relationships

Question 1

sexual selection

Answer 1

evolutionary explanation of partner preference. characteristics which aid reproductive success are passed on and may become exaggerated over generations.

Question 2

human reproductive behaviour

Answer 2

any behaviours which relate to opportunities to reproduce and thereby increase the survival chance of our genes. it includes the evolutionary mechanisms underlying our partner preferences such as mate choice and mate competition.

Question 3

anisogamy

Answer 3

the difference between male and female sex gametes.
Males = extremely small, highly mobile, infinite
Females = large, immobile finite
gives rise to two different mating strategies

Question 4

inter-sexual selection

Answer 4

the female mating strategy.
because female gametes are rarer and finite they must be more selective when choosing a mate because they provide greater effort before during and after birth.
they look for quality over quantity

Question 5

intra-sexual selection

Answer 5

the male mating strategy
the ‘winner’ gets to pass on his genes to another generation.
it also encourages aggression as competition between males in order to protect their mate from other males.

Question 6

evaluation of sexual selection

Answer 6

Buss carried out a survey of over 10,000 adults and 33 countries, asking questions related to age and attributes that evolutionary theory predicts are important. females valued resources, males valued looks.
would you like to go to bed study. 75% of men said yes, 0 women said yes.
studies often ignore social and cultural differences Bereczkei argues that women no longer need to be ‘rescued’. Chung analysed partner preferences over 25 years and some had changed and others hadn’t

Question 7

self disclosure

Answer 7

revealing personal information about yourself. romantic partners reveal more about their lives as the relationship develops. self disclosure can strengthen a relationship.

Question 8

social penetration theory

Answer 8

Altman and Taylor relationships develop through a gradual process of revealing yourself. giving away your self, thoughts and feelings

Question 9

reciprocity of self disclosure

Answer 9

mutual or two-way exchange of info which is crucial to success of self disclosure

Question 10

breadth and depth of self disclosure

Answer 10

is important because moving from breadth conversation to deep conversation marks milestones in the relationship

Question 11

evaluation of self disclosure

Answer 11

sprecher and hendrick - men and women who used reciprocal self disclosure were more satisfied with their relationship
RLA - hass and staford found SD of 57% in gay couples. can be used in couples therapy
cultural bias - US SD more than china

Question 12

shackleford and Larsen - physical attractiveness

Answer 12

related to symmetry
neotenous faces
physical attractiveness is a sign of strong genes
important beyond formation - about 7 years

Question 13

the halo effect

Answer 13

how one distinguishing feature, in this case attractiveness, can have a disproportionate effect on our judgement of other people.
Dion et al found attractive people are consistently rates as kind, strong, sociable and successful

Question 14

matching hypothesis

Answer 14

while we would all desire the most physically attractive and genetically strong partner we cannot. so, we select partners who match our own perception of our looks

Question 15

evaluation of physical attractiveness

Answer 15

RS for halo effect - Palmer and peterson - politics and competent
individual differences - High (did care) VS low (didn’t care) MACHO scale
mixed support for matching hypothesis - meta analysis of 17 studies showed varies in matching between real participants

Question 16

filter theory

Answer 16

states that a series of different factors limits the range of available romantic partners

Question 17

social demography

Answer 17

proximity, social class, education ETC

Question 18

similarity in attitudes

Answer 18

sharing beliefs and values in the early stages of a relationship (18 months)

Question 19

complementarity

Answer 19

do partners meet each others needs. they have characteristics that the other lacks. important long term

Question 20

evaluation of filter theory

Answer 20

RS - winch similarity is needed early on but complementarity is needed long tern
lack of replication of original findings - social change and insufficient measurement into depth
direction of effect between similarity and attractiveness - emotional convergence
lacks temporal validity - changing attitudes to dating

Question 21

social exchange theory

Answer 21

how relationships form and develop. partners act out of self interest, measuring cost and reward. it also considers alternative options.

Question 22

the minimax principle

Answer 22

minimise losses and maximise gains

Question 23

profit

Answer 23

cost minus rewards

Question 24

opportunity cost

Answer 24

investment of time and energy

Question 25

outline the comparison level

Answer 25

our judgement of the reward level expected in a relationship. developed by previous relationships and social norms as well as media and self esteem

Question 26

outline comparison level for alternatives

Answer 26

considering the prospect of better profit from elsewhere or other relationships. Duck suggested that there are always alternatives but we do not always go looking if our relationship is satisfying

Question 27

outline the 4 stages of SET

Answer 27

1) sampling - exploring profit by evaluating current and potential relationships 2) bargaining - start of a relationship where rewards and cost is negotiated 3) commitment - relationship becomes stable. costs reduce/rewards increase 4) institutionalisation - partners become settled norms are established

Question 28

evaluation of SET

Answer 28

ignores equity theory does not explain all types of relationships - communal relationships are different direction of effect in regards to CL and CLalt. Miller = committed couples spent less time looking at photos of other people

Question 29

equity theory

Answer 29

economic theory of relationships which considers profit, rewards and cost but also the perception of fairness in relationships.

