Relationships Flashcards
Sexual selection
Evolutionary explanation saying desirable attributes are passed on over generations
Human reproductive behaviour
Any behaviour which relates to opportunities to reproduce. Includes evolutionary mechanisms like mate choice.
Anisogamy
Refers to difference between male and female sex cells
Men have vast numbers. Women have set number of eggs.
Consequences of anisogamy
Mate selection is no shortage of males but fertile women are rare.
Inter-Sexual Selection
Females chose quality over quantity due to fertility only lasting so long
Trivers females make bigger commitment.
Fisher sexy-sons hyp
Fishers sexy-sons
Females mate with desirable men so their children are “sexy”. So the child will also be desirable.
Intra-sexual Selection
Male strategy quantity over quality
Competing with other men to sleep with the most. (Way to dimorphism)
Makes males more aggressive and prefer younger women.
Ao3 of sexual selection & Human Reproductive behaviour
•Research supp. Buss survey 10,000 in 33 countries find women prefer money men prefer looks.
•Research supp. Clark & Hatfield asked uni students for sex. Men said yea women said no. Support make strat
•evolutionary theory. Singh find males like hip and waist size attractive at 0.7 ratio
•Lim: Ignores social influence & culture diff. Bereczki social change has consequences for women not be resource orientated anymore.
Self-Disclosure
Sharing what matters and what is important to us to help partner understand us.
Social penetration Theory
3 factors
Altman & Taylor
1. Self-disclosure is limited partners penetrate each other as they disclose more
2. Breadth is narrow. Low risk disclosure as too much can be off putting
3. Depth increases. As layers are revealed
Reciprocity of self-Disclosure
Belief that there should be a balance of self -disclosure between partners.
Ao3 of social penetration
• Supp research. Laurenceau et al. Higher self-disclosure = higher level of intimacy. Repeatability.
•Real life app. Hass & Stafford. 57% of homosexuals said self-disclosure deepened relationships. Temporal modern ptps and generalisable.
•Lack cultural val. Tang et al. USA people self-disclose more than those in china.
•Correlation. Self-Disclosure linked to more satisfaction. Not causation
Physical attractiveness - Key Studies
Symmetrical faces
Halo effect
Matching hypothesis
Symmetrical faces study
Shackelford & Larsen
Symmetrical faces more attractive due to sign of genetic fitness.
Also more attracted to neotenous face (baby) e.g small noses or soft chin
The Halo Effect
Dion
Attractive people perceived as more kind, strong and social.
McNulty. Initial attractiveness continues to be important.
The Matching Hypothesis
Walster et al
People chose partners of similar attractiveness. To avoid rejection and maximise physical attractiveness we find balance in people of similar attractiveness
Ao3 of Phsyical attractiveness
•research supp halo effect. Palmer & Peterson. Attractive people rated more politically knowledgeable & competent.
•Lim: Ind Diff. Towhey. Gave ptps pics of stranger and biography info ptps rated. Attractiveness more important for ptps with sexist attitudes. Heteronormative
• Research supp for matching hyp. Feingold. Meta-analysis of 17 studies correlation of attractiveness in partners.
•cultural val. Cunningham. All cultures rated females with, small noses etc as attractive.
Filter Theory
Kerckhoff & Davis. Field of available partners with 3 main factors.
Filter 1 of Filter Theory
Social Demography.
Proximity is accessibility. Outcome of homogamy. Meaning more likely to form relations with people who share ethnicity, religious belief and education level.
Filter 2 of Filter Theory
Similar in attitudes. Byrne.
Similar values = More attractive. Found similar attitudes more important in early stages in early stages of relation
Filter 3 of Filter theory
Complementarity.
Partners being different and helping fulfil each other. E.g one being socially proactive and other being introverted.
Ao3 of Filter Theory
•Research supp. Peter Winch. Similarity typical at early stages. Happily married complementarity more important.
•Lim: Failed replication. Levinger social change depth due to length. Issue with applying to homosexual or collectivist.
•Causality is wrong. Anderson. Longitudinal study. Partners more similar over time. (Emotional Convergence)
•Lack temp val. online dating makes filter 1 waffle. No need for similar social class etc)
Social Exchange Theory
Thibault & Kelly
Satisfaction in profit. Min max principle min cost and max prof.
Profitable relationships continue.
Comparison level SET
Amount of reward that you believe is deserved. From previous relations and social norms we make base beliefs on what we expect. If equal or better we will remain in relationship
Comparison Level of Alternatives. SET
Whether potential partners are more rewarding. People stay in current relationships if that have nothing better to do
Factors effecting comparison level
Previous relations: Expect better than previous
Self-esteem: High self-esteem = Greater expectation
Culture: Some cultures undervalue genders.
Stages of relationships
Sampling: Exploring potential rewards
Bargaining: 1st stage of romantic relation. Negotiate dynamic of relationship
Commitment: reward increase, cost lessen as relation stables
Institutionalisation: Partners settled as norms established.
Ao3 of SET
•Research supp. Kurdeck found committed relationships involve lower cost and higher reward. Lim: Equity theory as perceived sense of min max.
•Argyle argues don’t consider alts until dissatisfied. Not accepted by wider scientific comm.
•Low scientific val. Hard to quantify reward & cost. Lack of empirical evidence. Not falsifiable.
