HECOL 210 | Beliefs & Values about Intimate Relationships

Why is it important to study beliefs in relationships

Behavioral perspectives originally assumed that behaviors
have an inherent meaning, however behaviours are actually quite ambigious

Is meaning derived from behaviour or how we interpret it

Both, meaning comes partly from behaviour and partly from how we interpret it

beliefs vs values (relationships)

Belief: idea about what relationships are like
-For example: couples who fight have a lot of passion

Value: idea about what relationships should be like
-For example: couples should agree more often than they disagree

What is the ideal standards model

The model suggests people evaluate their relationship against their beliefs and values, and greater differences from their ideals lead to less satisfaction

What major theory does the ideal standards model play on

Social exchange theory

What does Social Exchange Theory's relationship weighing process focus on

It evaluates satisfaction by comparing outcomes to expectations (comparison level)

What is the formula for satisfaction in Social Exchange Theory

Satisfaction = outcome - comparison level (CL)

According to Fletcher & Kininmonth (1992), how does the importance of sex affect the relationship between sexual and relationship satisfaction

When sex is very important, sexual satisfaction correlates with relationship satisfaction (0.48), but when sex is less important, the correlation is insignificant (0.04)

Why is it important to explore your expectations in relationships

Expectations play a significant role in evaluating satisfaction and aligning beliefs and values with the relationship

How did beliefs in romantic destiny influence the association between initial satisfaction and relationship duration

For those who believed in romantic destiny, initial satisfaction was a strong predictor of longevity

What behavior was observed in students who believed in romantic destiny but were less satisfied initially

They ended the relationship quickly, believing it was destined to fail

Why might students who didn't believe in soulmates not consider initial satisfaction as critical

They believed relationships could improve over time with effort

Peoples relationship cognitions help them ________ & ________ behaviours

People's relationship cognitions help them interpret & guide their behaviour

What is perceptual confirmation

It is when people interpret ambiguous partner behaviour through the lens of their specific relationship beliefs and values

What do people tend to see according to perceptual confirmation

People tend to see what they expect to see

How does rejection sensitivity influence behaviour interpretation

-Those high in rejection sensitivity personalize ambiguous behavior (e.g., feeling rejected)
-Those low in rejection sensitivity externalize the behaviour (e.g., attributing it to external factors)

In a lab study involving rejection sensitivity, what was observed when a group member left a group project

When a group member left a "group project," high rejection-sensitive individuals personalized the departure, while low rejection-sensitive individuals externalized it

What is behavioral confirmation

-It is when a person's behaviour toward their partner aligns with their specific relationship beliefs and values
-Example: Someone is afraid their partner will leave, so they constantly checks on them, insists on spending all their time together, and cannot tolerate disagreement. This behaviour exhausts the partner, causing them to leave

What does behavioural confirmation lead to

Behavioural confirmation leads to the self-fulfilling prophesy

Why does behavioural confirmation lead to the self-fulfilling prophesy

After a person behaviour matches their specific beliefs and values about a relationship, their partner will likely respond in accordance with that behaviour, resulting in a self-fulfilling prophesy

In a study regarding behavioural conformation, what were the findings regarding communication in spouses who expected their own actions would help bring about desired changes in their marriage compared to those who didn't

spouses who expected their own actions would help bring about desired changes in their marriage communicated more productively about relationship problems than those who expected their own behaviors would have no effect on the marriage

True or false: those with anxious attachment styles provide more effective support because they are attuned to relationship distress

False, spouses who expected their own actions would help bring about desired changes in their marriage communicated more productively about relationship problems than those who expected their own behaviors would have no effect on the marriage

Does culture have an impact on beliefs and values in relationships today

Yes it has a big impact, for example, cultural trends in divorce likely shape beliefs and values about marriage

Where does Canada fall in regards to divorce rates

Canada is fairly middle for divorce rates

True or false: In Canada, marriage is on the rise

False, since 1971 Canadas marriage rate has been declining

True or false: Couples are far more willing to express love verbally in more collectivist Eastern countries like China, whereas love is more likely to be expressed through acts of caring in individualist Western countries like the United States

False, Couples are far more willing to express love verbally in individualist Western countries like the United States than in more collectivist Eastern countries like China, where love is more likely to be expressed through acts of caring

What is the satisfaction of ones arranged marriage based on

Recent analyses suggest that what matters to the relationship is not so much whether the marriage is arranged or not, but rather how much the spouses participated in the process

3 elements of western marriage

1) marriage is the best way to live ones family life
2) a marriage should be permanent
3) if you are unsatisfied you should end your marriage

What trend does the elements of western marriage lead to

It results in people entering and exiting marriages quicker than in the past

True or false: gender has a huge impact on peoples beliefs and values with regards to marriage in the current day

False

True or false: Age has a huge impact on peoples beliefs and values with regards to marriage in the current day

False

True or false: marriage is special

True, marriage is often viewed as a more genuine form of commitment than a common law relationship

True or false: because people are generally good critical thinkers, how characters on tv or in movies respond to their relationships has little to no affect on peoples views and expectations of their own relationships

False, how characters characters on tv or in movies respond to their relationships does affect peoples views and expectations of their own relationships

In a study regarding the impact of media on beliefs and values, when people watched movies that included sexual violence that was followed by positive consequences, what were the findings

When people watched movies that included sexual violence that was followed by positive consequences, mens views of the validity of rape myths and acceptability of interpersonal violence were higher whereas women's were lower

In a lab study where men and women viewed either images of a centrefold or abstract art and then rated an image of an average nude and then rated the attractiveness and love for their own partner, what were the findings

-for women, although they rated the average nude as less attractive immediately after the centrefold, viewing erotica did not influence feelings for their own partner
-for men, those who were exposed to erotica rated the average nude as less attractive and reported loving their partners less and feeling that their partner was less attractive

For those who watch a lot of tv and believe tv's description of romance, how was their dedication and commitment to their own partners impacted

They reported less dedication and commitment to their own partners are they perceived better alternatives