Interpersonal attraction as a communication accomplishment: Development of a measure of affinity‐seeking competence

The five studies described here lay the foundation for investigations of an important constraint under which individuals operate when attempting to engender liking, their affinity‐seeking competence. Several studies were undertaken to develop and validate a self‐report instrument for assessing skills of affinity‐seeking. Results indicate that the Affinity‐Seeking Instrument (ASI), which is comprised of two scales, has internal consistency, a stable factor structure, and concurrent and discriminant validity. These studies also indicate that the instrument measures social tendencies that are observable to others and predictive of positive social outcomes.

Notes

The authors express appreciation to Professors John A. Daly and Margaret L. McLaughlin for their comments on an earlier draft of this report. Professor Daly is also thanked for his assistance in the collection of data for the second study.