Exam 3 Flashcards
Information Processing
- What we focus on
- Ways we select, interpret, and organize information about the world
Information Processing:
Cognitions influence
Which behaviors we attend to
2) How we interpret the behaviors a) Are they doing it bc they love us? b) Bc they're upset with us? 3) How we react to those behaviors a) If I interpret it as someone doing something to spite me I might react differently
Information Processing:
Hierarchical Relationship Knowlege
Global abstract vs more specific concrete 1) I love my partner a) Terrific person i) Dependable One. Punctual First. Pays bills on time every month Two. Organized ii) Supportive One. Good listener
Motivated Reasoning: Motives
Motive: drive to reach a specific goal
If I’m motivated to see you in a certain way then I probably will see you in that way
Motivated Reasoning:
Biases
Biases: Tendency to process information to protect a particular point of view
In order to maintaining seeing the world a specific way
Our motives can result in biases about how we perceive our partner’s behavior
Motivated Reasoning
Accuracy Motive
Motive
Motive: understanding and being understood
People want to believe they can predict what partner will do and how partner is likely to respond
Motivated Reasoning
Accuracy Motive
Diagnosticity Bias
Diagnosticity bias: preference for information that indicates important qualities in a partner or relationship
The diagnosticity bias is another type of motivation that people may have. This bias refers to people’s desire to view their partner in an accurate light, so that they are better able to predict their partner’s likely behavior in different situations.
Motivated Reasoning
Accuracy Motive
Confirmatiion bias
Confirmation bias: Preference for information that supports what we already know about a partner or relationship
You seek out information that keeps what you think is true
Process information that goes with your beliefs
Motivated Reasoning
Justification Motive
Motive
Supports positive view of self
Helps me feel good about myself
People in distressed relationships see partners more negatively than partners see themselves (Murray et al., 2000)
Motivated Reasoning
Self serving Bias
Self serving bias: Take credit for our successes and blame others for our failures
When having conflict with partner; may blame situation or partner rather than taking repsonsibilty for behavior
Motivated Reasoning
Enhancement Motive
Motive
Motive: Believing the best about a relationship
Married and dating couples completed a measure of interpersonal qualities for self (“actor”), partner, and ideal partner (Murray et al, 1996)
Motivated Reasoning
Enhancement Motive
Motive
Results
Actors’ view of self minimally correlated with partners’ view of self
Actor’s view of self correlated with actor’s view of partner
I see my partner similarly the way I see myself
View partners through our self-perceptions
Actors’ view of self correlated with actors’ view of ideal partner
The more I think I am open and understanding, caring kind. The higher I expect my partner to be on those things
I rate myself lower on those then I don’t really expect them in my partner
The more positive I view myself the higher the expectation I have for my ideal partner
Actor’s view of ideal partner correlated with actors’ view of partner
If the person you’re with isn’t similar to your ideal person then you probably don’t want to be with them
Ways of keeping negative information out of awarenesss
Selective attention
Empathy Accuracy
Memory Biases
Adaptive Attributions
Ways of keeping negative information out of awareness:
Selective attention
- cognitions influence what is noticed and attended to
Ways of keeping negative information out of awareness:
Empathy Accuracy
people’s motivation to understand what their partner is saying varies with whether their partner is saying something negative or positive
A positive statement leads to high motivation to understand
A negative statement leads to low motivation to understand
Ways of keeping negative information out of awareness:
Memory Biases
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Adaptive Attributions
People may explain negative information away as being due to circumstances rathe than their parter and as beign a temporary thing
Coping With Negative Information:
Flexible Standard
People may alter their relationship standards based on how their partner behaves
Whatever is currently percieved as positive is considered important and what is currently percieved as negative is considered uniportant
Coping With Negative Information:
Cognitive Restructuring
people may link negative information with positive information about their partner
Reinterpretation: identify positive aspects of partner’s negative behavior
Refutation: “yes-but” response that minimizes impact of behavior and links it with positive behavior
Limits of Motivated Reasoning:
Cognitive Complexity
complex structures with many concrete ideas will be more flexible and less likely to change than less complex structures with fewer concrete ideas
Limits of Motivated Reasoning:
Stress
at times when people are coping with a lot of things, they may not have the cognitive resources to engage in adaptive attributions.
Limits of motivated Reasoning:
Commitment Calibration Hypothesis
People may not always feel that they have to explain away negative behavior or negative information
If people feel their relationship is strong enough to withstand the negative behavior or negative information, they will not try to explain it to others.
Love
Importance and Outcomes associated with Love:
Considered to be basis of Marriage in U.S.
In 1960’s, 24% of women and 65% of men (Kephart, 1967)
In 1980s, >80% of women and men (Simpson et al., 1986)
Changes over 16-year period (1997-2012) (sprecher & Hatfield, 2015)
Over 80% consider it to be basis of marriage, with women slightly higher than men
Men’s ratings decreasing slightly over 26 years
Higher ratings correlated with being White (vs. Black), higher self-esteem, & secure attachment style
