PSY-5 (Ch.10 Relationships and Attraction)
Social psychologists organize love into three broad categories—companionate love, compassionate love, and romantic love. Decide which of these three each of the following describes.
the love we typically experience with friends and family members Correct label: companionate the love that is sometimes referred to as passionate love Correct label: romantic the love akin to a communal relationship Correct label: compassionate the love associated with intense emotion and sexual desire Correct label: romantic
Which of the following statements about the role of gender in attractiveness are accurate?
Accurate Attractiveness is more important in determining women's life outcomes than men's. Women benefit more from physical beauty in terms of obtaining financial and social resources than men. Physical attractiveness has more weight in assessments of the popularity of women and gay men than in that of heterosexual men. Not Accurate Women deemed unattractive have about the same amount of negative experiences at work as similarly unattractive men.
Which of the following statements about research studies of the complementarity hypothesis (the idea that opposites do attract) are accurate?
Accurate Couples with complementarity in one or two traits probably are similar in many other traits. The hypothesis makes sense only for personality traits for which one person's needs can be met by the other. Not Accurate Since studies have provided evidence supporting the complementarity hypothesis, it is proven. The consensus of studies on attraction is that complementarity determines attraction more than similarity.
Determine if each of the following research findings is more likely to be used to support the evolutionary approach or the cultural approach to human attraction.
Numerous studies worldwide show a strong tendency for men to seek youth and beauty and for women to seek resources and accomplishment. Correct label: evolutionary Studies show that during ovulation, women preferred men with facial bilateral symmetry and other masculine characteristics. Correct label: evolutionary Analysis of earlier studies and new studies shows that the greater a society's gender equality, the less importance women place on earning capacity in a potential mate. Correct label: cultural
Complete the following passage about some of the specific circumstances that predict dissatisfaction in romantic relationships and the types of people who are more likely to experience dissatisfaction in relationships.
People with certain personality traits—including neuroticism, anxiousness, and sensitivity to rejection—tend to have higher marital dissatisfaction than most people without these traits. Another predictor of problems involves certain demographic factors—most notably if the couple has lower socioeconomic status. Finally, couples who marry when they are too young are particularly prone to marital dissatisfaction.
Complete the passage about the types, or styles, of attachments and their dimensions.
People with secure attachment rarely worry about being abandoned, while those with an anxious-ambivalent style often want to merge completely with another person—sometimes scaring them away. People whose love partners want them to be more intimate than they are comfortable being have an avoidant attachment style. Attachment dimensions are anxiety (fear of rejection) and avoidance (discomfort with intimacy).
Decide whether each potential outcome using Caryl Rusbult's investment model will likely result in more commitment or less commitment toward a romantic relationship.
absence of appealing alternative partners Correct label: more commitment presence of appealing alternative partners Correct label: less commitment greater perceived costs relative to the rewards of the relationship Correct label: less commitment greater investment of time, effort, and other resources Correct label: more commitment greater perceived rewards relative to the costs of the relationship Correct label: more commitment smaller investment of time, effort, and other resources Correct label: less commitment
The theory first advanced by John Bowlby states that early instances of this with parents and other caregivers can shape relationships for a person's entire life.
attachment
Ample research supports one of the least surprising benefits for physically attractive people: that they are more popular as friends and potential romantic partners. Which of the following are other benefits of being physically attractive that have been supported by research?
Correct Answer(s) Attractive people get more favorable treatment in the criminal justice system. Attractive people's work is evaluated more favorably. Attractive people are more likely to be offered help when injured. Attractive people are better paid. Incorrect Answer(s)
Caryl Rusbult's investment model of commitment is used to explain why some couples stay in romantic relationships while others don't. Complete the passage about this model.
