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The transition to parenthood has long been viewed as a period of change in new parents' romantic relationships. However, this research has largely focused on changes in relationship quality, generally overlooking changes in relationship status (e.g., ending or entering a relationship during this period). To address this gap, we explored patterns and predictors of relationship dissolution and relationship formation during the early postpartum period among a sample of first-time Black mothers. A community sample of mothers living with low incomes (N = 212; 10% married; 85% enrolled in Medicaid) reported on their relationship status and other characteristics at 1, 8, and 16 weeks postpartum. Among mothers who were in a relationship at 1 week postpartum (N = 126), 20% of these relationships ended by Week 8 or 16. Mothers whose relationships ended reported lower relationship functioning at Week 1 than mothers whose relationships remained intact. Among mothers who were single at 1 week postpartum (N = 86), over 50% subsequently reported being in a relationship at Week 8 or 16. Mothers who started relationships reported lower overall social support at Week 1 relative to mothers who remained single. Together, these findings indicate that changes in relationship status during the early postpartum period were common and provide initial insights into factors characterizing mothers who experienced relationship transitions. Future work would benefit from considering changes in relationship status as well as other relational changes during the transition to parenthood to reflect a wider range of experiences among new parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-awareness is the first step to personality development and in overcoming personality defects. One key developmental task that helps in the formation of self-awareness during adolescence is the relationship formation with significant others. However, daily forms of human relationships are becoming negatively impacted by changes in culture, parenting styles, globalization, new technologies and institutional changes with consequences in changing family structures, socialization and relations. This study, therefore, endeavours to assess self-awareness on relationship formation among students in public secondary schools in Murang'a County, Kenya. Descriptive surveys and phenomenological designs were triangulated to provide a cohesive perspective. A mixed methodology paradigm in which qualitative and quantitative data were simultaneously collected was adopted. The target population was 101926 students, 2236 peer counsellors and 292 guidance and counselling teachers. Both random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the research sample. The sample size was 431 participants consisting of 400 students, 21 peer counsellors and 10 guidance and counselling teachers. The data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and focused group discussion guides. Quantitative data was computed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 and results were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented in narrative forms. Results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between selfawareness and relationship formation among secondary school students in Murang'a County. The study recommended that the Kenyan government through the Ministry of Education should revise the curriculum to offer compulsory life skills and competencies like self-awareness and interpersonal skills at all levels of education. In addition, parents and teachers encourage students to speak openly about their challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is still much to learn about attraction and relationship formation. Here, we introduce an innovative method that utilizes modern technology to permit large‐scale, observational study of dyadic behavior that may yield new empirical insights into how people choose partners and form relationships: virtual speed dating. In doing so, we provide a methodological overview of a recent virtual speed‐dating study that we conducted, and we provide guidance for other scholars who wish to conduct such a study. Not only does virtual speed dating permit a feasible way to conduct large‐scale speed‐dating research and observe dyadic behavior during initial meeting and dating interactions, but it can benefit relationship science in myriad other ways, including the ability to (a) study novel research questions about first‐impression formation, romantic rivalries, and affiliative behaviors, (b) study diverse types of relationships, and (c) increase representation of diverse individuals in relationship science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to examine how social anxiety contributes to romantic relationship formation and whether technology may be used to assist this process. Participants completed an online survey (N = 242); individuals who scored moderate or higher in social anxiety on the Liebowitz social anxiety scale were invited to participate in an anonymous online chat (N = 41). Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that socially anxious individuals reported more confidence speaking to romantic interests virtually than in person. Social media appears to be a tool for socially anxious individuals to ease stress associated with romantic relationship formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects upon and provides updates to appnography as a methodology for the study of dating digital app culture. Based on empirical fieldwork and in-depth nterviews with members of the research team, we re-assess and re-map appnography's original five methodological considerations—digital versus "real," profiles, space, place, and community, contextualization, and temporality—along two axes: design considerations and user considerations. We also add a third methodological axis, researcher considerations, to the methodological features of appnography and expound on its related concerns of participant recruitment and technological familiarity. With this reformulation, we believe appnography offers an even more robust means of bridging the ethnographic and the technological in qualitative research on apps and their use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this theoretical chapter is to rework a promising but limited theory of the foundations of reciprocity. Reciprocity is often attributed to an “internalized norm of reciprocity” – a deeply felt moral