bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
System functioning in families with ADHD and non‐ADHD sons
Authors: CAMPARO LORINDA , CHRISTENSEN ANDREW , BUHRMESTER DUANE , HINSHAW STEPHEN
Published: May 2005

Eighteen families with hyperactive 6‐ to 12‐year‐old sons and 19 families with normal 6‐ to 12‐year‐old sons were observed discussing childrearing concerns in mother‐father‐son triads. Parents also completed questionnaires assessing marital and parent‐child relationships. Observational ratings indicated that the hyperactive sons misbehaved more and exhibited less adaptive and age‐appropriate behavior than did the comparison sons. The parents' self‐report data indicated that the parents of hyperactive sons spent more time discussing their sons' problems and blaming their sons for family problems relative to parents of comparison sons. The parents of hyperactive sons also reported that their sons' problems distracted them from other marital and family concerns more than did parents of comparison sons. Nevertheless, parents of hyperactive sons did not report greater marital satisfaction or a greater sense of being unified by their sons' problems. Consistent with previous findings, families of hyperactive sons also did not report or exhibit more marital conflict than did families of comparison sons. This discussion focuses on the usefulness of a systems approach for understanding the interdependence among relationships within families.
Prototype‐based assessment of laypeople's views of love
Authors: FEHR BEVERLEY
Published: May 2005

Empirical work on love has focused mainly on romantic/passionate love. Recent research suggests that other kinds of love, such as friendship love and familial love, may be more salient to laypeople (Fehr & Russell, 1991). One purpose of this research was to offer a more complete picture of how laypeople conceptualize love by exploring a broad range of types of love. The other major purpose was to develop a methodology for studying laypeople's conceptions of different kinds of love. Four studies were conducted. In Study 1, dating couples were presented with prototypes of 15 different types of love. They were asked to rate how similar the conception of love depicted in each prototype was to their own view of love. Study 2 was a replication of Study 1 with subjects who were not dating one another. In Study 3, the validity of the prototype measures was explored by asking subjects to determine the kind of love depicted in each prototype. Study 4 investigated the relation between the prototypes of love and existing love scales and therefore addressed issues of convergent and discriminant validity. These prototype‐based measures showed considerable promise as valid, reliable instruments for assessing people's views of love. They revealed that laypeople regard friendship love and familial kinds of love as closest to their own view. Passionate kinds of love (e.g., passionate, infatuation, puppy love) received the lowest ratings. The measures also proved useful in elucidating the relation between laypeople's and experts' conceptions of romantic and passionate love.
Love: American style, Russian style, and Japanese style
Authors: SPRECHER SUSAN , ARON ARTHUR , HATFIELD ELAINE , CORTESE ANTHONY , POTAPOVA ELENA , LEVITSKAYA ANNA
Published: May 2005

This study was undertaken to examine young women's and men's orientations toward love in three very different cultures: Japan (N = 223), Russia (N = 401), and the United States (N = 1,043). The love variables examined were: frequency of lore experiences, attachment types, love styles, love as a basis for marriage, romantic attitudes, and predictors of falling in love. Many cultural differences were found in the love variables, but the effect of culture was not always in the expected direction. We also examined how the pattern of gender differences in love variables differed across the three societies. Some of the gender differences and similarities found in previous love research and also in the U.S. sample of this study were not replicated in the Japanese and/or Russian samples. We discuss the importance of studying love and other aspects of close relationships with data collected from more than one culture.
Friendship and similarities in social‐cognitive and communication abilities: Social skill bases of interpersonal attraction in childhood
Authors: BURLESON BRANT R.
Published: May 2005

Although researchers have examined how different forms of similarity (e.g., demographic similarity, attitudinal similarity) affect interpersonal attraction, little work has focused on how similarities in social‐cognitive abilities and communication skills affect attraction and relationship development. The present article suggests how the similarity/attraction literature and filter theories of relationship development can be integrated with research on social skills and cognitive development to provide a framework for understanding how similarities in levels of social skills may affect attraction and friendship formation in childhood. A study was carried out assessing how similarities in levels of social‐cognitive and communication skills affected interpersonal attraction and friendship choices by children. It was hypothesized that children would be (a) attracted to and (b) more likely to form friendships with peers who had social‐cognitive and communication skills similar in level to their own. Participants (92 grade school children) completed a battery of tasks providing assessments of four social‐cognitive and five communication skills. Sociometric procedures were used to determine interpersonal attraction and friendship patterns. Results indicated that children were attracted to peers having social skill levels similar to their own. Moreover, pairs of friends had similar levels of skills related to the expression and management of emotional states.
Romantic involvement, self‐discrepancy, and psychological well‐being: A preliminary investigation
Authors: CAMPBELL W. KEITH , SEDIKIDES CONSTANTINE , BOSSON JENNIFER
Published: May 2005

