Lecture 8: Interdependence Part 1

Question 1

interdependence

Answer 1

• Exists when we need others and they need us to obtain valuable rewards
• Behaviours of each partner affect the outcomes of the other

Question 2

interdependence theory

Answer 2

• Explains how partners in a relationship influence each other’s experiences and outcomes
• Derived from social exchange theory

Question 3

social exchange theory

Answer 3

• Relationship partners are rational actors engaged in cost-benefit analyses
• Relationships begin when you give me some of what I want and I give you some of what you want
• We are driven to maximize rewards & minimize costs

Question 4

social exchange

Answer 4

the process in which two people give and take desirable rewards from each other

Question 5

outcomes formula

Answer 5

outcome = rewards - costs

Question 6

interpreting outcomes

Answer 6

• If rewards > costs, net positive outcome
• If rewards < costs, net negative outcome

Question 7

rewards

Answer 7

• Any of the ways a relationship may satisfy our needs & desires, something that is gratifying & pleasant
• Can be tangible or intangible

Question 8

costs

Answer 8

• Any of the ways a relationship may prevent us from meeting our needs & desires, something that is punishing/frustrating
• Can be tangible or intangible

Question 9

opportunity cost

Answer 9

the cost of not pursuing a possible reward

Question 10

do all relationships have costs?

Answer 10

yes

Question 11

how do we evaluate our outcomes?

Answer 11

• The same outcome may not necessarily lead to the same amount of satisfaction for different people
• When it comes to satisfaction, we evaluate the outcomes we receive relative to what we expect from our relationships

Question 12

comparison level (CL)

Answer 12

personal standard; what we feel we deserve

Question 13

satisfaction formula

Answer 13

Satisfaction = outcomes - CL

Question 14

interpreting satisfaction

Answer 14

• If our satisfaction is positive, then we’re happy
• If our satisfaction is negative, then we’re unhappy
• We can be dissatisfied even if the relationship is highly rewarding and satisfied if the relationship is costly

Question 15

sacrifice

Answer 15

giving up one’s own immediate preferences/ goals for the good of the partner or the relationship

Question 16

impact of sacrifice on the relationship

Answer 16

• Perceiving that a partner has sacrificed can lead to increased appreciation with potentially positive consequences for the relationship
• But, it may depend on experiences around sacrifice

Question 17

interdependence theory daily diary study

Answer 17

perceiving a partner’s sacrifice led to an increase in partner appreciation and relationship satisfaction only if the recipient’s expectations were low (positive expectancy violation)

Question 18

interdependence theory daily diary study takeaway

Answer 18

even if a relationship is profitable and rewarding, you may not be satisfied if the profit isn’t big enough to meet your expectations

Question 19

determining CL

Answer 19

everyone has their own CL

Question 20

CL is influenced by

Answer 20

• Previous relationship experiences (how others have treated us in the past)
• Observing others’ relationships (personal experience or the media)
• Personality dispositions (attachment orientation, self-esteem)

Question 21

what makes people stay together?

Answer 21

• Partners’ satisfaction with the relationship is a fairly small predictor of staying together over time
• There are also other factors involved in the decision

Question 22

dependence

Answer 22

how free a person feels to leave the relationship (how strongly tied a person is to another)

Question 23

determining dependence

Answer 23

A function of how our outcomes in a given relationship compared to possible alternative outcomes (how well you think you could do elsewhere)

Question 24

dependence formula

Answer 24

Dependence = outcomes- CL alt

Question 25

interpreting dependence

Answer 25

- If dependence is positive, then stable - If dependence is negative, then unstable

Question 26

comparison level for alternatives

Answer 26

- What we realistically expect we could get in another relationship or situation/ other alternatives currently available - Includes other partners or being single - The standard against which we decide whether to stay or leave - The lowest level you will tolerate from your partners - If you think we can do better in another relationship, we’re likely to leave our present partners and pursue bigger payoffs, even when we’re currently happy with what we’ve got - If we’re currently unhappy in a relationship, we won’t leave it unless a better alternative presents itself

Question 27

factors affecting CL alt

Answer 27

- Individual differences - Cultural and structural factors - Opportunity to encounter alternatives - Motivated reasoning