obligation to help those who have helped us in the past. Leifer’s theory of local action develops a radically different and compelling foundation for reciprocity – one in which the impetus for reciprocity is a thinly veiled battle for status. We rework the theory to offer a new one that addresses its limitations. The key idea is that the impetus for reciprocity is the desire to signal that one intends to create joint value rather than to capture it from the counterparty. Approach: Our analytical approach rests on close examination of a puzzling and underrecognized feature of social exchange: people who initiate social exchange routinely deny giving anything of value (“it was nothing”) while the receiver inflates their indebtedness to the giver (“this is too much!”). We refer to this negotiation strategy as reverse bargaining and use it as a window into the logic of social exchange. Contribution: We develop a more general theory of how people manage the threat of opportunism in social exchange that subsumes local action theory. The key insight is that people who initiate social exchange and seek reciprocity must balance two competing objectives: to ensure that the person receiving a benefit recognizes a debt she must repay; and to mitigate the receiver’s suspicion that the giver’s ulterior motive is to capture value from the receiver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have investigated whether facial averageness, masculinity, and similarity are associated with facial attractiveness. These studies have relied on ratings of images of real or digitally morphed faces. It is important to establish whether past findings translate to real-life, face-to-face evaluations of potential partners; lack of effects in this context would cast doubt on the evolutionary relevance of previous findings. Further, previous studies have not considered that, by definition, faces that are more similar to the average face (i.e. higher in averageness) tend to be more similar to raters' faces. Therefore, these image-rating studies, which separately found that averageness and (in some cases) similarity are attractive, are confounded. To address these issues, we conducted a laboratory-based speed-dating study of 682 participants with objectively measured facial traits, where opposite-sex pairs rated each other on facial attractiveness and prosociality. We found that facial attractiveness was predicted separately by averageness and by similarity (to the rater), but with both variables in the same model, neither uniquely predicted attractiveness. Similarity, but not averageness, predicted prosociality ratings. Facial masculinity was positively and negatively associated with facial attractiveness ratings of men and women, respectively. These results confirm, in real-life interactions, some key findings from image-rating studies but raise questions about others, notably the attractiveness of facial averageness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we discuss two studies of children getting acquainted with an autonomous socially assistive robot. The success of the first encounter is key for a sustainable long-term supportive relationship. We provide four validated behavior design elements that enable the robot to robustly get acquainted with the child. The first are five conversational patterns that allow children to comfortably self-disclose to the robot. The second is a reciprocation strategy that enables the robot to adequately respond to the children’s self-disclosures. The third is a ‘how to talk to me’ tutorial. The fourth is a personality profile for the robot that creates more rapport and comfort between the child and the robot. The designs were validated with two user studies (N1 = 30, N2 = 75, 8–11 years. o. children). The results furthermore showed similarities between how children form relationships with people and how children form relationships with robots. Most importantly, self-disclosure, and specifically how intimate the self-disclosures are, is an important predictor for the success of child-robot relationship formation. Speech recognition errors reduces the intimacy and feeling similar to the robot increases the intimacy of self-disclosures.

Persönliche Beziehungen in interorganisationalen Projekten sind entscheidend für ihren Erfolg. In Anbetracht ihrer Bedeutung wurde die Entwicklung dieser Beziehungen ausführlich untersucht und verschiedene zugrundeliegende Mechanismen herausgearbeitet. Unklar ist aber bisher, inwiefern diese Mechanismen greifen, wenn die Zusammenarbeit virtuell erfolgt. Die wenigen vergleichenden Untersuchungen weisen bisher lediglich darauf hin, dass ein Mangel an Face-to-face-Kontakt Beziehungsbildung erschwert. Deshalb untersuchen wir die Folgen von Virtualisierung systematisch. Dazu haben wir die Formation von 176 persönlichen Beziehungen aus drei interorganisationalen Projekten in qualitativen Interviews rekonstruiert. Indem wir die Beziehungsformationsprozesse vor und nach der Covid-19-bedingten Kontaktbeschränkung miteinander vergleichen, zeigen wir detailliert, wie sich die Mechanismen infolge der Virtualisierung verändern. Darüber hinaus identifizieren wir spezifische Beziehungsformations-Effekte der Pandemie. Personal relationships in inter-organizational projects are critical for their success. In view of their importance, the development of these relationships has been studied in detail and various underlying mechanisms have been identified. So far, however, it is unclear to what extent these mechanisms work when collaborations are realized virtually. The few existing comparative studies only indicate that a lack of face-to-face contact makes it difficult to build relationships. In this article we are systematically investigating the consequences of said virtualization. In qualitative interviews we reconstructed the formation of 176 personal relationships from three inter-organizational projects. By comparing the relationship formation processes before and after the Covid-19 related contact restrictions, we show in detail how the mechanisms change as a result of virtualization. We also identify specific relationship formation effects of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a growing body of research on later-life relationships, there are still only a limited number of explorative longitudinal studies that have investigated the factors responsible for the establishment of either a Living-Apart-Together (LAT) arrangement or a cohabitation relationship. Two waves of data collection