In this study, we explored the relation between romantic involvement status, actual/Ideal self‐discrepancy, and psychological well‐being. We hypothesized that romantically involved individuals would report being closer to their ideal selves than would romantically uninvolved individuals. We also hypothesized that the reduced self‐discrepancy reported by romantically involved individuals would be related to their experiencing higher levels of psychological well‐being in comparison to romantically uninvolved individuals. Romantically involved and romantically uninvolved subjects rated their actual selves, closeness to their ideal selves, and psychological well‐being. Results were consistent with both hypotheses. Although romantically involved and romantically uninvolved subjects did not differ in ratings of their actual selves, romantically involved subjects reported being significantly closer to their ideal selves. Furthermore, romantically involved subjects tended to report higher psychological well‐being.
A suggested structure for a science of relationships
Authors: HINDE ROBERT A.
Published: May 2005

An attempt is made to sketch the structure of a science, in the sense of an ordered body of knowledge, of interpersonal relationships. The special properties of relationships are discussed. Relationships exist over time, involve properties beyond those of the constituent interactions, include both behavior and subjective experience, and exist in a social context. It is suggested that a science of human relationships will require three overlapping phases: (1) Description, listing 10 categories of dimensions potentially useful for ordering the data; (2) Principles of dynamics, which may concern external influences on the dyad, interchanges between the participants, or intrapsychic processes; and (3) The specification of the limits of applicability of those principles. In general, a balance must be found between the search for generalisations and recognition of the complexity of human relationships.
Interpersonal attraction as a function of extreme gender role adherence
Authors: SMITH ELEANOR R. , BYRNE DONN , FIELDING PAUL J.
Published: May 2005

Although gender‐specific constructs of hypertraditionality qualitatively differ (e.g., hyperfemininity and hypermasculinity), we view them as analogous constructs that can predict similarity/attraction effects. The similaritylattraction paradigm showed that individuals find attractive the traits in others that are similar to their own traits. We suggest that this effect applies to levels of hypertraditionality, as measured by the hyperfemininity and hypermasculinity personality scales. The studies were conducted to test this hypothesis. We began by manipulating stranger similarity in an attraction experiment. Results showed that similarity of hypertraditionality led to attraction. Women preferred target persons similar to themselves in hypertraditionality. Data from men revealed an unexpected interaction. Low hypermasculine men preferred women similar to themselves in hypertraditionality, yet high hypermasculine men did not distinguish between female strangers based on the stranger's level of hypertraditionality. We then studied dating couples. These couples provided real‐world data that supported and expanded the laboratory observations. We found a significant positive correlation between the partners' levels of hypertraditionality. The implications of attraction based on hypertraditionality may provide insights for future studies of relationship formation and maintenance.
On “knowing your partner”: Dangerous illusions in the age of AIDS?
Authors: SWANN WILLIAM B. , SILVERA DAVID H. , PROSKE CARRIE U.
Published: May 2005

We identified two characteristics of the impression formation process that may cause people to underestimate the riskiness of potential sexual partners. In Study 1, participants were quite confident that they could determine whether someone was lying to them about risk‐related behavior when, in reality, they could not. Particularly troubling was a “truth bias” that resulted in relatively high rates of truth detection, but poor lie detection. In Study 2, increased familiarity with a target person (who actually was HIV+) caused participants to lower their estimates of the target's riskiness, despite the fact that we explicitly warned them that the target might be HIV+. We suggest that such processes may foster the illusion of knowing one's partner when one does not.
Gender differences in power and self‐disclosure in dating and married couples
Authors: MURSTEIN BERNARD I. , ADLER ELIZABETH R.
Published: May 2005

The relationship between power and self‐disclosure was studied for 20 dating and 20 married couples. Power and self‐disclosure scales (of feelings and of accomplishments) were constructed and administered individually. We hypothesized that: (1) Women disclose more about feelings than men. (2) Men disclose more about accomplishments than women. (3) Power is positively correlated with disclosure of accomplishments. (4) Power is negatively correlated with disclosure of feelings and weaknesses. (5) Dating men are more powerful than dating women, but there are no gender differences in power in marriage. Hypotheses 1,3, and 5 were supported. Hypotheses 2 and 4 were rejected. Our findings revealed that there were no differences in power or disclosure of accomplishments between men and women for the total group. However, a significant interaction was found between gender and marital status for power. Dating men had more power than dating women, but married women had more power than married men. Last, women disclosed more feelings than men across both groups.
Sexual satisfaction in long‐term heterosexual relationships: The interpersonal exchange model of sexual satisfaction
Authors: LAWRANCE KELLI‐AN , BYERS E. SANDRA
Published: May 2005

