Topic 1 - Affiliation

Question 1

What are the 3 reasons people are so important?

Answer 1

1. health
2. cooperation
3. cultural transmission

Question 2

Health?

Answer 2

• Berkman & Breslow carried out a 20 year longitudinal study and found:
  -> those with the fewest relationships are twice as likely to die
  -> social support protects against depression
  -> providing social support may be more important than receiving it

Question 3

Cooperation?

Answer 3

• cooperation is important in trading, hunting and warfare
• Newson found that inter-group violence supports social cohesion in Brazilian football fans

Question 4

Cultural transmission?

Answer 4

• humans spend 20% waking time in conversation
• Dunbar found that when monitoring dining hall conversations social relationships and personal experiences took up 70% of conversation time

Question 5

What is Sternberg’s Triarchic model of love?

Answer 5

1. intimacy = closeness & understanding
2. passion = physical/ sexual attraction/ romance
3. commitment = the cognitive factors such as the decision to maintain the relationship

Question 6

What is passion according to Hatfield & Walster?

Answer 6

an intense longing for union with the other

Question 7

What are the 3 parts of the passionate love scale?

Answer 7

1. cognitive = intrusive thinking or preoccupation with the partner
2. affective = attraction to the partner, especially sexual attraction
3. behavioural = maintaining physical closeness

Question 8

How does Fisher split sexual from romantic passion in 3 independent systems supporting relationship behaviour?

Answer 8

1. lust/ sex drive = testosterone mediated
2. attraction = dopamine mediated
3. attachment = oxytocin mediated

Question 9

How do we choose who were friends with?

Answer 9

1. proximity
2. similarity
3. reciprocity

Question 10

How do we chose who we love?

Answer 10

1. proximity
2. similarity
3. reciprocity
4. physical attraction

Question 11

Proximity?

Answer 11

• people who are geographically near you are more likely to become your friends
• the mere act of being exposed to some things can lead to increased liking of those things
• for example studies have found that sitting in neighbouring seats predicts friendship intensity 1 year later
• it has also been found that students rate classroom visitors they see more often more positively

Question 12

Similarity?

Answer 12

• Newcomb found in a student accommodation study that similarity of attitudes predicted friendships
• similarity in attitudes directly relates to liking/ attraction
• we dislike those who beliefs/ actions differ from ours

Question 13

Similarity in romantic attraction?

Answer 13

• similarity is attractive because:
  -> its easy to interact with people who are similar to us because we can instantly agree on a wide range of issues
  -> when someone shares our attitudes and beliefs we feel a bit more confident that those attitudes and beliefs are correct
  -> if we like people who share our attitudes and beliefs we can expect them to like us for the same reason and being liked is a powerful source of attraction
  -Byrne et al 1970:
  -> paired blind dates as either similar or dissimilar
  -> found that similarity was a strong predictor of attraction
• but the role of similarity depends on how much commitment is desired:
  -> similarity is desired for committed relationships
  -> but for ‘flings’ dissimilarity is desired

Question 14

Reciprocity?

Answer 14

• we like people who like us and trust us
• reciprocity can make up for absence of similarity

Question 15

What is the social exchange theory?

Answer 15

• based on the principles of rewards and costs in interactions
• rewards = love, companionship, support etc.
• costs = conflict, uncertainty, stress etc.

Question 16

How do people evaluate their outcomes?

Answer 16

1. keep track of rewards and costs
2. determine profit
   -> simple standard
   -> comparison level (CL)
   -> comparison level for alternative (CLALT)

Question 17

Simple standard?

Answer 17

• calculate profit by doing:
  outcome (profit) = rewards - costs
• however people don’t just want profit they want the best possible outcome

Question 18

Comparison level?

Answer 18

• this is what we expect and feel we deserve from our relationship
• satisfaction = outcome - CL
• each person has his/ her own CL
• is based off prior experience, learning and personality
• relationships that meet/ exceed expectations are more satisfying

Question 19

What does a high CL mean?

Answer 19

• expect relationship to be rewarding
• low reward are unacceptable/ disappointing

Question 20

What does a low CL mean?

Answer 20

• expect relationships to be troublesome
• low rewards are acceptable/ tolerable

Question 21

Comparison level for alternatives?

Answer 21

• this is what we expect we could get elsewhere
• is the standard against we decide to stay or leave
• dependence (aka commitment) = outcome - CLALT

Question 22

What is dependence/ commitment?

Answer 22

• the degree to which we feel psychologically linked to our relationship
• it determines whether we are motivated to stay or leave
• is not based solely on whether or not we’re happy

Question 23

What does a low CLALT mean?

Answer 23

• more commitment to current relationship even if costly

Question 24

What does a high CLALT mean?

Answer 24

• less commitment to current relationship

Question 25

What is the equity theory?

Answer 25

• idea that people feel most comfortable when they get roughly what they deserve
• partners are concerned with fairness
• inequity causes distress
• partners will take steps to restore equity

Question 26

What is the difference between equity and equality?

Answer 26

• equality = partners obtain equal rewards from the relationship
• equity = ratio of rewards
  -> relative profits should be equal
  -> don’t have to have the same rewards, just the same balance