by the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2014/2015-2017; N = 12,155; Mage = 71.96; 76.3% women) were analyzed with a special focus on family, dwelling, and financial constraints. Those who were male, younger, and had more children were more likely to enter into a LAT arrangement or a cohabitation relationship than to remain unpartnered. More rooms and fewer years spent in the accommodation raised the odds to partner. LAT persons were slightly older than those in cohabitation relationships. No other factors influenced the form of living arrangement, which indicates that factors other than financial constraints and family responsibilities affect later-life LAT or cohabitation relationship formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social impairments are common across many psychiatric conditions. Standardized dyadic assessments intended to elicit social affiliation between unacquainted partners are used to elucidate mechanisms that disrupt relationship formation and inform possible treatment targets; however, the psychometric properties of such paradigms remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a controlled social affiliation paradigm intended to induce connectedness between a target participant and trained confederate. Individuals with an anxiety or depressive disorder diagnosis (clinical group; n = 132) and those without (control group; n = 35) interacted face-to-face with a trained confederate; partners took turns answering a series of increasingly intimate questions about themselves. Social connectedness, affect, and affiliative behavior measures were collected during the interaction. Participant symptom and social functioning measures were collected to examine validity. The paradigm elicited escalating social connectedness throughout the task for both participants and confederates. Parallel forms (i.e., different question sets) elicited similar affiliation outcomes. Self-reported (but not behavioral) affiliation differed across some demographic variables (e.g., participant gender, Hispanic ethnicity). Within-task affiliation measures were associated with one another and with global social connectedness and social anxiety symptom measures, but not with somatic anxiety measures. Clinical participants reported lower social affiliation and positive affect reactivity and higher negative affect reactivity than healthy participants. These findings provide initial psychometric support for a standardized and controlled dyadic affiliation paradigm that could be used to reliably probe social disconnection mechanisms across psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What drives positive affective and interpersonal experiences during social interaction? Undergraduates with high (n = 63) or low (n = 56) trait social anxiety (SA) were paired with unfamiliar low SA partners in a 45-minute conversation task. Throughout the task, participants and their conversation partners completed measures of affiliative goals, affect, curiosity, authenticity, and attentional focus. Both affective and interpersonal outcomes were assessed. Dyadic analyses revealed that participants' affiliative goals during the social interaction predicted positive outcomes for both themselves and their partners, although the link between affiliative goals and positive affect was weaker for participants with high SA. Mediation analyses demonstrated that adopting affiliative goals may promote more positive outcomes by increasing participants' curiosity and felt authenticity. Taken together, results illuminate the pathways through which people with varying levels of trait SA may derive interpersonally generated positive affect and positive social outcomes, with implications for clinical theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How much does politics affect relationship building? Previous experimental studies have come to vastly different conclusions – ranging from null to truly transformative effects. To explore these differences, this study replicates and extends previous research by conducting five survey experiments meant to expand our understanding of how politics does/does not shape the formation of romantic relationships. We find that people, indeed, are influenced by the politics of prospective partners; respondents evaluate those in the political out-group as being less attractive, less dateable, and less worthy of matchmaking efforts. However, these effects are modest in size – falling almost exactly in between previous study estimates. Our results shine light on a literature that has, up until this point, produced a chasm in study results – a vital task given concerns over growing levels of partisan animus in the USA and the rapidly expanding body of research on affective polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues Addressed: Neurodivergent people have a strong history of raw creative expression in the arts, however they also have a history of being segregated from society. This segregation has obstructed pathways to building the connections that maintain both mental and physical health. This research sought to illuminate how group art‐making impacts relationship formation with neurodivergent people in regional Australia. Method: The study included nine participants with intellectual disability and one with an acquired brain injury who regularly attend art‐making workshops, along with eight of their chosen arts advocates. A single iterative case‐study design was employed using participatory action research (PAR) methodology. Methods included: three participant think aloud (T/A) groups, nine researcher observations, and nine third‐party interviews. The data were thematically analysed then triangulated using three different sources. Results: Making art in a group can form enriched relationships with (a) the artwork; (b) the self; (c) others; and (d) community. Facilitation supported how these relationships formed. The relationships increased agency, belonging and wellbeing. Conclusion: These connections mitigate the numerous effects of marginalisation. Art‐making has the capacity to enrich the health and wellbeing of neurodivergent populations. So What?: Art‐making groups can provide a space that interrupts the isolation and social exclusion experienced by neurodivergent people. Art workshops offer both an emancipatory space to create where sense of self and relationships with others are enhanced, and an opportunity to reach beyond the studio to connect with communities. These rich connections