This study examined the validity of the Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction (IEMSS) in long‐term, heterosexual sexual relationships. The IEMSS proposes that sexual satisfaction depends on one's levels of rewards and costs in the sexual relationship, one's comparison levels (CL) for rewards/costs, and one's perceptions of the dyadic equality (EQ) of these rewards/costs. Sexual satisfaction is expected to be greater to the extent that, over time, levels of rewards (REW) exceed levels of costs (CST), relative reward levels (CLREW) exceed relative cost levels (CLcst), and interpersonal equality of rewards (EQrew) and of costs (EQCST) is perceived to exist. Married/cohabiting community volunteers and university alumni/staff completed two questionnaires, 3 months apart. The results obtained from this well‐educated, relationally satisfied sample (N= 143) provided excellent support for the IEMSS. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that each component of the model (REW ‐ CST, CLrew ‐ CLcst, and EQrew, EQcst) added to the prediction of sexual satisfaction as expected, accounting for 75% of the variance. Repeated measurement of the IEMSS components offered a better prediction of sexual satisfaction than a one‐time measure alone. Neither gender nor relationship satisfaction interacted with the IEMSS components. However, including relationship satisfaction (but not gender) in the model significantly improved the prediction of sexual satisfaction. It was concluded that the model should be revised to include relationship satisfaction. Both the exchange components of the IEMSS and sexual satisfaction uniquely predicted relationship satisfaction. The IEMSS offers a promising approach for understanding sexual satisfaction and its relationship to relationship satisfaction, as well as for reconciling inconsistent findings in the literature.
Predicting cross‐sex first‐date sexual expectations and involvement: Contextual and individual difference factors
Authors: MONGEAU PAUL A. , JOHNSON KRISTEN L.
Published: May 2005

This study investigates how individual difference variables (gender and self‐monitoring) and contextual factors (gender of the date‐initiator and alcohol consumption) influence sexual expectations for, and sexual involvement on, a first date. College students reported on their most recent male‐ or female‐initiated first date. Alcohol and gender were the strongest determinants of both sexual expectations and involvement. Binge drinkers engaged in more sexual involvement than did nonbinge drinkers who, in turn, engaged in greater sexual involvement than nondrinkers. Men reported more intimate sexual expectations and involvement than women. Individual difference and contextual variables explained more of the variance in males' (when compared to females') sexual expectations and involvement.
Correlates of parent–child communication about specific sexual topics: A study of rural parents with school‐aged children
Authors: WHITE CARMEL PARKER , WRIGHT DAVID W. , BARNES HOWARD L.
Published: May 2005

Using data from 600 parents of children aged 5 to 18, and a context‐oriented, developmental socialization conceptual framework, the interrelationships between parents' perceptions of themselves, their child, and their family relationships and the amount of parent–child discussion of 16 sexuality topics were explored. Canonical correlation analysis was used to demonstrate how circumstances and contexts influence the complexity of parent–child conversations for mother–daughter, mother–son, father–son, and father–daughter dyads. Results lend support to the conceptual framework used, as well as to previous studies of this topic area. The implications of these findings for parent–child relationships and for future research on parent–child communication about sexuality are discussed.
Gender differences in beliefs about the causes of male and female sexual desire
Authors: REGAN PAMELA C. , BERSCHEID ELLEN
Published: May 2005

Little is known about the beliefs men and women have about the causes of sexual desire, despite the interpersonal and individual significance of those beliefs. Participants in this study received a definition of sexual desire and answered a set of free‐response questions exploring their beliefs about the causal antecedents of male and female sexual desire. The results indicated that more women than men view female (and male) sexual desire as caused by external factors. In addition, both men and women believe that male and female sexual desire have different causes: intraindividual and erotic environmental factors are believed to cause male sexual desire, but interpersonal and romantic environmental factors are believed to cause female sexual desire. Although both men and women view physical attractiveness and overall personality as sexually desirable male and female characteristics, women, but not men, view femininity as a sexually desirable female characteristic, and men, but not women, view social and financial power or status as a sexually desirable male attribute.
Cultural perspectives on romantic love
Authors: DION KAREN K. , DION KENNETH L.
Published: May 2005

Culture‐related dimensions contribute to a more complete understanding of romantic love. In particular, we suggest that the dimensions of individualism and collectivism, at both societal and psychological levels, offer insights into the nature of romantic love and its perceived importance for marriage. Changes In values pertaining to romantic love and its role In choosing a spouse are evident In several traditionally collectivistic societies and among persons from these societies emigrating to countries such as Canada, Australia, and the United States. Given these trends, we discuss the need to study individualism and collectivism at the psychological level and present findings from our own program of research.
A social categorical approach to a question about love
Authors: BERSCHEID ELLEN , MEYERS SARAH A.
Published: May 2005

