Factors affecting attraction: filter theory, including social demography, similarity in attitudes and complementarity
Filter theory says people narrow down potential partners in three stages. Each stage acts like a filter, removing unsuitable people until one partner remains.
Real World
University of Cambridge data shows that over 40% of graduates marry someone they met at the same university — illustrating how social demography acts as the first filter by limiting who people actually encounter.
Exam Focus
State all three filters in order and name Kerckhoff and Davis — incomplete filter sequences lose easy AO1 description marks.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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