One of the core assumptions of attachment theory is that attachment representations are stable over time. Unfortunately, the data on attachment stability have been ambiguous, and as a result, ...alternative theoretical perspectives have evolved to explain them. The objective of the present research was to evaluate alternative models of stability by studying adults in 2 intensive longitudinal investigations. Specifically, we assessed attachment representations in 1 sample (N = 203) daily over a 30-day period and in the other sample (N = 388) weekly over a year. Analyses show that the patterns of stability that exist in adult attachment are most consistent with a prototype model--a model assuming that there is a stable factor underlying temporary variations in attachment. Moreover, although the Big Five personality traits exhibited a pattern of stability that was similar to that of attachment, they did not account for the stability observed in attachment.
In this article the authors illustrate how
revealed preferences
(i.e., preferences inferred through an individual's differential attraction to multiple targets) can be used to investigate the nature ...of mate preferences. The authors describe how revealed preferences can be estimated and how the reliability of these estimates can be established. Revealed preference estimates were used to explore the level of consensus in judgments of who is and is not attractive and whether revealed preferences are systematically related to self-reported mate preferences and personality traits. Revealed preference estimates were created for over 4,000 participants by examining their attraction to 98 photographs. Participants of both genders showed substantial consensus in judgments of whom they found attractive and unattractive, although men showed higher consensus than women. Revealed preference estimates also showed relationships with corresponding self-rated preferences and with other dispositional characteristics such as personality traits and age. Although the findings demonstrate the existence of meaningful individual differences in preferences, they also indicate an important role for consensual preferences in mate selection processes.
Most research on adult attachment is based on the assumption that working models are relatively general and trait-like. Recent research, however, suggests that people develop attachment ...representations that are relationship-specific, leading people to hold distinct working models in different relationships. The authors report a measure, the Relationship Structures questionnaire of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-RS; R. C. Fraley, N. G. Waller, & K. A. Brennan, 2000), that is designed to assess attachment dimensions in multiple contexts. Based on a sample of over 21,000 individuals studied online, it is shown that ECR-RS scores are reliable and have a structure similar to those produced by other measures. In Study 2 (N = 388), it is shown that relationship-specific measures of attachment generally predict intra- and interpersonal outcomes better than broader attachment measures but that broader measures predict personality traits better than relationship-specific measures. Moreover, it is demonstrated that differentiation in working models is not related to psychological outcomes independently of mean levels of security.
Broadly speaking, attachment theorists have argued that the unconscious, social–cognitive process of transference is one of the mechanisms underlying attachment stability and coherence. This study ...assessed the transference of friend and sibling attachments and examined differences between single and romantically coupled individuals. Attachment‐related feelings transferred to new individuals who resembled friends and siblings, and this process was especially true for single people. Having more siblings corresponded to greater attachment security for all participants, and larger friend networks buffered singles specifically from attachment insecurity. In general, friend and sibling relationships appeared to be more influential for single individuals, pointing to the importance of these significant others in singles' lives.
Disclosure of traumatic experiences is typically encouraged and associated with positive outcomes. However, there is limited research on nondisclosure of sexual trauma and consequent symptomology. ...This online study of undergraduate females examines reasons for nondisclosure and associated symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Of 221 participants who reported sexual victimization, 25% had not previously disclosed it. Four reasons for nondisclosure were identified: shame, minimization of experience, fear of consequences, and privacy. Nondisclosers who minimized the experience and nondisclosers low on shame reported fewer PTSD symptoms than disclosers. These findings suggest that reasons for nondisclosure are associated with symptomology.
Research has shown that people select securely attached individuals as their first choice when asked to choose among secure or insecure partner prototypes. Despite this pattern, not everyone chooses ...a secure partner in real life. The goal of the reported studies was to examine factors that lead people to select insecure mates. Specifically, the roles of flattery, appearance, and status were assessed. In the first study, we found that flattery increased attraction to insecure partners. Study 2 showed that men preferred physical beauty over security. In Study 3, anxious women were attracted to high‐status insecure men. These findings help explain why people may sometimes end up with insecure partners despite their professed preference for secure companions.
Attachment theory proposes that representations of attachment figures are transferred between relationships, resulting in stable relational experiences. The current study used a transference paradigm ...to examine how parental and best friend attachment representations influence perceptions of new relationship partners in emerging adulthood. We discovered that close friendships influenced attachment anxiety and avoidance experienced specifically with friend-like others, while parental relationships affected feelings of anxiety toward a variety of people. Several relationship factors, such as the importance of the friend relationship, moderated the transference process. Our findings suggest that emerging adults’ current relationships have an impact on their reactions toward novel individuals, and emerging adults’ feelings about their existing relationship partners color their future social experiences.
Investigating Variation in Replicability Klein, Richard A.; Ratliff, Kate A.; Vianello, Michelangelo ...
Social psychology (Göttingen, Germany),
01/2014, Volume:
45, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Although replication is a central tenet of science, direct replications are rare
in psychology. This research tested variation in the replicability of 13 classic and
contemporary effects across 36 ...independent samples totaling 6,344 participants. In the
aggregate, 10 effects replicated consistently. One effect - imagined contact reducing
prejudice - showed weak support for replicability. And two effects - flag priming
influencing conservatism and currency priming influencing system justification - did not
replicate. We compared whether the conditions such as lab versus online or US versus
international sample predicted effect magnitudes. By and large they did not. The results of
this small sample of effects suggest that replicability is more dependent on the effect itself
than on the sample and setting used to investigate the effect.
A body of research has demonstrated that people adopt a more interpersonally positive orientation as they age. The current study extends this line of research by examining how mate preferences shift ...as a function of age. Our worldwide sample rated their attraction to various photographs and completed self-report measures of attraction. Based on a revealed preference measure, the authors found that older individuals preferred people who displayed communal characteristics, and this pattern was fairly universal. On the other hand, self-reported preferences were less consistent. The authors’ findings suggest that, in addition to becoming more agreeable with age, people are drawn to others with similarly agreeable qualities. This universal pattern indicates that mate preferences across the life span shift largely toward increased preference for communal characteristics.
The goal of the present research was to examine the coregulation of partner-specific attachment security in romantic relationships. We studied a sample of 172 couples 5 times over 1 year. At each ...assessment wave, partners independently completed a self-report measure of their security in the relationship. We operationalized attachment coregulation both as direct impacts (i.e., prospective effects of one partner on the other) and coordination (i.e., correlated changes across time). Results indicated that, after taking into account people’s prototypical levels of security, changes in security were coordinated within couples.
PDF