Although scholars' interest in love phenomena has continued to increase in recent years, a common conceptual language for the study of love has not yet emerged, as is evidenced by the large number of love taxonomies and associated vocabularies that have been advocated. A promising avenue for the development of a common scientific vocabulary of love lies in the systematic examination of the love vocabularies of laypersons to identify what varieties of love, if any, their lexicon reflects. Several means by which love researchers have attempted such examinations are described and illustrated with reference to the linguistic expressions “love” and “in love.” These methods include direct questioning, autobiographical reports, inferential studies, and the prototype approach, which introduces the probabilistic view of cognitive categorization structure and process to the study of love. Several of the underlying assumptions of the prototype approach are discussed and contrasted to those of the social categorical approach we present here. The social categorical method is described in this approach, respondents place persons in their actual social worlds into social categories, and the associations among the memberships of those categories are examined. Finally, the implications of some of the findings derived from this method for a taxonomy of love and for the study of interpersonal relationships are discussed.
Love stories
Authors: STERNBERG ROBERT J.
Published: May 2005

This article presents a view of love as a story. The basic idea is that through the interaction of our personal attributes with the environment, the latter of which we in part create, we develop stories about love that we then seek to fulfill in our lives. Various potential partners fit these stories to greater and lesser degrees, and we are more likely to be attracted to and then to become intimate with partners who better fulfill the roles we have created in our stories. Each story has two complementary roles, and people tend to be satisfied in relationships when they can match persons to ideal stories and roles within those stones. A tentative taxonomy of some kinds of stories is presented, and the characteristics of the stones are described. The view is also related to contemporary theories of love, and it is argued that the current view is complementary with these theories, in that it answers different questions about the nature of love than do the other theories.
Adult attachment style and partner choice: Correlational and experimental findings
Authors: FRAZIER PATRICIA A. , BYER ANNE L. , FISCHER ANN R. , WRIGHT DEBORAH M. , DEBORD KURT A.
Published: May 2005

Three studies were conducted to assess the role of attachment style in partner selection using both correlational and experimental methods. Study 1 (n = 83 couples) assessed correlations between partner ratings on attachment‐style dimensions and the relations between own and partner attachment style and relationship satisfaction. In Study 2 (n = 226) and Study 3 (n = 146), participants who varied in terms of attachment style rated the desirability of potential partners who also differed in terms of attachment style. Results of all three studies generally suggested that individuals were most attracted to partners with similar attachment styles. For example, anxious individuals tended to be dating anxious partners in Study 1, and they preferred anxious partners over secure and avoidant partners in Studies 2 and 3 (combined data). Thus, not all individuals preferred secure partners. Second, unlike previous studies that looked primarily at partner correlations, there was no evidence of anxious/avoidant matching. In fact, anxious individuals seemed particularly averse to avoidant partners. Finally, ratings of parental caregiving styles (especially ratings of mothers) were associated with adult attachment dimensions and partner choices. For example, individuals who rated their mothers as more cold and ambivalent were less attracted to secure partners. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
Babytalk as a communication of intimate attachment: An initial study in adult romances and friendships
Authors: BOMBAR MEREDITH L. , LITTIG LAWRENCE W.
Published: May 2005

Babytalk is a speech register that has been studied most extensively as it is spoken by mothers to infants, but without attention to its possible role in emotional bonding. We suggest that babytalk plays such a role–that it expresses and facilitates intimate psychological connection, and in a variety of relationships. We first overview relevant literature to show that an association between babytalk and intimate attachment makes sense. Then we report a questionnaire study, which is the first to explore this association as well as the first empirical documentation that babytalk occurs in adult romances and friendships. Self‐reported features and examples of the speech register (as spoken in a particular romance) verified it as babytalk. Individuals who had babytalked to friends or romantic partners tended to be more secure and less avoidant with regard to attachments in general. Within a particular romantic relationship, indicators of intimacy and attachment accounted for about 22% of the variance in babytalk frequency. Partner's babytalking was the strongest predictor, accounting for about 42% of the variance. Communication intentions accompanying babytalk paralleled the hallmarks of attachment, especially affection and play. These and other results suggest that babytalk functions in the process of intimate personal connection.
Stroke patients' well‐being as a function of caregiving spouses' helpful and unhelpful actions
Authors: CLARK SARAH L. , STEPHENS MARY ANN PARRIS
Published: May 2005

