relationships AO3

Question 1

STRENGTH SEXUAL SELECTION (supporting evidence 1)

Answer 1

I:sup evi for sex differences in reproductive behaviours

E:clark and hatfield- sent students to uni- asked others to go to bed with them- 75 males agreed, 0 females did

C:increases validity- men want short term

Question 2

WEAKNESS OF SUP EVI FOR SEXUAL SELECTION

Answer 2

I: methodological issues

E: unrepresentative sample- uni culture of casual sex

C:reduces validity

Question 3

STRENGTH SEXUAL SELECTION (supporting evidence 2)

Answer 3

I: sup evi sex differences in partner preferences

E: Buss- cross cultural study (37 cultures)- men preferred attractiveness women preferred resources and intelligence

C: increases validity- attracted to different traits

Question 4

WEAKNESS OF SEXUAL SELECTION THEORY

Answer 4

I: lacks temporal validity

E: more same sex relationships not based on reproduction and women in jobs so don’t need resources from man

C: reduces validity- can’t explain modern relationships

Question 5

STRENGTH OF ROLE OF PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS (Sup evi 1)

Answer 5

I: cross cultural evi- physical attractiveness in attraction

E: Cunningham- large eyes and small noses rated attractive by white, Hispanic and asian men

C: neotenous features universally attractive

Question 6

STRENGTH OF ROLE OF PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS (Sup evi 2)

Answer 6

I: sup evi for halo effect

E: Peterson- physically attractive people rated as knowledgable
wheeler + Kim- American + Korean ps rates physically attractive people as trustworthy

C: affect on preconceived ideas of personality

Question 7

STRENGTH OF ROLE OF PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS (Sup evi 3)

Answer 7

I: sup evi for role of matching hypothesis

E: Murstein - people rated photos of individuals- those in couples were rated more similarly

C: attraction based on similarity and attainability

Question 8

WEAKNESS OF ROLE OF PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS (cont evi)

Answer 8

I: cont evi for matching hypothesis

E: Walter computer dance study- Participants told they were matched but were randomly allocated into pairs- Acted positively to most attractive people regardless of their own attractiveness

C: want most socially desirable partner

Question 9

Strength of self disclosure (sup evi)

Answer 9

I: Supporting evidence for importance of self-disclosure in satisfaction

E: Sprecher and Hendrick- Strong positive correlation between disclosure and satisfaction
Laurenceau- long term couples daily diaries showed perception of self disclosure led to intimacy

C: increases validity

Question 10

Weakness of supporting evidence for self-disclosure

Answer 10

I: methodological issues
E: causation may be other way- satisfaction causes self-disclosure
3rd variable of time spent together
C: correlation- may not be valid

Question 11

Strength of self-disclosure (sup evi 2)

Answer 11

I: Cultural differences in self-disclosure

E:Westerners disclose more than non-western- Americans disclose more than Japanese partners and Japanese woman disclose less than Japanese men

C:Importance of self-disclosure influenced by culture

Question 12

Strength of self disclosure (real life)

Answer 12

I: Help people in real life improve intimacy

E: Hass and Stafford – 57% gay men/women said self-disclosure deep and commitment
Less skilled partners Can benefit from learning self-disclosure

C: valuable psychological insights

Question 13

strength of of filter theory (sup evi)

Answer 13

I: sup evi for key elements

E: kerchoff- longitudinal study on couples- questionnaire- before 18mths similarity of attitudes most important but after that complementarity of needs

C: increases validity

Question 14

weakness of filter theory (findings)

Answer 14

I: failure to replicate findings

E: levinger- no evidence that similarity of complementarity affected relationship length

C: reduces validity- inconsistent

(changing societal values may make questionnaire less appropriate)

Question 15

weakness of filter theory (cont evi)

Answer 15

I: cont evi

E: Anderson et al- couples become more similar over time and similarity in intellect increased over 14 yrs

C: reduces validity that complementarity is more important in long term

Question 16

weakness of filter theory (validity)

Answer 16

I: lacks temporal validity

E: rise in online dating reduces influence of social demography as you can date someone from diff location

C: can’t explain modern relationships

Question 17

strength of SET (sup evi)

Answer 17

I:sup evi for CL alt

E:sprecher- 101 uni couples- high CL alt meant low commitment

C: alternatives more attractive when costs are higher

Question 18

weakness of SET (cause and effect)

Answer 18

I: problems establishing cause and effect

E: shows correlation between CL alt and satisfaction- could be that satisfaction determines CL alt

C: reduces validity

Question 19

weakness of SET (assumptions)

Answer 19

I: researchers don’t accept assumptions of SET

E: clark and mills- not all relationships involve economic exchange- don’t keep score- more communal when romantic

C:reduces validity

Question 20

strength of equity theory (sup evi)

