Heterophily

If homophily is similarities between people, heterophily is the other side of the coin: "source-receiver dissimarity. Mark I Alpert and W. Thomas Anderson, jr., conducted a very interesting study reported in the Journal of Communication , Vol. 23, Issue 3, PP. 328-343, abstracted on InterScience:

A fundamental principle of human communication is that source-receiver similarity promotes communication effectiveness. But do perceived source-receiver dissimilarities have instrumental value in enhancing the effectiveness of communication? This study demonstrates the application of a method for gauging the relationship between heterophily or source-receiver dissimilarity and communication effectiveness and for identifying relevant dimensions of homophily/heterophily in achieving effective communication.One hundred ninety-two Ss viewed three slides of widely-differing college males, to whom three pre-scaled neutral statements were randomly attributed. Measures were obtained of Ss ratings of themselves and these "sources" along twenty-one personal attributes, as well as their agreement (or disagreement) with the attributed statements. Perceived source-receiver distances varied across the three sources, as did the agreement measure of communication effectiveness. The moderately-distant source achieved the highest agreement, lending support to Everett M. Rogers'notion that optimal heterophily produces communication effectiveness. The pattern and directions of the perceived dimensions of interpersonal differences gave further understanding of the relative communication effectiveness of communication sources.

This whole homophily-heterophily thing is important for entrepreneurs because developing the right strategy for promoting products and services and communicating with customers depends on understanding these two concepts.

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