EXPOSURE EFFECTS IN THE CLASSROOM - THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFFINITY AMONG STUDENTS

Affinity is a complex blend of familiarity, attraction, and similarity that strengthens social relations by fostering a sense of closeness among people. We studied the development of affinity among students in a large college course. Four women of similar appearance attended class sessions, posing as students in the course. To create conditions of mere exposure, they did not interact with any of the other students. Each woman attended a different number (0, 5, 10, or 15) of class sessions. At the end of the term, students (N = 130) were shown slides of the women and measures of each woman's perceived familiarity, attractiveness, and similarity were obtained. Mere exposure had weak effects on familiarity, but strong effects on attraction and similarity. Causal analyses indicated that the effects of exposure on familiarity and similarity were mediated by its effects on atrraction. The potential role of affinity in several kinds of social relations is discussed. © 1992.