The “Bridge” Study
Misattribution of Emotional Arousal
• Tilted, swayed (6 ft.), wobbled
• Low handrails (3 feet)
• 230 foot drop to rocks and rapids
Procedure and Results?
versus
Results
Shortcoming of First Study?
Results of 1st study confirmed:
TAT Scores:
Exp. Group –---- 2.99
Control Group – 1.92
Called Back:
Exp. Group –--- 13/20
Control Group – 9/20
• Grater attraction ratings when subjects expected receiving a strong vs. weak
shock
•TAT scores were significantly higher when both the male and female were
expecting the strong shock
Social Exchange Theory
[We “buy” the best relationship we can get, one that gives us the best value for our
emotional dollar – From Aronson et al. Social Psychology, 2010, p. 299]
• Perceived
Rewards
• Perceived
Costs
Companionship, sexual
fulfillment, status, greater income,
friendships, etc.
Loss of freedom, $, time, effort,
annoying habits, etc.
Outcome
(Rewards
minus
Costs)
• Comparison Level
What we expect the outcomes of a
relationship to be in terms of costs and
rewards (e.g., a standard)
• Comparison Level for
Alternatives
Expectations about the level of rewards
(benefits) and punishments (costs) they
would receive in an alternative relationship
When outcomes (rewards – costs) match one’s comparison level, satisfaction and
commitment are higher – Alternatives are viewed as less desirable
Budget Study --- Procedure and Results?
Study 2 Procedure and Results?
Gender Differences in Mate Preferences
% Monet
spent
40
Men
% Monet
spent
High Budget
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
Physical
attractiveness
Social status
Women
Low Budget
Physical
attractiveness
Social status
Relationship-Enhancing and Distress-Maintaining Attributions
Relationship-Enhancing
Attribution
Distress-Maintaining
Attribution
Positive Event
My partner takes me out to an
expensive dinner
My partner is sweet and
thoughtful
My partner took me out
to write the cost off on
taxes
Internal, stable,
global
External, unstable,
specific
Something unexpected
must have come up
My partner is always
uncaring and selfish
External, unstable,
specific
Internal, stable,
global
Negative Event
My partner forgot my birthday
Misattributions of Friendly Behavior
Female
Routine
Conversation
Male
Viewed female as promiscuous; were
attracted to the female; saw themselves
as flirtatious and seductive
Female
Observers
Male
Sexual
lens
Interaction
Viewed males as behaving in a
sexual manner; females as
promiscuous
Long-Term Relationships
Marital Satisfaction over Time
Ratings of marital quality
In a longitudinal study that spanned ten years, married couples rated the quality of their marriages. On
average, these ratings were high, but they declined among both husbands and wives. As you can see, there
were two steep drops, occurring during the first and eighth years of marriage. (Kurdek, 1999.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Years of marriage
Wife
Husband
7
8
9
10
Marriage, Health and Longevity
Health &
Longevity
High
Happily married
Unhappily married
Unmarried
Low
Men
Women
“No man or woman really knows what love is until they have been
married a quarter of a century.” --- Mark Twain
Love marriages
Arranged marriages
90
80
70
60
50
40
0-1
1-2
2-5
5-10
Years of marriage
10+
Changes in Life Satisfaction Before and After Divorce
Life Satisfaction Ratings
In this study, 817 men and women who were divorced at some point rated how satisfied
they were with life on a scale of 0 to 10 every year for eighteen years. Overall, divorcees
were less satisfied than their married counterparts-a common result. On the question of
whether time heals the wound, you can see that satisfaction levels dipped before divorce,
rebounded afterward, but did not return to original levels. It appears that people adapt but
do not fully recover from this experience. (Lucas, 2005.)
0.00
-0.50
Divorce
-1.00
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
Years Before and After Divorce
4
6
Relationship Conflict --- Some Issues
• Jealousy ---
Men
Sexual infidelity (60%)
Women
Emotional infidelity (83%)
• Communication --Demand-withdraw interaction pattern (Females wish to discuss
problems, men avoid/withdraw from such discussions)
• Sex
• Children
• Money
• Different expectations
Interpersonal Relationships (Dynamic Approach)
• Individual subjective reactions to cues in an interaction
Relationships
• Active search/detection process for cues
• Timing and sequencing of cues (e.g., baking a
cake example)
Interpersonal Relationship
Thoughts about
interpersonal
interactions
Narratives/stories
about relationships
Evaluation of interaction as
good, average, poor
• Future
possibilities
• Strategies
• Who is told? When they are told?
What is said? Why they are told?
• Difference in perceptions; memory for facts