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Pre-registration for psychological network analyses in cross-sectional data using the form based on Burger et al. (2022; https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000471).

To investigate whether and why young women are romantically attracted to men with dark personalities or villains, we aim to design a Qualtrics questionnaire including pictures of well-known TV characters (who are representations of these personalities). The main goal is to assess the romantic attraction to male villainous/heroic TV characters, based on their personality (not physical appearance). However, since physical attractiveness is a prominent predictor of romantic attraction (Eastwick & Finkel, 2008) and not everybody knows every TV character, the use of pictures requires further investigation to minimize bias. Prior to the actual experiment, a pilot study will be conducted to make a selection of the pictures/characters, which will be elaborated in the current registration. Reference: Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2008). Sex differences in mate preferences revisited: Do people know what they initially desire in a romantic partner? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(2), 245-264. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.94.2.245

This registration builds on the findings of its eponymous pilot study (see OSF page https://osf.io/bmtw5/). It is still unclear whether and why some women are romantically attracted to dark personalities or villains that increase the likelihood of becoming a victim of intimate partner violence. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate how adult attachment styles, maladaptive personality, and acceptance of couple violence in women predict romantic attraction to villainous and heroic TV characters.