Construct importance and rating similarity as determinants of interpersonal attraction

This investigation explored the effects of two aspects of personal construct (Kelly, 1955) similarity on interpersonal attraction. Similarity of construct importance and ratings was manipulated in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design which included an analysis of sex differences. Forty‐one subjects rated their attraction to hypothetical others who either agreed or disagreed in their assessment of construct importance and who evidenced either similar or dissimilar self‐ratings on these constructs. Results indicated that rating similarity was more influential as a determinant of interpersonal attraction than was similarity in evaluating construct importance. The interaction of the two variables indicated that construct importance had a positive effect on attraction in the presence of rating similarity but no effect in the presence of rating dissimilarity. A three‐way interaction with sex of subject further qualified the influence of rating similarity and construct importance on interpersonal attraction. Results were interpreted in terms of Duck's (1973 a , 1977, 1979) ‘filtering theory’ of relationship development.