Chapter 2: Research Methods in Relationship Science

Question 1

the short history of relationship science

Answer 1

• Relationship science began in the 1930s, with studies of children’s friendships, courtship, and marriage
• An explosion of studies put the field on the map in the 1960s and 70s

Question 2

relationship science today

Answer 2

• Often uses diverse samples of people
• Examines varied types of family, friendship, and romantic relationships
• Studies both the pleasant and unpleasant aspects of relationships
• Often follows relationships in their natural setting
• Uses sophisticated technology

Question 3

developing a research question

Answer 3

The first step in any scientific endeavour is to ask a question

Question 4

relationship questions can come from:

Answer 4

• Personal experience
• Social problems
• Previous relationships
• Suggestions from theories

Question 5

two broad types of research questions

Answer 5

1. Describe events
2. Establish causal connections between them

Question 6

convenience sample

Answer 6

using anyone who is readily available and who consents to participate

Question 7

representative sample

Answer 7

strives to ensure that collectively, participants resemble the entire population of people of interest

Question 8

what types of samples are best?

Answer 8

Representative samples are better than convenience samples

Question 9

where is most research conducted?

Answer 9

in WEIRD samples (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic)

Question 10

are studies with convenience samples still important?

Answer 10

yes, even small studies using convenience samples can make important contributions to relationship science! no study is perfect

Question 11

volunteer bias

Answer 11

of the people invited to participate, those who do may differ from those who don’t

Question 12

correlations

Answer 12

describe patterns in which change in one event is accompanied to some degree by change in another

Question 13

positive correlation

Answer 13

as the independent variable increases, so does the dependent variable

Question 14

negative correlation

Answer 14

as the independent variable increases, the dependent variable decreases

Question 15

a correlation could mean:

Answer 15

1. X causes y
2. Y causes x
3. A third variable may explain the relationship

Question 16

experiments

Answer 16

• Provide straightforward information about causes and their effects
• Can determine causal connections

Question 17

self-reports

Answer 17

asking people to report on their experiences

Question 18

pros of self-reports

Answer 18

• Allow us to get inside people’s heads
• Inexpensive
• Easy to obtain

Question 19

cons of self-reports

Answer 19

• Involve interpretation of questions
• Difficulties in recall or awareness
• Bias in participants’ reports

Question 20

social desirability bias

Answer 20

participants’ reluctance to tell researchers anything that makes them look bad or portrays them in an undesirable light

Question 21

observations

Answer 21

Researchers can collect information about relationships by observing behaviour directly

Question 22

how are observations conducted?

Answer 22

• Measuring behaviour with sophisticated tools
• Carefully training colleagues to make observations that are accurate, reliable, and detailed

Question 23

ecological momentary assessment

Answer 23

uses intermittent, short periods of observation to capture samples of behaviour

Question 24

pro of observations

Answer 24

Avoid the challenges of self-reports

Question 25

cons of observations

Answer 25

• Don’t allow us to understand people’s perceptions of their experiences
• Expensive
• Time-consuming
• Reactivity

Question 26

reactivity

Answer 26

people may change their behaviour when they know they’re being observed

Question 27

physiological measures

Answer 27

• Observing behaviour that people cannot consciously control
• Assessed responses such as heart rate, muscle tension, genital arousal, brain activity, and hormone levels to determine how our physical states are associated with our social behaviour

Question 28

archival materials

Answer 28

Using stores of data collected by others

Question 29

pro of archival material

Answer 29

nonreactive

Question 30

con of archival material

Answer 30

limited to the data that already exists

Question 31

research ethics

Answer 31

• Researchers inquiries may alert people to relationship problems or frustrations that they didn’t know they had
• Relationship scientists are ordinarily very careful to safeguard the welfare of their participants
• It’s important to continue studies in relationship science because we can gain knowledge that will benefit humanity

Question 32

how do researchers safeguard the welfare of their participants?

Answer 32

• They provide detailed information so that they can decide whether or not to participate
• They ask for informed consent
• They provide prompt feedback that explains any experimental manipulations
• They conduct final decisions
• They may provide information about couple’s counselling, and sometimes, free psychological services

Question 33

interpreting and integrating results

Answer 33

We conduct statistical analyses to determine whether the results are statistically significant

Question 34

open science

Answer 34

research materials and data are shared with other scientists who wish to replicate one’s work

Question 35

Challenges and complexities of relationship data

Answer 35

• paired interdependent data
• three sources of influence

Question 36

paired interdependent data

Answer 36

most statistical procedures assume scores are independent of each other, but responses obtained from relationship partners are often interdependent, so special statistical procedures are needed

Question 37

three sources of influence

Answer 37

relationships are influenced by two individual partners and their idiosyncratic relationship, which requires sophisticated statistical analyses

Question 38

meta-analyses

Answer 38

studies that statistically combine the results from several prior studies

Question 39

should we proceed with scientific caution?

Answer 39

Scientific caution is appropriate but it shouldn’t be mistaken for weakness