Midterm Lectures Flashcards Preview

Close Relationships > Midterm Lectures > Flashcards

Flashcards in Midterm Lectures Deck (110)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

Relationship Science:

A

Understand how people think, feel, and behave in close relationships using the scientific method

2
Q

What are 2 reasons we study friends and lovers?

A
  1. They are an integral part of our daily lives

2. They provide health benefits

3
Q

Social Psychology:

A

to understand and explain thought, feeling and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human beings

4
Q

the original focus of social psychology was on studying _____

A

groups and how they operate

5
Q

When did social psychology emerge?

A

~1908

6
Q

Who is considered the father of experimental social psychology? Why?

A

Floyd Allport

He started focusing on how individuals operated in groups

7
Q

Dyadic =

A

A pair of people

8
Q

When Kurt Lewin combined the individualist approach with the group minded traditions, were dyadic relationships focused on?

A

No, groups were still the focus

9
Q

In the 60’s when dyadic relationships started to be researched, what was the focus of studies?

A

How relationships start

10
Q

Who were 2 notable early female relationship researchers?

A

Ellen Beracheid

Elaine Hatfield

11
Q

What types of structural changes in the 80’s helped relationship science

A

Journals were created and conferences were held

12
Q

In the 80’s the focus of relationship science shifted from attraction to: (2)

A
  1. Maintenance of relationships

2. Termination of relationships

13
Q

Why did termination of relationships become the focus of research in the 80s?

A

Because divorce rates were increasing

14
Q

Relationships maintenance focuses not on the amount of time spent with ones partner but:

A

the quality of the time

15
Q

In the 2000’s what was the big movement in psychology?

A

the positive psychology movement

16
Q

What are the 3 main research areas in relationship science?

A
  1. Evolutionary
  2. Interdependence
  3. Attachment
17
Q

What main theory did the evolutionary perspective arise from

A

Natural selection

18
Q

What role do relationships play according to the evolutionary perspective?

A

They play a special role in enhancing fitness

19
Q

What are the 2 mechanisms for survival according to Darwin?

A

Natural and sexual selection

20
Q

Sexual selection focuses on reproducing in 2 forms

A
  1. Through competition between same-sex rivals for access to mates
  2. Through choice, traits viewed as more attractive will be selected for
21
Q

What is an example of “peacocking” in humans?

A

Dancing

22
Q

According to evolutionary theory, our behaviour in intimate relationships is rooted in our:

A

ancestral past

23
Q

Interdependence:

A

extent to which interacting persons influence one another (thoughts, feelings, motives, behaviour)

24
Q

The economic model of relationships centres on:

A

the rewards and costs exchanged between couple members

25
Q

What are rewards and costs defined by in the economic model?

A

People’s expectations
E.g. Comparison level
(Affections, activities, mutual friends)

26
Q

The investment model relates to why we should ___ in a relationship

A

stay

27
Q

According to the interdependece theory, behaviour in relationships is determined by:

A

Our interactions with other people which are based on interpersonal marketplace principles

28
Q

What are the 2 central questions to the interdependence model?

A
  1. What are the rewards and costs of being with a person?

2. Are there better alternatives

29
Q

Attachment theory:

A

The intimate relationships we form in our adult lives are shaped by the natures of our bonds with our primary caregivers in infancy and early childhood

30
Q

Which theory states that our behaviour in intimate relationships is rooted in our pasts (childhood)

A

Attachment theory

31
Q

What are the 2 assumptions of attachment theory?

A
  1. Humans have evolved an attachment behavioural system

2. Working models (schemas) are the way that early experiences are linked to adulthood (attachment styles)

32
Q

What is an attachment behavioural system?

A

A set of behaviours and reactions that will promote survival of the child (staying close to mom = protection)

33
Q

What was the important finding of the Harry Harlow study?

A

The importance of contact comfort in love

> When in distress, we cling to the primary care giver

34
Q

3 point summary on the theories of close relationships:

A
  1. They have evolutionary roots
  2. They are based on market place principles
  3. They are based on early childhood experiences
35
Q

What 4 ways can research questions arise?

A
  1. theory
  2. personal experience
  3. previous research
  4. social problems
36
Q

What are the 4 ways of knowing?

A

Experience
Intuition
Authority (listen to someone else)
Scientific method

37
Q

Which way of knowing is based on measuring variables?

A

Scientific method

38
Q

3 general ways to measure variables

A

Self report
Behavioural
Physiological

39
Q

What is a benefit and a downside of behavioural observation measurement?