Answer 20

I: sup ei from real life relationships

E: survey from 118 recently married couples- those who thought it was equitable were satisfied

C: increases validity

Question 21

weakness of equity theory (cause)

Answer 21

I:fail to establish causality

E:inequity and dissatisfaction linked- clark- those who view relationship in terms of equity are in trouble

C:reduces validity

Question 22

weakness of equity theory (differences)

Answer 22

I: fails to consider relationship differences

E: huseman- some less sensitive to equity- 3 types: benevolent (tolerate it)- equity sensitives (behave like theory)- entitled (won’t under benefit)

C: reduces reliability

Question 23

strength of investment model of relationships (sup evi)

Answer 23

I: sup evi for model

E: le and agnew- meta analysis of 52 studies- satisfaction, alternatives and investment always highly correlated to commitment

C: increases validity

Question 24

strength od investment model (explanation)

Answer 24

I: explanatory power

E: victims of abuse stay in relationship even when satisfaction is low because of high investments and low alternatives

C: increases validity- accountable for real life

Question 25

weakness of investment model (causality)

Answer 25

I: problems establishing cause and effect

E: argues investment size determines commitment but correlational study shows committed people invest more

C: reduces validity

Question 26

weakness for all economic theories (measuring concepts)

Answer 26

I: hard to measure concepts

E: hard to objectively define reward as psychological rewards like praise are harder to measure than things like gifts

C: reduces validity

Question 27

weakness for all economic theories (cultural bias)

Answer 27

I: culturally biased

E: based on individualistic cultures (personal satisfaction) not collectivist cultures (societal needs)

C: reduces validity- not generalisable

Question 28

weakness of ducks relationship breakdown model (incomplete)

Answer 28

I: original model is incomplete and oversimplified

E: suggests movement from stages is linear- new model accounts for return to stages and 5th stage of resurrection where partners get over pain and achieve personal growth for future relationships

C: revised model is more valid than original

Question 29

weakness of ducks relationship breakdown model (method)

Answer 29

I: methodological issues

E: based on retrospective research (long after relationship ends) because its unethical to study a relationship in process of breakdown- memory may be inaccurate and subjective

C: reduces validity- not scientific

Question 30

weakness of ducks relationship breakdown model (reasoning)

Answer 30

I: doesn’t explain why relationship breakdown occurs initially

E: focuses on what happens rather than reasons- should focus more on theories like fatal attraction as they suggest relationships breakdown because and initially attractive theme is now dissatisfying e.g rebellion as immaturity

C: reduces validity- incomplete

Question 31

strength of ducks relationship breakdown model (practical app)

Answer 31

I: positive real life applications

E: helps to identify stages and intervene before breakdown e.g. someone in intrapsychic stage can repress concerns and focus on positives

C: improves lives in real world

Question 32

Strength of Hyper personal model

Answer 32

I: Supporting evidence

E: Whitty and joinson – Questions asked online more direct and personal with small talk used more in ftf

C: Increases validity that online self-disclosure promotes intimacy

Question 33

Strength of absence of gating

Answer 33

I:Supporting evidence

E: Baker and Oswald – surveyed 207 students about shyness – high shyness = high perception of friendship quality online and opposite for low shyness

C: increases validity that VR Overcomes obstacles like shyness

Question 34

Weakness of reduced cues theory

Answer 34

I: Arguments against theory

E: Walther - Different cues online such as emojis and acronyms like LOL and non verbal cues present on apps like FaceTime

C: reduces validity

Question 35

Weakness of CMC

Answer 35

I:Not a single concept

E:Self-disclosure may be reduced using dating apps because there is a possibility of meeting but will not be on games as you’re likely not to meet

C:Reduces the validity of both theories

Question 36

Strength of absorption addiction

Answer 36

I:Supporting research

E:Maltby -entertainment social level linked to extroversion, interpersonal to introversion and borderline pathological level linked to psychoticism

C:Increases validity that extreme PSR levels are linked to poor mental health

Question 37

Weakness of absorption addiction

Answer 37

I:Methodological issues with supporting evidence

E: correlational- Issues with cause and affect as it may be psychotic traits caused by PSR or a third variable such as upbringing

C:Reduced validity that para social relationships are caused by psychotic traits

Question 38

Strength of attachment theory

Answer 38

I:Supporting evidence

E: Cohen- Sample of 381 adults – questionnaire – questions about relationships with TV characters and attachment style – more extreme reactions linked to insecure resistant attachment

C:Increases validity that PSR is more common among insecure resistant individuals

Question 39

Weakness of attachment theory

Answer 39

I:Not all research supports predictions

E: McCutcheon – measured attachment types and related attitudes – Found insecure attachment made people no more likely to have PSRs then secure attachments

C:Reduces the validity