humans are complex creatures; detailed information can be gathered only by precise

questions and they have infinitely different angles of viewing a particular thing or aspect.

Moreover, investigators in previous reports have claimed that though men and women say

they want something special in romantic partners, the two genders actually want the same

thing. Another study, suggests the statement needs to be reconsidered. The analysis found

that men and women really mean what they state; boy's care more about physical appearance

and females care more about social prestige

A new study, including students from Taylor’s University suggests the statement needs

to be reconsidered. Whatever men are more attracted by physical appearance and

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women characteristic is more attracted by appearances or characteristics of their

partner in a relationship.

METHOD

5.1 Participant

To complete the project, we did our survey via questionnaire and online questionnaire to

collect our data. We collected 100 participants from Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus

via questionnaire and friends from different countries via online questionnaire. This survey

involved female and male from the age of 15 to 55.

Sex:

female51%

male49%

Age

45%

46%

6% 1% 2%

Below 15 15 - 19 years 20 - 24 years25 - 29 years 30 - 35 years 35+ years

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Educational Level:

7%

32%

20%

29%

3% 9%

Less than high school Bachelor degreehigh school diplomaundergraduate postgraduate Other

Status:

25%

68%

2% 5%

In a relationship Single engaged marrieddivorcedwidowed Other

We tried to control the number of male and female answering the survey constant and equal

so as to total an average of 100 participant, this ensured that biggest number and verity of

answer recorded to make the survey and the result more accurate so that no gap between male

and female participants. More than 90% of participants were aged 15 to 24 years. Due to the

fact that most of undergraduate student are more attracted by a relationship based on inner or

outer beauty. Furthermore 68% of them were single waiting for their ideal partner.

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5.2 APPARATUS / MATERIALS

The survey was printed out into 50 copies. Besides that, an online questionnaire was created

in order to make the survey more accessible for the foreigner participants and to save cost.

5.3 PROCEDURE

The survey was contributed to students and staffs of Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus

and also friends and relatives from differences countries and races via online survey form.

The study-targeted participant’s aged of 15- 55 years. The survey examines preferences of

female and male while choosing their partner. The hypothesis of the survey is people will

appeal more on appearance.

The participants in the survey were categorized into two sections: the preference of male and

the preference of female. The researchers gave every participant an anonymous survey

through online link, to assure confidentiality and promote honest responses. The duration to

answer the survey is about 5 minutes.

Once all the completed surveys were reply, the responses were sent into Excel. All data were

analyzed. Finalized data were recorded and shows in graph,

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RESULTS

How do you believe people fall in love

0102030

Male (50)Female (52)

Friendship developing into love

Getting to know them, then fall in love

love at first sight

luck/chance destiny/fate

all of the above

whatever Allah decides

Male (50) 17 21 2 3 3 3 1Female (52) 13 30 1 2 4 2 0

30 female and 21 male choose getting to know them first, then fall in love, is the way

participants believe that the way people fall in love. 51 participants out of 102 participants

choose this option making it the highest and 30 out of 52 female participants believe this is

the way people fall in love. 30 out of 102 participants believe friendship developing into love,

which is the second highest, and less than 7 participants chose all the other options.

What can a partner do to show you that they care?

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buy you gifts compliment you often

give you respect

giving you personal space

others0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40


Buy you gifts Compliment you often

Give you respect Giving you personal space

Male (50) 1 5 29 8Female (53) 1 6 37 4

37 female and 29 male believes that giving respect, is the way that the participants believe

their partner shows the way they care for them. 66 participants out of 102 participants choose

this option making it the highest as well as the highest chosen option from both gender

groups. One member from each gender group choose buying gifts making it the least chosen

option, and less than 8 participants from each group chose all the other options.

What is the first thing that attracts you in a potential partner?

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Male (50) Female (52)

Characteristic Appearance Characteristic

Appearance

Single (33) 13 20 Single (36) 11 25Married (3) 0 3 Married (2) 0 2Engaged (1) 0 1 Engaged (1) 0 1In a relationship( 13

6 7 In a relationship (13)

6 7

Male Female

single

(33)

Mar

ried (3

)

enga

ged (1

)

in a

relat

ionsh

ip( 1

3)0

10

20

AppearanceCharacteristic

0

5

10

15

20

25

30Appearance

Characteristic

20 single male participants chose characteristic, on the other hand 13 single male participants

chose appearance. More over 25 single female participants chose characteristic. 11 single

female participants chose appearance. 6 participants in a relationship chose appearance and 7

participants in a relationship chose characteristics from both gender respectfully. Addition to

that one participant who is engaged from both gender group selected characteristics over

appearances. None of the married participants chose appearance, however 3 male and 2

female married participants chose characteristics.

Will you ever date someone based on their attractiveness despite not disapproving their personality?

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Male (50) Female (52)Yes 6 3No 18 33

Maybe 26 14Blanks 0 2

yes no maybe blanks 0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Male (50) Female ( 52)

According to bar chat, majority participants (51 person) disagreed that they will date

someone based on their attractiveness despite not disapproving their personality and female

consist the highest amount which is 33 among the others in the bar chat. 40 participants

selected ' maybe' for the statement while 9 participants agrees with it. However, there is

female participants didn’t answer the question.