contribute to better health outcomes for neurodivergent people, thus enhance the wellbeing of their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative content analysis of a systematically selected sample of 200 heterosexual adults aged 60+ years examined older adults' self-presentation in online dating ads and what they sought in a partner. Online dating ads were examined from one site for adults of all ages (match.com) and a site specifically geared to older adults (ourtime.com). Results showed that aspects of self that are presented for men and women, although in different order of importance, included one's status, enjoying leisure activities and being fun-loving, kind/compassionate, and being friend and family focused. Men and women were interested in a companion and someone fun-loving and kind/compassionate. Additionally, women sought a partner who was honest and would do leisure activities with them. Men sought women who were physically attractive and would provide emotional support. The discussion focuses on gender differences and how the act of self-presentation is central in the narratives of dating ads for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex ratios have widely been recognized as an important link between demographic contexts and behavior because changes in the ratio shift sex-specific bargaining power in the partner market. Implicitly, the literature considers individual partner market experiences to be a function of local sex ratios. However, empirical evidence on the correspondence between subjective partner availability and local sex ratios is lacking so far. In this paper, we analyzed how closely a set of different local sex ratio measures correlates with subjective partner market experiences. Linking a longitudinal German survey to population data for different entities (states, counties, municipalities), we used multilevel logistic regression models to explore associations between singles' subjective partner market experiences and various operationalizations of local sex ratios. Results suggest that local sex ratios correlated only weakly with subjective partner market experiences. Adult sex ratios based on broad age brackets, including those for lower-level entities, did not significantly predict whether individuals predominantly met individuals of their own sex. More fine-grained, age-specific sex ratios prove to be better predictors of subjective partner market experiences, in particular when age hypergamy patterns were incorporated. Nevertheless, the respective associations were only significant for selected measures. In a complementary analysis, we illustrate the validity of the subjective indicator as a predictor of relationship formation. In sum, our results suggest that subjective partner availability is not adequately represented by the broad adult sex ratio measures that are frequently used in the literature. Future research should be careful not to equate local sex ratios and conscious partner market experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a growing body of research on later-life relationship formation, little is known about the health predictors and outcomes of later-life Living-Apart-Together (LAT) relationships. A LAT living arrangement is understood to be a possible way for older adults with age-related limits to partner and balance the consequences of being single. Using both selection and resource models to capture the links between health and relationship status, we analyzed unpartnered people 50+ from the longitudinal Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. We examined who entered LAT or cohabiting relationships between Time 1 and 2, who remained unpartnered, and what effect the transition into one of these statuses had on the well-being of those who remained in that status at Time 3. The respondents in LAT relationships did not differ from their cohabiting counterparts in health indicators before the relationship formation, nor was there a difference in life satisfaction and well-being 2 years after partnering. Compared to unpartnered persons, LAT respondents reported better self-perceived health before relationship formation and slightly higher life satisfaction 2 years later. Health status does not influence the choice for a relationship form, but a LAT relationship may constitute a resourceful living arrangement in later life, which provides some support for both the selection and resource models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This explorative study investigated (a) whether social attraction, self-disclosure, interaction quality, intimacy, empathy and communicative competence play a role in getting-acquainted interactions between humans and a chatbot, and (b) whether humans can build a relationship with a chatbot. Although human-machine communication research suggests that humans can develop feelings for computers, this does not automatically imply that humans experience feelings of friendship with a chatbot. In this longitudinal study, 118 participants had seven interactions with chatbot Mitsuku over a 3-week period. After each interaction participants filled out a questionnaire. The results showed that the social processes decreased after each interaction and feelings of friendship were low. In line with the ABCDE model of relationship development, the social processes that aid relationship continuation decrease, leading to deterioration of the relationship. Furthermore, a novelty effect was at play after the first interaction, after which the chatbot became predictable and the interactions less enjoyable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increased use of dating technology for finding and forming romantic relationships, location remains relevant for relationship formation. While current research on relationship formation attends to the ratio of marriageable men to women, marital attitudes, and gendered racial exclusion, this research does not always consider a nuanced look at how location can also constrain opportunities to make short- or long-term romantic connections. Drawing on interviews with 111 Asian, White, Black, and Latina heterosexual college-educated women between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-three, I find that regardless of race/ethnicity, women observe that some places provide limited opportunities to meet men and that the mismatch between their dating norms, beliefs, and/or expectations for relationships and the location where they reside make their search more