bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Positive illusion in close relationships
Authors: MARTZ JOHN M. , VERETTE JULIE , ARRIAGA XIMENA B. , SLOVIK LINDA F. , COX CHANTE L. , RUSBULT CARYL E. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractThe literature regarding self‐other comparisons suggests that self‐enhancing perceptions are prevalent, including forms of “illusion” such as excessively positive self‐evaluation, unrealistic optimism, and exaggerated perceptions of control. Concepts from optimal distinctiveness theory served as the basis for two experiments examining whether illusion functions similarly when the context of evaluation involves a relationship. In both experiments participants rated themselves, the best friend, and the average other—or their own romantic relationships, the best friend's relationship, and the relationship of the average other–using scales measuring positivity of evaluation, optimism regarding the future, and perceptions of control. In both experiments, participants exhibited centrality‐based differentiation, rating targets more favorably to the degree that the target was more central to their social identity. Patterns of differentiation differed for the two contexts: In the individual context, participants differentiated themselves and their friends from the average other. In the relationship context, participants differentiated their own relationships from the relationships of friends and average others. Also, participants rated individuals as more controllable than relationships. Participants in Experiment 2 provided information regarding potential predictors of illusion. Analyses of these data suggest that favorable centrality‐based differentiation may be partially accounted for by impression management, global self‐esteem (particularly in the individual context), and commitment level (particularly in the relationship context).
Antecedents and consequences of explicit agreements to declare a topic taboo in dating relationships
Authors: ROLOFF MICHAEL E. , IFERT DANETTE 
Published: May 2005

AbstractSome intimates try to prevent relational problems by agreeing not to talk about them again. This article investigates the antecedents and consequences of explicitly or implicitly declaring a topic taboo. A survey of college daters indicated that explicit agreements are more likely when individuals declare the topics unimportant to their relationship, but are less likely when the topic is perceived to be relationally harmful. Furthermore, prolonged discussion prior to declaring a topic taboo increases the explicitness of the accord. Relational satisfaction is negatively associated with the number of taboo topics, and with the degree to which such agreements are explicit. However, the association between satisfaction and explicitness is moderated by relational commitment. The negative association is only statistically significant among individuals who are relatively uncommitted or moderately committed to their relationship. Furthermore, this ordinal interaction proves to be a more powerful predictor of relational satisfaction that is the number of taboo topics.
Social competence as a predictor of chronic interpersonal stress
Authors: HERZBERG DAVID S. , HAMMEN CONSTANCE , BURGE DORLI , DALEY SHANNON E. , DAVILA JOANNE , LINDBERG NANGEL 
Published: May 2005

AbstractThis 1‐year prospective study tested Segrin and Abramson's (1994) social skills‐stress hypothesis in a community sample of 137 late‐adolescent females. The study found that self‐reported interpersonal competence at initial evaluation predicted a significant proportion of the variance in chronic interpersonal stress 1 year later, even when prior chronic interpersonal stress and concurrent psychopathology were controlled. Exploratory analyses suggested that deficiencies in the ability to provide emotional support to others may function as a risk factor for the generation of interpersonal stress. These results provide support for theories (e.g., Hammen, 1991b) that emphasize a bidirectional causal relationship between stress and psychological adjustment.
Do you remember?: Recollections of adult attachment patterns
Authors: SCHARFE ELAINE , BARTHOLOMEW KIM 
Published: May 2005

