Virtual Relationships

Question 1

Virtual relationships is broken up into 2 parts?

Answer 1

1. Self disclosure in virtual relationships
2. Absence of gating in virtual relationships

Question 2

What are the 2 contrasting theories in self disclosure?

Answer 2

1. Reduced Cues theory
2. Hyper personal model

Question 3

Outline reduced cues theory?
Who suggested it?

Answer 3

• Spraul & Kiesler 1986
  _ suggested virtual r’ships are less effective than face to face ones
• Virtual r’ships lack cues we depend on in F-F interactions, therefore we disclose less
• cues include physical appearance & emotional cues e.g. facial expressions, tone of voice

Question 4

Outline Hyper personal model?
Who expressed support for this?

Answer 4

• Walther 1996
• argues online r’ships can feel more personal & involves greater disclosure than F-F ones
• In virtual r’ships, disclosure happens earlier & once established its more intense & intimate
• Boom & Bust phenomena Cooper & Sportolari (1997): R’ships can end more quickly because high level of intimacy is not matched by level of trust between the partners

Question 5

AO3 self disclosure in VR
research support Schouten?
(social anxiety, 70%)

Answer 5

P - research support Schouten self disclosure in VR
E - People high in social anxiety experienced greater online disclosure due to absence of non-verbal cues they typically struggle with
E - Such people were able to express their ‘true selves’ more than in F-F interactions
- Of romantic r’ships formed online: 70% survived more than 2 years
L - suggests VR may benefit many individuals & help them initiate & maintain r’ships

Question 6

AO3 self disclosure in VR?
Cultural applicability?
(Yim & Hara)

Answer 6

P - Cultural differences in self-disclosure in VR
E - Yim & Hara found American pt’s reported greater self-disclosure online associated with more trust
- Korean pt’s suggested greater self-disclosure online led to less trust
- Japanese pt’s thought self-disclosure was irrelevant
L - Suggests theory of self-disclosure in VR is not universal - but is mediated by cultural factors

Question 7

AO3 self disclosure in VR
Relationships are multimodal?
Walther 2011

Answer 7

P - Criticism of the area suggests r’ships are multimodal
E - Walther 2011 argues r’ships are generally conducted online & offline through different mediums and is done interchangeably in modern times
E - This is a central element of modern relationships
L - So examining the differences in relationships is flawed weakening the credibility of the theory

Question 8

Outline absence of gating in VR?

Answer 8

• In VR physical characteristics of someone (gates) that would stop us from entertaining a r’ship with them are absent
• Creates more opportunities for shy/less attractive people to develop a r’ship
• Even when these gates are discovered in F-F interactions the intimacy developed through self-disclosure means these gates are no longer recognised

Question 9

AO3 absence of gating in VR
Research to support Bargh (1991)?

Answer 9

P - Evidence to support the impact of absence of gates in VR
E - Bargh 1991 found intimacy developed quicker in VR compared to F-F because of a lack of gating features
E - Research suggests intimacy develops quicker in VR because of the lack of barriers to putting people off
L - Shows absence of gating in VR works also by allowing disadvantaged people to enter r’ships

Question 10

AO3 absence of gating in VR
Research has not specified age/sex differences in relation to absence of gating in VR?
(Beta bias)

Answer 10

P - Research has not included differences in sex or age in relation to absence of gating in VR, something an evolutionary theory would predict
E - Issue because many use the internet, & some theories predict men & women seek different qualities in partners
E - For example is the internet used primarily by men looking for attractive females, or used by females to look for partners with resources?
L - So without research investigating differences between the genders (s well as sexual orientations) this area of r’ships could be seen as Beta biased

Question 11

AO3 absence of gating in VR
Non-verbal cues are not missing from VR entirely?

Answer 11

P - Non-verbal cues are not absent from VR entirely, they are just different
E - Other modern cues such as the timing of the message. E.g. taking the time to reply to a message in viewed as intimacy & commitment to the developing r’ship rather than a ‘quick reply’
E - However if the reply takes too long this is seen as a lack of commitment and the r’ship might end. Also emojis & phrases ‘lol’ are substitutes for facial expressions, tone evoking the emotion experienced
L - These substitutes can therefore replace f-f gates. Hence research into gating has been to narrow