difficult. Women of color additionally note that some locations provide fewer opportunities for same-race and/or interracial dating than others. I also find that women of color are more likely to employ strategies to address their locational barriers than White women. Therefore, I argue that not only does location continue to matter for forming romantic connections in the digital age, but that location and race also intersect to create unique locational barriers for women of color. This intersection, consequently, demonstrates that the opportunities for relationship formation remain stratified despite the rise of dating technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify different patterns of relationship beliefs, and examine how those patterns vary across participants attending classes through different venues: community, reemployment services, and jails. Background: Although there have been increased efforts to provide relationship education to underprivileged and underserved populations in diverse venues, there is little research on how the relationship education needs at different venues may vary. Method: From the perspective of relationship lay theory, the present study used latent class analysis to identify patterns, or classes, of relationship beliefs among participants in community settings (n = 1,144), reemployment services settings (n = 423), and jails (n = 242). Results: Five classes of relationship beliefs emerged: Low Risk, Blind Love, Sliders, Blind Love Sliders, and Control Tolerates. Differences in class membership were observed across the three venues. Being single, having a history of divorce, and no prior relationship education were associated with membership in more risky classes. Conclusion: Distinct patterns of risky relationship beliefs exist among participants in different venues of relationship education. The high prevalence of the Slider class and associated beliefs indicate those beliefs may be particularly prevalent across venues. Implications: The findings point to educational needs of particular groups. For example, information on the issue of sliding is needed when teaching in any setting, but information on control tolerance and blind love sliding is particularly needed when teaching in jails, and to a lesser but still elevated degree in reemployment services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the possibility that exaggerating in order to entertain the listener while sharing previous experiences can increase interpersonal closeness in new relationships. It is hypothesized that adding exaggerations about previous experiences will increase the quality of the story, which will lead to increased interpersonal closeness, and that even listeners who are provided with the actual facts will show this effect. Three studies with 592 total participants investigated the impact of exaggerating when sharing a story about a previous experience on feelings of closeness to the storyteller. In Study 1, participants read scenarios of a person telling a story about a previous experience. Results indicate a preference for exaggerated stories and a concomitant feeling of closeness to the storyteller. In Study 2, participants retold the events of a video to another participant who was a stranger. Participants instructed to give an entertaining recalling used more exaggerations, and listeners felt closer to them. In Study 3, participants watched a video of a confederate retelling events accurately or with clear exaggerations. Participants reported feeling closer to the confederate when exaggerations were included, even when they knew the facts the storyteller was retelling. Discussion centers on reasons why being entertaining was more beneficial in creating relationship closeness than being honest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relational skills gained through forming committed romantic partnerships in emerging adulthood (ages 18–29) provide the foundation for sustained intimacy in later adult relationships. Commitment is a crucial relational factor affecting the quality and longevity of romantic relationships. This qualitative study examined the meaning, expectations, and formation of commitment in romantic relationships among 29 emerging adults using consensual qualitative research methodology. Four categories pertaining to commitment were identified: (a) meaning of commitment; (b) expectations of a committed romantic relationship; (c) considerations made prior to commitment; and (d) experience with commitment talk. Though the majority of the participants could readily identify meanings and expectations of a committed romantic relationship, they hesitated to communicate their desire with their partners. Clinical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Theories of partner selection emphasize the principal role of available partners in the relationship market. As education is a common socioeconomic attribute through which individuals choose a mate, macrostructure theory highlights the importance of the asymmetric change in educational attainment seen in Europe. As women increasingly participate in tertiary education, this restructuring might result in the decline of traditional hypergamous unions. Objective: We aim to verify previous results confirming the decline of educational hypergamy and the rise of hypogamy, which has been found to be related to women's growing educational advantage. We also wish to provide a current picture of this process in Europe by looking at the youngest cohort available during the analysis. Methods: We pooled nine waves of the European Social Survey and examined trends in seven cohorts. Apart from simple percentage differences in education, we reconstructed the indices of female educational advantage (F-index) and the prevalence of hypergamy (H-index), with provided correlation statistics and fitted linear trend lines. Results: Our results corroborated the findings of previous multi-country analyses. In nearly all selected countries, women were more present in higher education than men, resulting in a uniform increase in the female educational advantage. Parallel to this, hypergamy declined through the cohorts, which correlated with women's emerging educational lead. Contribution: Our results verify the findings from previous years, using a newer dataset and detailed cohort perspective, and confirm the decline of hypergamy as women gain advantage in education, with only four countries out of 27 showing some remnants of a male educational lead.

