| dc.description.abstract | When an individual looks for a partner, he/she tends to look at factors such as attractiveness, emotional stability, agreeableness, social position and dominance (Kenrick et al., 1993). Throughout history, power and prestige have been associated with a white phenotype (Frost, 1986), and this bias affected attraction and dating (Lewis, 2011). However, the approval of interracial dating has been on the rise since the 1950's (Carroll, 2007). Despite increased approval, interracial relationships are still occurring less than expected. White individuals have the largest bias when selecting a partner or contacting an individual of another race (Mendelsohn et al., 2014). The Midwest has the lowest percentage of interracial marriages in the United States (Passel et al., 2010). This study sought to understand attractiveness and dating in out-group settings; the research investigated whether individuals found one attractive but was unwilling to date them because of cultural norms. The study found that attractiveness and dating scores were correlational; the mate in-group bias was occurring from initial contact. In addition, males low ranked the darkest face in the study when they selected that they were worried about societal approval. Finally, both conservative males and females were significant for low-ranking the darkest faces in the study. The research found that men tended to have a larger out-group bias when selecting a mate than females did. | |
