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AQA A-Level Psychology > Relationships > Flashcards

Relationships Flashcards

1
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
What is meant by anisogamy

A

the reproductive material throughout ones entire life, including its worth

men: sperm is cheap as there is 100 million per ejaculation and can be reproduced within hours - can have sex with multiple people without consequence of wasted sperm

women: one egg per month - women have to be selective of who they let fertilise the egg - cannot afford to waste an egg

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2
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Outline what is meant by sexual selection

A

type of natural selection where individuals with certain traits are more likely to find a sexual mate and reproduce

these traits make them more attractive to the opposite sex or better at competing with the same sex for mates

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3
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Name the two types of sexual selection

A

intersexual selection

intrasexual selection

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4
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Outline intersexual selection as a type of sexual selection

A

where one sex (usually female) selects mates based on certain desirable characteristics

quality over quantity approach - want a quality reproductive mate as opposed to multiple crappy reproductive mates

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5
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Outline intrasexual selection as a type of sexual selection

A

involves competing with others of the same sex (usually males) for access to mates. e.g. fighting for dominance, displays of strength

quantity over quality approach - want lots of reproductive mates no matter the quality

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6
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Outline the potential evolutionary purpose of attraction to 0.7 hip to waist ratio

A

birthing is performed easier with a significantly reduced chance of the mother dying during birth

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7
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Outline studies into hip to waist ratio

A

Swami and Furnham:

ideal hip to waist ratio is roughly 0.7
majority of supermodels have this same ratio

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8
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Outline the potential evolutionary purposes of age preference in a partner

A

Men prefer younger women as they have more eggs and a higher chance of a healthy birth

Women prefer older men as they have more resources to provide

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9
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Outline studies into the impact of age preferences in a partner

A

Buss:

Found men preferred young, physically attractive females in 37 different cultures
Found women preferred ambitious, older with vast resources

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10
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Outline the potential evolutionary purposes of symmetry preference in a partner

A

symmetry is a measure of attractiveness
being symmetrical better attracts partners - increased chance of reproduction

Women become more symmetric during ovulation in order to attract a mate whilst she is the most fertile

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11
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
Outline studies into the purpose of symmetry in partner preference

A

Cartwright:

Found women with symmetrical breasts were more fertile than women with asymmetrical breasts - supports suggestion that symmetry means higher fertility

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12
Q

Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences:
give evaluations for the role of evolution in partner preferences

A
  • Research support - Buss, Cartwright, Swami and Farnham
  • Social sensitivity - it is the woman that choses the man, men have no choice
  • Conflict - reproductive traits do not necessarily help survival or vice versa
  • does not explain gay, bi and asexual
  • does not explain people who don’t want kids - 2.1 children per woman required for population maintenance, only 1.5 being born
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13
Q

Name the male strategies used in mating

A
  • courtship rituals
  • size
  • sperm competition
  • mate guarding
  • sneak copulation
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14
Q

Outline courtship as a male mating strategy

A

showing off genetic potential for offspring to inherit and resources to provide for a family

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15
Q

Outline size as a male mating strategy

A

larger bodies show physical strength and an ability to protect partner and offspring

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16
Q

Outline sperm competition as a male mating strategy

A

evolved to have larger testicles and faster sperm to increased sperm count and chance of impregnation

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17
Q

Outline mate guarding as a male mating strategy

A

keeping a close eye on partners to prevent unfaithfulness

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18
Q

Outline sneak copulation as a male mating strategy

A

being unfaithful to maximise offspring/survival of species

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19
Q

Name the female strategies used in mating

A
  • handicap hypothesis
  • sexy sons hypothesis
  • courtship
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20
Q

Outline the handicap hypothesis as a female mating strategy

A

some women pick handicapped people as it shows they can face hardship and survive - breeds fighters

potential for passing on ability to resist difficulty to offspring

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21
Q

Outline sexy sons hypothesis as a female mating strategy

A

some women pick physically attractive men in the hopes that the man will pass down his ‘attractiveness’ genes to their offspring to increase the likelihood of the offspring also having children

attempts to found a long lasting family line to preserve the species

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22
Q

Outline courtship as a female mating strategy

A

women date so they can assess the man’s worth and to determine if he is worthy of mating with for the purpose of offspring

the man’s worth is based on his financial earnings, the behaviour he shows and his personality - the woman hopes these traits passes down to their offspring

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23
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Name the three factors into the development of attraction in romantic relationships

