Background: Accepting the concept of evolution is important for the advancement of biological science and has many implications for daily life. However, a large portion of the general public does not currently accept biological evolution. Therefore, it is important to understand what factors are associated with a decline in the acceptance of evolution. Of particular interest for us is the relationship of individuals' sense of trust in science in relationship to evolution acceptance. Methods: Using the Trust in Science and Scientists and Inventory of Student Evolution Acceptance we surveyed 159 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory psychology course. Additionally, we also asked the students questions regarding their religious commitment and political orientation. To analyze the data we calculated correlations, regressions, and conducted a path analysis.

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Problem solving is a necessary part of all successful relationships. The current study examined how naturally occurring day-to-day problem solving discussions were related to daily reports of relationship quality. In addition, we investigated whether optimism was associated with the nature and occurrence of these problems and moderated the association between problem solving discussions and relationship quality. Multilevel modeling was applied to data from 112 couples who completed daily diaries over 14 days ( M age = 28.2, 95.5% heterosexual, 66.5% White). Relationship quality was higher on days when couples did not report a problem discussion, when couples reported at least somewhat solving the problem they discussed, and when the problem discussion did not involve conflict. More optimistic individuals and individuals with more optimistic partners were more likely to resolve problems, less likely to discuss problems specifically about their relationship, and less likely to have problem discussions involving conflict on days when problem discussions occurred. Individuals with partners who were high in optimism reported relatively high relationship quality regardless of whether a problem discussion occurred, whereas those with partners low in optimism reported significantly lower quality on days when such a discussion took place.

Unfortunately, several women and men will experience abuse at the hand of one's partner over the course of their lifetimes. Although many people will experience domestic abuse, they may not experience it in quite the same way. Therefore, this study examines two factors that may affect perceptions of both the frequency and the emotional experiences of various types of victimization in romantic relationships. These factors include whether or not the individual is still currently with the abusive partner as well as the individual's gender. Overall, it appears that individuals are more likely to report feeling emotionally upset by abuse in past relationships compared with current ones when participants were asked to report on their worst romantic relationship. Additionally, although there were no significant gender differences in amounts of abuse experienced, women were more likely to report feeling upset by the abuse than were men. It is likely that socialization processes may explain these different perceptions in response to similar levels of abuse.