Social Exchange Theory of Attraction

Question 1

What are the 3 ingredients in the social exchange theory

Answer 1

Profit and Loss, Comparison Level and Comparison level for alternatives

Question 2

What assumption is at the centre of the social exchnange theory

Answer 2

That all social behaviour is a series of exchanges, with individuals attempting to maximise their profits and minimise their losses

Question 3

What rewards could be included in a relationship

Answer 3

Companionship, being cared for, doing the devils tango etc

Question 4

What costs could be included in a relationship

Answer 4

Effort, financial investment and time wasted

Question 5

In the Social Exchange Theory, what does committment to relationship depend on

Answer 5

Profitability of the relationship

Question 6

What do we develop in order to determine if one person offers something better or worse than we might expect from another

Answer 6

Thibaut and Kelley proposed that we develop a comparison level, which is a standard against which all our relationships are judged

Question 7

What determines our comparison level

Answer 7

It combines our experiences of other relationships with ou general views of what we might expect from a particular exchange

Question 8

When will a relationship be judged as worthwhile

Answer 8

When the profit exceeds our comparison level then the relationship will be judged as worthwhile and the other person will be seen as an attractive partner. If the final result is negative, that person will be seen as less attractive

Question 9

What may influence a persons comparison level

Answer 9

If a past relationship was shit then someone may have a low CL, and as a result be happy in a slightly less shit relationship. In contrast, someone who has previously had very rewarding relationships would have a high expectation for the quality of future spouses

Question 10

How does Comparison level for Alternatives influence commitment to relationships

Answer 10

If the anticipated profit level is significantly higher with an alternate partner then an individual will form a new relationship. This will include the costs of ending the current relationship

Question 11

How can dependence influence committment to a relationship

Answer 11

Relationships can become less stable if one (or both) partners have a low level of dependence on the relationship, and as such partners who differ in their degree of dependence experience distress because one (or both) lack committment

Question 12

What was the procedure of Kurdek and Schmitt’s study

Answer 12

Kurdeck and Schmitt determined the relationship quality of 185 couples. Each couple lived together and had no kids. There were 44 heterosexual married couples, 35 co-habiting heterosexual couples, 50 gay couples and 56 lesbian couples.

Question 13

What were the findings of Kurdeck and Schmitt’s study

Answer 13

For all four different types of couples, greater relationship satisfaction was related to:
a. The perception of many benefits in the current relationship (CL)
b.Seeing alternatives as less attractive (CLA)
This shows that satisfaction in same sex couples works the exact same as in heterosexual couples

Question 14

Who did a study finding that gay people work the same as straight people

Answer 14

Kurdeck and Schmitt

Question 15

What is evidence for the influence of comparison levels for alternatives (eval)

Answer 15

Sprecher, in a longitudinal study of 101 dating couples at a US university, found that the exchange variable most highly associated with relationship committment was comparison levels for alternatives. It found that this was the same for both men and women, and Sprecher said this is unsuprising as those satisfied in their relationship are more likely to devalue alternatives

Question 16

Who foudn that quality of alternatives was most likely to make couples split up

Answer 16

Sprecher

Question 17

What is an issue for the cost benefit idea (eval)

Answer 17

What might be considered rewarding to one person may be punishing to another. In addition, what might be seen as a benefit at one stage in the relationship may be seen as a cost later on. This ssuggests it is oversimplified to just classify all events in as simple terms as ‘costs’ or ‘benefits’

Question 18

What is a problem with assessing value of relationships (eval)

Answer 18

Nakonezny and Denton argue that for social exchange to be relevant to personal relationships people must have some way to quantify the value of costs and benefits. They point out that this is not only difficult in general, but that the relative value of costs and benefits is dependent on the individual, not the case in commerical or economic relationships (such as in business). The subjectivity of these terms suggest this theory is less comfortable explaining personal rather than commercial relationships

Question 19

Who argued that the whole social exchange theory is subjcetive

Answer 19

Nakonezny and Denton

Question 20

Why might the social exchange theory have an overreliance on costs and benefits (eval)

Answer 20

The theory ignores other factors, for example an individuals own relational beliefs may make them more tolerant of a relatively low ration of benefits to costs. For example if they believe that “it’s selfish to focus on one’s own needs”. This means that they contuinue to provide benefits to their partner and simply put up with the costs. This suggests that the social exchange alone cannot explain relationship satisfaction without considering individual differences.