Perceived and Actual Similarity as Predictors of Self-Disclosure and Perceived Understanding at Zero Acquaintance

When people interact, there are general guidelines that direct the conversation. When two humans interact for the first time, however, there seem to be different factors at play that either allow for the relationship to continue and grow or that end any further interactions. One of the main factors in beginning relationships is the amount self-disclosure that is occurring between the people. Because social relationships are so important for humans, it is important to examine variables that may affect the amount people disclose when they first meet. This study looks at how perceived and actual similarity predict perceived understanding and self-disclosure in these situations of zero acquaintance. Participants in this study were paired up, completed a structured interaction task, and filled out questionnaires measuring the aforementioned variables. The participant dyads were either told they had similar personalities or were told nothing in this regard in order to assess the affects of perceived similarity on self-disclosure. Results found that for both conditions, perceived understanding was the only factor examined in this study that significantly affected self-disclosure