AbstractTo determine if memory biases influence recall of attachment patterns, we examined retrospective reports of adult attachment patterns in a sample of young established couples. At time 1, participants reported their attachment patterns on a self‐report attachment measure (RQ). Eight months later, participants completed the RQ to assess their current attachment patterns, as well as their memory of their attachment patterns 8 months earlier. Seventy‐eight percent of participants reported that their past attachment category was consistent with their current category, and 58% of participants accurately recalled their predominant time 1 attachment category. Parallel results were obtained with continuous attachment ratings We also found strong reconstructive biases: Participants’memories of their past attachment patterns were biased by their current patterns. Secure and insecure individuals did not differ in their perceptions of stability, their accuracy of recall, or the degree to which they demonstrated a consistency bias. Finally, with few exceptions, memories for time 1 attachment ratings were not biased by current relationship satisfaction, current partner attachment ratings, or reported life events. The importance of studying reconstructive biases in the field of adult attachment is discussed.
“Be careful what you wish for…”: A quantitative and qualitative investigation of “fata1 attractions”
Authors: FELMLEE DIANE H. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractThis study uses questionnaire data from 301 terminated romantic relationships to investigate hypotheses concerning the conditions under which a quality that is initially appealing in a partner is later disliked (i.e., a “fatal attraction”). Individuals are expected to be prone to fatal attractions when they are attracted to a quality in a romantic partner that is “different” in any of three ways: (1) different from the individual's own qualities (i.e., dissimilar); (2) different from average (i.e., extreme, or unique); or (3) different from normative expectations (i.e., gender atypical). Such attractions are less likely, however, when individuals are drawn to similarity in another. Findings from a logistic regression analysis provide support for four of the five hypotheses. Fatal attractions are significantly more likely when an individual is drawn to partner characteristics seen either as “dissimilar” from her or his own, as “unique,” or as “extreme” in nature. When these characteristics are viewed as “similar,” disenchantment is less likely. Fatal attractions are neither more, nor less, probable, however, when partner qualities contradict gender stereotypes. A qualitative analysis of open‐ended questionnaire responses provides further support for these attraction patterns. The findings have implications for diverse theories, including those of mate selection and dialectics.
“We never talk about that”: A comparison of cross‐sex friendships and dating relationships on uncertainty and topic avoidance
Authors: AFIFI WALID A. , BURGOON JUDEE K. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractUncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) proposes that individuals have a need to reduce uncertainty and that elevated levels of uncertainty are associated with relational dissatisfaction. Research on cross‐sex friendships suggests that these relationships may be characterized by elevated levels of uncertainty and topic avoidance. This investigation addresses the role of uncertainty as a theoretical construct that may be useful for explaining behavior in cross‐sex friendships. Specifically, we address the relationship between uncertainty and topic avoidance, and compare cross‐sex friendships and dating relationships on these variables. The results significantly extend past research on cross‐sex friendships and suggest that uncertainty may often be tolerated in cases where the expected information is undesirable.
Attitudes toward men's intergenerational financial obligations to older and younger male family members following divorce
Authors: COLEMAN MARILYN , GANONG LAWRENCE H. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractIn this study 116 men and 200 women randomly selected from phone books in the midwestern United States responded to a vignette designed to assess their attitudes about the obligation of men toward intergenerational family financial obligations following divorce. The hypotheses were: (1) Men will be perceived to have greater obligations to financially assist a father than to assist a stepfather or former father‐in‐law, and (2) men will be perceived to have greater obligations to financially assist a son than to assist an elderly family member. An additional research question was addressed: What rationale do people give to explain their beliefs about men's intergenerational financial obligations following divorce? Data were analyzed using chi‐square tests (forced‐choice responses) and qualitative methods (open‐ended responses). Both hypotheses were supported. Obligation was greatest to offspring, followed by fathers, stepfathers, and former fathers‐in‐law. However, attitudes about intergenerational obligations were contextual, and they depended on relationship quality, resources available, acuity of need, and ongoing commitments.
Communication patterns during marital conflict: A cross‐cultural replication
Authors: BODENMANN GUY , KAISER ANDREA , HAHLWEG KURT , FEHM‐WOLFSDORF GABRIELE 
Published: May 2005

AbstractThis study examines the reliability and validity of the Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ) from Christensen and Sullaway (1984). The CPQ is a relatively new questionnaire aimed at assessing marital communication at the dyadic level. It addresses communication patterns involving the behavior of both members of the dyad rather than just one partner. The CPQ permits the evaluation of communication in close relationships on three scales: (a) mutual constructive communication; (b) mutual avoidance of communication; (c) demand/withdrawal. Previous research among American samples has yielded empirical evidence concerning the reliability and validity of this instrument. The current study focuses upon whether the CPQ may also be applied to European subjects. To address this question, a German and a Swiss sample were used. Our results demonstrate that the questionnaire's reliability and validity also prove satisfactory among European samples. In both studies, communication avoidance and withdrawal were negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction.
Parental divorce, parent–child relations, and early adult relationships: A longitudinal Australian study
Authors: BURNS AILSA , DUNLOP ROSEMARY 
Published: May 2005