Rusbult's model integrates many features of social exchange theory. It holds that once partners have a romantic bond, three factors determine their commitment to each other: satisfaction based on the partners' evaluation of the rewards and costs associated with their relationship; whether or not alternative partners exist (and the relative quality of them, if they do); and the magnitude of investments in the relationship including time, effort, and love expended, as well as the shared memories, mutual friends, and shared possessions.
Complete the passage regarding approaches to explaining human attraction.
The evolutionary approach holds that differences in parental investment by men and women lead men to prefer women whose physical appearance indicates they will be fertile, while women prefer men who can provide for them and their children. The cultural perspective holds that these preferences stem from imbalances in material resources between men and women and these preferences aren't permanent.
Complete the passage about key distinctions between communal relationships and exchange relationships.
Individuals in communal relationships feel a special responsibility for one another and expect the relationship to be long term. Exchange relationships are more likely to be short term and individuals in them feel no special responsibility toward one another. Giving and receiving are governed by concerns about equity and reciprocity in exchange relationships, while individuals in communal relationships give and receive according to the principle of need.
This is a key component of longer-lasting romantic relationships, because it increases relationship-promoting behaviors such as forgiveness and self-sacrifice.
commitment
Ethnologists who studied hunter-gatherer groups in their natural environments documented instances of caregiving between mothers and their children, flirtation by young people who were courting, affection between romantic partners, and other relationship behaviors. Which of these statements accurately describe the significance of these observations?
Accurate They help document universal features of relationships across cultures. They support the idea that humans have a biological need for relationships. Not Accurate They suggest that the hunter-gatherer groups copied these behaviors after being exposed to Western media. They support the idea that humans only sometimes desire relationships.
Which of the following statements reflect the evolutionary approach to explaining physical attraction?
Correct Answer(s) Males and females prefer mates with physical features that indicate good health and reproductive fitness. Women invest more in their offspring than men, and thus they are more selective about choosing sexual partners and are more inclined toward monogamy than men. Men prefer women whose physical appearance indicates they will be fertile. Incorrect Answer(s) Women seek men with material resources as mates because men have disproportionate control over material resources.
Complete the following passage about the evolutionary reasons adults and children, across cultures, find certain features physically attractive.
Evolutionary theory holds that people seek mates with characteristics—especially healthiness—that indicate good reproductive fitness, the capacity to pass one's genes on to future generations. Thus people prefer average facial features to those that are deemed too unusual, since the latter can indicate disease. Another important determinant of perceived attractiveness is bilateral symmetry, which seems to serve as a signal of an organism's ability to resist disease.
The mere exposure effect holds that repeated exposure to a person will lead to increased liking of the person—and research studies support this contention. Which of the following have been offered as explanations of why mere repeated exposure leads to liking?
Explanations because familiar stimuli are easier to perceive and cognitively process because of the effects of classical conditioning Not an Explanation because of the effects of cognitive dissonance because familiarity breeds contempt
Which of the following construal tendencies are more likely to occur in dissatisfied, distressed couples?
More Likely to Occur attributing negative events in their relationship to stable causes that are global, intended, and selfless attributing positive events in their relationship to unstable causes that are specific, unintended, and selfish Less Likely to Occur attributing negative events in their relationship to unstable causes that are specific, unintended, and selfish attributing positive events in their relationship to stable causes that are general, intended, and selfless
Decide if each of the following is more likely to be a communal relationship or an exchange relationship.
Since Dara's brother Roger had an accident that limits his mobility, she's been helping him by doing a lot of his yard work. Correct label: communal Jussi responds to Meko's online posting and buys his old PlayStation 3. They don't expect to ever see each other again. Correct label: exchange Jack and Diane think of each other as family. They resemble each other in their specific emotional experiences. Correct label: communal Lydia works at Krysta's restaurant. Concerns about equity and reciprocity govern giving and receiving between them. Correct label: exchange
Complete the passage about the role of factors relating to distance in attraction.
