Marginalized relationships: the impact of social disapproval on romantic relationship commitment

Little research has examined the effects of prejudice and discrimination on people's romantic relationships. The authors explored whether belonging to a socially devalued relationship affects consequential relational phenomena. Within the framework of the Investment Model, the authors (a) tested the association between perceived relationship marginalization and relationship commitment, (b) compared investment levels of individuals involved in marginalized versus nonmarginalized relationships, and (c) explored ways in which couples may compensate for decreased investments to maintain high commitment. Consistent with hypotheses, marginalization was a significant negative predictor of commitment. Moreover, individuals in marginalized relationships invested significantly less than individuals in nonmarginalized relationships. Despite investing less, marginalized relationship partners were significantly more committed than were their nonmarginalized counterparts. Thus, marginalized partners appeared to compensate for their reduced investments, with evidence suggesting that compensation occurs via reduced perception of relationship alternatives rather than via increased perception of relationship satisfaction.     

Putting the brakes on aggression toward a romantic partner: the inhibitory influence of relationship commitment

Why do people behave aggressively toward romantic partners, and what can put the brakes on this aggression? Provocation robustly predicts aggression in both intimate and nonintimate relationships. Four methodologically diverse studies tested the hypothesis that provocation severity and relationship commitment interact to predict aggression toward one's romantic partner, with the aggression-promoting effects of provocation diminishing as relationship commitment increases. Across all four studies, commitment to one's romantic relationship inhibited aggression toward one's partner when individuals were severely (but not mildly) provoked. Study 4 tested the hypothesis that this Partner Provocation × Commitment interaction effect would be strong among individuals high in dispositional tendencies toward retaliation but weak (perhaps even nonexistent) among individuals low in such tendencies. Discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding instigating, impelling, and inhibiting processes in the perpetration of aggression toward intimate partners.     

How anxious and avoidant attachment affect romantic relationship quality differently: A meta‐analytic review

Adult attachment has been studied as an important predictor of romantic relationship quality in many empirical studies. This meta‐analysis quantitatively summarized the associations between the two insecure adult attachment dimensions, anxiety and avoidance, and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral indicators of romantic relationship quality based on 73 previous studies with 118 independent samples of 21 602 individuals. More importantly, we examined the different effects of anxiety and avoidance on relationship quality. We also tested the potential moderating effects of gender on the strength of these associations. Meta‐analytic results confirmed that both anxiety and avoidance were detrimental to the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of relationship quality. Compared with anxiety, avoidance was more negatively associated with general satisfaction, connectedness, and general support in relationships. In contrast, anxiety was more positively associated with general conflict in relationships. The moderating effect of gender was weak. However, supplementary analyses found that the type of couple interaction measures (self‐report versus observation) significantly moderated the relations between insecure attachments and the behavioral indicators of relationship quality. Our results integrate and extend previous findings about the dynamics of adult attachment and romantic relationship quality. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Family influences on commitment: Examining the family of origin correlates of relationship commitment attitudes

Two studies were conducted to investigate the lessons about relationship commitment that people gain from their families of origin. In the first study, participants identified a story from their families of origin that characterized a number of themes about commitment. In the second study, these themes were further refined to reveal eight factors underlying these themes: dedication to partner, constraints on relationships, relationships are impermanent, disillusionment, family and gender influences, approaching relationships with caution, relationships take work, and divorce has negative consequences. Ratings of the themes varied by the occurrence of parental divorce, perceived parental marital happiness, and gender. Commitment lessons remembered from families of origin also were associated with the participants’ reported level of commitment in their current relationships. Implications for current theory on commitment are discussed.     

Implicit partner affect, relationship satisfaction, and the prediction of romantic breakup

The current research investigated the role of spontaneous partner feelings (implicit partner affect) in the dynamics of relationship satisfaction, commitment, and romantic dissolution. Participants completed a variant of the name-letter task as a measure of implicit partner affect, and self-report measures of relationship satisfaction and commitment. Approximately 4 months later, participants were contacted to assess their current relationship status. Overall, participants showed a biased preference for their partner’s initials (after adjusting for proper baselines), indicating the presence of positive implicit partner affect. Participants with more positive implicit partner affect were more satisfied with, but not more committed to, their relationship. Additionally, implicit partner affect exerted a significant indirect effect on relationship stability. These effects were independent of relationship length, age, and gender. Implications for the role of automatic affective processes in relationship processes and the utility of indirect measures for shedding light on relationship dynamics are discussed.     

Mutuality of commitment in romantic relationships: Exploring a dyadic model

On the basis of the interdependence and interpersonal perception literatures, this article advanced and tested a dyadic model of mutuality of commitment. It is argued that mutuality of commitment is composed of 4 perceptions (i.e., A's self and other perceptions, and B's self and other perceptions) and 4 types of interconnections among the perceptions (i.e., actual, assumed, empathic, and reciprocal mutuality). Evidence for the presence of the 4 types of mutuality of commitment was found in a sample of 121 romantically involved couples. Furthermore, in several situations the perceptions and types of mutuality had significant associations with people's perceptions of relationship quality. Each of these results is discussed, as well as the utility of the new conceptualization of mutuality of commitment.     

