ABSTRACT
What factors led to the formation of your closest friendship? How did you and your romantic partner fi rst meet and become involved? What was it that initially attracted you to those individuals (and that initially attracted them to you)? In an open fi eld situation, the partners must fi rst notice each other before any relationship can develop; next, they must be suffi ciently attracted to one another to wish to interact; and fi nally, they must interact. This chapter explores these three important aspects of relationship beginnings, focusing specifi cally on research designed to identify the
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factors that promote attention to, attraction to, and initial interaction between potential partners and thus contribute to the birth of a relationship.