The sheer closeness, or proximity, of contact leads to attraction and liking. Liking can be influenced by the functional distance created by the architectural layout of a living arrangement that encourages social contact between people. This is partly explained by the mere exposure effect, the tendency to like a stimulus more the more frequently it is encountered.
Researchers John Gottman and Robert Levenson have proposed "the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," which represent four types of interpersonal behaviors that indicate relationship problems. Match each of the following examples with the most appropriate "horseman."
When Babe tries to bring up problems with Bob, Bob shuts her out and doesn't respond or just leaves the apartment. Correct label: stonewalling Whenever Jenna complains about Kilean frequently staying out late with his friends, he denies that he does that. Correct label: defensiveness Eddie brings up what he perceives to be Celia's faults every time they argue. Correct label: criticism Hadley often tells Marina that he can't believe he's married to someone who is so far beneath him. Correct label: contempt
Match each term about theories and expectations of social exchange to its definition.
expectations about what people think they deserve or expect to get out of a relationship Correct label: comparison level theory based on the idea that people are motivated to pursue fairness in their relationships Correct label: equity theory theory based on the idea that how people feel about a relationship depends on their assessments of its costs and rewards Correct label: social exchange theory expectations about what people think they can get out of other potential relationships Correct label: comparison level for alternatives
Mary Ainsworth's "strange situation" experiments led to three distinct classification patterns of infants. Decide which attachment pattern each group of infants described below most likely showed.
infants who cried or showed anger in new environments and were less comforted by caregiver contact when it did occur Correct label: anxious infants whose caregivers responded quickly and reliably to distress calls Correct label: secure infants whose caregivers rejected them Correct label: avoidant infants whose caregivers sometimes responded intrusively and sometimes rejected them Correct label: anxious infants who felt comfortable and safe moving away from their caregivers to explore in new environments Correct label: secure infants who did not seek out caregivers and rejected their attention when offered Correct label: avoidant
Match the different perspectives about aesthetic beauty with their definitions.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and there are no particular universal rules about what is aesthetically beautiful. Correct label: subjectivist view Beauty is determined through balance, proportion, symmetry, and contrast in the design of objects, which provide a stimulating and pleasant experience for the beholder. Correct label: objectivist view Recognizes simplicity in complexity; beauty is seen through the process of how it stimulates the viewer. Correct label: fluency perspective
Which of the following statements about the stability of attachment styles are accurate?
Accurate Different attachment styles can be momentarily primed or activated. People often have different attachments styles in different relationships. Not Accurate A person's attachment style within a given relationship will be entirely stable over time. Attachment styles are determined in early infancy, and once they are set they can never change.
Many studies have researched similarity as it relates to attraction—including studies that compared engaged couples to "random couples" (people paired by researchers for the purpose of generating comparative data). Which of these statements about that research are accurate?
Accurate Engaged couples were found to have more similarities than random couples. Engaged couples were found to have the strongest similarities in demographic and physical characteristics. Not Accurate Engaged couples were not found to have similarities in personality characteristics. Interracial and interethnic couples were found to have fewer similarities in personality characteristics than couples with the same demographic characteristics.
Which of the following statements about equity theory are accurate?
Accurate Equity is not always the goal in more collectivist cultures, in which hierarchy and imbalance are more acceptable and sometimes more desirable. A relationship with too many rewards and too few costs can be undesirable because it feels unfair. A relationship is considered equitable when the benefits are proportionate to the effort both people put into it. Not Accurate People are not motivated to pursue fairness, or equity, in their relationships.
Which of the following statements about the results of studies of proximity and attraction conducted in large housing projects are accurate?
Accurate Functional distance, the influence of the architectural layout to encourage or discourage social contact, was a strong factor in patterns of friendship. The Westgate West study confirmed that the proximity, or sheer closeness, of contact was a key factor in patterns of friendship. In the Westgate West study, within each building, proximity had a more striking impact on the patterns of friendship than in the complex as a whole. Not Accurate The effects of proximity were less pronounced in friendship patterns that developed across age and racial group than within them.