This study examined the perceptions that 55 older married stroke patients had about themselves and about the motivations of their caregiving spouses when they judged their spouses' actions to be helpful and when they judged them to be unhelpful. It also examined how these perceptions were related to patients' well‐being (depression, positive affect, marital satisfaction). Patients had more negative perceptions of themselves and of their spouses when they judged the actions to be unhelpful than when they judged them to be helpful. The hypothesis that perceptions about unhelpful actions would be more strongly related to patients' well‐being than would perceptions about helpful actions was only partially supported. Perceptions about unhelpful actions were related to patients' depression, but perceptions about helpful actions were related to positive affect. Both kinds of perceptions were related to marital satisfaction. Findings begin to explicate the complex relationship between perceived helpfulness of actions and well‐being.
Adolescents' romantic relationships and the structure and quality of their close interpersonal ties
Authors: CONNOLLY JENNIFER A. , JOHNSON ANNE M.
Published: May 2005

Several interpersonal theories suggest that adolescents' romantic relationships are associated with distinct patterns of social experience. In this study, 1,049 adolescents indicated whether they had a boy/girlfriend and the temporal duration of the relationship. They described the structure of their peer networks and the quality of their relationships with a parent/adult and best friend. Adolescents with a boy/girlfriend reported larger networks, more opposite‐sex friends, and more nonschool friends. Adolescents with longer romantic relationships reported more social support with the boy/girlfriend than did adolescents with short‐term romantic relationships. Temporal duration also moderated the salience of the romantic relationship. Those of short duration were viewed less favorably than friend and parent/adult relationships, whereas those of longer duration were viewed more favorably. Finally, continuity in perceived quality was evident between romantic and other relationships. Overall, the results support the view that romantic relationships are embedded within adolescents' ongoing social experience and show important links to the structure and quality of their relationships with parents and with peers.
Family of origin and interpersonal contributions to the interdependence of dating partners' trust
Authors: BARTLE SUZANNE E.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of the present investigation was to further the study of factors that contribute to trust in relation to a dating partner. Specifically, this study investigated the interdependence of dating partner trust using a nonrecursive path model that included present‐day family‐of‐origin experience. The most reliable data available suggest that self‐disclosure and trust from the other partner are significant contributors to trust (cf. Butler, 1986; Haas, 1981; Larzelere & Huston, 1980; Rubin, 1975). However, these do not appear to explain completely the ability to trust another. Using these findings and theoretical linkages between trust and family‐of‐origin experiences, a model was specified with a reciprocal path between male partner and female partner trust. The reciprocal paths were not significant. However, male partner trust was best explained by his emotional reactivity toward his parents, and female partner trust was best explained by her comfort with self‐disclosure. These results are discussed in relation to previous research.
Children's perceptions of the sibling relationship in middle childhood: Connections within and between family relationships
Authors: McGUIRE SHIRLEY , McHALE SUSAN M. , UPDEGRAFF KIMBERLY
Published: May 2005

Although sibling warmth and hostility have been shown to be statistically independent, they are intertwined in children's everyday experiences. We developed a multidimensional characterization of children's perceptions of their sibling relationships and examined differences in other family relationship measures as a function of different combinations of sibling hostility and warmth. Participants included 91 firstborn children between 10 and 11 years of age with younger siblings between 6 and 10 years of age. Children reported their levels of satisfaction, intimacy, and rivalry in their sibling relationships and their satisfaction with parent‐child relationships. Parents rated their marriages. As compared with children in families with “affect‐intense” sibling relationships (high hostility/high warmth), children in “hostile” sibling relationships (high hostility/low warmth) rated their sibling and parent‐child relationships more negatively, and their parents rated their marriages more negatively. Results are discussed in terms of the role of hostility in sibling experiences and the importance of understanding multidimensional patterns in the sibling relationship.
Social flexibility and anxious attachment
Authors: MILLER JUDI BEINSTEIN
Published: May 2005

Social flexibility was predicted to correlate with anxious/ambivalent attachment among individuals reminded of attachment‐related uncertainties. In the experiment reported here, subjects wrote about positive versus negative relationship events and then responded to a series of interpersonal conflict situations. Correlations between their responses and previously obtained attachment style scores provide supportive evidence for the predictions. The results suggest that anxious/ambivalent attachment may limit social flexibility by interfering with information processing in complex social situations. Results are discussed in terms of models of test anxiety.
Attachment, caregiving, and relationship functioning in couples: Effects of self and partner
Authors: CARNELLEY KATHERINE B. , PIETROMONACO PAULA R. , JAFFE KENNETH
Published: May 2005

