The “Bridge” StudyMisattribution of Emotional Arousal

• Tilted, swayed (6 ft.), wobbled

• Low handrails (3 feet)• 230 foot drop to rocks and rapids

Procedure and Results?

versus

Results

Shortcoming of First Study?

Results of 1st study confirmed:

TAT Scores:

Exp. Group –---- 2.99Control Group – 1.92

Called Back:

Exp. Group –--- 13/20Control Group – 9/20

• Grater attraction ratings when subjects expected receiving a strong vs. weak shock

•TAT scores were significantly higher when both the male and female were expecting the strong shock

• Perceived Costs

• Comparison Level

• Comparison Level for Alternatives

Loss of freedom, $, time, effort, annoying habits, etc.

What we expect the outcomes of a relationship to be in terms of costs and rewards (e.g., a standard)

Expectations about the level of rewards (benefits) and punishments (costs) they would receive in an alternative relationship

Social Exchange Theory [We “buy” the best relationship we can get, one that gives us the

best value for our emotional dollar – From Aronson et al. Social Psychology, 2010, p. 299]

Outcome

(Rewards minus Costs)

When outcomes (rewards – costs) match one’s comparison level, satisfaction and commitment are higher – Alternatives are viewed as less desirable

• Perceived Rewards

Companionship, sexual fulfillment, status, greater income, friendships, etc.

Budget Study --- Procedure and Results?

Study 2 Procedure and Results?

40

30

20

10

0

40

30

20

10

0

Men

Women

High Budget

Low Budget

Physical attractivene

ss

Social status

Physical attractivene

ss

Social status

% Monet spent

% Monet spent

Gender Differences in Mate Preferences

Relationship-Enhancing and Distress-Maintaining Attributions

Positive Event

Relationship-Enhancing Attribution

Distress-Maintaining Attribution

My partner takes me out to an expensive dinner

My partner is sweet and thoughtful

My partner took me out to write the cost off on

taxes

Internal, stable, global

Negative Event

My partner forgot my birthday

External, unstable, specific

Something unexpected must have come up

External, unstable, specific

My partner is always uncaring and selfish

Internal, stable, global

Misattributions of Friendly Behavior

Routine Conversation

Female

Male

Observers

Female

Male

Viewed female as promiscuous; were attracted to the female; saw themselves

as flirtatious and seductive

Viewed males as behaving in a sexual manner; females as

promiscuous

Sexuallens

Interaction

Long-Term Relationships

1 2 3 54 6 7 8 9 10

Years of marriage

Ratin

gs o

f mar

ital q

ualit

y

Wife Husband

Marital Satisfaction over Time

In a longitudinal study that spanned ten years, married couples rated the quality of their marriages. On average, these ratings were high, but they declined among both husbands and wives. As you can see, there were two steep drops, occurring during the first and eighth years of marriage. (Kurdek, 1999.)

Health & Longevity

Low

High

Marriage, Health and Longevity

Men Women

Happily married

Unhappily married

Unmarried

Years of marriage

0-1 1-2 2-5 5-10 10+

90

80

70

60

50

40

Love marriages

Arranged marriages

“No man or woman really knows what love is until they have been married a quarter of a century.” --- Mark Twain

Changes in Life Satisfaction Before and After Divorce

In this study, 817 men and women who were divorced at some point rated how satisfied they were with life on a scale of 0 to 10 every year for eighteen years. Overall, divorcees were less satisfied than their married counterparts-a common result. On the question of whether time heals the wound, you can see that satisfaction levels dipped before divorce, rebounded afterward, but did not return to original levels. It appears that people adapt but do not fully recover from this experience. (Lucas, 2005.)

0.00

-0.50

-1.00

2 4-8 0-2 6-6 -4

Life

Sati

sfac

tion

Ratin

gs

Years Before and After Divorce

Divorce

Relationship Conflict --- Some Issues

• Jealousy ---

Men Sexual infidelity (60%)

Women Emotional infidelity (83%)

• Communication ---

Demand-withdraw interaction pattern (Females wish to discuss problems, men avoid/withdraw from such discussions)

• Sex

• Children

• Money

• Different expectations

Interpersonal Relationships (Dynamic Approach)

Relationships

• Individual subjective reactions to cues in an interaction

• Active search/detection process for cues

• Timing and sequencing of cues (e.g., baking a cake example)

Thoughts about interpersonal interactions

Evaluation of interaction as good, average, poor

• Future possibilities

• Strategies

Narratives/stories about relationships

• Who is told? When they are told? What is said? Why they are told?

• Difference in perceptions; memory for facts

Interpersonal Relationship