Which of these statements about communal relationships and approaches are accurate?
Accurate Individuals in communal relationships come to resemble one another in the timing of their laughter and their specific emotional experiences. Communal relationships are based on a sense of "oneness" and family-like sharing of common identity. Not Accurate People in European countries are inclined to take a communal approach to many situations in which people from Asian societies would take an exchange approach. In communal relationships, giving and receiving are governed by concerns about equity and reciprocity.
Which of the following statements about marriage practices outside of modern Western culture are accurate?
Accurate Marriages arranged by the couple's parents (transactions) are the prevailing model for most cultures. For most cultures and for most of history, the idea of romantic love being a prerequisite for marriage has not been the norm. Not Accurate Arranged marriages still feature all the same pitfalls that exist for marriages based on romantic love. Romantic love is a concept that does not exist in most cultures.
Which of following statements about relationships and well-being are accurate?
Accurate Partnered gay men and lesbians scored higher on well-being than their non-partnered counterparts. Mortality rates are higher for divorced, unmarried, and widowed individuals than for married individuals. Married people fare better than unmarried ones on various indices of well-being. Having support from others contributes to good health by strengthening the cardiovascular, immune, and endocrine systems. Not Accurate Admissions to hospitals for psychological problems are lower for divorced people than married people.
Which of the following statements about attachment dimensions are accurate?
Accurate People who are anxious are more likely to have divorced parents. Securely attached people experience the greatest satisfaction in relationships. People who are anxious are more likely to have experienced the death of a parent or childhood abuse. Not Accurate Internal working models of attachment are established late in life.
The longer couples are together, the more they tend to look like each other. Which of the following statements accurately explain why this is the case?
Accurate People who live together may share similar diets and lifestyles. People who live together may select similar grooming and dress styles and habits—and climate factors influence skin tone and wrinkles. People who live together for a long time experience similar emotions over the course of their lives, which affect their appearance. Not Accurate People are attracted to others similar to them, which is more likely to get noticed over time even though they don't really look more similar over time. Older people are more homogeneous in appearance.
In cultures that place less value on autonomy, infants left in a room without their mothers may be more fearful about exploring the environment, and the reunion with their mothers may be much more turbulent. Which of these statements explaining the significance of this are accurate?
Accurate Secure attachments in some cultures are more likely to be marked by greater independence and autonomy than secure patterns in other cultures. These children have been socialized to be interdependent with others, especially family members. Not Accurate These children are not securely attached.
Which of the following statements about the halo effect are accurate?
Accurate Studies have shown that people do indeed tend to believe (correctly or not) that physically attractive people possess many other positive qualities. There are cultural variations in the halo effect. Self-fulfilling prophecies may explain why physically attractive people who are assumed to be socially skilled come across as such even when they aren't. Not Accurate Evidence that the halo effect has an impact on how physically attractive people feel about themselves doesn't exist.
The following statements describe evidence from research on the biological need to belong—Harry Harlow's famous experiments on rhesus monkeys raised in isolation and a natural experiment involving orphaned African elephants. Which statements are accurate?
Accurate The elephants that grew up on their own were highly antisocial and aggressive toward members of their own species as adolescents. As adolescents, Harlow's monkeys were highly fearful, could not interact with their peers, and engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviors. In both situations, social isolation led to social impairments. Not Accurate When given access to two "mother surrogates"—one that provided food and one that provided comfort—Harlow's monkeys preferred the one that provided food.
Researchers studying relationships encounter some special challenges. Which of the following statements about the challenges of studying relationships and how researchers address them are accurate?
Accurate When participants self-select, researchers are unable to tell if an observation is a result of different experiences of people in the situations, or if it results from differences in the people who select that condition. Relationship research sometimes involves longitudinal studies to learn about relationships over time. Many studies of relationships do not apply the scientific methods of random sampling. Not Accurate Relationship studies usually involve random sampling and assigning participants to different conditions.
