Insko, C. A., Thompson, V. D., Stroebe, W., Shaud, K. F., Pinner, B. E., & Layton, B. D. (1973). Implied evaluation and the similarity-attraction effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 25(3), 297-308.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0034224
Manipulated similarity (high or low), implied evaluation (positive, negative, or none), sex of other and physical attractiveness of other (high or low) in an interpersonal attraction study with 288 male undergraduates. Main effects were produced for similarity, implied evaluation, and physical attractiveness as well as a Similarity * Implied-evaluation interaction The similarity-dissimilarity effect was greater in the no-evaluation condition than in the positive- and negative-evaluation conditions. In the no-evaluation condition, Ss perceived that the similar other would like them more than the dissimilar other. Results are interpreted as supporting 3 theoretical models and as ruling out a ceiling effect interpretation. In Exp. II with 150 male and 15 female Ss similarity (5 levels), sex of S, and sex of other were manipulated. A division of Ss into those who perceived the other would either like or dislike them vs. those Ss who perceived more neutral implied evaluations resulted in an interaction with similarity. Ss who perceived the evaluative implications of similarity showed a more marked similarity-attraction effect. A parallel analysis for Ss who differentially perceived the anticipated rewards of future interaction did not produce a significant interaction with similarity. The overall results are discussed as supporting a model implying that similarity causes liking, liking causes implied evaluation, and implied evaluation causes further liking. This model was the only one that predicted that the effect of similarity upon implied evaluation would become nonsignificant when liking was used as a covariate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)