Question 30

how can a lack of equity occur

Answer 30

overbennefiting or underbenefitting

Question 31

consequences of under-benefitting

Answer 31

least satisfied, feelings are evident in anger and resentment

Question 32

consequences of over-benefitting

Answer 32

discomfort and shame

Question 33

equity VS equality

Answer 33

equity is about fairness in a relationship whereas equality is about having the same amount of profit. if you put a lot in and get a lot out then this is equity and if one partner can't do chores but makes up elsewhere this is perceived as fair

Question 34

why should inequity be addressed

Answer 34

the larger the inequity of a relationship the more of a negative impact it has on both partners. the change can be both behavioural or cognitive (making inequity feel normal by revising perception of profits)

Question 35

evaluation of equity theory

Answer 35

RS - Utne et al surveyed 118 newly weds measuring equity with self report. couples with more equitable relationships considered themselves as more satisfied. Equity lacks cultural universality - individualist cultures prefer equity individual differences - Huseman et al - benevolents VS entitleds

Question 36

rusbult's investment model

Answer 36

commitment depends on satisfaction, CLalt and investment size and this feeds into relationship stability

Question 37

investment (rusbult's investment model)

Answer 37

resources within a relationship which partners would lose it they separated

Question 38

satisfaction (rusbult's investment model)

Answer 38

extent to which partners feel rewards outweigh costs

Question 39

CLalt (rusbult's investment model)

Answer 39

considering the prospect of better profit from elsewhere or other relationships.

Question 40

intrinsic investment

Answer 40

tangible and intangible items we put into the relationship

Question 41

extrinsic investment

Answer 41

anything new, like a house or pets, not previously shared in a relationship

Question 42

relationship maintenance mechanisms

Answer 42

``` accommodation sacrifice forgiveness positive illusions derogation of alternatives ```

Question 43

evaluation of rusbults investment model

Answer 43

RS - Le and Agnew reviewed 52 studies with over 11,000 participants. they found satisfaction, investment and CLalt all predicted commitment. this was for both straight and gay relationships explains why people may stay in abusive relationships due to large investment thus large commitment. oversimplified investment - investment into future

Question 44

ducks phase model of relationship breakdown

Answer 44

stages people go through when their romantic relationship is not working. once one partner is dissatisfied, there ore four stages with a different focus

Question 45

intra-psychic phase

Answer 45

first stage | internal dissatisfaction. they begin to think on what they do not like, mostly partners shortcomings.

Question 46

dyadic phase

Answer 46

second stage | discussion wit partner begins. the conversations vary in hostility and anger.

Question 47

social phase

Answer 47

once a relationship is doomed to end, partners begin making social pacts. friends are encouraged to join a side.

Question 48

grave-dressing phase

Answer 48

partners create stories of how they publicly want the story to be known. necessary for partner to move on

Question 49

evaluation of ducks phase model

Answer 49

incomplete - Resurrection phase - using old relationship to prepare for new one supporting evidence is based on retrospective data. RLA in therapy using self disclosure before doomed to fail

Question 50

reduced cues theory (virtual relationships)

Answer 50

CMC relationships are ineffective because they lack everyday social cues such as smiling and physical appearance, leading to de-individuation

Question 51

the hyperpersonal model (virtual relationships)

Answer 51

Early SD in CMC means relationships develop quicker. such relationships become intense quickly, however, they also end quicker due to high excitement but low trust.

Question 52

why is SD different in CMC and the hyperpersonal model

Answer 52

SD can be manipulated online like it can't FTF.

Question 53

outline the absence of gating in CMC

Answer 53

in CMC there is a lack of obstacles which may be present in FTF convo. for example a stammer may stop a IRL relationship from forming but online it is given a chance

Question 54

evaluation of virtual relationships

Answer 54

lack of research into reduced cues theory - emojis and acrostics are similar to social cues. support for hyper-personal model - questions online tend to probing and intimate. there is no discrimination between types of CMC

Question 55

parasocial relationship

Answer 55

one sided, often deluded relationship

Question 56

outline the three types of parasocial relationships

Answer 56

1) entertainment social - least intense. celebrities are just entertainment 2) intense - personal - becomes more personally involved and may have obsessive thoughts 3) borderline pathological - fantasies are uncontrollable and behaviour is extreme

Question 57

the absorption-addiction model

Answer 57

parasocial relationships make up for deficiencies in peoples lives and an escape from mundane lives.

Question 58

attachment theory and parasocial relationships

Answer 58

difficulties in attachment may lead to difficuties in forming successful relationships later Resistant children are most likely to form parasocial relationships because they fear rejection. Avoidant prefer to avoid relationships all together

Question 59

evaluation of parasocial relationships

Answer 59

RS for absorption-addiction - maltby link between self image and celeb worship. female adolescents and intense personal connection. support for attachment theory is poor - insecure no more likely to form parasocial than secure methodological problems with measuring parasocial relationships - self report - social desirability bias.