The Science of Love

OUR LABORATORY’S METHODS

SPLIT SCREEN SETUP

PHYSIOLOGICAL MONTAGE

PHYSIOLOGICAL MONITORING

VIDEO RECALL AFFECT RATING DIAL

RATING DIAL CLOSE UP

CONTROL ROOM

COMPUTER-ASSISTED CODING

PREDICTING IF A COUPLE WILL DIVORCE

PREVIOUS STUDIES

• SIX PREVIOUS STUDIES, ALL USE QUESTIONNAIRES

• CLOSE TO CHANCE LEVELS OF PREDICTION (MAX CORR = .25).

• NOT MUCH USE THEORETICALLY• BENTLER & NEWCOMB: CLOTHES

CONSCIOUSNESS PREDICT DIVORCE. GUESS HOW.

OUR FIRST STUDY

STARTED IN 1979 WITH BOB LEVENSON

DOW JONES GRAPH OF A MARITAL CONVERSATION

CUMULATIVE POS-NEG STABLE

DIVORCING

REPLICATION OF THE PREDICTION

• PREDICTING DIVORCE IN SEVEN SEPARATE LONGITUDINAL STUDIES ACROSS THE LIFE COURSE

• ALSO CAN PREDICT RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION

• CAN PREDICT ADAPTATIONTO MAJOR LIFE TRANSITIONS: TO PARENTHOOD, MIDLIFE, AND RETIREMENT

Five Couple Types

STABLE COUPLES MATCHED INFLUENCE FUNCTIONS

Validators Volatile Avoiders

5 to 1 positive to negative ratio

UNSTABLE COUPLES MISMATCHED INFLUENCE FUNCTIONS

Hostile (Validator/Avoider)

Hostile-Detached (Validator/Volatile)

0.8 to 1 positive to negative ratio

“PREDICTING” WHEN A COUPLE WILL DIVORCE

14-YEAR LONGITUDINAL DATA NOW AVAILABLE. VARIABLE IS YEARS TO DIVORCING. THIS IS POST-DICTION

NOT PRE-DICTION

BIMODAL DISTRIBUTION OF TIME UNTIL DIVORCE

IMPORTANT RESULT IS THAT:DIFFERENT TIME-1 PROCESSES PREDICT EARLY VS.

LATER DIVORCING

• ESCALATING NEGATIVEAFFECT: ATTACK-DEFEND CYCLE PREDICTS EARLY DIVORCING 5.6 YEARS AFTER WEDDING

• LACK OF POSITIVE AFFECT AND LACK OF NEGATIVE AFFECT: EMOTIONAL DISENGAGEMENT PREDICTS LATER DIVORCING 16.2 YEARS AFTER WEDDING

THREE MARITAL OUTCOMES

CUMULATIVE POS-NEG HAPPY STABLE

LATER DIVORCING

EARLY DIVORCING