Objective: We identify common patterns of joint relationship, sex, and contraceptive trajectories in young adulthood and assess how selection into these trajectories differs across socioeconomic and demographic groups and varies with earlier sexual and reproductive experiences and attitudes. Methods: We draw on a weekly panel of 581 young adult women in the United States that includes granular data on sexual and contraceptive behaviors. We use sequence analysis to describe joint relationship, sex, and contraceptive trajectories over the course of a year and multinomial logistic regression to examine how these trajectories are associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and minority racial status. Results: We identify six trajectories characterized by differences in relationship stability, sexual regularity, and contraceptive efficacy. Many women report no romantic relationships over the year. Among those who do, instability in relationships, sex, and contraception is common. Less advantaged women are more likely to be on trajectories marked by frequent relationship transitions, coresidence, and less effective contraception. These socioeconomic differences are largely explained by earlier experiences and attitudes. Black women are the most likely to be on a trajectory characterized by simultaneous relationship, sex, and contraceptive instability, and this holds net of earlier experiences and attitudes. Contribution: We provide a novel way of understanding how women's relationship, sexual, and contraceptive trajectories co-evolve and vary by sociodemographic characteristics. Results highlight that instability is common in the young adult years but that differences in how trajectories unfold suggest greater risk of unintended pregnancies for socially disadvantaged and black women.

Interpersonal relationships and goal pursuit are intimately interconnected. In the present article, we present a people-as-means perspective on relationships. According to this perspective, people serve as means to goals—helping other people to reach their goals in a variety of ways, such as by contributing their time; lending their knowledge, skills, and resources; and providing emotional support and encouragement. Because people serve as means to goals, we propose that considering relationship processes in terms of the principles of goal pursuit can provide novel and important insights into the ways that people think, feel, and behave in these interpersonal contexts. We describe the principles of means-goals relations, review evidence for each principle involving people as means, and discuss implications of our approach for relationship formation, maintenance, and dissolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I explore the estimation of transferable utility matching games, encompassing many‐to‐many matching, marriage, and matching with trading networks (trades). Computational issues are paramount. I introduce a matching maximum score estimator that does not suffer from a computational curse of dimensionality in the number of agents in a matching market. I apply the estimator to data on the car parts supplied by automotive suppliers to estimate the valuations from different portfolios of parts to suppliers and automotive assemblers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated a psychological mechanism underlying the corruption of government officials, based on cultural factors in China. The proposed psychological kidnapping model describes how some bribers set up relations (guanxi , 关系) with bribees to conceal the intention of bribery and gradually lead them into corruption. Through text analysis, classification, and encoding of corruption cases, we defined the term psychological kidnapping , as well as its fundamental characteristics and the corresponding interaction process model (study 1). Using qualitative analysis, we confirmed the three stages of the process of corruption (attraction and acceptance, trust and integration, and collusion or fracture). In a further step, we unveiled three characteristics of psychological kidnapping, known as concealed resource delivery, imbalanced perceptions of corruption risk and cost for government officials, and soft menace from bribers. Then we explored the essential role of renqing (人情) in study 2 as a key enabler of psychological kidnapping. We hope that this work can provide a theoretical base for the prevention of corruption in the public service sector in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are documented physiological differences between single and coupled individuals during the “honeymoon period” of nascent romantic relationships. One such difference is in autonomic reactivity, specifically heart rate variability (HRV) reactivity. This finding had previously been interpreted as evidence of a stress buffering effect of relationship formation. The present study explored among university women two competing longitudinal hypotheses conceptualizing differences in HRV reactivity as either a cause or a consequence of romantic relationship formation. Results did not support the hypothesis that HRV reactivity changes as a consequence of beginning a new romantic relationship. Instead, lower HRV reactivity predicted greater relationship formation amongst women with low BMI and higher resting HRV. The functioning of the heart therefore predicted the likelihood that an individual would find love. These interactions may be the result of differing success rates of various mating strategies for women with low and high BMI and HRV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous research identifies high quality relationships between mentors and youth as fundamental to mentorship program success, less is known about how these relationships develop, particularly within group-mentoring models. Therefore, using a qualitative, grounded theory approach, this study explores the process of relationship building between mentors and adolescents. We conducted nine focus groups over two rounds of data collection with youth and staff in a youth development program that predominantly serves African American, low-income youth with a group-mentoring model ( n = 71). Using open-coding we identified five key features of the process of relationship building: T he Right Who, R espect, I nformation gathering, C onsistency, and S upport (TRICS). We used axial-coding to construct a model of the associations among these features. Participants reported that these features promote trust and positive youth development. Model development and sub-categories are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, people are making initial connections through social networking and online dating sites. However, we have limited information about how the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) compares to face-to-face (FtF) for making initial social connections. The purpose of the present study was to compare liking and other affiliative