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People who are happy with their romantic relationships report that their partners are particularly effective at meeting their everyday relational needs. However, the literature invites competing predictions about how people arrive at those evaluations. In pilot research, we validated a scale of concrete, specific relationship behaviors that can be performed by a romantic partner day-to-day. In Study 1, cross-lagged panel models examined how expectations of positive behaviors, perceptions of positive behaviors, and relationship quality predict changes in one another from week to week. People who expected more positive behaviors in turn perceived more positive behaviors from their partners 1 week later. Key effects extended to negative relationship behaviors (Study 2). In Study 3, the same pattern emerged in a dyadic sample, with expected behaviors predicting changes in perceived behaviors independent of the partner's own reports. Truth and bias analyses revealed that people with lower expectations had more negatively biased perceptions of their partners' behaviors, whereas high expectations were associated with better accuracy. We obtained these results in the context of specific, verifiable behaviors reported on over relatively short periods, underscoring how powerfully people's everyday relationship perceptions may be shaped by their more global perceptions.

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The penis is often conflated with masculinity, yet a paucity of literature exists investigating men's experiences of their penis and their masculinity in tandem. The small body of research bridging these topics generally focuses on clinical populations and is unable to speak to men's experiences beyond these populations. This study assessed, in a nonclinical sample, heterosexual men's genital satisfaction, penis size importance, and endorsement of penis-centric masculinity. Participants (N = 735; M age = 34.98, SD age = 14.92) took part in a geographically diverse online survey. Results showed partial support for our theorization, with men's penis size importance and penis-centric masculinity endorsement predicting chronically discriminatory attitudes (i.e., sexism) and sexually narcissistic ideologies. Penis-centric masculinity predicted desired validating reactions to their penis, including excitement, awe, shock, and fear. We theorize that discriminatory and narcissistic attitudes, and the desire for validating responses to the penis, represent compensatory strategies to reaffirm and establish masculinity status. We situate these findings within broader theorizing of masculinity and sexist ideologies and maintain the public significance of this research as a potential intervention point; targeting these beliefs in young men may provide an opportunity to mitigate the future development of compensatory prejudiced ideologies. Public Significance StatementVarious theoretical frameworks point to the penis as central to perceptions of masculinity and manhood status; men who view the penis as central may endorse chronically prejudiced attitudes toward women as a compensatory strategy. Our results support penis-centric masculinity and penis size importance endorsement as predictors of chronically discriminatory attitudes toward women; findings which inform the understanding of men's experiences of their penis and their masculinity, and highlight a potential intervention point to mitigate the future development of chronically prejudiced ideologies.