Formation Of Relationships

Question 0

How does reward/need satisfaction theory explain how relationships are formed? (2)

Answer 0

Reward need satisfaction theory explains how relationships are formed from two types of rewards:

1. Indirect rewards: this is when a person is nearby when you are happy, so you associate being happy with that person, so they will eventually make you feel happy and thus you will form a relationship with them. E.g. On holiday
2. Direct rewards: this is when someone rewards you directly, so you like them for this and thus form a relationship with them because of it. E.g. Sex, gifts, being friendly etc.

Question 1

Name the three theories for the formation of relationships (3)

Answer 1

1. Reward/ Need Satisfaction Theory
2. Similarity Theory
3. Matching Hypothesis Theory

Question 2

Name the three studies that support reward/need satisfaction theory (3)

Answer 2

1. Griffitt et al.- The stranger, the radio and the waiting room study
2. Griffitt and Guay- Creative task study
3. Cate et al. 337 people rate their relationship study

Question 3

What did Griffitt at al. do in their the stranger, the radio and the waiting room study and what did they find? (3+1)

Answer 3

1. Participants were asked to wait in a waiting room where they met a stranger (confederate) and the radio was playing
2. They would either hear good or bad news on the radio (independent groups)
3. They were then asked to rate the stranger in terms of how much they liked him/her
4. They found that those who heard the good news rating the stranger more highly, showing that positive indirect rewards can lead to someone liking someone more because of it

Question 4

Evaluative points for Griffitt et al. The stranger, the radio and the waiting room study (6)

Answer 4

1. Lacks mundane realism- lab setting
2. Demand characteristics- lowers internal validity
3. Questionnaires- bias and lies- lowers internal validity
4. Unethical- deceived the participants
5. Focuses on liking and not actually the formation of a relationship
6. Individual differences

Question 5

What did Griffitt and Guay do and find in their creative task study? (3+1)

Answer 5

1. Participants were asked to take part in a creative task
2. They were then either positively reinforced or not reinforced at all.
3. They were then asked to rate the researcher in terms of how much they liked him/her
4. Found that those who were positively reinforced gave the researcher higher ratings

Question 6

Evaluative points of Griffitt and Guays creative task study (6)

Answer 6

1. Lacks mundane realism- lowers external validity
2. Demand characteristics- lowers internal
3. Questionnaires- lowers internal
4. Short term
5. Individual differences
6. Focuses on liking and not actually forming a relationship

Question 7

What did cate et al do and find in the 337 people rate their relationships study? (1 + 1)

Answer 7

1. Participants were asked to rate their relationship in terms of reward and satisfaction.
2. They found that those who were rewarded more gave higher satisfactory ratings regarding their relationship

Question 8

Evaluative points for Cate et al. 337 people rate their relationships study (3)

Answer 8

1. Questionnaires- bias & lies- lowers internal
2. 337 decent sample size
3. Doesn’t focus on formation but focuses on how satisfied they are in their relationship, instead of how they formed it

Question 9

Overall evaluation of reward/need satisfaction theory (3)

Answer 9

1. Culturally bias- research focuses on individualistic cultures
2. Too simplistic- doesn’t take other factors into consideration (physical attraction)
3. Assumes everyone is selfish and doesn’t consider unrewarding relationships