outcomes of dyads who become acquainted in an interaction that progressed from CMC, to Skype, and finally to FtF versus dyads who became acquainted entirely FtF. The dyads engaged in a three-segment, structured self-disclosure task to become acquainted and were randomly assigned to either the continuous FtF condition (n = 48) or the CMC to FtF condition (n = 40). Participants’ reactions were assessed after each segment of interaction. Comparisons after the first segment revealed that those who interacted over CMC-text reported less enjoyment of the interaction, in addition to less liking of, closeness with, and perceived similarity to their discussion partner than those who interacted FtF. However, participants in the CMC to FtF condition increased in their positive reactions over the course of the interaction to a greater degree than did those in the continuous FtF condition, and consequently were able to catch up to them by the end of the final segment of interaction. Overall, our study suggests that although initial communication through online-text may elicit less positive impressions of an interaction partner relative to FtF, these effects may be mitigated upon partners moving quickly to FtF or through other rich channels (video). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) have difficulty forming social relationships. The prevailing clinical perspective is that negative emotions such as anxiety inhibit one’s capacity to develop satisfying social connections. However, empirical findings from social psychology and affective neuroscience suggest that positive emotional experiences are fundamental to establishing new social bonds. To reconcile these perspectives, we collected repeated measurements of anxiety, positive emotions (pleasantness), and connectedness over the course of a controlled relationship formation encounter in 56 participants diagnosed with SAD (64% female; M age = 23.3, SD = 4.7). Participants experienced both increases in positive emotions and decreases in anxiety throughout the interaction. Change in positive emotions was the most robust predictor of subsequent increases in connectedness, as well as a greater desire to engage one’s partner in future social activities, above and beyond reductions in anxiety (medium to large sized effects). Those findings suggest that anxiety-based models alone may not fully explain difficulties in relationship formation in SAD, and underscore the potential value of considering positive emotional experiences in conceptual and treatment models of SAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested a self-verification model of social anxiety in the context of relationship formation during the transition to college. Incoming college freshmen (N = 68) completed measures of social anxiety and social self-esteem at the beginning of college and 10 weeks later. Using sociometric ratings completed 10 weeks later, relational victimization appeared to be a unitary construct and not distinct from physical victimization. Participants with low social self-esteem at Time 1 were subsequently seen as victimized, reported disliking spending time at Time 2 with peers who reported liking them, and reported high social anxiety at Time 2 even in the absence of subsequent victimization. The implications of these results for understanding the role of self-verification processes in the maintenance of self-image and social anxiety are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emophilia is defined by a tendency to fall in love quickly and often, which is associated with rapid romantic involvement. However, questions linger as to how it is different from anxious attachment, which also predicts rapid romantic involvement. One key difference is the process (i.e., approach vs. avoidance) through which these individuals perceive rewards and punishments. Whereas emophilia is defined as a reward-based approach process, anxious attachment is an anxiety based avoidance process. Three overlapping variables (emophilia, sociosexuality, and anxious attachment) were examined against the backdrop of Gray's Behavioral Activation and Inhibition Systems (BAS & BIS, respectively) using 240 participants from Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Each had a unique reinforcement pattern. Whereas anxious attachment was associated with both aspects of BIS, emophilia was associated with BAS-Reward and sociosexuality was associated with BAS-Fun and BAS-Drive. These findings suggest that while emophilia is associated with reward-based “approach” processes, anxious attachment is associated with fear and anxiety based “inhibitory” processes. These avoidance processes are presumably associated with need-based affiliation with a romantic partner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a parent has another child with a new partner, a significant effect on parents and children is likely, making factors associated with multiple-partner fertility of interest to policy makers. For single mothers, one potential policy-relevant factor influencing their subsequent fertility with a new partner is child support income. However, the direction and magnitude of any effect is not well-established. This study documents the simple negative relationship between child support and nonmarital fertility with a new partner in our sample of low-income unmarried mothers. We then take advantage of a policy experiment that resulted in randomly assigned differences in child support income to investigate its effects. We find no support for a negative causal relationship between child support receipt and nonmarital fertility with a new partner, instead finding suggestive evidence that mothers with more child support income are slightly more likely to have a subsequent nonmarital birth with a new partner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important assumption in interpersonal attraction research asking participants about their ideal partner preferences is that these preferences play a role in actual mate choice and relationship formation. Existing research investigating the possible predictive validity of ideal partner preference, however, is limited by the fact that none of it has focused on the actual process of relationship formation. The current research recruited participants when single, assessed ideal partner preferences across 38 traits and attributes, tracked participants’ relationship status over 5 months, and successfully recruited the new partners of 38 original participants to assess their self-evaluations across the same 38 traits and attributes. Using multilevel modeling to assess the correspondence between ideal partner preferences and self-evaluations within couple, the results showed a positive within-couple association that was not accounted for by personality similarity or stereotype accuracy. We discuss these results with respect to the current literature on the predictive validity of ideal partner preferences in relationship formation.