How commuting time influences hedonic consumption: The role of perceived stress

The commuting cost has increased inevitably under the background of industrialization and urbanization, which has vital impacts on daily life. In this paper, we implement an empirical study to explore the impact of commuting time on hedonic consumption and the underline mechanism of perceived stress based on the data of CFPS 2014 (a national social tracking survey project). The Tobit regression combined with the Heckman two-stage model is applied to correct the sample selection bias. The results show that the increase in commuting time will aggrandize residents' tendency and expenditure of hedonic consumption. Moreover, we conduct situational experiments as a supplement to verify the main effect and mediation mechanism to exclude alternative explanations. The mechanism analyses prove that the perceived stress caused by long commuting time is a possible mediator for hedonic consumption. This study enriches the relative studies on social influences of commute, especially proving that this social issue may provide some benefits for business practice.     

高、低趋近积极情绪对不同注意加工阶段的影响

本研究采用事件相关电位(ERP)技术和Flanker任务, 探讨由甜点和风景图片分别诱发的高、低趋近积极情绪对注意的早期和晚期加工的影响。同时, 为更精细考察情绪对视觉注意范围早期加工阶段的影响, 在75%的Flanker试次中加入了一个白色方块探测刺激, 该刺激位于中央Flanker字母的左侧或右侧。研究结果表明, 在注意加工的早期感知阶段, 高趋近积极情绪下, 带有白色探测刺激的Flanker字母比低趋近积极情绪条件下诱发了更小的P1, 表明高趋近积极情绪窄化了早期注意加工范围; 在注意加工的晚期选择阶段, 高趋近积极情绪下的Flanker字母诱发了更大的N2b成分, 低趋近积极情绪下诱发了更大的P3成分, 表明高趋近积极情绪增强了对干扰的抑制能力, 而低趋近积极情绪下个体调用了更多的注意资源用以加工周边刺激。     

Determinants of brand switching: the role of consumer inferences,brand commitment,and perceived risk

Previous research in the area of price discounts has generated a rich, but diverse and mixed body of literature. This research examines the role of consumer's brand commitment and product category risk in influencing the nature as well as valence of the inferences generated by consumers in response to price discounts. Our results provide insights regarding how consumers' responses to competitor inducements vary depending upon their brand commitment for the incumbent brand and perceived risk. Furthermore, we show that higher commitment consumers could resist an inducement from a competitor when they are able to generate negative, marketer‐related inferences. Our research suggests that consumers' inferences are critical than pure economic benefits in determining the effectiveness of discounts.     

Posthypnotic amnesia for a first romantic relationship: Forgetting the entire relationship versus forgetting selected events

This experiment investigated the impact of suggestion focus on posthypnotic amnesia (PHA) for memories of a first romantic relationship. During hypnosis, high and low hypnotisable participants recalled specific memories from this period in response to 10 cue phrases (Elicitation). They then received a PHA suggestion that targeted either the entire period or specific memories from that period. Participants' explicit memory was indexed by cued recall after PHA was administered (memories recalled to "old" and "new" cues; Recall 1) and after it was cancelled (Recall 2). A social judgement task indexed dissociations between implicit and explicit memory. PHA had the greatest impact on highs', but not lows', memory performance (in terms of memories recalled to old cues, recall latency, and qualitative memory ratings) when the suggestion targeted the entire period rather than specific events. We discuss these findings in terms of the parameters of PHA's influence on memory, its value for exploring the nature and structure of autobiographical memory, and its utility as a laboratory analogue of functional amnesia.     

Posthypnotic amnesia for a first romantic relationship: Forgetting the entire relationship versus forgetting selected events

This experiment investigated the impact of suggestion focus on posthypnotic amnesia (PHA) for memories of a first romantic relationship. During hypnosis, high and low hypnotisable participants recalled specific memories from this period in response to 10 cue phrases (Elicitation). They then received a PHA suggestion that targeted either the entire period or specific memories from that period. Participants' explicit memory was indexed by cued recall after PHA was administered (memories recalled to “old” and “new” cues; Recall 1) and after it was cancelled (Recall 2). A social judgement task indexed dissociations between implicit and explicit memory. PHA had the greatest impact on highs', but not lows', memory performance (in terms of memories recalled to old cues, recall latency, and qualitative memory ratings) when the suggestion targeted the entire period rather than specific events. We discuss these findings in terms of the parameters of PHA's influence on memory, its value for exploring the nature and structure of autobiographical memory, and its utility as a laboratory analogue of functional amnesia.     

Disenfranchised grief: the loss of an adolescent romantic relationship

This paper identifies the conclusion of a romantic relationship as a significant loss for adolescents. The grief response initiated by this loss is frequently disenfranchised by adults and peers. Adolescent grief symptomatology as well as strategies for surviving a loss are outlined.     

