Competence as a Moderator of the Similarity/Attraction Relationship: Development and Application of a New Index

Summary

Previous inconsistencies in efforts directed at estimating the impact of competence as a moderator of the similarity/attraction (S/A) relationship led to an argument for the inclusion of subjects' self-perceived judgmental ability as an important but previously ignored component of competence in such situations. A self-report measure of competence which included judgmental ability as well as a motivational (interpersonal efficacy) component of competence was developed and evaluated following guidelines from Wylie. The Competence Index was subsequently employed in a procedure involving 80 female undergraduates in which the respective moderating impacts of judgmental ability and interpersonal efficacy on the S/A relationship were examined in an adaptation of the Byrne standard stranger technique. A significant moderating effect was found for judgmental ability (p # .024) but not for interpersonal efficacy.