Notes for the article: Epstein, R. (2007). The truth about online dating. Scientific American, 18, 8-35.

1. What percentage of online daters admit to deception?                                                                                            

2.  On average, Cornell and Ellison found that online profiles shave off                    pounds and add an                         in height. But the                                                  and                                        people are, the bigger the lies.

3.  What are the areas men are most likely to lie about?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

4.  What are the areas women are most likely to lie about?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

5. What percentage of online daters listed their appearance as less than average?                                          

6.  Why is there so much deception among online daters? What theory do Kiesler and colleagues pose?

7.  There are practical reasons for lying. One study showed men who claimed incomes of over $250,000 got                                          more replies?

8.  At what age do men begin to lie about their age?                                                                                                       

9.  At what age do women begin to lie about their age?                                                                                                                

10. What two hurdles to psychometric evaluations need to pass to be taken seriously?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

11. What company submitted a paper at a national convention but still hasn’t published the paper?

12.  What is the “false negative problem?”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

13. Advertising materials from the largest online dating services state that over 50 million Americans use online dating services and are satisfied with the services. However, independent studies suggest that only                      million American use online dating services and that satisfaction levels were                          .

14.  What is the “click problem?”                                                                                                                                              

15.  In 2001, online dating was a                  dollar business and by 2008 it will be a                    dollar business.

16.  What are examples of Phase One, The Long Bar?                                                                                                     

17. What are examples of Phase Two, The Long Test?                                                                                                    

18. Phase Three is underway with companies like Engage. What approach does Engage take?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

19. What are other examples of this approach?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

20. On mega dating sites like eHarmony and Match, dating is done in                                                                     

21. What type of dating is already being developed?                                                                                                      

22. Frost and Norton reported that those who had a change to interact by computer only on a virtual tour of a museum subsequently had more                                                                 face-to-face meeting that people who viewed only profiles.

23. What is a major bonus of virtual dating?                                                                                                                        

24. What do you think is the most outstanding commandment of online dating?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

25. Reactions???

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