Relationship Formation

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  • Created by: JNicole
  • Created on: 28-12-12 14:19

Formation of relationships - Behaviourist approach 

Reward/Need Satisfaction 

- We are attracted to those who provide us with direct reinforcement 

- We are attracted to those people associated with pleasant events 

Byrne and Clore (1970)

Stated that we are attracted to those we find satisfying/gratifying to be with. We aim to seek rewarding stimuli and avoid punishing stimulu. 

Mutual attraction is where both needs are met eg. 1 person seeking financial security and the other is seeking love

Rewards/Punishment

Positive and negative feelings - through operant conditioning we repeat behaviours with a positive outcome and aim to avoid those that bring a negative outcome. 

Attraction through association:

If we meet someone when we are in a positive mood, we're more inclined to like them than when in a negative mood/situation. 

A neutral stimulus can therefore have a positive value due to their association with a positive event (Classical conditioning) 

Byrne and Clore stated that the balance of positive and negative feelings was crucial. 

Commentary:

Griffit and Guay (1969)

Participants were evaluated on a creative task then asked to rate the experimenter. They rated the experimenter higher when they had been positively evaluated…

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