Byrne's Reinforcement Theory

14 Pages 3520 Words

. Byrne theorized attitudes of similar interests are more rewarding and thus become a good indicator of whether individuals will be attracted to one another. Byrne used the theory of reinforcement to explain the theory of attraction/similarity studies. Individuals look for similarities in a number of areas. The areas of behavior that people look for similarities are behavior, attitudes, beliefs, values, abilities, and the individual’s personality that is similar to our own. So in following the theory of reinforcement if we believe an individual to be similar to us, we are then more likely to be attracted to them. This idea is sometimes thought as homophily. When we find and individual we intent to develop a relationship with it is important that we evaluate that person. This brings us to what is known as perceived similarity, one’s belief that another’s traits and actions mirror that of ours and in most cases is the variable that attracts us to others. In looking at the development of this theory, Bryne’s basic idea is that in pursuing a personal relationship we an always in search of positive reinforcement.
I believe that the Byrne’s theory of reinforcement is can be highly supported. The reason I chose these articles is because it helps to support my theory that this process is very difficult to prove, but does exist and there are many different ways of judging the reinforcement theory. In the sources that I have selected, I will provide examples and illustrate the reasons why I believe this theory to be true. The first study that I will discuss and analyze is the journal article titled, “Interpersonal Attraction and Attitude Similarity”. Donn Byrne conducted this experiment in 1960 at the University of Texas at Austin. This study investigated the direction and strength of affect displays between different genders in relationships. Byrne hypothesized that after interaction has begun, reciprocal reward and...