Shifting expectations of partners' responsiveness changes outcomes of conflict discussions

Expecting responsiveness from a partner may increase the chance of successful conflict resolution through a self‐fulfilling prophecy. Such expectations derive in part from people's history of receiving responsiveness and from their belief that their partner values them (S. L. Murray, J. G. Holmes, & N. L. Collins, 2006). This belief can be fostered by having individuals reframe a partner's compliment in an abstract way (D. C. Marigold, J. G. Holmes, & M. Ross, 2007). In this study, 96 dating couples were randomly assigned to complete a compliment reframing intervention (or not) prior to discussing a conflict. Without intervention, couples who typically had a lot of conflict reported less positive expectations of their partner for the upcoming discussion and subsequently worse outcomes than low‐conflict couples; these differences were eliminated in the compliment reframing condition. This research demonstrates the importance of perceived value and expectations of responsiveness in shaping the outcomes of conflict discussions, suggesting additional points of intervention beyond communication skills for high‐conflict couples.     

A Dyadic Analysis of the Between‐ and Within‐System Alliances on Distress

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience ( http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp ). This study examines the relationship between the therapeutic alliance and distress using the couple rather than the individual as the unit of analysis. One hundred and seventy‐three couples receiving treatment for relational distress at two university clinics participated in this study. The actor–partner interdependence model was used to analyze the relationship of each partner's between‐ and within‐system alliance scores and distress at session four. Results provide support for actor effects on relational distress for both male and female partners and for actor effects on psychological distress for female partners. Limited support was found for partner effects on distress. Furthermore, results indicate that the alliance between partners is a stronger predictor of improvement in early sessions in comparison with the alliance between the individual and the therapist.     

TRUST AND THE COMMUNICATION OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INFORMATION: THE EFFECT OF FEEDBACK ON PERFORMANCE AND JOB SATISFACTION

The feedback of performance appraisal information is a critical communication activity in organizations. Research on the topic, however, has generally been limited to (1) treating feedback as an undifferentiated construct, and (2) not examining the important moderating impact of trust of the receiver in the sender. Using a sample of 100 managers, this study explores the dimensionality of the feedback construct, the relationships of feedback to individual performance and satisfaction, and the moderating effects of trust on these associations. Results indicate that various aspects of feedback are differentially related to performance and satisfaction under conditions of high and low trut. Importantly, the communication of performance appraisal information is found to be a more important correlate of satisfaction and performance for subordinates who express low trust in their superiors.