We examined the links among attachment, caregiving, and relationship functioning in both dating (Study 1) and married couples (Study 2), assessing both partners' perspectives. We found that (1) men and women generally evidenced caregiving characteristics similar to those of their parent% especially their same‐sex parent; (2) individuals who reported giving more care to their partner evidenced less fearful‐avoidant attachment (Studies 1 and 2) and less preoccupation with attachment (Study 2); and (3) individuals' own attachment models and their partner's attachment models and caregiving jointly predicted relationship functioning, but individuals' own attachment models remained strong predictors even after the partner's attachment and caregiving were taken into account. The results suggest that caregiving learned in childhood attachment relationships may be carried forward into adult romantic relationships, and they support the idea that attachment and caregiving are central components of romantic love.
The relationship between marital interaction behaviors and affective reactions to one's own and one's spouse's self‐evaluation needs
Authors: MENDOLIA MARILYN , BEACH STEVEN R. H. , TESSER ABRAHAM
Published: May 2005

A recent extension (Beach, & Tesser, 1993) of Tesser's self‐evaluation maintenance model (SEM: Tesser, 1988) proposed that a person's motivation to feel good about the self, and his or her concern for the partner's need to feel good about the self, can affect the couple's interaction behavior. In the present study, individual differences in the motivation to maintain one's own and one's partner's SEM needs are used to predict the couple's problem‐solving discussion behaviors. Fifty‐three married couples were videotaped for 20 minutes while discussing an important relationship issue on which there was disagreement. From these video records, husbands' and wives' favorable and unfavorable discussion behaviors were coded. During a subsequent session, couples reported their affective reactions to a number of SEM scenarios recalled from memory, which were used to create an individual difference measure representing the strength in motivation to maintain one's own and one's partner's self‐evaluation needs. In general, husbands' and wives' responsiveness to their partners' SEM needs was associated with favorable interaction behavior, whereas responsiveness to one's own SEM needs was associated with unfavorable interaction behavior. The results of this study suggest that the extended SEM model provides an experimental framework that incorporates research directed at both the elucidation of individual differences and the examination of the couple as a unit.
Couple disagreement: Effects on the formation and implementation of fertility decisions
Authors: MILLER WARREN B. , PASTA DAVID J.
Published: May 2005

This article focuses on how couple disagreement affects the translation of fertility desires into fertility intentions, and the implementation of fertility intentions through the initiation of proceptive behavior. We use data collected by interview from the husbands and wives of 201 married couples with no children, and 200 married couples with one child. Data were collected at four times, spanning a 3‐1/2‐year interval. The effect on fertility intentions of couple disagreement in fertility desires was modeled with regression analysis after disaggregating individuals in positive disagreement with their spouses (having stronger desires) from those in negative disagreement with their spouses (having weaker desires). The effect on proceptive behavior of couple disagreement in fertility intentions was similarly modeled. The results reveal different patterns of positive/negative disagreement that vary by sex, parity, and time, and that differ for three different fertility desireslintentions and for the prediction of proceptive behavior. The discussion focuses on interpreting these findings in terms of a psychological state identified as “responsiveness to spouse” and on explaining why this state varies by sex and across the life course.
Attachment style and presence of a romantic partner as moderators of psychophysiological responses to a stressful laboratory situation
Authors: CARPENTER ERIKA M. , KIRKPATRICK LEE A.
Published: May 2005

The effects of attachment style and presence of a romantic partner on psychophysiological responses to a stressful laboratory situation were examined in a sample of 34 college women involved in serious dating relationships. In two separate laboratory sessions, one with romantic partner present and one with partner absent, participants were led to anticipate a stressful situation. Heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were recorded during baseline and stress periods in each condition. Significant three‐way interactions showed that both avoidant and anxious participants in the partner‐present condition evinced elevated psychophysiological responses to the stressor (relative to baseline), in contrast to these groups in the partner‐absent condition and secure and nonanxious participants in both conditions. Findings are compared to those of previous research on attachment‐style differences in proximity‐seeking behavior in a similar laboratory situation, and they are interpreted in terms of the approach‐avoidance conflict experienced by insecure people when faced with a stressful situation in the presence of their romantic partners.
Relationships and development during adolescence: Interpersonal adaptation to individual change
Authors: COLLINS W. ANDREW
Published: May 2005

Developmental perspectives on relationships address Processes of dyadic adaptation to normative changes in individuals. Relationships with parents and peers during adolescence are a microcosm of these continuous adaptations. Three key themes from research on relationships during adolescence are examined: changes in relative distance from, and connectedness to, different categories of relationship partners; the coexistence of continuity and change in relationships; and increasing differentiation and interrelation of relationships. Findings from studies of adolescent relationships (1) illustrate the potential value of normative perspectives on relationship properties and conditions and (2) underscore the need for further research on processes of relationship change. Particularly needed are testable formulations regarding the processes of relationship change and attention to interrelations among significant close relationships.
Physical distance and interpersonal characteristics in college students’romantic relationships
Authors: HORN K. ROGER VAN , ARNONE ANGELA , NESBITT KELLY , DESLLETS LAURA , SEARS TANYA , GIFFIN MICHELLE , BRUDI REBECCA
Published: May 2005

