Which one of the following best describes social exchange theory?
A theory that proposes individuals focus on balancing effort and gain.
A theory that proposes individuals focus on cost rather than reward.
A theory that proposes individuals focus on getting out more than they put in.
A theory that proposes individuals focus on how much has been contributed so far.
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Briefly outline what is meant by ‘equity’ in relation to theories of romantic relationships.
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In 1992, a book about human relationships was published in London. The book was written by Steve Duck from the University of Iowa. The title was ‘Human Relationships’. The book was published by Sage. A researcher needs to modify the above information to include Duck’s book in the references section of a scientific report.
Write the full reference for this book as it should appear in the reference section of the researcher’s report.
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Investment is one feature of the investment model of relationships.
Identify one other feature of the investment model of relationships.
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A psychologist investigating the investment model of relationships, devised a self-report Investment Scale for use with a group of 100 female participants.
The scale gave an investment score for each participant on a scale of 0–20, with 0 representing no investment in relationships and 20 representing extreme investment in relationships.
The psychologist calculated measures of central tendency for the investment scores. He found that the mean investment score was 8.6, the median investment score was 9.5 and the mode investment score was 13.
Sketch a graph to show the most likely distribution curve for the investment scores in this study.
Label the axes of your graph and mark on it the positions of the mean, median and mode.
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What sort of distribution does your graph show?
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The psychologist devised a self-report Investment Scale in this study.
Explain one limitation of a self-report technique.
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Which one of the following sequences shows the correct order of Duck’s phases of relationship breakdown?
Dyadic, intra-psychic, social, grave dressing
Intra-psychic, dyadic, social, grave dressing
Intra-psychic, social, dyadic, grave dressing
Social, dyadic, intra-psychic, grave dressing
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Describe Duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown
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In a study of filter theory, a psychology student used a group of female participants. Each participant was shown two descriptions.
Description 1 described a man with a similar social background to that of the female participants.
Description 2 described a man with a different social background to that of the female participants.
The student asked participants to judge how much they liked each description on a scale of 1–10.
The student decided to test for a significant difference between the judgements made for each description. He proposed using an unrelated t-test to analyse the data.
Suggest a more appropriate statistical test of difference for the student to use with this data. Explain two reasons for your choice based on the description of the study
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The student who carried out the study selected the two descriptions. He decided himself which social backgrounds were similar and which social backgrounds were different.
Explain how the study could be improved by selecting the descriptions another way
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Barbara and Jamima are both having relationship difficulties with their respective partners.
Barbara says, ‘I’m really fed up and I wish the relationship was over. But I can’t tell him, because he thinks everything is fine.’
Jamima says, ‘We are getting through it slowly. We’ve told the children what’s going to happen to them and sorted out the money side. My mum was upset but she’s OK about it now. Friends take sides of course.’
Referring to Barbara’s and Jamima’s comments, outline two phases of relationship breakdown proposed by Duck.
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Chris and Sam are discussing their 15-year relationship. Chris says, “Compared to the relationships of our friends, I think I get a good deal. I do the household jobs and you earn plenty of money. It works well.” Sam says, “It balances out. Also, it would be such a waste if we split up now. We’ve each put a lot of time and effort into this relationship and we have a lovely home. It could never be this good with anyone else.”
Use your knowledge of theories of romantic relationships to explain the comments made by Chris and Sam.
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Discuss Duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown.
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Outline Rusbult’s model of romantic relationships. Explain one or more strength(s) of Rusbult’s model.
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