HDFS 2322 Exam #1 Study Guide

Intimacy

A close relationship characterized by seven traits: knowledge, interdependence, caring, trust, responsiveness, mutuality, and commitment.

Knowledge

Intimate partners share extensive personal and often confidential information about each other.

Interdependence

Intimate partners have a strong, diverse, and enduring influence on each other.

Caring

Intimate partners feel more affection for one another than for most others.

Trust

Intimate partners expect fair, honorable, and benevolent treatment from each other.

Responsiveness

Intimate partners are attentive to each other's needs and support each other effectively.

Mutuality

Intimate partners view themselves as a couple rather than as separate individuals.

Commitment

The expectation to continue the relationship indefinitely and invest time, effort, and resources to sustain it.

Need to belong

A powerful drive to establish intimate connections and regular social contact with those we feel close to.

Demographic trends

Fewer people are marrying, individuals are waiting longer to marry, and more children are born to unmarried parents in the U.S.

Secure attachment style

Individuals who bond happily with others and develop relationships characterized by relaxed trust.

Anxiety dimension

A tendency to become nervous and clingy due to uncertainty about a caregiver's return.

Avoidance dimension

A tendency to be suspicious of others and struggle to form trusting relationships.

Sex differences

Biological differences between men and women.

Gender differences

Social and psychological distinctions created by culture and upbringing.

Gender roles

Culturally expected patterns of behavior for men and women.

Personality traits

(Ocean) Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism are linked to relationship outcomes.

Self-esteem

An evaluation of oneself that influences relationships.

Parental investment

The greater investment made by females in offspring.

Convenience sample

Participants who are readily available for research.

Representative sample

Participants who resemble the population as a whole.

Correlational designs

Research methods that observe patterns among variables without establishing causation.

Experiments

Research methods that provide insight into cause and effect through manipulation of variables.

Self-reports

Common measures of intimate relationships that reveal private behaviors and beliefs.

Social desirability bias

Distortion in self-reports due to the desire to make a good impression.

Beneficence

Ethical principle ensuring participant well-being and privacy in research.

Respect for persons

Ethical principle ensuring informed consent and protection of vulnerable groups.

Justice

Ethical principle ensuring equal treatment of participants and benefits from research.

Statistical significance

Indicates results are unlikely due to chance but does not imply importance.

Instrumentality

Attraction to individuals who help achieve personal goals.

Proximity

The tendency to form relationships with those who are physically near.

Mere exposure effect

Increased liking of an individual with repeated contact.

"What is Beautiful is Good"

The assumption that attractive people possess other desirable traits.

Waist-to-hip ratio

The most attractive ratio is a curvy .7, indicating a smaller waist compared to hips.

Evolutionary perspective

The idea that certain behaviors and preferences have evolved for reproductive success.

Matching in attractiveness

People tend to partner with those of similar attractiveness.

Similarity

Attraction to individuals with similar demographics, attitudes, and values.

Reinforcement theory

The tendency to like those who provide rewards or reinforcements.

Reciprocity

The tendency to like those who like us.

Social penetration theory

Communication changes systematically as relationships develop.

Breadth

The variety of topics discussed in a relationship.

Depth

The discussion of deeper concepts in a relationship.

Positive illusion

Judging partners in the best possible light, positively affecting relationship satisfaction.

Attributions

Explanations for why things happen in relationships.

Internal vs External

Internal relates to personal traits, while external relates to situational factors.

Stable vs Unstable

Stable refers to lasting traits, while unstable refers to temporary conditions.

Actor/observer effect

Different explanations for one's own actions versus others' actions.

Self-serving biases

The tendency to take credit for positive outcomes and blame external factors for negative ones.

Relationship enhancing attributions

Positive explanations that benefit relationships.

Distress-maintaining attributions

Negative explanations that harm relationships.

Reconstructive memory

The process of revising memories based on new information.

Destiny beliefs

The assumption that relationships are either meant to be or not.

Growth beliefs

The idea that good relationships require hard work.

Romanticism

The belief that love is the most important reason for choosing a partner.

Openness to experience

imaginative, curious

Extraversion

outgoing, asssertive

Conscientiousness

responsible, organized

Agreeableness

compassionate, cooperative

Neuroticism

emotional stability, fluctuating moods, most linked to relationship outcome

Stimulus-value-role-theory

first attraction is based on stimulus. during next phase, values stage, attraction depends on similarity of attitudes and beliefs. later attraction is based on role combatibility

Complementarily

people who have warm personalities, like people with warm pesonalities

Social cognition

process of perception. beliefs, interpretations, and judgments with how we make sense of our social world and relationships

Primacy effect

tendency for first information about others to carry special weight

Confirmation bias

We tend to seek information that confirms our existing beliefs

Overconfident

we are overconfident are impressions are correct

Impression management

Trying to influence the impressions of us that others form

Ingratiation

Do favors, pay compliments, discuss agreeable topics

Self-promotion

recounting accomplishments or showing skills

Intimidation

Portray ourselves as rough and menacing to gain compliance

Supplication

Present as inept in order to gain help

Self-monitoring

adjusting our behaviors to fit the norms of different situations, different audiences

Self-disclosure

revealing personal information about ourselves and is one of the defining characteristics of intimacy

Interpersonal process model of intimacy

Genuine infamy only develops in certain conditions

Taboo topics

Sensitive matters partners agree, explicitly/implicitly, not to discuss

Gender differences in self-disclosure

Women tend to be higher on expressivity

Self-fulfilling prophecies

False predictions that become true because an individual’s expectations lead others to engage in that behavior

Rejection sensitivity

Tend to perceive snubs when there are none, overreact and display hostility and defensiveness

Self-concept

Our broader sense of self, self-esteem is just one part

Self-enhancement

Motive that leads us to seek feedback that makes us look good

Self-verification

Desire for feedback that is consistent with one’s existing self-concept.

Hyperpersonal Model

People reveal more about themselves through computers

Sexual scripting theory

People derive expectations about sexual behaviors from their social contexts

Permissiveness with affection standard

Sex outside of marriage is okay if in a committed relationship

Sexual double standard

Asymmetry of expectations for men and women

Motives for having sex

Emotional, physical, pragmatic, insecurity

Bogus pipeline study

When individuals believe they are hooked up to a lie detector, gender differences disappear

Hormonal birth control

Work by preventing ovulation, thickening cervical muscus and reduces endometrial growth

Failure rates

Theoretical vs. perfect user failure rates

Birth control pill

Interrupts patterns of ovulation, changes cervical mucus to block sperm, reduce endometrial growth (.3-9%)

Patch

Releases estrogen and progestin, 3 weeks on 1 week off (.3-9%)

Ring

Contains low levels of estrogen and progestin, 21 days at a time (.3-9%)

Implant

Flexible rod in arm that releases hormones, works for 3 years, (.05%)

Depo-Provera

3 month shot, some weight gain(.2-6%)

Intrauterine device (IUD)

T shapes, can contain progesterone or copper, create toxic environment, lasts 3-10 years (.2-.8%)

Insertive/male condom

Latex, prevents STIs, (2-18%), use properly, store properly

Receptive/female condom

Polyurethane, prevents STIs, (5-21%), slipping, noisy

Rubber dam/dental dam

light piece of latex, prevents STIs

Rape

Any type of oral, anal, or vaginal penetration with an object or body part for which the person does not consent

Sexual Assault

Broad term which includes any nonconsensual folding, touching, kissing, groping, or physical activity of a sexual nature

Consent (Beres et al)

Found little support miscommunication hypothesis but rather a small group of individuals who engage in sex through coercion and little regard for their partners sexual agency