This study compared college students’long‐distance romantic relationships (N= 80) with those that were not long‐distance (N= 82) on nine variables that have been suggested as fundamentally important in intimate relationships. Members of long‐distance relationships (LDKs) reported less descriptive self‐disclosure and companionship with their partners, and they were less certain their relationships would endure. The two types of relationships did not differ on the remaining six intimacy processes: intimate self‐disclosure, affection, enhancement of worth, instrumental help, nurturance, and partner's perspective‐taking. LDRs did not differ from nonLDRs on ratings of closeness, but were rated as less satisfactory. LDRs were no more likely to terminate within a 3‐month period than were nonLDKs. In the entire sample, relationship satisfaction was found to be the best predictor of stability.
Affinity strategies in relation‐ships: The role of gender and imagined interactions in maintaining liking among College roommates
Authors: HONEYCUTT JAMES M. , PATTERSON JAMES
Published: May 2005

Affinity‐seeking behavior among College roommates was examined to investigate how individuals sustain the relationship. Planning for affinity maintenance was examined in terms of covert dialogues based on the literature on imagined interactions (Ils) in which individuals rehearse anticipated encounters while reviewing prior conversations. A series of hypotheses and research questions were posed examining gender and self‐talk with roommates in terms of predicting roommate affinity. The association between 11s and affinity maintenance strategies was examined. Results reveal differences between male and female roommate dyads in terms of strategy usage, particularly those reflecting an orientation to the other's needs. Strategies reflecting other‐involvement emerged as significant predictors of affinity.
Impact of attachment style on reactions to accommodative dilemmas in close relationships
Authors: GAINES STANLEY O. , REIS HARRY T. , SUMMERS SHANDRA , RUSBULT CARYL E. , COX CHANTE L. , WEXLER MICHAEL O. , MARELICH WILLIAM D. , KURLAND GREGORY J.
Published: May 2005

Four studies examined reactions to accommodative dilemmas in ongoing close relationships, exploring the association between adult attachment style—secure, avoidant, and anxious‐ambivalent—and four possible modes of reaction—exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect. Consistent with predictions, it was shown that which close partners enact potentially destructive behaviors, insecurely attached individuals tend to react in a more defensive and destructive manner. Specifically, in comparison to secure individuals, insecure individuals were more likely to react to accommodative dilemmas with exit and neglect, and were less likely to react with voice. Contrary to predictions, individuals with avoidant and anxious‐ambivalent styles did not differ in their reactions to accommodative dilemmas. The implications of these findings for understanding reactions to emotionally threatening interpersonal situations are discussed.
Attachment formation and transfer in young adults’close friendships and romantic relationships
Authors: FRALEY R. CHRIS , DAVIS KEITH E.
Published: May 2005

Two hundred thirty‐seven young adults from an American university completed a questionnaire designed to test several normative implications of attachment theory. As predicted, the majority of participants (60%) used their parents as primary attachment figures but were in the process of transferring attachment‐related functions from parents to peers (best friends and romantic partners). The transfer of these functions the parents to peers was found to be a function of the duration of the peer relationship. Furthermore, factors that generally promote the development of attachment formation in infancy (such as caregiving, trust, and intimate contact) were found to be positively associated with the development of attachment in adult relationships. Additional variables were identified that may facilitate peer attachment formation: secure working models of attachment and the perceived security of the peer. It is argued that future investigations into the role of attachment formation and transfer are critical for a comprehensive description of attachment dynamics in adult relationships.
Confidant support and maternal distress: Predictors of parenting practices for divorced mothers
Authors: DeGARMO DAVID S. , FORGATCH MARION S.
Published: May 2005

Following divorce, mothers may seek support for their parenting efforts. This study investigates confidant support from friends, family, and intimate partners, along with maternal distress, as predictors of parenting practices for divorced women. In a multimethod study of 138 mothers and their support confidants, we employed a measure of observed support that included emotional support, supportive behaviors, and likability of the support provider. These qualities were scored from dyadic problem‐solving discussions of the mother's personal and parenting problems. Our main hypothesis was supported: Controlling for maternal distress and confidant negativity, observed confidant support predicted higher levels of effective parenting practices. Confidant negativity was associated with maternal distress, and we found a marginal relationship between maternal distress and parenting. Confidant negativity had an indirect association with parenting by predicting lower levels of observed support. Overall, 36% of the variance in parenting practices and 24% of the variance in observed support was explained in a multimethod structural equation model specified with minimal overlap.
Personal characteristics, relationship quality, and social support perceptions and behavior in young adult romantic relationships
Authors: GURUNG REGAN A. R. , SARASON BARBARA R. , SARASON IRWIN G.
Published: May 2005