The young adult love lives of happy teenagers: The role of adolescent affect in adult romantic relationship functioning

This study assessed early adolescent positive and negative affect as long-term predictors of romantic conflict, anxious and avoidant attachment, romantic and social competence, and relationship satisfaction in adulthood utilizing a longitudinal, multi-informant study of 166 participants assessed annually at ages 14–17, and again at ages 23–25. Positive affect in adolescence predicted greater self-rated social competence during late adolescence and greater self-rated romantic competence and less partner-reported hostile conflict almost a decade later. Negative affect predicted lower social and romantic competence. Results generally remained significant after controlling for personality traits, providing greater support for the hypothesis that affect has a robust, direct relation to romantic development over time.     

Affective commitment to the organization: the contribution of perceived organizational support

Three studies examined the interrelationships among work experiences, perceived organizational support (POS), affective commitment (AC), and employee turnover. Using a diverse sample of 367 employees drawn from a variety of organizations, Study 1 found that POS mediated positive associations of organizational rewards, procedural justice, and supervisor support with AC. Study 2 examined changes of POS and AC in retail employees over a 2-year span (N = 333) and a 3-year span (N = 226). POS was positively related to temporal changes in AC, suggesting that POS leads to AC. Study 3 found a negative relationship between POS and subsequent voluntary employee turnover that was mediated by AC in retail employees (N = 1,124) and in poultry- and feed-processing workers (N = 262). These results suggest that favorable work conditions operate via POS to increase AC, which, in turn, decreases employee withdrawal behavior.     

The relationship of coping and its perceived effectiveness to positive and negative affect in sport

This article examined the ability of six different coping strategies and their perceived effectiveness in predicting positive and negative affect in sport. Furthermore, it was investigated whether perceived coping effectiveness moderated the influence of coping strategies on affect. British University athletes (N = 356) were requested to recall a recent important competition in their sport when they had a stressful or challenging experience. They were then asked to rate the extent to which they relied on a number of different coping strategies to deal with the situation and the degree to which they found these effective. In agreement with the theoretical predictions of Folkman (1984), problem-focused coping predicted positive affect whereas emotion-focused coping predicted negative affect. Furthermore, for almost all the coping variables, their perceived effectiveness predicted, in a positive way, positive affect and negatively, negative affect. Moreover, the perceived effectiveness of the coping strategies of seeking social support, venting of emotions, and behavioural disengagement, moderated the influence of those strategies on affect. Lastly, a comparison between high and low effective coping groups showed that the former was associated with more pleasant affective experiences.     

A new perspective on human reward research: How consciously and unconsciously perceived reward information influences performance

The question of how human performance can be improved through rewards is a recurrent topic of interest in psychology and neuroscience. Traditional, cognitive approaches to this topic have focused solely on consciously communicated rewards. Recently, a largely neuroscience-inspired perspective has emerged to examine the potential role of conscious awareness of reward information in effective reward pursuit. The present article reviews research employing a newly developed monetary-reward-priming paradigm that allows for a systematic investigation of this perspective. We analyze this research to identify similarities and differences in how consciously and unconsciously perceived rewards impact three distinct aspects relevant to performance: decision making, task preparation, and task execution. We further discuss whether conscious awareness, in modulating the effects of reward information, plays a role similar to its role in modulating the effects of other affective information. Implications of these insights for understanding the role of consciousness in modulating goal-directed behavior more generally are discussed.     

Mimicking attractive opposite-sex others: the role of romantic relationship status

Based on the recent literature indicating that nonconscious behavioral mimicry is partly goal directed, three studies examined, and supported, the hypothesis that people who are involved in a romantic relationship nonconsciously mimic an attractive opposite-sex other to a lesser extent than people not involved in a relationship. Moreover, Studies 2 and 3 revealed that romantically involved persons tended to mimic an attractive alternative less to the extent that they were more close to their current partner. Finally, Study 3 provided preliminary support for a potential underlying mechanism, revealing that the effect of relationship status on level of mimicry displayed toward an opposite-sex other is mediated by perceived attractiveness of the opposite-sex other. The present findings suggest that behavioral mimicry serves an implicit self-regulatory function in relationship maintenance. Implications for both the literature on relationship maintenance and the literature on behavioral mimicry are discussed.     

Couples at risk for transmission of alcoholism: protective influences

A two-generation, sociocultural model of the transmission of alcoholism in families was operationalized and tested. Sixty-eight married children of alcoholic parents and their spouses were interviewed regarding dinner-time and holiday ritual practices in their families of origin, and heritage and ritual practices in the couples' current generation. Coders rated transcribed interviews along 14 theory-derived predictor variables, nine for the family of origin and five for the current nuclear family. Multiple regression analysis was applied in a two-step hierarchical method, with the dependent variable being transmission of alcoholism to the couple. The 14 predictor variables contributed significantly (p less than .01) to the couple's alcoholism outcome. A general theme of selective disengagement and reengagement for couples in families at risk for alcoholism recurrence is discussed.