Relationships and Personality Flashcards
what are the two theories of attraction?
attraction similarity theory
complementary needs theory
what is attraction similarity theory
we use assortative mating
what is assortative mating
we’re attracted to people similar to us
what is complementary needs theory
we’re attracted to people whose personality complements ours
opposites attract
what does data show about the attraction theories
people’s preferred partner had opposite personalities to them
people’s actual partner showed similar personalities
no support for complementary needs theory
what factor predicts relationship satisfaction in terms of your partners similarity? which doesn’t?
if partner is similar to your ‘ideal’ personality
if you and partner have similar personality
what do females identify as important traits in a partner in order
mutual love
dependable
emotional stability
pleasing disposition
education/intelligence
sociability
good health
what do males identify as important traits in a partner in order
mutual love
dependable
emotional stability
pleasing disposition
good health
education
sociability
what do females identify as less important traits in a partner in order
similar religious backgrounds
similar political background
chastity
what do males identify as less important traits in a partner in order
chastity
similar religious background
similar political background
what traits actually predict partner satisfaction overall?
male; agreeableness, emotional stability, openness
female; agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, openness
what traits actually predict partner satisfaction in confiding?
male; agreeableness
female; agreeableness, emotional stability, openness
what traits actually predict partner satisfaction sexually?
male; agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability
female; agreeableness
what traits actually predict partner satisfaction in enjoyment?
same in both
male; agreeableness, emotional stability
female; agreeableness, emotional stability
what can be biasing self-reported personality
reference group effect
what is reference group effect
tendency to rate oneself relative to the people their close to socially
how can the reference group effect be influencing assortative mating studies
people rate themselves as different from their partner, when in reality the have relatively similar personality
what correlation coefficient do partners get in personality similarity in earlier studies?
.10
how did new research in assortative mating bypass the reference group effect
measured personality behaviour instead of self report
studied language and likes on facebook to predict their big 5 traits
what were the results of the facebook study of assortative mating?
likes correlation; .24
language correlation; 0.38
what traits predict future relationship quality/conflict?
PEM
NEM
CON
what is PEM
positive emotionality
what is positive emotionality
confidence, enthusiasm, social warmth, well-being, zest
what is NEM
negative emotionality
what is negative emotionality
threshold for negative emotions like anxiety, anger, fear
what is CON
constraint
what is constraint
self control, harm avoidance, endorsement of social norms
how did PEM correlate with relationship quality later in life
positive low correlation
how did NEM correlate with relationship quality later in life
negatively moderately correlated
how did CON correlate with relationship quality later in life
positive low correlation
how did PEM correlate with relationship conflict later in life
0
how did NEM correlate with relationship conflict later in life
positvely moderate correlation
how did CON correlate with relationship conflict later in life
negative low correlation
what was the difference in results between older and newer assortative mating studies?
couples personalities were more correlated in the newer studies than older studies
what were the research questions in the emotions and sexual attractiveness study
are there gender differences in which emotion expressions people perceive as the most attractive?
which emotion expression is perceived as the most sexually attractive?
which emotions were tested in the emotions and sexual attractiveness study
pride
shame
neutral
happy
how sexually attractive is happiness considered?
most attractive in females
least attractive in males
how sexually attractive is pride considered
least attractive in females
most attractive in males
how sexually attractive is shame considered?
attractive in both sexes
what did a follow up study to the emotions and sexual attractiveness study show?
shame is not perceived as attractive in india
who conducted the emotions and sexual attractiveness study
Tracy and Beall
who conducted the expression of emotions in relationships study?
Gottman and Levenson
what was the expression of emotions in relationships study
videotaped newlyweds engaging in conflict
followed up 5 years later to see if divorced
what kind of data was collected in Gottman and Levenson study?
all four types
what was the observational data in Gottman and Levenson study?
coding for emotional responses in an argument with video tape
what was the test data in Gottman and Levenson study?
physiological measures
what was the informant data in Gottman and Levenson study?
couple member rated partner’s relationship satisfaction
what was the self-report data in Gottman and Levenson study?
couple member rated their own realtionship satisfaction
what were the results of the Gottman and Levenson study?
could predict divorce 5 years later with 83% accuracy
what are the four main factors that predict divorce? what study were they found in?
criticism vs complaint
contempt
defensiveness
stonewallling
Gottman and Levenson
what is criticism vs complaint?
criticism; global statement of anger/negativity, blaming
complaint; specific statement of anger/negativity
which factor predicts divorce; criticism or complaint?
criticism
how does negative affect affect divorce
escalation is bad
de-escalation (like through humour) is good
what does contempt mean
insult, mockery, sarcasm or derision of the other person
what is defensiveness
attempt to protect one’s self from perceived attack
what are some actions that show defensiveness?
denial of responsibility
counterblame
whining
assuming what the other person is feeling
what is stonewalling
listener presents a ‘stone wall’ to their partner
silent treatment
what are some qualities of stonewalling
no vocalizations (mmm, yeah)
neck is rigid
no eye contact
little facial movements, and only negative
what sex tends to stonewall more? what percentage of stonewallers are this sex?
male
85%
what are the overall findings from Gottman and Levenson?
four factors that predict divorce
satisfaction is not predicted by how often a couple fights, but how negative feelings are expressed during the fight
5:1 ratio of -ve to +ve interactions indicated a good marriage
-ve emotions are associated with high physiological arousal in men but not in women
what are the implications of men having higher physiological arousal with -ve emotions?
may avoid -ve affect in relationships because it’s more punishing
experience lower levels of negative affect than women