Equity Theory
Walster et al.
Ratio of reward and cost. Level of profit should be roughly the same as
What is over benefitting in equity theory
Less dissatisfaction but likely to discomfort and shame as they receive more than put in
What is underbenefitting in equity theory
Least satisfied results in anger and resentment. Putting lots in and getting nothing back.
Ao3 of Equity Theory
•Supp research. Real life app. Utne et all surveyed 118 married. Found more equitable were more satisfied.
•lacks cultural val. aumer-ryan. collectivist more satisfied with equity. Ethnocentric
•Indicidual diff. Huseman. Benevolent partners who give. And entitled who expect more.
Paradoxical Relationships
Horton & Wohl
One-sided unreciprocated relationships where fan expends lots of energy.
Celebrity Attitude Scale
Lynn McCutcheon et al
Based of large survey by John Maltby
Stage 1 of Celebrity Attitude Model
Giles & Maltby
Entertainment - Social
Most people in para relationships. Celebs seen as entertainment least intense level.
Stage 2 of Celebrity Attitude Scale
Intense - Personal
Intermediate level with greater personal involvement. E.g see them as a soul mate. Typical of teenagers obsessed with every detail of celeb
Stage 3 of Celebrity Attitude Scale
Borderline pathological
Most intense level. Celeb worship to extreme. Spends large sums of money or illegal activities.
Absorption-Addiction Model
McCutcheon
Celeb worship to compensate for life deficiency, like lack of identity. Parasocial relation allows fulfilment in everyday life.
First Stage of Absorption-Addiction Model
Intense focus on parasocial relationship and sense of fulfilment motivates more intense attachment
Second stage of Absorption-Addiction Model
Addiction
Sense of fulfilment becomes addictive and more extreme things are done to achieve fulfilment.
Absorption-Addictions relation to previous topics
Bowlby’s Attachment Theory
Early difficulties leads to struggle with successful relations = fake relation.
Ainsworths Strange Situation
Insecure attachments especially insecure-Resistant more likely to form parasocial.
Ao3 of Parasocial Relationships
•Supp research. Maltby linked lvl1 to extraverts. Lvl2 neurotic traits. Lvl3 psychotic personality. Eco valid
•High cultural val. Shmid & Kilmmt parasocial in Germany and Mexico. Celeb worship everywhere.
•Lack explan power. Can’t explain diff forms, classify or prevention. Lacks application.
•Lack supp. McCutcheon ptps with insecure attachment no more likely for pararelations.
Virtual Relationships: Hyperpersonal Model
Joseph Walther
Argues online relationships can be more personal and greater self-disclosure as it happens earlier. Also more intimate as easier to manipulate self-disclosure.
Stranger on train
Rubin
More likely to share personal info with stranger due to likeliness to never see again.
Reduced Cues Theory
Sproull & Kiesler
CMC relations less effective that Graf due to reduced cues like body language. Leads to deindividualisation
Absence of Gating in Virtual Relations
Barriers “gates” are absent allowing more opportunity for relationship
Gate is a preference that would hinder development like shy or unattractive
By revealing gates after relationship less likely to be fazed
Ao3 of virtual relationships
•Lack supp. Walther & Tidwell cues in online interactions. Eg style of timing messages and emojis.
•research supp. Whitty & Joinson. Online very direct, intimate. Self dis.
•Gender diff. McKenna women rated CMCs as more intimate. Alpha bias.
•Absense of gating (str). McKenna & Bargh 70% of CMC lasted more than 2 year. Higher than offline relation. Self-did.
Rusbult’s Investment Model
Satisfaction: partner feel reward exceed cost.
Quality of Alternative: ?
Investment Size: Resources associated with relationship.
Maintenance Mechanism RIM
- Accommodation: promote relation. Not tally cost and reward
- Willingness to sacrifice: partner interest first
- Forgiveness
- Pos illusions: unrealistically positive.
- Ridicule alternative.
Investment Types
Intrinsic : Any resources put directly into relationship.
Extrinsic : Investments not originally in relationship
Ao3 of RIM
•Research supp. Le & Agnews. Women made most investment and less attractive alt stay in abusive relation.
•Oversimp. Goodfield & Agnew more to invest than resource. Original flaw.
•Correlation not causation. Cannot conclude one factor causes commit.
Phase Model
Duck
4 stages:
Intra-psychic
Dyadic phase
Social
Grave-dressing
Stage 1 of Phase model
Both partners eval cost and reward. Mostly private and unlikely to be shared.
Stage 2 of Phase Model
Previous thoughts about future of relation now openly discussed by partners. Voice concerns to increase cost. Provoke partner to salvage or public breakup
3rd stage of Phase Model
Public break up. Friend have to eval to give reassurance or blame. Friends must break up. Final attempt at salvaging if wanted.
4th stage of Phase Model
Confirms end of relationship. Both move on. Trying to maintain pos social image. Involves false stories about cause.
Ao3 of the Phase model
•5th stage. Rollie & Duck resurrection phase. Oversimp. Model should be dynamic progression not sequence.
•Flemlee fatal attraction hyp. Desirable features less value over time. Lack eco.
•Methodological issues. Self-report measures completely retrospective. Unwilling to intervene so early stage mostly speculative.