Classical conditioning works by pairing a positive or negative stimulus with a neutral stimulus to create the same reaction. Within relationship formation, this means that if a positive stimulus i.e. a party is paired with a neutral stimulus i.e. potential partner, that they are more likely to have an attraction, as the neutral stimulus will have a positive response.
May and Hamilton (1980) carried out a study on women, looking at the role that association played in relationship formation. They asked participants to rate photos of men in terms of physical appearance whilst listening to rock music (the positive stimulus), no music (a neutral stimulus) and modern music (a negative stimulus).
They found that the participants rated photos more harshly when listening to modern music (the negative stimulus) showing that association with a good feeling can make it more likely that you will be attracted to someone.
However, being attracted to someone doesn't necessarily make the formation of a relationship more likely, as there are many other factors involved such as opportunity.
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