Sexual overperception bias is a cognitive bias that is more common in men than women. This bias refers to the tendency of men to misinterpret polite gestures from women as sexual interest. This...Show moreSexual overperception bias is a cognitive bias that is more common in men than women. This bias refers to the tendency of men to misinterpret polite gestures from women as sexual interest. This phenomenon has been replicated in numerous studies, often using speed-dating paradigms to investigate the underlying factors of sexual overperception. In this thesis, I investigated whether attachment style mediates the relationship between sexual overperception bias and self-rated attractiveness. With a sample size consisting of thirty-nine participants (13 men and 26 women), we examined this relationship through video interactions of our participants with actors, during which the participants rated the actors on attractiveness as well as how the actors perceived them. Additionally, we employed surveys to measure self-rated attractiveness and attachment style. The results showed that self-rated attractiveness did not predict sexual overperception bias. Furthermore, I found no significant relationship between self-rated attractiveness and attachment style. These findings contrast with previous findings showing that self-rated attractiveness predicted sexual overperception bias, as well as findings suggesting that attachment anxiety is associated with self-rated attractiveness. One of the potential explanations for my findings relates to the much lower sample size (N = 13) compared to previous research. In this thesis, I discuss my findings in more detail and provide suggestions for future research.Show less
A well-known phenomenon in our society is that men tend to overperceive sexual attraction from women, which is called the sexual overperception bias. There has been an increasing focus in research...Show moreA well-known phenomenon in our society is that men tend to overperceive sexual attraction from women, which is called the sexual overperception bias. There has been an increasing focus in research to investigate the mechanisms of this bias and to identify the individual differences in men that could contribute to this misperception. Prior research suggests that sexual overperception bias is related to attachment style, with anxious men showing higher overperception, and avoidant men showing less overperception. It has also been suggested that men’s sociosexual orientation contributes to the amount of misperception. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether men’s sociosexual orientation mediates the relationship between attachment style and sexual overperception bias. Thirteen (n = 13) male participants watched brief video clips of actors of the opposite sex, thinking they were having a webcam interaction with them. The participants were asked to rate their attraction towards and the perceived attractiveness from the actors. Furthermore, they completed questionnaires which were used to predict attachment style and sociosexual orientation. Contrary to the hypothesis, the results showed that sociosexual orientation did not significantly mediate the relationship between attachment style and sexual overperception bias. This might have partly been caused by a small sample size. The findings and limitations were discussed and implications for future research suggested.Show less