AbstractEvidence shows that the children of divorce are themselves more prone to relationship breakdown, and it has been argued that poorer parent‐child relations are one cause of this intergenerational transmission. The issue is explored in a longitudinal sample of adolescents from divorced and nondivorced homes. The sample was interviewed at the time of parental divorce for the target group (N=78), when they were aged 13 to 16, again 3 years later (N=65), and again 10 years later (N=67), when aged 23 to 27. At each wave of interviews, respondents completed the Parent Bonding Inventory (PBI), a measure of the child's perception of each parent's behavior toward him or her. At age 23 to 27 years, respondents also completed measures of their attitudes to relationships and intimacy with peers, their satisfaction with their current close relationships, and the amount of conflict within these relationships. No differences were found on the adult relationship measures between those from divorced and nondivorced families, or between sons and daughters. However, at each wave of interviews, fathers were seen as less caring than mothers, and divorced fathers were seen as particularly low in care. There were no differences in the descriptions of divorced and nondivorced mothers. Time 3 ratings of mothers and fathers on care and overprotection were correlated with all the adult relationship measures, and the Time 1 and Time 2 father ratings also predicted the adult relationship measures Care ratings were more strongly associated with the outcome measures than were overprotection ratings, but Time 1 father overprotection ratings and Time 3 mother overprotection ratings were also relevant. The relative importance of the different scales—and their interaction with the age of the child—is briefly discussed.
When does partner devaluation predict emotional distress? Prospective moderating effects of reassurance‐seeking and self‐esteem
Authors: KATZ JENNIFER , BEACH STEVEN R. H. , JOINER THOMAS E. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractCoyne's (1976b) interpersonal theory of depression asserts that devaluation and rejection by relationship partners may exacerbate depressive symptoms. We tested this assertion empirically and investigated two theoretically based moderators of this effect: reassurance‐seeking and self‐esteem level. Dating women (N= 134) completed measures of depression, reassurance‐seeking, and self‐esteem at Time 1 and a measure of depression at Time 2 six weeks later. Male partners completed a measure of devaluation of the women. Partner devaluation was not associated with increased emotional distress for women across the entire sample. However, significant moderating effects of both reassurance‐seeking and self‐esteem level were found. Partner devaluation predicted increased emotional distress among women who reported high levels of reassurance‐seeking and among women who reported low levels of self‐esteem. Results are discussed in terms of convergence with Coyne's theory.
Negative affectivity as a mediator of the association between adult attachment and marital satisfaction
Authors: DAVILA JOANNE , BRADBURY THOMAS N. , FINCHAM FRANK 
Published: May 2005

AbstractAlthough the association between adult attachment and marital satisfaction is well documented, research has not examined processes by which attachment affects satisfaction. Drawing on attachment‐oriented conceptualizations of affect regulation, the present study tested the hypothesis that negative affectivity mediates the association between attachment and marital satisfaction. Data from two samples of married couples were used to test the hypothesis. In both samples, negative affectivity mediated the association between some aspects of attachment insecurity and marital dissatisfaction, although attachment also retained a direct association with marital satisfaction in a number of cases. Results are discussed in terms of attachment‐oriented conceptualizations of the function of negative emotion in marriage, and the empirical and conceptual overlap between attachment and negative affectivity.
Interpersonal risk and the evaluation of transgressions in close relationships
Authors: BOON SUSAN D. , HOLMES JOHN G. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractAn experiment examined individuals’willingness to excuse a romantic partner of blame for a transgression when perceptions that a relationship is risky are salient. Participants evaluated an actual transgression on measures tapping three levels of appraisal: (a) initial impressions of the act (i.e., severity of the transgression), (b) considerations of the context in which it occurred (i.e., judgments about excuses and extenuating context), and (c) judgments about its broader implications for the relationship (attributions of globality). Evaluator perspective was also varied. Half the participants (actors) evaluated their own partner's wrongdoing; half (observers) evaluated another participant's partner's wrongdoing. Compared to controls, risk participants rated the transgression as more severe and were more cautious and risk‐averse in assessing the merits of potentially excusing information. Evaluator perspective did not influence these judgments, a finding consistent with a cognitive interpretation of the results. In contrast, the effects of risk on judgments of globality were more pronounced among observers than among actors, suggesting that motivational pressures come into play when the evaluative stakes are higher.
Gender‐related personality traits and interpersonal resource exchange among brother—sister relationships
Authors: GAINES STANLEY O. , RUGG MARLANA A. , ZEMORE SARAH E. , ARMM JANEEN L. , YUM NANCY , LAW ANDY , UNDERHILL JOHN M. , FELDMAN KAREN 
Published: May 2005

AbstractBrother‐sister relationships are understudied within the field of personal relationships. Accordingly, the present study examines patterns of interpersonal resource exchange (drawing upon resource exchange theory; Foa & Foa, 1974), along with influences of gender‐related personality traits (i.e., agency and communion) on individuals’giving of interpersonal resources (i.e., affection and respect), among 79 brother‐sister pairs. Consistent with predictions, brothers’and sisters’exchanges of both affection and respect were positive and significant. Also, consistent with predictions, communion was a positive and significant predictor of respectful behavior among sisters. However, contrary to hypotheses, communion did not achieve or approach significance as a predictor of respectful behavior among brothers, nor did communion achieve or approach significance as a predictor of affectionate behavior among sisters or brothers Implications for the study of male‐female relationships in general—and brother‐sister relationships in particular—are discussed.
The Individuality and Connectedness Q‐sort: A measure for assessing individuality and connectedness in dyadic relationships
Authors: BENGTSON PHYLLIS L. , GROTEVANT HAROLD D. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractA Q‐sort, based on Grotevant and Cooper's (1986) model of individuation, was developed to assess individuality and connectedness in dyadic relationships. A criterion sort for each construct was developed on the basis of ratings from eight experts. The mean intercorrelation among the eight raters was .85 for individuality and .89 for connectedness. This Q‐sort was then used to rate 46 middle‐class Caucasian parents who were previously assessed on similar constructs using a micro‐coding method, the Family Discourse Code (Condon, Cooper, & Grotevant, 1984). Correlations between similar constructs were significant. This Q‐sort has five improvements over the Family Discourse Code: Behaviors representing the absence as well as the presence of a construct are coded; salience as well as frequency of behavior determines item placement; coders do not require knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of items; there is less chance of response bias; and it provides a means of standardizing the assessment of individuality and connectedness across samples.
Commitment and the perpetration of relationship violence
Authors: GAERTNER LOWELL , FOSHEE VANGIE 
Published: May 2005