Question 28

barriers

Answer 28

all of the forces outside of the relationship that act to keep partners together

Question 29

investments

Answer 29

resources tied to the relationship that would be lost if the relationship were to end

Question 30

impact of barriers and investments on the relationship

Answer 30

- Both reduce the attractiveness of leaving a current relationship (i.e. factored into our CL alts) - Our CL alts include both rewards & costs of leaving a relationship

Question 31

4 relationship types

Answer 31

- happy and stable - unhappy and unstable - unhappy and stable - happy and unstable

Question 32

happy and stable relationship

Answer 32

- outcomes exceed both CL and CL alt - It doesn’t matter if CL or CL alt is higher

Question 33

unhappy and unstable relationship

Answer 33

outcomes are below both CL and CL alt

Question 34

unhappy and stable relationship

Answer 34

outcomes are below CL but above CL alt

Question 35

happy and unstable relationship

Answer 35

outcomes are below CL alt, but above CL

Question 36

relative impact of rewards and costs

Answer 36

- Research suggests that the valuation of rewards & costs is more complicated - Costs may be particularly influential because they carry more psychological weight - We pay more attention to costs and remember costs more than rewards - Roughly 5x greater influence

Question 37

gottman's research

Answer 37

- Brought couples into the lab and asked them to discuss a sore spot in their relationship - They coded this interaction for various types of negative and positive behaviours - They found that high-risk couples for divorce engaged in more negative behaviours than positive behaviours - The opposite was found for low-risk couples

Question 38

sacrifice detection

Answer 38

A reward has to be noticed to enter into our calculations We may not notice all of the kind things our partners do for us

Question 39

Daily diary study of sacrifices method

Answer 39

data collected from both members of the couple allows researchers to compare the partner data and see how often sacrifices are detected vs. missed

Question 40

hit

Answer 40

the perceiver correctly detects that a sacrifice was made

Question 41

miss

Answer 41

the perceived does not detect that a sacrifice was made when it was

Question 42

false alarm

Answer 42

the perceiver perceives a sacrifice when there is not one

Question 43

correct rejection

Answer 43

a sacrifice does not occur and is not perceived

Question 44

Daily diary study of sacrifices findings

Answer 44

- Thinking that the partner has made a sacrifice (rightly or wrongly) boosts gratitude - But individuals miss their partners’ sacrifices about 50% of the time - Missed sacrifices leave sacrificing partners feeling underappreciated & dissatisfied

Question 45

individual differences in approach vs. avoidance motivations

Answer 45

- Chronic strength of approach & avoidance motivations differs between individuals - This has implications for processing social information

Question 46

implications of avoidance motivation

Answer 46

- Biases attention toward negative stimuli - Enhances memory for negative stimuli - Increases negative construals of ambiguous/neutral events

Question 47

implications of approach motivation

Answer 47

- Biases attention toward positive stimuli - Enhances memory for positive stimuli - Increases positive construals of ambiguous/neutral events

Question 48

approach motivations and sacrifice

Answer 48

- Make your partner happy, grow intimacy in the relationship - This led to more positive affect, greater relationship & life satisfaction, less conflict, and less chance of breaking up 1 month later - Perceiving one’s partner as sacrificing for approach reasons was associated with more positive affect, life & relationship satisfaction

Question 49

avoidance motivations and sacrifice

Answer 49

- Avoid disappointment or conflict - This led to more negative affect, less relationship & life satisfaction, and more conflict - Perceiving one’s partner as sacrificing for avoidance reasons associated with less positive affect, life & relationship satisfaction

Question 50

approach motivation

Answer 50

gain positive outcomes

Question 51

avoidance motivation

Answer 51

avoid negative outcomes

Question 52

flourishing relationships

Answer 52

approach and avoidance goals are fulfilled

Question 53

precarious relationships

Answer 53

approach goals are fulfilled but avoidance goals are not

Question 54

distressed relationships

Answer 54

approach and avoidance goals are not fulfilled

Question 55

boring relationships

Answer 55

approach goals are not fulfilled, but avoidance goals are