A
  • self-disclose
  • matching hypothesis/physical attractiveness
  • filter theory
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24
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Outline what is meant by self-disclosure

A
  • disclosure of personal information
  • partner gets the impression they are special
  • partner discloses personal information due to feeling special
  • repeat
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25
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Name the theories surrounding self-disclosure

A
  • social penetration theory
  • breadth and depth of self-disclosure
  • reciprocity of self-disclosure
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26
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Name the factors affecting the effectiveness of self-disclosure

A
  • appropriateness
  • attributions
  • gender differences
  • content
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27
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Outline appropriateness as a factor affecting the effectiveness of self-disclosure

A

Disclosing appropriate information at inappropriate times may damage the effective of self-disclosure

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28
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Outline attributions as a factor affecting the effectiveness of self-disclosure

A

If you feel the information they have disclosed to you, they have disclosed to everyone, you won’t feel special and therefore won’t self-disclose yourself

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29
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Outline gender differences as a factor affecting the effectiveness of self-disclosure

A

women are regarded as more interested in self-disclosure to men. this means they experience a greater attraction boost when men participate in self-disclosure

30
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Outline content as a factor affecting the effectiveness of self-disclosure

A

If you share too high or too low information then the partner will likely feel uncomfortable, and therefore not self-disclose

31
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Outline studies into the effectiveness of self-disclosure

A

Kleinke:

found individuals who were perceived to be more selective with who they self-disclosed with were seen as more attractive

  • suggests self-disclosure plays a key role in fostering attraction
32
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
Outline studies into the importance of self-disclosure cross-culture

A

Kito:

looked at culture differences between Japanese and American students

found self-disclosure was higher in romantic relationships in both cultures compared to friendships (both same sex and cross-sex)

suggests self-disclosure is universal

33
Q

Factors affecting attraction:
give evaluations for self-disclosure

A
  • only partial explanation - ignores other factors i.e. personality, money etc.
  • research support - Kleinke, Kito
  • difficulty in scientifically researching - relationship attraction cannot be easily observed
34
Q

Physical attractiveness:
Outline the halo effect

A

people who are deemed attractive benefit from favourable perceptions from society

society seems to think attractive means good - it doesn’t dumbasses

35
Q

Physical attractiveness:
Outline studies into the halo effect

A

Gunnell and Ceci :

found less attractive people are 22% more likely to be convicted in court
less attractive people are also given, on average, a 22 month longer prison sentence than an attractive person

I suggest you never break the law Keiran

36
Q

Physical attractiveness:
Outline the matching hypothesis

A
  • people seek partners of similar physical attractiveness to themselves
  • dating someone more attractive than you has an increased risk they will cheat on you - may make you feel insecure
  • dating someone less attractive than you may make you feel you can do better - increased risk you will leave them - they may be jealous
37
Q

Physical attractiveness:
give evaluations for the effects of physical attractiveness

A
  • doesn’t explain arranged marriages - have similar success/fail rate as ‘normal’ marriages
  • ignores other factors - wealth, intelligence, skills
  • research support - Gunnel and Ceci
    socially sensitive - if you’re ugly, you will date someone who is ugly. if you’re ugly, you’re going to prison
38
Q

Filter theory:
Outline the filter theory

A

society filters down who you come across and therefore who you can date

39
Q
A
40
Q

Filter theory:
Name the three filters in the filter theory

A

Kerchkoff and Davies (1962):

  • social demography
  • similarity in attitudes
  • complementarity
41
Q

Filter theory:
Outline social demography as the first filter in the filter theory

A

age
education
location - work, live
groups you do and don’t belong to - religious cults

42
Q

Filter theory:
Outline similarity in attitudes as the second filter in the filter theory

A

likely to meet people who share similar attitudes and beliefs

usually through participating in activities your attitudes align with i.e. protests, clubs etc

43
Q

Filter theory:
Outline complementarity as the third filter in the filter theory

A

your strength complement your partners weaknesses and vice versa

i.e. if you’re good at cooking but bad at cleaning, your partner will be bad at cooking but good at cleaning

44
Q

Filter theory:
Name studies into the filter theory

A
  • Festinger
  • Taylor et al
45
Q

Filter theory:
Outline Festinger’s study into the filter theory

A

found people who lived nearer stairwells in apartment blocks knew the most people

familiarity is an important element of relationships
support social demography as a type of filter