A

Benefit: Get more authentic reactions

Down side: The environments are fake so behaviours might not reflect real world situations

40
Q

4 examples of physiological testing

A

Heart rate
fMRI
Cortisol testing kit
Skin conductance

41
Q

What is an up side and a down side of physiological testing?

A

Upside: accurate
Downside: can be expensive and not natural

42
Q

Is it bad if a psychologist measures a construct by only one method?

A

No, because other labs will research the concept other ways

43
Q

To answer the research questions, researchers come up with a:

A

hypothesis

44
Q

What is the most common type of sample?

A

a convenience sample

45
Q

What are the 2 main research designs?

A

Correlational and experimental

46
Q

What is a correlational design?

A

It assesses the association between two variables without manipulation

47
Q

What type of design is the most used?

A

correlational

48
Q

What is an experimental research strategy?

A

Assesses the cause and effect relations between variables while controlling for extraneous variables

49
Q

What are the 3 key features of a true experiment?

A
  1. Manipulation of the independent variable
  2. Measurement of the dependent variable
  3. Control of extraneous variables
50
Q

How many levels does the independent variable have?

A

2 or more

51
Q

Which comes first, the IV or the DV?

A

IV

52
Q

What does it mean to control for extraneous variables?

A

Isolate the IV and DV and control for everything else (as much as possible)

53
Q

What were the 2 IV of the Attraction in the Lab Paradigm??

A
  1. Similar to the stranger

2. Dissimilar to the stranger

54
Q

What were the DV of the Attraction in the Lab Paradigm?

A

A self reported measure of attraction to the other person based on their survey answers

55
Q

What were the 3 controlled extraneous variables of the Attraction in the Lab Paradigm

A
  • Age and education status
  • Matched gender
  • Physical attractiveness (never actually met them)
56
Q

What were the 3 IV in the VR Attachment Lab Study

A
  • Attentive partner
  • Inattentive partner
  • Absent partner
57
Q

What were the 2 DV in the VR Attachment Lab Study

A
  • Self reported stress during the task

- feelings of security during the task

58
Q

What extraneous variables were controlled for during the VR Attachment in the Lab study

A
  • Same virtual environment

- all had romantic partner in lab

59
Q

Why do most studies use more than one IV

A

1 IV is seen as simple and may not yield all the answers the researcher desires

60
Q

What is a factorial design

A

The manipulation of 2 or more IV

61
Q

Do scientists usually only do one study on a topic?

A

No, often they will do multiple studies on the same topic and across multiple labs

62
Q

Why do scientists make their research public?

A

Allows for others to critique the work

63
Q

Why is the scientific method the best way to conduct research? (4)

A
  1. Experience and intuition can be biased
  2. You may miss things if you are just basing it on experience
  3. Need a comparison group
  4. People who claim authority may not be experts in that area
64
Q

What foundational school of thought shaped the basic assumption of the study of interpersonal attraction?

A

Behaviourism

65
Q

What is the underlying assumption of interpersonal attraction?

A

That we are attracted to others that are rewarding

66
Q

Direct rewards

A

Noticable

>being nice to someone, attractiveness)

67
Q

Indirect rewards

A

Outside out awareness

>name sounds like yours, nice smell

68
Q

What type of psychology is indirect rewards linked to

A

Evolutionary psychology

69
Q

What are the 5 main pillars of attraction?

A
  1. Proximity (propinquity)
  2. Similarity
  3. Reciprocity
  4. Personality
  5. Physical appearance
70
Q

We are most likely to form relationships with people who are physically ___ to us

A

Close

71
Q

Dorm room friendship study

A
  • Students were randomly assigned to dorm rooms
  • Checked who they were friends with 3 months later
    Results: Chances of being friends was related to the distance between the rooms
72
Q

What was the classroom seating proximity study examining?

A

Whether randomly assigned physical proximity on the first day of class would affect friendship formation and attraction

73
Q

What was the IV in the classroom proximity study

A

Proximity

74
Q

What was the DV of the classroom proximity study

A

The intensity of liking/friendship of other people when asked a year later

75
Q

What were the results of the classroom proximity study

A

Sitting close to someone leads to greater friendship intensity

76
Q

Why might proximity increase attraction?

A

More opportunities to interact

Interacting becomes more effortless, and makes you think you like them

77
Q

Mere exposure effect:

A

Being exposed to something (relatively neutral) can make it intrinsically reinforcing over time

78
Q

When can the mere exposure effect be untrue?

