Exam 2: Tools of Relationship Science

3.Describe some of the pros and cons of using self-reports in relationship research.

5.Many studies of intimate relationships use the correlational method to describe associations among variables. Distinguish positive correlation from negative correlation and provide an example of each. (Do not worry if your examples are supported by actual research.)

Daniella wants to know if the birth of a child is linked to lower marital satisfaction. This is an example of a(n) ________ research question.

Michael has obtained the results from all the published and unpublished studies he can find on the association between cohabitation prior to marriage and later marital functioning. He combined the studies and analyzed them to determine whether cohabitation has a negative effect on later relationship satisfaction. This is an example of:

A researcher is interested in interpersonal attraction and the factors that affect it. She designs a study in which she looks at the effect of similarity and social warmth on interpersonal attraction. Participants in her study meet a target person who either is or is not similar to the participant (the similarity variable) and who is either friendly or aloof (the social warmth variable). After interacting with the target person under these conditions, participants are then asked to rate how attractive they think the target person is. Which of the following is most likely the hypothesis in this study?

Why is it important to maintain the confidentiality of our research participants?

Jacobson and Moore (1981) found that a spouse's rating of a partner's behavior on the Spouse Observation Checklist often did not match the partner's own rating of his or her behaviors. This study suggested that the Spouse Observation Checklist may have a problem with ________.

You design a questionnaire where you first ask participants to briefly describe how they met their current romantic partners and then ask them to rate how satisfied they are in their relationships on a scale of 1 to 7. The first part of the questionnaire is an example of ________ and the second part is an example of ________.

13.When conducting research, it is critical to adhere to the highest ethical standards. Describe the two ethical principles discussed in your text and why it is important to adhere to them.

Which is an example of the Òshowing respect for personsÓ principle?

6.Parminder has just finished a 4-year study of engaged couples. Her intention was to find out how relationships with in-laws and the changes in family structures were related to the success or failure of couples' relationships. During the 4 years, about 20 percent of the couples dropped out of the study. Is this a problem for Parminder? Why or why not?

Harker and Keltner (2001) examined women's yearbook photos from 30 years ago. They examined how women's facial expressions in the photos predicted whether or not they were more or less likely to marry, and how happy they were if they stayed married. What kind of research is this an example of?

A sample that is recruited solely because it is easy to find is called a ________ sample.

10.What are the pros and cons of using archival research?

You meet a number of students in a graduate program studying intimate relationships. The students describe their research to you. Which of the following students is conducting descriptive research?

1.Your friend Mathilda learns that you are taking a course on the scientific study of relationships. She scoffs that it isn't possible to study relationships scientifically. Explain to Mathilda how the scientific method can be applied to the study of intimate relationships.

Specific predictions suggested by ________ are called ________.

Carly and Joan are very happy in their relationship and have been together for a long time. When asked how often Joan says ÒI love you,Ó Carly responds that Joan says it almost every day. This is surprising; Joan tells you that she rarely says ÒI love you,Ó because she keeps those words for special occasions. Why might Carly's report be so different from Joan's?

A researcher is interested in interpersonal attraction and the factors that affect it. She designs a study in which she looks at the effect of similarity and social warmth on interpersonal attraction. Participants in her study meet a target person who either is or is not similar to the participant (the similarity variable) and who is either friendly or aloof (the social warmth variable). After interacting with the target person under these conditions, participants are then asked to rate how attractive they think the target person is. In this study, the independent variables are:

A researcher is interested in interpersonal attraction and the factors that affect it. She designs a study in which she looks at the effect of similarity and social warmth on interpersonal attraction. Participants in her study meet a target person who either is or is not similar to the participant (the similarity variable) and who is either friendly or aloof (the social warmth variable). After interacting with the target person under these conditions, participants are then asked to rate how attractive they think the target person is. In this study, similarity and social warmth are the ________ variables and interpersonal attraction is the ________ variable.