Relationships Flashcards
Floyd
Found that commitment develops when partners felt rewarded and when equally attractive/more attractive alternatives are not available to them.
Sprecher
Comparison level for alternatives is important in predicting the outcome of a current relationship: if alternative compares more favourably cost of current relationship increases. If alternative does not compare more favourably, cost reduces.
Mills and Clark
Suggested that SET only applies to ‘exchange couples’ those who keeps score on relationship.
Murstein
Found Scorekeepers to be insecure and suspicious. Suggesting that SET only applies to relationships lacking mutual trust and confidence.
Buss
When studying what women and men wanted in a marriage partner: Women wanted a partner with good financial prospects more than men. In contrast men placed more importance on physical attractiveness, and tended to want mates who were younger then them. (issue with validity, expressed preferences not RL application)
Clark and Hatfield
Men and women on college campus approached by total strangers and asked; would you on go a date with me? Would you go back to me apartment? Would you have sex with me? Of women, 50%, 6%, and 0% agreed. Of Men, 50%, 69% and 75% agreed. Men have evolved psychological mechanisms to ensure reproductive success in short term mating.
Strassberg and Holty
Constructed two female seeking male on two large internet dating bulletin boards. The most popular ad was were the women had described herself as ‘ financially independent, successful and ambitious’ which generated over 50% more responses than the next most popular ad which described herself as ‘ lovely , attractive and slim’ challenging the explanation as financially independent is a seen as more desirable.
LeVine
Young people from 11 different cultures were asked if they would marry someone they didn’t love if they had all the qualities they desired in a marriage partner. More people in collectivist cultures than in individualistic cultures said yes (45% Indians, 3.5 % Americans) supports the influence of culture as it shows the clear difference in the importance of love.
Gupta and Singh
Looked at 100 Indian marriages from educated, professional couples. 50 couples had arranged marriages, 50 love marriages. Couples were assessed after 1,5 and 10 years of marriage. In love marriages loving and liking were initially high but decreased over time. While arranged marriages loving and liking were low initially but grew and exceed the level of love marriages after 10 years. Culture influences wether someone has a love marriage or arranged and this influences the amount of love they experience and how it changes over time.
Walster 66
Tested the matching hypothesis by inviting 752 uni students to a get acquainted dance. Each answered a random questionnaire so that a suitable partner could be picked for them however pps were actually randomly assigned. They were introduced to their date and after 2.5 hours they were asked to evaluate their partner and comment on whether they would like to see them again. PA had been rated by an unseen observer. Regardless of their own PA pps reacted more positively to a PA date. PA effect was greater than any matching effect or any concerns about rejection.
Walster 69
66 follow up study. Participants were mixed before the event so they had meet naturally. Pps paired up with people who were perceived by researchers to be of a similar level of attractiveness
Murstein
Showed photos of 99 real couples and 98 randomly assigned couples. The couples were asked to rate themselves and their partners attractiveness, judges also rated the photos. Self rating of partners was fairly equal across the couples. The real couples were judged consistently to be more similar in terms of PA than the random couples. Individuals with equal market value for PA are more likely to form intimate relationships.