A

If you don’t like someone

If you become “sick” of them

79
Q

3 proposed reasons for the mere exposure effect

A
  1. The person is deemed to be harmless so it is safe to be close to them (evolutionary)
  2. Familiar stimuli are processes more fluently tend to be experiences in a positive manner (availability heuristic)
  3. Classical Conditioning
80
Q

What was the design of the mere exposure effect experiment with female confederates in the classroom

A

4 female confederates went to a class either 0, 5, 10 or 15 times, without interacting with anyone. Then other students in the class were asked to rate pictures of the women on their attractiveness

81
Q

Dependent variables of the mere exposure female confederates study

A

At the end of the semester, other students rated the women on:
Attraction
Similarity
Familiarity

82
Q

What were the results of the mere exposure female confederates study

A

The confederates who attended more classes were rates as more attractive and similar (weak findings for familiar)
» Supports mere exposure effect

83
Q

What were the results of the study where a pair of same-gendered participants were either given either 2 or 6 discussion points

A

In the 2 card condition the mean level attraction was significantly lower than the 6 card condition

84
Q

Increased interaction leads to increased ____

A

attraction

85
Q

In the study of varying numbers of internet chat room chats, what were the findings?

A

The greater the amount of chats, the greater the attraction

|&raquo_space; Theory is that the more you chat the more familiar you are

86
Q

What aspects of similarity make us especially like people, when they share our:

A

Attitudes, values and backgrounds

87
Q

Do opposites attract?

A

Little evidence to support that

88
Q

In the study where people were given fabricated information about another person that were either similar or dissimilar to them, what were the results?

A

People given bogus info that the stranger was similar (vs dissimilar) gave higher ratings of interpersonal attraction

89
Q

In the study were participants were given a paper with a code that was similar to their birthday or not testing attraction, what were the results

A

People randomly assigned to the similar code condition gave higher ratings of attraction than people in the dissimilar conditon

90
Q

what type of a reward promotes liking a code similar to your birthday

A

Indirect award

91
Q

Is it actual similarity or perceived similarity that promotes the most liking?

A

Perceived similarity

92
Q

Why do we like people who are similar to us?

A

Validating (makes us feel right)

Easier to get along with

93
Q

We like others who like us, especially when it seems to be contingent on our ______

A

behaviour

94
Q

What was the result of the study with stranger same sex pairs interacting with each other

A

Those who were led to believe that they were liked self-disclosed more, disagreed less, had a more positive tone than those who believed they were disliked

95
Q

What underlying thing might lead us to like others who we think like us?

A

A self fulfilling prophecy (act better towards them and thus they treat you better and you like them more)

96
Q

What was the result of the study were opposite sex pairs engaged in a variety of tasks that were either humorous or not. What was the result?

A

Increased humour use during the task was associated with increased liking for the person
> Reciprocal liking partly explained the relation between humour and liking

97
Q

How does humour promote liking?

A

Laughter is a cue that the person is reacting well towards you

98
Q

We like others with ____ traits

A

positive

99
Q

What were found to be the most likeable traits (10)

A
sincerity 
honesty 
understanding 
loyalty
truthfulness 
trustworthiness 
intelligence 
dependable 
open-minded 
thoughtful
100
Q

Pratfall effect:

A

Although we like people with positive personality traits, we are even more attracted to people with wonderful qualities who have a few endearing flaws

101
Q

Are all flaws endearing?

A

No, cannot be a terrible flaw

102
Q

What is physically attractiveness important for?

A

Initial attraction

103
Q

In a study were people were told they were matched with a date with a similar person to go to a dance, but they were actually just randomly assigned, what were the results?

A

Physical attractiveness was the only predictor for desire for future interaction

104
Q

What was the hypothesis in the speed dating study for mate preferences based on evolutionary theory?

A

Males would value physical attractiveness in a mate

Females would value earning prospects more in a mate

105
Q

In terms of intentions to meet the person again, what were the findings of the speed dating study?

A

Physical attractiveness for both men AND women was one of the strongest determinants of mate interest

106
Q

In a pre-test before the speed dating event, what did men and women indicate their ideal mate to be like

A

The hypothesis was correct:
Men gave higher ratings for physical attractiveness
Women gave higher ratings for earning prospects

107
Q

Matching hypothesis

A

On the dating market, people assess their own self-worth and select partners whose social desirability approx equals their own

108
Q

In a study that assessed the matching hypothesis in terms of who people reach out to on dating sites, what were the results

A

People tended to contact others who were MORE attractive than they were

109
Q

Even though people reached out to people who are more attractive than them on dating sites, what is the attractiveness level of they people’s whose request they accepted?

A

They were more similar in attractiveness

110
Q

Why does it seem that people are more likely to try to pair up with people who have a similar level of attractiveness as them?

A

Because they are afraid of rejection