46
Q

Filter theory:
Outline Taylor et al’s study into the filter theory

A

found 85% of Americans who got married in 2008 did so with someone of the same ethnicity

supports social demography as a filter

47
Q

Filter theory:
give evaluations for the filter theory

A
  • destroyed by dating apps - suggests the filter theory is outdated and obsolete
  • research support - Festinger, Tayler et al
  • does not consider age
48
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
name the theories of romantic relationships

A

social exchange theory (SET)
equity theory
Rusbult’s investment model of commitment
Duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown

each build on from the last
they dont contradict the previous theories

49
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline the primary concepts of the social exchange theory (SET)

A

cost/benefit analysis
constantly changing perception on the costs of being in a relationship compared to what you get out of being in that particular relationship

50
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline the minimax strategy in regards to the social exchange theory (SET)

A

attempting to minimise what you have to put into a relationship (costs) whilst also trying to maximise what you get out of the relationship (benefit)

51
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline the term comparison level (CL) in regards to the social exchange theory (SET)

A

comparing current state of relationship to early forms of the same relationship to determine whether it has got better or worse

52
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline the term comparison level for alternatives (CLalt) in regards to the social exchange theory (SET)

A

comparing current relationship to other potential relationships based on perception of what you think the potential other relationships might be like

this can be conscious or subconscious

53
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Name the stages through relationship development according to the social exchange theory (SET)

A

sampling stage
bargaining stage
commitment stage
institutionalisation stage

54
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline the sampling stage of relationship development according to the social exchange theory (SET)

A

weighing up the costs and benefits of a number of potential relationships whilst single

55
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline the bargaining stage of relationship development according to the social exchange theory (SET)

A

a new relationship is ‘costed out’ and costs and benefits start to be identified during the early stages

56
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline the commitment stage of relationship development according to the social exchange theory (SET)

A

the costs and benefits of the current relationship become predictable

this can lead to the relationship becoming more boring, however not always the case

57
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline the institutionalisation stage of relationship development according to the social exchange theory (SET)

A

the relationship itself becomes predictable, resulting in the couple deciding to settle down

58
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Name studies into the social exchange theory (SET)

A

Hatfield
Rusbalt and Martz

59
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline Hatfield’s study into the social exchange theory (SET)

A

Found partners who under benefitted in a relationship became angry and felt deprived
whereas partners who over benefitted felt guilty and uncomfortable

suggests equilibrium is important for a healthy relationship

60
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline Rusbalt and Martz’s study into the social exchange theory (SET)

A

applied the SET to women who were in abusive relationships. they found women tend to go back to abusive partners because there was no better alternative

they’d rather go back to being with an abusive partner than be single
the fuck does that say about society

61
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
give evaluations for the social exchange theory (SET)

A
  • research support - Hatfield, Rusbalt and Martz
  • socially sensitive - says all people are selfish and are just trying to maximise benefit of a relationship
  • lack of explanatory power - doesn’t explain people who want to be single
  • applicable - foundation for all other theories into romantic relationships
62
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline the primary concepts of the equity theory

A

Walster refined SET with equity theory with the difference of focus from cost/benefit to fairness for each partner (equity rather than equality)
individuals become dissatisfied with the relationship if they feel they are suffering from inequity (unfairness)
this can lead to the end of the relationship unless both parties recognise disparity

this isn’t based on a comparison between what each party gets out of the relationship but a comparison between how much you put in to how much you get out
e.g. if you put lots of effort in and get lots out, then there is equity. if you put little in and get little out, there is equity. but if you put little in and get lots out or vice versa there is inequity

63
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Name the factors associated with the equity theory

A

profit
distribution
dissatisfaction
realignment

64
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline profit as a factor associated with the equity theory

A

same as profit for social exchange theory (SET)

difference between the cost of the relationship and the benefit - how much do you gain

65
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline distribution as a factor associated with the equity theory

A

trade-ffs and compensations from both parties in order to achieve fairness/equity

66
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline dissatisfaction as a factor associated with the equity theory

A

the greater the degree of perceived unfairness/inequity, the greater the sense of dissatisfaction

there can be two different interpretations on the fairness of the relationship as this is subjective

67
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline realignment as a factor associated with the equity theory

A

renegotiating the costs and benefits of the relationship in attempt to re-achieve equity

trying to save the relationship - not accounted for in the social exchange theory (SET)

68
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
Outline research into cultural differences in regard to the equity theory

A

Moghaddam found US students prefer equity in relationships whereas European students prefer equality

69
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
study

A
70
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
study

A
71
Q

Theories of romantic relationships:
study

A
72
Q
A

AQA A-Level Psychology (12 decks)

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