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113Can third-party observers detect attraction?6haviours and if subtle expressions were expressed and visible. Furthermore,despite previous research showing both daters simultaneously (e.g., Hall etal., 2015; Place et al., 2009, 2012), the effect of synchronous behaviour between the daters has not been directly examined. Indeed, mimicry has beenshown to increase the chance of liking and affiliation with others (Chartrand& Bargh, 1999; Cheng & Chartrand, 2003; Lakin & Chartrand, 2003; Roth,Samara, Tan, et al., 2021; Roth, Samara, & Kret, 2021a). Therefore, ifsynchronous behaviour between two daters facilitates the detection of attraction (i.e., dater A smiles and dater B reciprocates that smile), then thepresentation of randomly shuffled videos would impair accuracy in detecting attraction. Thus, two factors that might influence accuracy in detectingattraction in others, namely subtle expressions and synchronous behaviour,have not been disentangled in previous research.Many factors might influence detecting attraction in others (Place et al.,2009). Place et al. (2009) examined the possible effects of age on attractionaccuracy. In their adult sample, they found no evidence that age mattered.However, the age range of their sample was limited to young adults (18-27years old). Thus, whether age influences accuracy in detecting attractionwhen including a wider age range remains unclear. Nevertheless, there is areason to assume that age may influence detecting attraction. First, youngindividuals, specifically children, will have less relationship experience thanadults. Given that such experience is essential for detecting and interpretingemotions according to the Perception-Action Model of Empathy (PAM; deWaal & Preston, 2017), adults, who are more experienced with romanticattraction, should detect attraction in others considerably better than children. Second, brain areas important for emotion expression processing arestill under development in children (Thomas, De Bellis, Graham, & LaBar,2007). Thus, younger children have more difficulties recognizing emotionsthan older children and adults, especially when the emotions are complex(Pons & Harris, 2005) or social and subtle (Thomas et al., 2007). Third,attraction may not be evolutionary relevant for young children before theyenter puberty and become interested in sexuality (Baams, Dubas, Overbeek,& van Aken, 2015). It is, thus, more likely that children become better atdetecting attraction with age.Here, in a series of three experiments, we examined whether third-partyobservers could detect attraction between strangers on a date after observing only thin slices of that interaction (i.e., 3-9 s). Specifically, we examinedwhether this is influenced by a) age (Experiment 1 and Experiment 2) orthe interaction phase (i.e., first impression or middle of the date) and stimulus presentation duration (Experiment 3); and b) when the person observedis indeed interested in their partner than when not. To investigate thesehypotheses, we asked participants to indicate whether the daters would liketo go on another date with their partner, which was considered a proxy forattraction. Previous evidence has shown a moderate correlation betweenIliana Samara 17x24.indd 113 08-04-2024 16:36