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An established method for assessing empathic accuracy was used to examine the consequences of accurate understanding during the early years of marriage. Structural equation modeling analyses simultaneously examined within-individual and across-partner associations among variables (actor effects and partner effects). During the first year of marriage, actor effects and partner effects were observed for two presumed consequences of empathic accuracy-accommodative behavior and couple well-being. Actor effects, partner effects, or both were observed for three possible determinants of empathic accuracy-commitment level, partner perspective-taking, and psychological femininity. Levels of empathic accuracy reliably declined following the first year of marriage, as did the strength of the above-noted associations with empathic accuracy.

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Male and female strangers' shyness and physical attractiveness strongly affected their own and their partners' behavior during initial, unstructured interactions. First, dyad-level measures of behavioral involvement and perceived interaction quality were independently predicted by the men's shyness and the women's physical attractiveness. Second, shy men exerted avoidant control over mutual gazing by denying their female partners (but not themselves) opportunities to initiate and terminate mutual gazes. Third, as physical attractiveness of the men increased, conversations included fewer references to 3rd-party individuals, with the women appearing to be primarily responsible for setting the "exclusive" tone of these conversations. Fourth, as physical attractiveness of the women increased, the men reported an increasing percentage of metaperspective thoughts and feelings that reflected the symbolic adoption of their female partners' perspective.First impressions matter. In some instances (e.g., during job interviews and blind dates), the images created during initial encounters govern one's access to significant social and material rewards as well as to subsequent interactions. Even when continued encounters are ensured (e.g., when first meeting a new neighbor or co-worker), these same images color one's subsequent perceptions of the other person's friendliness, desirability, and competence. The enduring impact of first impressions seems exaggerated relative to the limited amount of information available in any single encounter.Certain personal characteristics influence initial impressions more than others. Characteristics that are readily observable should have the greatest initial impact. For example, race and gender are conspicuous features that have been shown to exert considerable influence on interpersonal behavior and perceptions (e.g., Ickes, 1984;Ickes & Barnes, 1977;Ickes, Schermer, & Steeno, 1979). In this study, we examined the impact of two other dispositional variables that are salient early in an interaction: physical attractiveness and shyness.Both of these characteristics are readily discerned. Evidence of their observability was reported by Funder and Dobroth Portions of these results were presented at the 1990 International Conference on Interaction and Close Relationships at Nags Head, North Carolina, and at the 1990 meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago.