Module 8: Close Relationships

1. Harlow’s monkey experiments
Front: What did Harlow’s experiments show about attachment?

Back: Infants preferred physical warmth and comfort over food, showing that contact comfort plays a major role in attachment.
Example: Infant seeks reassurance through contact even when food is available.

Front: How does drive-reduction theory explain attachment?

Back: Attachment forms because the caregiver is associated with the reduction of the infant’s primary drive of hunger.
Example: Infant learns to associate caregiver with feeding.

3. Contact comfort
Front: What is contact comfort?

Back: Reassuring physical contact that plays a major role in developing attachment.
Example: Warmth and holding promote attachment.

Front: What is Bowlby’s ethological theory?

Back: A theory emphasizing signaling behaviours that elicit care and promote attachment.
Example: Crying leads caregiver to respond.

Front: What are signaling behaviours?

Back: Behaviours such as crying, smiling, vocalizing, sucking, and clinging that elicit care and protection.
Example: Infant clings when distressed.

Front: What is a secure base?

Back: A caregiver who provides a safety zone the infant can return to when stressed.
Example: Infant explores then returns for reassurance.

Front: What does it mean that attachment is dyadic?

Back: Attachment involves both the infant and the caregiver, not just one.
Example: Infant signals and caregiver responds.

Front: What characterizes secure attachment?

Back: Confidence in caregiver availability, responsiveness, and reliability.
Example: Infant seeks caregiver when distressed.

Front: What are the original attachment categories?

Back: Secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure anxious-ambivalent, disorganized-disoriented.
Example: Patterns of infant-caregiver behaviour.

Front: How were attachment styles recoded?

Back: Into proximity-seeking vs proximity-avoidance and anger/resistance.
Example: Child minimizes contact vs seeks closeness.

Front: Is attachment stable over time?

Back: Attachment is relatively stable but can change if the environment improves or worsens.
Example: Improved caregiving increases security.

Front: What best predicts adult attachment security?

Back: Quality of early caregiving.
Example: Consistent responsiveness supports later security.

Front: What does close relationship research focus on?

Back: Behaviours that promote highly satisfying relationships.
Example: Studying positive interactions.

Front: What is the need to belong?

Back: A strong motivation to form meaningful connections after basic survival needs.
Example: Seeking companionship.

Front: Why is social support important?

Back: It is associated with better health and well-being across ages.
Example: Support during stressful and happy times.

Front: How is love defined?

Back: An emotion and a long-term subjective experience that motivates connection.
Example: Feeling bonded over time.

Front: What physiological changes are linked to love?

Back: Feelings such as warmth and a strong heartbeat.
Example: Physical arousal when with a loved one.

Front: What makes love unique among emotions?

Back: It implies something more lasting than other emotional states.
Example: Love persists beyond moments.

Front: What are the highest-ranked features of love?

Back: Trust, honesty, caring, friendship, intimacy, respect, commitment.
Example: Trust prioritized over passion.

Front: How is passion ranked relative to trust?

Back: Sexual passion is important but ranked lower than trust.
Example: Long-term relationships value trust more.

Front: Where is love central?

Back: Friendships, family relationships, and romantic partnerships.
Example: Love in close non-romantic bonds.

Front: What is intimacy?

Back: Emotional closeness, trust, caring, and self-disclosure.
Example: Sharing personal feelings.

Front: What is passion?

Back: Physiological arousal, sexual desire, intense emotion, and preoccupation.
Example: Strong excitement toward partner.

Front: What is commitment?

Back: The decision to maintain a relationship long-term.
Example: Choosing to stay together.

Front: What is liking in the triangular model?

Back: Intimacy alone.
Example: Close friendship.

26. Infatuation
Front: What is infatuation?

Back: Passion alone.
Example: Intense attraction without closeness.

Front: What is empty love?

Back: Commitment alone.
Example: Staying together without intimacy.

ront: What is romantic love?

Back: Intimacy plus passion.
Example: Early romantic relationships.

Front: What is companionate love?

Back: Intimacy plus commitment; deeper and enduring.
Example: Long-term partnership.

30. Fatuous love
Front: What is fatuous love?

Back: Passion plus commitment without intimacy.
Example: Quick commitment without closeness.

Front: What is consummate love?

Back: Intimacy, passion, and commitment together.
Example: Complete form of love.

Front: What is interpersonal attraction?

Back: Positive feelings toward another such as liking, admiration, or love.
Example: Feeling drawn to someone.

Front: What is the proximity effect?

Back: Physical closeness increases likelihood of forming relationships.
Example: Friends living near each other.

Front: What is the mere exposure effect?

Back: Repeated exposure increases liking.
Example: Familiar faces feel more likable.

Front: How does similarity influence attraction?

Back: Similar attitudes increase attraction.
Example: Shared values foster liking.

Front: Is actual similarity required?

Back: Perceived similarity alone can increase attraction.
Example: Believing someone shares your views.

Front: When does physical attractiveness matter most?

Back: In the initial stages of dating.
Example: First impressions.

Front: What is the matching hypothesis?

Back: People pair with others of similar physical attractiveness.
Example: Similar attractiveness couples.

Front: What is reciprocity?

Back: Liking those who show that they like you.
Example: Mutual interest increases attraction.

40. Authenticity
Front: What is authenticity in relationships?

Back: Freedom to express true feelings and beliefs.
Example: Open emotional expression.

Front: How does intimacy develop?

Back: Through gradual self-disclosure over time.
Example: Sharing deeper information progressively.

Front: What is the porcupine’s dilemma?

Back: Desire for intimacy while fearing rejection or hurt.
Example: Hesitation to reveal flaws.

Front: What is the relationship bank account?

Back: Positive behaviours are deposits; negatives are withdrawals.
Example: Kind acts outweigh conflicts.

Front: What is capitalization?

Back: Sharing good news with a partner.
Example: Telling partner about success.

45. Active-constructive response
Front: Which capitalization response yields the most benefits?

Back: Active-constructive responses.
Example: Engaged, supportive reaction.

Front: What is a passive-constructive capitalization response?

Back: A disengaged response in which the good news is ignored or not responded to, reducing perceived support.

Front: Which capitalization response produces the most relationship benefits?

Back: Active-constructive responses.

Front: In capitalization, what matters more: received support or perceived support?

Back: Perceived support is often more important than received support.

Front: What is Bowlby’s ethological theory of attachment?
Back:

The most complete explanation of attachment, focusing on biologically based signaling behaviours that promote closeness between infants and caregivers.
Example: An infant cries to bring the caregiver closer for care and protection.

Front: What are signaling behaviours in Bowlby’s theory?

Behaviours such as crying, smiling, vocalizing, sucking, and clinging that infants use to signal caregivers.
Example: An infant clings or cries when distressed.

Front: What is the function of signaling behaviours?

They elicit care and protection from caregivers and promote contact between infant and parent.
Example: Crying leads the caregiver to respond and provide comfort.

Front: What is a secure base?

A caregiver who serves as a safety zone that the infant can return to for comfort and reassurance when stressed or frightened.
Example: An infant explores the environment and returns to the caregiver when upset.

Front: What are the three key features of Bowlby’s ethological theory?

ack:

1. The infant plays an active role

2. Attachments are mutual

3. Attachment is a dyadic relationship
   Example: The infant signals needs and the caregiver responds.

Front: What is secure attachment?

Back:
An attachment style in which the infant is confident in the caregiver’s availability, responsiveness, and reliability.
Example: The infant seeks the caregiver for comfort and is easily reassured.

Front: What is insecure-avoidant attachment?

Back:
An attachment style in which the infant minimizes contact with the caregiver and does not strongly seek proximity or comfort.
Example: Infant does not actively approach the caregiver for reassurance.

Front: What is insecure anxious-ambivalent attachment?

Back:
An attachment style characterized by high distress, strong proximity-seeking, and difficulty being soothed by the caregiver.

Front: What is disorganized-disoriented attachment?

An attachment style marked by confused, inconsistent, or disoriented behaviours toward the caregiver.
Example: Infant shows contradictory or disorganized responses.

Front: What are the two attachment dimensions?

Back:

1. Proximity-seeking vs proximity-avoidance

2. Anger and resistance
   Example: A child may minimize contact with the caregiver or express anger toward them.

• Bowlby = biology, signaling, secure base, dyadic

• Attachment styles = patterns of security/insecurity

• Dimensions = proximity + anger