1. Where Should I Put My Cell Phone? An Expectancy Violations Approach to the Presence of Cell Phones in Romantic Relationships
- Author
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Eisenhauer, Katie and Eisenhauer, Katie
- Abstract
The current study surveyed 234 traditional college-aged students to investigate expectancies that romantic partners had of cell phone usage during face-to-face interactions, how expectancy violations were managed, and whether violations ultimately detracted from the perceived quality of the relationship. Results revealed that cell phone usage behaviors occurring in public settings were viewed as significantly more unexpected, negatively valenced, and atypical than behaviors that occurred in private settings. Integrative communication strategies were the most common responses to partners’ negative cell phone usage behaviors; these strategies included talking to and sharing feelings with romantic partners. Romantic partners with higher relational satisfaction were more likely to use constructive communicative responses in response to negative cell phone usage behaviors. Additionally, cell phone satisfaction was positively correlated with relational satisfaction. Although mean scores indicated that romantic partners were generally indifferent to the use of the cell phone in face-to-face interactions in both public and private settings, results revealed through thematic analysis indicated that participants were indeed bothered by cell phone usage behaviors. Thus, the current study suggests that among college-aged students, the cell phone itself has become so integrated into individuals’ lives that cell phone-related behaviors have become normalized, and therefore, highly tolerated., Published as part of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 21 (2018)
- Published
- 2018