Predicted outcome value was assessed using Sunnafrank’s ( 1986) 10-item measure that utilizes a 6-point scale (1 = much less than I expected, 6 = much more than I expected). Participants were asked to evaluate the extent to which their partner’s communication behavior, attitudes, and overall impression met or exceeded their expectations based on their initial FtF meeting. Items included, “Considering your general expectations about how your partner responded to what you did and said, how positive did you expect this relationship to be for you?” and “Considering your general expectations about how he/she felt about you, how positive did you expect this relationship to be for you?” The scale produced a coefficient alpha of .90.
Information seeking 
was assessed through items from Ramirez and Zhang’s ( 2007) measure of information seeking. The 4 items asked participants to rate on a 7-point Likert-type scale (7 = strongly agree) the extent to which they asked questions, encouraged the sharing of personal information, followed up on partner comments, and actively attempted to get the partner to self-disclose during the initial FtF meeting. The scale yielded an alpha coefficient of .86.
The present study seeks to remedy this issue by extending the modality switching perspective to the applied and naturalistic setting of online dating partners who elect to establish FtF contact during their relationship initiation process
Based on the results of a small-scale pilot study of 42 online dating site users, the priount of time prior to meeting FtF (AMT) was operationalized via an index of two self-reported items: the number of e-mails exchanged as well as the length of time communicating with their partner on the dating site prior to their initial FtF meeting. Read more