Best Practices for Testing the Predictive Validity of Ideal Partner Preference-Matching. (February 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Eastwick, Paul W.; Finkel, Eli J.; Simpson, Jeffry A.
• Is Part Of: Personality & social psychology bulletin. Volume 45:Number 2(2019)
• Page Start: 167
• Page End: 181
• Publication Date: 2019-02
• Subjects: ideals -- close relationships -- predictive validity -- matching hypothesis -- human mating; Personality -- Periodicals; Social psychology -- Periodicals; 302
• DOI: 10.1177/0146167218780689
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0146-1672

Abstract

Many psychological hypotheses require testing whether the similarity between two variables predicts important outcomes. For example, the ideal standards model posits that the match between (A) a participant's ideal partner preferences, and (B) the traits of a current/potential partner, predicts (C) evaluative outcomes (e.g., the decision to date someone, relationship satisfaction, breakup); tests of the predictive validity of ideal-matching require A × B → C analytic strategies. However, recent articles have incorrectly suggested that documenting a positive samplewide correlation between a participant's ideals and a current partner's traits (an A-B correlation) implies that participants pursued, selected, or desired partners with traits that matched their ideals. There are at least six alternative explanations for the emergence of a samplewide A-B correlation; A-B correlations do not provide evidence that ideals guide the selection/evaluation of specific partners. We review appropriately rigorous A × B → C tests that can aid scholars in identifying the circumstances in which ideal-matching exhibits predictive validity.