This study investigated three questions: (1) Do both personal characteristics and perceived qualities of romantic relationships contribute to partners’perceptions of support? (2) Do these variables predict supportive behavior in partner interactions that can be observed by others? (3) How do situational characteristics affect the predictors of observed supportive behavior? Eighty‐six university undergraduates and their romantic partners completed a questionnaire packet and participated in a structured videotaped interaction that included a stress‐inducing intervention. Participants’perceived support from the relationship was predicted by participants’own personal characteristics and view of the relationship, as well as by partners’personal characteristics. Observed supportive behavior in a somewhat familiar task was related to personal characteristics of both partners and their views of the relationship. Supportive behavior after an experimenter‐administered stressor was predicted only by the couple's personal characteristics. Results demonstrate how study of social support in close relationships can advance understanding of relations between support perception and support receipt.
Sequential analysis of autonomy‐interdependence and affiliation‐disaffiliation in couples' social support interactions
Authors: SAITZYK ARLENE R. , FLOYD FRANK J. , KROLL ALEXANDRA B.
Published: May 2005

Sequential patterns of social support interactions between satisfied (n= 33) and dissatisfied (n= 23) husbands and wives were observed as the spouses took turns confiding about personal problems. The interactions were coded with an adaptation of Benjamin's Structural Analysis of Social Behavior, which evaluates interpersonal behaviors along two dimensions of independence‐interdependence and affiliation‐disaffiliation. Log‐linear analysis verified expected complementary sequential exchanges of behaviors that fell in the mid‐ranges of independence, interdependence, affiliation, and disaffiliation, although extreme forms of independent and interdependent behavior showed unexpected functional associations with non‐complementary behaviors. Dissatisfied wives displayed imbalanced levels of independent and interdependent behaviors, and both spouses showed relatively less support for each other's independent initiative. Dissatisfied spouses also had difficulty providing and accepting assistance in affiliative ways. The findings are discussed in terms of the balance of autonomy and interconnectedness in marriage, and the implications for improving supportive interactions for dissatisfied couples.
The influence of husband and wife personality on marital social support interactions
Authors: CUTRONA CAROLYN E. , HESSLING ROBERT M. , SUHR JULIE A.
Published: May 2005

The influence of extraversion and negative affectivity on support interactions among married couples was examined. One hundred married couples were observed in two 10‐minute interactions that were designed to elicit supportive behaviors. Extraverted support providers gave more support to their spouse than did introverts. Reciprocity in the exchange of support behaviors was also observed: The amount of support given by the individual in the first interaction predicted the amount of support provided to him or her during the second interaction. Negative affectivity was negatively correlated with ratings of interaction supportiveness, even when controlling for the number of supportive and negative behaviors received from the spouse. Extraverts showed higher sensitivity to emotional support behaviors than did introverts. The same level of emotional support behaviors from the spouse led to higher ratings of interaction supportiveness among those high on extraversion than among those low on extraversion. Results highlight the importance of integrative models of support that consider characteristics of the individual and his or her social environment.
Comparing the social support behaviors of violent and nonviolent husbands during discussions of wife personal problems
Authors: HOLTZWORTH‐MUNROE AMY , STUART GREGORY L. , SANDIN ELIZABETH , SMUTZLER NATALIE , MCLAUGHLIN WENDY
Published: May 2005

To compare the social support behaviors of violent and nonviolent husbands, we recruited four groups of couples‐violent and distressed (VD); violent/nondistressed (VND); nonviolent/distressed (NVD);and nonviolent/nondistressed (NVND). Two systems were used to code couples’discussions of wives’personal problems. Using the Social Support Interaction Coding System (Bradbury & Pasch, 1994), no violent‐nonviolent group differences emerged; however, as listeners, NVND husbands were the most positive and tended to be the least negative. Using a coding system designed for this study (i.e., Social Support Behavior/Affect Rating System), we confirmed the hypothesis that violent husbands would offer less social support than would nonviolent husbands. Relative to nonviolent men, violent husbands were less positive, more belligerent/domineering, more contemptuous/disgusted, and more upset by the wife's problem. Relative to NVND husbands, violent husbands displayed more anger and tension, VND husbands were more critical of their wives’problem, and VD men were more critical of the possible solutions wives offered. We discuss differences in the two coding systems relevant to the detection of violent‐nonviolent group differences. Across both systems, few group differences in wife behavior emerged, suggesting that husband behavior better differentiates violent from nonviolent couples when wives are discussing personal problems.