Practice question · Multiple choice
The mere exposure effect means repeated encounters increase liking. Why does that make physical proximity such a strong predictor of who becomes friends, in a way that is easy to underestimate?
Hints
- Ask why a room assignment made by an administrator should predict anything.
- The people involved would explain their friendship differently. What would they say?
Show the answer
C. Because proximity sets how often you meet without either choosing.
Why
Proximity controls the rate of unchosen encounters and mere exposure converts them into liking without anyone noticing. Festinger found friendship nominations falling off sharply with the number of doors between rooms. The mechanism is not experienced as a mechanism; it is experienced as compatibility. Rooms were assigned rather than chosen, which excludes the obvious rival.
Practise Interpersonal Attraction: The Science of Social Bonding
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