Commitment expectations in romantic relationships: Application of a prototype interaction‐pattern model

Three studies were conducted to investigate whether commitment expectations in romantic relationships can be described using a prototype interaction‐pattern model of interpersonal expectations. Participants included male and female students enrolled at a university in the United States. In Study 1, 204 participants listed interaction patterns they believed produce a sense of commitment in romantic relationships. Study 2 (N= 170) tested whether the patterns are organized around prototypes, such that some patterns are more likely to create a sense of commitment than others. In Study 3, 160 participants evaluated the effects of prototypical and nonprototypical pattern violations to verify the prototype structure further. The utility of the prototype interaction‐pattern model for analyzing commitment expectations was supported in all 3 studies.