Someone who dresses inappropriately

Male (50) Female (52)

11

Yes 6 2No 24 35

Maybe 20 13Blanks 2

yes no maybe blanks0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40


An individual with visible tattoos

Male (50) Female (52)Yes 10 11No 27 27

Maybe 12 11Blank 1 3

yes no maybe blank0

5

10

15

20

25

30


The bar chart shows that 54 participants disagreed with the statement, which is the majority

selection, however, 21 participants agreed with it. 23 participants selected 'maybe ' for this

statement. 3 female participants and one male participant leave it blank.

An individual with facial problems such as scars/acne

Maybe Yes No BlankMale (50) 29 9 12 0

12

Female (52) 30 15 5 2

maybe yes no blank05

101520253035


From the analyzing this graph, it shows that 9 male participants said yes and 12 said no, but

on the other side 15 female participants said yes and 5 said no. 59 participants said maybe.

An Alcoholic


Female (52) 9 3 38 2


10152025303540


Clearly stated that highest amount of participant (63 participants) disagreed of choosing a

mate who is alcoholic, however 10 participants can accept it.27 participant might accept an

alcoholic as their mate. 2 female participants didn’t answer the question.

A girl/guy who always uses cover-up/makeup


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Female (52) 21 5 22 4


10152025303540


55 participants choose maybe, when they prefer a person who uses cover-up/makeup as their

partner, 34 male participants chose not to be with a person who uses cover-up/makeup. 34

participants choose not to be with a partner who uses cover-up/makeup. Most number of

females chooses maybe, and with 9 participants yes is the least chosen option.

A person who always uses vulgar words


Female (52) 12 4 34 2

maybe yes no blank0

10

20

30

40


59 participants choose not to prefer a person who uses vulgar words as their partner, 25 male

participants and 34 female participants chose not be with a person who uses vulgar words

commonly when they speak. 30 participants choose maybe and with 11 participants yes is the

least chosen option.

DISCUSSION

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With respect to humans, appearance is not the only factor that determines if two people

choose to be with each other, but it is an undeniable component of the decision-making

process involved behind attraction.

From the information gathered and analyzed from the responses of the participants, the

hypothesis for giving priority to physical appearance rather than personal characteristics has

not been supported. There is a noticeable gap between the biases towards choosing the

personality over the looks. However subjective the issue was thought to be at the outset, the

survey clearly suggests that people find characteristics as the determining point into choosing

a partner.

When asked about their opinion on natural beauty, 63% of the survey participants agreed that

beauty is a combination of both inner and outer features of a person. How they carry

themselves meaning there behavior, characteristics and personality, as well as how well they

interact with others. 35% of people believe that beauty is reflected mostly through

personality, without giving any regard to appearance. Only 2% of people chose physical

attributes to define the idea of beauty.

When the option is narrowed down to just appearance or characteristics, 65% of the

participants chose characteristics. 51% of the survey participants have strongly disagreed to

pick a partner with only a good physique and with a bad personality. 40% of participants kept

this option open with an indecisive ‘maybe’ suggesting that looks and characteristics do not

always matter for some people. This is possibly only a matter of preference in a certain

period of their lifetime and according to their lifestyle, ethics and beliefs, for example: a

person who is only seeking sex from a partner would date an exceptionally attractive female,

regardless of their intelligence or personality. However, a person planning to settle down in a

stable relationship would take into consideration their characteristics firstly and mostly then

move to their physical attributes. As the subject we chose to tackle is not that simple and

conclusion cannot be drawn that quickly because it will cause a lot of errors to occur. The

survey is further deepened to investigate in more details certain physical and characteristic

attribute of partners.

Majority of participants believe physical appearance is an equation regarding the entire body,

whilst some are attracted to more specific parts of the body. In contrast, we observed that

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intelligence and good humor are tied as the characteristic that most participants found

appealing in a partner.

It is understandable that appearance is a powerful determinant to attract a companion. Mostly

because a lot of people are under the influence of the most powerful sense that is the sight.

Furthermore a combination of influence is often the reason for this choice, the reasons being

healthier and more beautiful off springs, the way our society values beauty over personality

and personal preferences.

Many of the responses indicated that we should never judge others by their outward

appearance, and yet we biologically rely in the human body’s appearance. Furthermore even

if the participant supported the mind more than the body, they were still concerned by their

partner’s health and body. This is supported by the question of whether the participants

would choose a partner if they were an unhealthy alcoholic or not, and 63% of people chose

the non-alcoholic. Only 10% of people were willing to take an alcoholic partner whilst 27%

of participants kept their options open. Therefore stating that participants were just as

concerned about their inner beauty as to their physique.

Dr. David Hawkins, the director of Marriage Recover Center in Washington D.C suggests

that Men are visually minded, it's the way males are wired and it certainly is healthy to be

attracted to our female partners which will probably be their lifelong partner. The research

thoroughly supports this statement as when asked if they would choose a partner with facial

scars or acne, 12% of men disagreed, while only 9% said yes. In contrast, 5% of females said

they wouldn’t date a male with facial problems whilst 15% didn’t consider it to be a problem.

