Aqa Psychology: Relationships

Front 1

Rewards/Needs Satisfaction Theory

Back 1

- Attracted to people whose presence is rewarding and meet our needs.
- People enter relationships with biological and emotional needs.
- Based on Operant Conditioning.
- More likely to be attracted to someone who brings pleasure: reinforcement.
- Positive feelings must outweigh negative feelings for the relationship to succeed.

Hint 1

-

Front 2

Social Exchange Theory

Back 2

- People are fundamentally selfish and view feelings in terms of profit.
- The greater the reward and lower the cost means the greater the profit.
- Compare current relationship to previous/alternative relationships to gauge how profitable the current one is.
- We develop a comparison level: a standard which judges all others.
- The comparison level is produced from experiences.
- If an alternative relationships has more profit than the comparison level, it will be seen as being worthwhile.

Front 3

Equity Theory

Back 3

- People strive to achieve fairness in a relationship.
- Distress is caused by imbalance in perception of fairness.
- Equity does not mean equality: based on impressions of fairness.

Front 4

Duck and Rollie's Model

Back 4

• Breakdown: Dissatisfaction with the relationship
• Intra-Psychic Phase: Considering factors that cause dissatisfaction.
• Dyadic Phase: Expression of dissatisfaction
• Social Phase: Going to others to help with break up.
• Grave-dressing Phase: Coming up with story to feel better.
• Resurrection Process: Goes public and try to find another relationship.

Front 5

Duck's Theory

Back 5

- Based on several factors that cannot be fulfilled that lead to breakdown.
- Lack of skills: Lacking of social skills to maintain a relationship.
- Lack of stimulation: Not enough rewards to keep partner in the relationship.
- Maintenance Difficulties: e.g decreased daily contact.

Hint 5

- Baxter
- Boekhout et al
- Holt and Stone

Front 6

Sexual Selection

Back 6

- Males cannot be sure of paternity.

Therefore they will want to increase chances of genes being carried on.
- Females can always be sure of maternity.
- Intrasexual selection: competition between males.
- Intersexual selection: females choosing males based on preferences.

Hint 6

- Buss
- Singh
- Strassberg and Holty

Front 7

Parental Investment

Back 7

- Parental Investment is investment by parents to ensure the survival of their offspring and therefore their chances of passing on genes.
- Women invest more because they are limited to the number of children they can have so want to increase their survival chances.
- Evolution may have resolved issues regarding sexual and emotional jealousy.

Hint 7

- Clark and Hatfield
- Buss
- Andersson et al

Front 8

Culture

Back 8

- Western cultures emphasise idea of individualism allowing freedom in relationships
- Non-western cultures focus on collectivism so relationships are based on family relations.
- Love is cited as much more important in Western cultures.

Hint 8

- LeVine et al
- Gupta and Singh

Front 9

Early Experience: Continuity Hypothesis

Back 9

- Bowlby states that attachment is an adaptive characteristic.
- Primary caregiver provides foundation for future relationships through an Internal working model.
- Continuity Hypothesis is the idea that similar relationships will occur in adulthood.
- Abuse as a child can lead to impairment when forming adult relationships.

Hint 9

- Hazan and Shaver
- Belsky
- Brennan and Shaver
- Kunce and Shaver
- Zimmerman et al
- Rutter et al
- RIchard and Schneider

Front 10

Matching Hypothesis

Back 10

-People choose partners those who are similar to each other in terms of attractiveness

-