Intro to Relationship Science Flashcards
Are people waiting more or less to marry than in the past?
Longer.
Does cohabitation make it more likely for a subsequent marriage to succeed?
No, it makes it more likely to fail.
How pronounced are actual psychological differences between sexes?
Not as pronounced as stereotypes say.
Is having an androgynous partner associated with greater or lesser relationship satisfaction?
Greater.
What are the two types of intimate relationships between adults?
Friends and lovers.
What 6 factors differentiate intimate relationships from casual ones?
Differences in knowledge, caring, interdependence, mutuality, trust, and commitment.
What are the differences in knowledge that distinguish intimate relationships?
People in intimate relationships have a more in depth knowledge of their intimate partners than casual partners.
Are the 6 differentiating factors for intimate relationships necessary?
Not necessarily, but the more dimensions are present, the more intimate the relationship tends to be.
Are the dimensions of intimate relations stable over time?
No, relationships can change. A married couple may start with all 6 but lose them over the years.
What is interdependence?
The extent to which intimates need and influence each other.
What are the 4 characteristics of interdependence?
Frequency, strength, diversity, and endurance.
What is meant by frequent interdependence?
People have continuous, constant influence on each other.
What is meant by strong interdependence?
There is a strong influence on partners compared to others.
What is meant by diverse interdependence?
We influence our partners in multiple facets of their lives.
What is meant by enduring interdependence?
The influence is longer lasting than in other relationships.
What is mutuality?
Intimates overlapping between their lives and think of themselves as “us” instead of “me and him/her”.
What do Baumeister and Leary state that we need in order to function properly?
Frequent, pleasant interactions with intimate partners in lasting, caring relationships.
Is quality or quantity of relationships more important?
Quality. When our need for intimate interaction is satiated, we no longer feel the drive to form other relationships.
What are some health risk factors of losing ties?
High blood pressure, weaker immune functioning, higher mortality rates, and increased likelihood to suffer from mental disorders.
How have the rates of marriage changed in the last 50 years?
94% of people marrying vs. less than 80% today.
When are women and men now most likely to get married, respectively?
Women around 26 or 27; men around 28 or 29.
What proportion of Americans remain unmarried until their 30s?
More than 1/3.
What proportion of African Americans are not married until 36?
1/2
What proportion of Americans cohabit with their future spouse?
1/2
What percentage of children are born out of wedlock today vs. 50 years ago?
40% today, 5% in 1960
What percentage of marriages end in divorce?
50% in the USA, 25-30% in Canada.
What percentage of American children live in single-parent households?
60%.
How is cohabitation before marriage correlated with marriage?
The longer partners live together, the less likely they are to marry. If people get engaged before they cohabit, however, it seems to have no effect.
Why is cohabitation a bad indicator?
People who cohabit tend to have less idealistic views of marriage, so the shorter marriages can be attributed to a shared lack of pro-marriage values.
How do religious beliefs confound with cohabitation as an indicator of marriage longevity?
Strong religious beliefs are correlated with not cohabiting, as well as less favourable views of divorce.
What two points make for higher divorce rates?
The growing ease of divorce and our higher expectations for our partners.
What are 3 sources of change in interpersonal relationships?
Increasing levels of socioeconomic development, pronounced individualism, and new technology.
How has socioeconomic development influenced people’s relationships?
Education and financial resources allow people to travel more widely, this increase in options can tempt some to break up and pursue other options.
How has pronounced individualism affected people’s relationships?
People rank duty, honour, and obligation lower than ever before. Personal fulfillment is taking a larger role.
How has new technology influenced people’s relationships?
Modern reproductive technologies make it easier to reduce our ties with others (casual sex), as well as facilitating pregnancy without a man.
What is a sex ratio?
A simple count of the number of men for every 100 women in a single population.
What was the sex ratio in 2003?
86 unmarried men for every 100 unmarried women.
How do sex ratios effect culture?
High sex ratios (more men) supports traditional, patriarchal morals. Low sex ratios support a more permissive, matriarchal society.
Why does the sex ratio matter?
When sex ratios are high, men tend to want to keep the women they attract. The opposite is true in low sex ratio societies.
What are the three attachment styles?
Secure, anxious-ambivalent, and avoidant.
What is characteristic of the secure attachment style?
Happily bonded with others, readily developed relationships characterized by relaxed trust.
What is characteristic of the anxious-ambivalent attachment style?
Becoming nervous and clingy, displaying excessive neediness in their relationships with others.
What is characteristic of the avoidant attachment style?
Often suspicious of and angry at others, do not easily form trusting, close relationships.
What is the best predictor of a child’s future attachment style?
Their mother’s behaviour towards their infant.
What percentage of people are reportedly in the secure attachment category?
Around 60%
What type of attachment style are anxious-ambivalent exhibitors best partnered with?
Those that match theirs. Anxious-ambivalent is best with another anxious-ambivalent.
What two categories rank people on the spectrum of secure to avoidant?
Anxiety over abandonment and avoidance of intimacy.
What is the standard deviation between sex differences?
0.8. There is a LOT of overlap.
What is the difference between sex differences and culture differences?
Sex differences are biological differences, gender differences are social and psychological distinctions created by cultures and socialization.
What proportion of people express the behaviour that is stereotypically associated with that gender?
Only 1/2.
What does it mean to be androgynous?
To possess both sets of competencies that are stereotypically associated with being male and female.
What are the two categories of traits?
Expressive and instrumental.
What gender are expressive and instrumental traits associated with?
Women are thought to be expressive, men are thought to be instrumental.
What are the 4 instrumental traits?
Assertiveness, self-reliance, ambition, and decisiveness.
What are the 5 expressive traits?
Warmth, tenderness, compassion, kindness, and sensitivity to others.
What is the term for people who express traits stereotypical of the opposite gender?
Cross-typed.
What is the term for people who do not express any stereotypical gender traits?
Undifferentiated.
Which set of traits are linked to being a better parter?
Expressive traits.
