Relationships – The role of communication in Relationships Worksheet

• Communication and the role of this in relationships : Communication is the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. Communication in relationships is all about what your
partner's needs are, what your needs are and how you can both feel fulfilled from your relationship. Communication is key to any relationship. LOOK AT ADDITIONAL INFO FOR A GOOD INTRO FOR AN ESSAY IN POWERPOINT
• Find research/a study/ newspaper headline/ quote that suggests communication is important – good for intros Why does it say this is?
• Canary and Stafford (1994): 5 communication strategies for maintaining a successful relationship- good background info for essays KNOW DISPOSITIONAL ATTRIBUTION :: A WAY
COMMUNICATION CAN MAKE A RELATIONSHIP
• Doing unpredictable things that make your partner feel good e.g. a surprise dinner
DETORIATE
• Self-disclosure: being able to share deeply personal thoughts and feelings and open up with your partner.
• Tuning into the other people’s feelings at a particular moment, giving the feeling of being present with them, making your partner feel loved and respected
• Keeping a social network by doing things together with a wide circle of friends and family Critical thinking for the theory

• Sharing some of the household tasks together e.g. taking turns to cook. A meta-analysis uses triangulation (i.e. more than one
method, researcher or data set)… this is good because
• it compiles the results of lots of studies and provides
Key theory and study #1: Social Penetration Theory- KNOW SELF DISCOLURE AND Study Findings – Linking to the theory more data to analyses
Altman and Taylor proposed a model known as social penetration theory to explain which People who disclose intimate information about themselves are more liked than There is a lack of ecological validity…. Because data is
kinds of personal details might be disclosed to a stranger compared with a partner in a those who don’t – self disclosure appears to increase liking and attraction as it’s an
close relationship. collected and analysed using cold statistical measures
indicator of trust between two people. The more people disclose – the closer the two which cannot reveal how self-disclosure takes place,
The main idea is that self-disclosure operates a bit like an onion, so strangers might learn people will feel. only that it does
your name, while classmates might learn preferences for food or music, friends might
learn goals, and so on through layer after layer. At the centre lies concepts of self, which People tend to disclose more personal information to those they like –this takes the This research process is less prone to bias…researchers
may only be disclosed in the closest of personal relationships. relationship to the next level. People feel they can trust someone to reveal more using secondary data have fewer opportunities to
personal information without ridicule or negativity confound the results.
A meta-analysis taken from research articles on the topic of self-disclosure. The
researchers used a range of journal articles published between 1955 and 1992, isolating If people disclose information to someone, they tend to like that person more – this Researchers excluded studies that measured constructs
the key terms linked to self disclosure and liking. could be seen as establishing trust and this done with the expectation of reciprocation other than liking or attraction… this is good because it
They also used studies found in a variety of Academic textbooks to supply the sample for – you feel like you can also disclose more about you too. keeps the study focused on what the researchers
their meta-analysis. actually want to look at
All added up, this indicates that disclosure could be an important factor in
• A statistical programme was used to look for effect size in studies of self- establishing and maintaining relationships. The establishment of a relationship is Secondary data is less secure than data gathered at
disclosure in relationships. Studies in the meta-analysis were varied, from lab fundamentally linked to attraction – suggesting that communication plays an
experiments through to self-reports.
first-hand… because researchers simply collect the
important role in relationships findings of lots of different studies, they do not pay
attention to any individual flaws or biases in the results.
Key Theory & study #2: Oxytocin and communication: ditzen Other theories to know: Not in as much detail
Study Findings – Linking to theory
1) Plays a role in mother and child attachment, social bonding and trust Key Theory #4 –
Findings: The results showed that for both men and women oxytocin improved positive Knapp’s Model for relationship change (1978)
2) Produced by the hypothalamus and secreted by the posterior lobe of
communication and significantly reduced lowered cortisol after the discussion,
the pituitary gland. When it affects the brain, it acts as a hormone. compared to the placebo. Conclusion: These results indicate a possible role of oxytocin Key Theory #2 :Gender Differences
3) Plays a role in mother-child attachment; believed to play a role in social in humans and they are in line with animal studies indicating that oxytocin facilities Key Study #2 : Tannen
bonding and trust between people. approach and pair bonding behaviour. Positive behaviour in a couple is a necessary
factor in a strong relationship. Points to consider: However Ditzen et al (2009) makes it
Procedure: The researchers used a double-blind placebo-controlled design, with clear that it is most likely not the oxytocin level along which determines the strength of
47 heterosexual couples. Each couple received either an oxytocin or placebo the relationship, but the results are interesting and could perhaps stimulate further  Tannen: Gender Differences
research into psychological approaches to couple therapy.
intranasally. They were then videotaped in the lab as they engaged in a discussion Critical thinking  Ditzen: Role of oxytocin
about a topic that would lead to conflict. The conflict session was videotaped and
• Individual differences  Fox: Knapp’s Model
coded for verbal and nonverbal interaction behaviour (e.g. eye contact, nonverbal
• Doesn’t explain communication same-sex relationships  Collins & Miller: Social Penetration Theory
positive behaviour and self-disclosure). The level of the stress hormone cortisol in
their saliva was repeatedly measured during the experiment. • Doesn’t explain communication via online platforms