Which of the following are advantages that physical attractiveness might have over other positive characteristics—such as keen intelligence—in terms of winning other people's attention and attraction?
Advantages Physical attractiveness affects us immediately, and it takes time for most other characteristics to affect us. Physical attractiveness is visible and apparent, while a person's intelligence usually has to be determined. Not an Advantage People usually assume that physically attractive people are also modest—another positive characteristic. A person's physical attractiveness tends to last longer than characteristics such as intelligence.
Complete the passage about two standards that influence people's evaluations of rewards and costs of their relationships.
Comparison level reflects the outcomes people expect to get out of a relationship. People who have a high comparison level think they deserve a lot from their relationships. Comparison level for alternatives reflects the outcomes people think they can get out of alternative relationships. Both standards are subjective. A person who stays in a relationship that most others would end probably has a low comparison level, while someone who jumps from relationship to relationship likely has a high comparison level for alternatives.
Which of the following describe events that typically occur only after two people in a romantic love relationship have spent increasing time together and the second phase of romantic love is underway?
Correct Answer(s) Couples feel increased comfort and security from the sense of being close and knowing each other better. A deep sense of intimacy sets in. Partners increasingly include their partner's perspectives, experiences, and characteristics in their own self-concept. Incorrect Answer(s) Partners have intense, sometimes all-consuming feelings of passion for each other—and only for each other.
Imagine that you are a guest at your friends' wedding that is taking place somewhere in the United States today. Based on research findings about divorce, decide which of the predictions about this hypothetical marriage are likely to be accurate.
Likely to be Accurate If there is conflict in the marriage, your friends (the bride and groom) will have increased risk of having heart problems and weaker immune systems. There is about a 50 percent chance that divorce or separation will end the marriage, but the chances would have been a bit higher if the marriage had occurred a few years ago. Not Likely to be Accurate If the marriage produces children before it ends in divorce, that experience will make the children better able to avoid romantic difficulties in their own lives. This couple will be more satisfied with their marriage than the bride's parents, who got married 30 years ago, were with theirs.
Complete the following passage about practices that researchers identified that can strengthen romantic relationships.
One behavior that can strengthen romantic relationships is active capitalization, responding to your partner's positive experiences in a way that conveys constructive engagement. Another strengthening behavior is playfulness, engaging in fun and arousing activities together. Finally, practicing idealization—seeing your partner in a flattering light and seeing virtues in his or her faults—is another important ingredient in a satisfying intimate bond.
Match each of the following examples to the corresponding type of practice that researchers suggest promotes more satisfying intimate bonds in romantic relationships.
Pete apologizes for playing golf when he'd promised to paint the garage, but his wife tells him that she'd rather hear about his round than see a painted garage. Correct label: idealization When Rafael is invited by his employer to apply for a better job at work, his husband gives him advice on how to interview well and helps him pick out a new suit. Correct label: capitalization Leander's husband surprises her by buying tickets to a new play that is getting great reviews, even though they have never been to see a play together. Correct label: playfulness
Complete the passage about the importance of relationships to humans.
Researchers believe that humans have a biological need to belong in relationships and that the human tendency to seek relationships out has a likely evolutionary basis since they help individuals and offspring survive—thus increasing the likelihood of passing on one's genes. Researchers also point to the many universal features that relationships have across cultures.
Decide which attachment style is most likely being exhibited by the individuals in each of the following examples.
When his friend brings up a problem in their relationship, Lloyd reacts by walking away and refusing to talk about it. Correct label: avoidant A girl walks up to Brad and asks to buy him a drink. Brad wants to respond, but he doesn't think he deserves her attention. Correct label: anxious-ambivalent Lea and her boyfriend are comfortable together. Lea wants to spend a lot of time with him, and she believes he supports her goals and interests. Correct label: secure
