Couples' Concurrent Cognitions The Influence of Relational Satisfaction on the Thoughts Couples Have as They Converse

Abstract

Studies of cognition in relationships show that people's thoughts about their partners shapeand reflect the quality of relationships. Some research further suggests that women's cognitions are more relationship-centered thun men's. The data supporting these arguments, however, often are based on partners' retrospective reports or responses to hypothetical scenarios. This study examined partners' concurrent cognitions-the thoughts they have during the course of interaction. Data were collected using a modification of "protocol analysis." Partners conversed over networked computers and also voiced what they were thinking. Results indicated that those who were dissatisfied with their relationship expressed sigrlifiulntly more negative thoughts about their partner,fewer positive thoughts about their partner, and f m e r positive thoughts about their relationship than did those who were satisfied. Dissatisfied men vocalized fewer negative thoughts about themselves than did those who were satisfied. Women's thoughts were not more focused on relationship-oriented issues than were men's; men expressed more negative cognitions about relationships. Thefindings confirm that there are distinctions between the concurrent cognitions of satisfied and dissatisfied partners. Researchers should continue questioning the influence of gender on the ways partners evaluate their relationships.A fundamental omission in the existing literature is research on the relationship between cognitions that occur during interaction, "on-line" cognitions, and interactionalbehavior. (Fincham, Bradbury, & Scott, 1990, pp.

Making Sense of Hurtful Mother-in-law Messages: Applying Attribution Theory to the In-Law Triad

“…Less is known, however, about how DILs perceive their communication with their MILs and how those cognitive processes help to explain relational functioning. It is important to address this gap given empirical suggestions that relational partners' interpretations of communication behavior can be more important than each other's actual behaviors in explaining their relational health (e.g., Sillars, Roberts, Dun, & Leonard 2001;Vangelisti, Corbin, Lucchetti, & Sprague, 1999).…”

Colloquy Racing Toward the Millennium: Twenty-Five Years of Research on Communication in Relationships

“…The research reported by Honeycutt and Wiemann (1999) and Kelley (1999 [this issue]) employs my typology to examine beliefs about talk and the setting of expectations for interaction between partners. Equally clear specification of the type of relationship under consideration, such as adult platonic friendships (Floyd & Voloudakis, 1999 [this issue]); satisfied and dissatisfied romantic partners (Vangelisti, Corbin, Lucchetti, & Sprague, 1999); and strangers (Kunkel & Burleson, 1999), appears in the other three articles.…”

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A couple analysis of relationship perception among couples who face work demands

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