Human relationships Flashcards
1
Q
Discuss/examine/evaluate the biological approuch to understanding perso
Introduce the BA approach to understand human relationships
A
- based on the process of natural selection–> how we are attracted to traits that have an advantage to future offsprings.
- The sexual selection theory–> explains how evolution shaped us in selecting our partner based on whether he/she is the fittest to provide advantagous traits to future offsprings.
- 2 pathways are involved:
1. intersex selection–> choosing a partner from other sex to mate with.
2. inrasexual selection--> competiiton of members of the same sex with other sex to mate with.
2
Q
Describe the argument of the major histocompatibility complex
A
- Natural selection explains how we select individuals based on the best gene pool for future offspring.
- The MHC gene–> is a co-dominant gene (both parents are expressed)
- plays a role in the immune system–> the more diverse the MHC gene the higher the immune sytem future offsping will have.
- role in odor-based recognition +mate choice–> individuals are more attarcted to peope with dissimilar MHC genes
- The puusepose of having a dissilar MHC gene is
- incest avoidance–> relatives ahre MHC while non-relatives dont.
- healthier offspring–> higher defese agaisnt pathogens.
- also linked with a better reproductive health, relationship quality and satisfaction.
3
Q
Describe the study of the MHC gene
A
- proposed by wedekind
- aim—> determine if MHC gene affected mate choice
- participants–> males
- procedure–> wore t shirts for 2 nights and selead them during the day in a bag.
- had to refrain from smoking, drinking, sex, and use of fragrances.
- The t-shirts were paced in 7 boxes and women smelled through a hole.
- 3 boxes (similar MHC), 3 boxes (dissimilar MHC), one box had nos scent,
- women ranked them in odor pleasurness and intensity.
- Results: femeles rated as more pleasure and intense those with dissimilar MHC.
4
Q
Argument 2: waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)
A
- propsoed by singh
- indicator of greater preganncy success, sex hormone profile, less disease risk.
- a low WHR–> indicates high fertility, facilitates during bith and better foetal developemnt (fat deposits in hips are good for brain developemnt).
- high WHR–> linked to low helalth (diseases such as diabetes, obseity etc).
5
Q
Describe the study of the WHR
A
- proposed by Singh
- aim: see if WHR affects mate choice
- sample–> hispanic and white males
- procedure–> shown 12 drawings of females with 3 levels of BMI, underweight, normal, underweigt and 4 levels of WHR (0.7,0.8,0.9,1.0)
- told to rate them based on physical attractiveness, health and ability ton have children. (1—>12)
- results: woman who were of normal weight and WHR of 0l7 were perceived as more attractive.
6
Q
limitations of BA explanations
A
- studies conclude on correlations no cause and effect
- lab setting–> lacks ecological validity (artificial)
- reductionsist–> does not consider CA or sociocultural approcuh in which personality comes into play, does not consider biological roel of attraction in homosexual couples.
7
Q
Discuss/Examine/Evaluate the cognitive approach to human relationships
A
8
Q
Describe 1st model (Similarity-attraction model)
A
- Explains the extent to which people perceieve another person as similar to themsleves
- people tend to prefer someone which is simialr to them.–> causes them to experience positive feeling according to Byrne.
- The motivation of finding a partnder that shares similar chacteristucs has something to do with keeping an individuals perspective coherant to what they already know, yo have certainty that what they perceive about the world is correct–> an effort to maintain self-esteem.
- Aspects to consider to be similar: values, beleifs, religion, culture, education, age, social class.
- Explained through a process called rewards of interacting–> how interacting with similar individuals validates one´s viwes about the world in an effort to satisfy their feeling of being correct.–> boosting self-esteem.
- Simiality is strongest in terms of values, beliefs and attractiveness. less string when it comes to personality. (dominant–submissive)
9
Q
Describe the 1st study of Markey and Markey
A
- aim: investigate the role of similaity when choosing a partner.
- participants: Uni students from large selected sample .
- Ptocedure: given a questonaire to describe their ideal partners in terms of values, psych makeup, beliefs, attitudes etc.
- also asked to describe themselves
- Results–> people tended to describe their partner as similar to themselves
10
Q
Describe 2nd study of markey and markey
A
- aim: investigate personaloities of romantic relationships for at least one year, to investigate relationship quality.
- participants: heterosexual young couples (married, lived together but not married, dating but not licing together)
- were recuited though ads placed around campus
- given questioanires to describe their partners and themselves in terms of personality chcracteristics
- results–> in line with first invetsigation
- also found that couples experiencing the most harmonious +loving relationships–> romantic partners that have some similar characteristics but not all. (if one was dominant the other was submissive)
11
Q
Evaluate markey and markey study
A
- L–> self-report questionaires which means that results might have been influenced by demand characteristics.
- S—> large sample enhancing reliability
- L–> only young americans–> might not be generalizible to other popualtions from other cultures.
12
Q
Describe the 2nd model (Internal working model of attachement)
A
*proposed by BOWLBY
* mental representations that are formed through a child´s early experiences with a primary care-giver.
* This mental image influences how the youngster interacts and builds relationships with others as they grow.
* The way a child interprets and reacts to a caregiver’s behavior creates an expectation and a mental image that they will use to plan and make decisions with other people.
* The internal working model influences an individual’s emotions, behavior, interaction with others and expectations of others in relationships.
* quality of the parent-child relationship in early life can affect a person’s future relationships.
13
Q
Explain the Hazan and Shaver study
A
- aim: demonstrate the effect of early attachment figures as children on beleifs people have about themselves and and close connections
- self-selected sample:
- respond to a love quiz in local newspaper, indicates which of three patterns described their feelings about romantic relationships.
- had to read three sttaements and choose. aparagaph that described them in a relationship
- catergosied into ainsworth attachment styles (secure, insecure-resistant and insecure avoidant)
- results–> most showed secure attachemnets as they ere ikely to have balanced and long-lasting relationships.
13
Q
Evaluation of study
A
- One strength of this study is that they used both males and females, therefore it is representative in the aspect of attachment styles in both genders.
- limitation of the study was the use of self-reports, due to individuals ability to give untruthful answers due to social desirability bias, especially as the questions were quite personal
14
Q
Applicability of the CA approcuch
A
- used to explain how dating site works
- mobile abbs collect information gatheres from a users social media and matches it with a person that shares similar charcteriscs in terms of age, beleifs, religion, attractivness and values.
- Fiore and Donath (2005) examined messaging data from 65,000 users of a United States dating site. They found that users preferred a potential partner who had a high level of similarity in a variety of categories, but some categories appeared to be more significant than others - for example, wanting to have children.