AbstractWe employed the investment model of commitment (Rusbult, 1983) to examine the independent effects of commitment and relationship duration on the perpetration of common couple violence (i.e., instances of physical violence that occasionally arise in conflict situations; Johnson, 1995). Data are from self‐administered questionnaires completed by 722 “currently dating” adolescents in the 8th and 9th grades in a rural public school district in North Carolina. Roughly 10% of the adolescents reported using violence (i.e., hitting, pushing, shoving, kicking, or assaulting with a weapon) against their current partner that was not used as self‐defense. The majority of the violent relationships involved the reciprocal use of violence by both partners. Both commitment and duration exerted independent effects upon the perpetration of common couple violence. Consistent with the relationship violence literature, relationship members became more likely to use violence against their partner as the duration of the relationship increased. However, consistent with research that indicates that commitment leads individuals to forgo immediate‐self interest and to instead maximize the needs of the relationship, relationship members became less likely to use violence as their commitment to the relationship increased. Furthermore, a gender difference was found in terms of the relationship between violence and variables that promote commitment. Although decreased relationship satisfaction increased the use of violence for both males and females, the increased quality of alternative relationships also increased the use of violence for males. The current findings are consistent with the idea that, whereas relationship duration simply makes partners more accessible to one another, commitment promotes cooperative strategies for conflict resolution.
Relational models theory: A confirmatory factor analysis
Authors: HASLAM NICK , FISKE ALAN PAGE 
Published: May 2005

AbstractDescriptive taxonomies of social relationships typically propose independent, bipolar dimensions, such as warmth/hostility, equality/inequality, and formality/informality. Relational models theory (Fiske, 1991), in contrast, proposes four potentially correlated, unipolar relational models. Features of the four models were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses that tested the unipolarity and non‐independence assumptions on a large sample of social relationships. Findings supported the hypothesis that the models correspond to coherent, correlated, and unipolar factors.
Weaving a tapestry of relational assistance: A qualitative investigation of interpersonal support among reservation‐residing Navajo teenage mothers
Authors: DALLA ROCHELLE L. , GAMBLE WENDY C. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractThe social context of teenage parenting among reservation‐residing, Navajo Native Americans was examined. Intensive interviews were conducted with Navajo adolescent mothers who described their primary agents of support, types of support received, and experiences with interpersonal conflict. The teenagers’mothers were interviewed and provided additional information regarding the mother‐daughter relationship and their role in the provision of support. Interviews were tape‐recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed using Phenomonological Descriptive Analysis (Colaizzi, 1978). Variability in support provided by grandmothers was observed and examined relative to relationship histories and other life experiences. Relationships with male partners were described as tenuous; they provided little support to the teenage mothers. Peers, too, were reported as minimal providers of support and maternity as disruptive in the maintenance of adolescent friendships. Grandmother reports concurred with those of their teenage parenting daughters. Implications for policy and intervention are described.
Being better than others but otherwise perfectly normal: Perceptions of uniqueness and similarity in close relationships
Authors: VAN LANGE PAUL A. M. , RUSBULT CARYL E. , SEMIN‐GOOSSENS ASTRID , GÖRTS CARIEN A. , STALPERS MIRJAM 
Published: May 2005

AbstractThe current research addresses individuals' self‐generated thoughts regarding their own and others' relationships, examining the ways in which perceptions of uniqueness and similarity are manifested in judgments regarding own and others' responses to dissatisfying incidents. Consistent with the uniqueness bias, participants characterized their own relationships by a greater number of constructive responses and a smaller number of destructive responses relative to characterizations of others' relationships. Moreover, external raters judged own constructive responses to be more constructive than others' constructive responses. Consistent with the similarity bias, external raters judged items describing others' responses to be less frequently occurring and more extreme than their own responses. Also, this research revealed support for the claim that the similarity bias is more pronounced for destructive responses than for constructive responses. A recall task corroborated these findings, revealing very good recall for destructive responses enacted by others and poor recall for destructive responses enacted by oneself.