Many single adult children in countries around the world live with their parents. Such coresidence has been thought to delay the transition to first marriage, although the exact reasons for the delay have not been sufficiently examined. Using panel data from Japan, we investigate whether changes in never-married adults' residential status lead to alterations in their marital aspirations, courtship behaviors, romantic opportunities, and perceived obstacles to marrying. Our estimation of fixed-effects models helps address potential bias caused by single individuals' selection into living in the parental home. The analysis indicates that living with parents is associated with a lower probability of forming romantic relationships, thereby decelerating the transition to first marriage. The never-married, however, do not desire marriage less, put less effort into finding romantic partners, or have fewer opportunities to meet potential partners when coresiding with parents. Overall, the findings suggest that living in the parental home increases never-married men's contentment with their immediate social environment, whereas it decreases women's psychological readiness to transition into adult roles, making both men and women less eager to settle into a romantic relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the social networks of detainees before and after their incarceration. We use unique panel data on 702 detainees and their core discussion networks. Our results show that while the size of the core discussion network remains stable, detainees have replaced more than 60% of their network members after incarceration. By far not all new core network members are truly new: in particular friendship ties have a higher change to deteriorate and be replaced by ties to relatives. We estimate multinomial multilevel models and find, moreover, that changes in the core discussion network are most likely to occur for detainees who have served a longer prison spell, who did not return to the same place of residence, who had fewer strong or family relationships, and who were suspected of involvement in a violent or sexual offense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bredow, Cate, and Huston hypothesize that individuals initiate romantic relationships by engaging in four stages—deciding whether another is attractive, whether to approach that person, how best to initiate contact, and how to build rapport once contact is made. It is unclear, however, whether this model applies to early adolescents’ pursuits of romantic relationships. It is equally unclear whether factors that are a large part of adolescents’ lives, specifically peers and electronic communication, play a role when early adolescents initiate romantic contact. To address these lacunas, we conducted same-sex and same-age focus groups with sixth and eighth graders. Using a grounded theory approach, our findings revealed that these youth made strategic choices to be noticed by potential partners; sixth graders engaged in play-like behaviors, eighth grade girls flirted, and eighth grade boys planned ways to cross paths with girls at school. These early adolescents also texted and used peers to see whether their romantic interests were reciprocated. In fact, peers played active roles by helping to evaluate potential partners. Further, friends of sixth graders were frequently a direct physical influence, pushing partners into hugging and holding hands, while friends of eighth graders were frequently a direct social influence, working to join two individuals even when those involved may not have wanted this. Our findings suggest a need to broaden Bredow et al.’s model to include social influences while also showing that early adolescents use peers and electronic messaging to reduce uncertainty when pursuing romantic interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to describe the continual usage of social computing systems from an experiential perspective. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework is developed using theories formulated from a variety of disciplines including information system (IS) continuance, relationship formation, human-computer interaction, and motivation theory. Findings – The conceptual framework encompasses the relationship and experiential perspective of user-computer interactions. The framework also identifies factors that contribute to the continual usage of social computing by users and how these factors are related with system features. Research limitations/implications – This study does not include an empirical analysis to validate the conceptual framework proposed in this study. Future research is encouraged to examine the ten propositions from the proposed conceptual framework. Practical implications – The conceptual framework takes a different approach which is well suited for examining the continual usage of social computing applications (SCAs). Originality/value – Previous research investigating factors that contribute to the continual usage of social computing often examined using static and utilitarian-based models. The conceptual framework in this study provides a different perspective for explaining why people use SCAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over three decades of theory and research has sought to highlight the notion of relational orientation as central to women’s well-being. While researchers have extensively examined the negative outcomes of women’s relational orientation, relations with positive outcomes has gone little explored and largely assumed as present. The purpose of the current study is to examine social competence and satisfaction associated with women’s relational orientation. Previously unacquainted female participants ( N = 160) completed measures of relational orientation, a dyadic interaction task, and were then asked to evaluate the quality of the interaction. Results supported a mitigation (versus trade-off) model in which facets of women’s relational orientation are differentially related to relationship competence and satisfaction. Structural equation modelling was used to examine overall fit along with specific actor and partner effects. Specific results are interpreted within the mitigation model of relational orientation, contributing to our understanding of women’s well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]