Therefore proving that men are visually more stimulated than women when it comes to

choosing a partner.

From all the information recorded a rather surprising conclusion was observed. Most of the

male participants who were thought to prefer physical appearance over personality proved

our hypothesis wrong as majority replied that they preferred personality with the exception of

some dissenters. The women followed the hypothesis and chose the characteristics over the

looks of their partners.

The research has allowed us to determine a conclusion and achieve the targeted information.

In a nutshell, the research supports the fact that however visual men can be, they prefer a

partner who has strong characteristics and nice personality. The vast majority of men will

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respond to visual images when it comes to women, however these glances are limited to a

temporary satisfaction and are automatic reflex of nature as was proven by the survey. The

survey proved that even though men were willing to date attractive female despite a bad

personality when it comes to relationship, men seek strong personalities in their women and

looks mattered less. Strong personalities of the women often contributed to a stable and

healthy relationship between the couple.

The research also clearly suggested that what men really want is to know that their wives are

making an effort to take care of themselves. Husbands appreciate the efforts their wives make

to maintain their attractiveness. The same goes for women. The data analyzed concludes that

women are more hesitant to date a person just for their physical attributes, compared to men.

To conclude, men and women may worry about their partners’ outer appearance but only to

some extent. The more they worry about is the personality because it reflects how compatible

they are and shows how willing to adjust to each other to make the relationship last.

REFERENCES

1. birth order. (2011). Retrieved January 20, 2014, from http://www.clcillinois.edu/depts/vpe/gened/pdf/samplepaperpsychology.pdf

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http://www.clcillinois.edu/depts/vpe/gened/pdf/samplepaperpsychology.pdf

2. How to Write a Method Section. (2001). Retrieved January 20, 2014, fromhttp://psychology.about.com/od/psychologywriting/ht/method.htm

3. Psychology Research Report. (2011). Retrieved January 20, 2014, from www.simplypsychology.org/research-report.html

4. Report Writing: Conclusion. (2008, April). Retrieved January 20, 2014, from http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eiw/report_conclusion.htm

5. Should a Spouse's Physical Appearance Matter? (2007). Retrieved January 20, 2014, from www.wezeradio.com/11528147/page2/print/

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http://www.wezeradio.com/11528147/page2/print/

http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eiw/report_conclusion.htm

http://www.simplypsychology.org/research-report.html

http://psychology.about.com/od/psychologywriting/ht/method.htm

APPENDIX

-Preferences while choosing a partner ( sample of the survey)

We are conducting a research study to examine preferences of boys and girls

while choosing their partner. Your participation in this research project is

entirely voluntary and you responses will be kept completely confidential. The

questionnaire is composed of 15 and takes approximately 10 minutes to

complete it. Thank you very much for your time and effort

1. Sex O femaleO male

2.Age O Below 15O 15 - 19 years O 20 - 24 yearsO 25 - 29 yearsO 30 - 35 yearsO 35+ years

3.Race O ChineseO MalayO IndianO AfricanO CaucasianO African American O Other:……………………………………………….

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4.Religion O IslamO ChristianityO Taoism O Buddhism O HinduismO Judaism O Other:…………………………..

5.Level of education

O Less than high school O Bachelor degreeO High school diplomaO undergraduate O postgraduate O Other:…………………………………………….

6.What can a partner do to show you that they care?

O Compliment you oftenO Give you respect O Buy you giftsO Looking good for you by staying fitO Giving you personal spaceO Other:…………………………………………………..

7.Status O In a relationship O Single O Engaged O marriedO DivorcedO Widowed O Other:…………………………………………………

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8.How do you believe people fall in love?

O Love at first sight O Friendship developing into loveO Getting to know them, then falling in love O Destiny/ fate O Luck/ Chance O Other:…………………………………………………..

9.In your opinion what is beauty?

O Physically attractiveO Beautiful on the inside in terms of personality O Both inner and outer beauty

10. What is the first thing that attracts you in a potential partner?

O Appearance (please proceed to question 12)O Characteristics (please proceed to question 13)

11. If you have chosen appearance, What attracts you:

O EyesO LegsO HeightO Overall bodyO HairO A person who wears a uniformO A person who does not wear uniform

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12. If you have chosen characteristic, What attracts you:

O HumorO Kind heartO HumbleO Discipline O Intelligence

13. State the characteristics of your ideal partner that you prefer

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………….

14. State the appearance of your ideal partner that you prefer

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………….

15. Tick accordingly, based on your personal acceptance of a partner

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towards the following statements.

Questions Yes Maybe NoWill you ever date someone based on their attractiveness despite not disapproving their personality?Someone who dresses inappropriately An individual with visible tattoosAn individual who has undergone plastic surgeryAn individual with facial problems such as scars/acne, An alcoholicA girl/guy who always uses cover-up/makeup A person who always uses vulgar words

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