Reinforcement and Needs Satisfaction
~Based on the ntion that a key reason we form relationships is because of the rewards that we recieve from others such as approval and smiling. Foa (1975) claimed rewards can also include sex, status, love and money. These are rewarding because they meet our social needs. E.g. the approval of others satisfies the need for self-esteem.
~Bryne (1971) claimed that classical conditioning also plays an important role in determing the effects of reinfocemtn in relationships. He found that positive feelings are created when people express similar attirues to ours, or vice versa. Bryne found that someone whose picture was present was liked more when the participants listening to someone expressing similar attitudes to therir own. He claimed this resembles the way a tone can produce salivation in the classical conditioning dog study.
Research Support
Veitch and Griffit (1976) - arranged for single participants to wait in an office while an experimenter went on an errand. The radio was left on and the participant heard two news broadcasts - good or bad. When the experimenter returned, they were asked to fill in a Feelings Scale and to read a questionaire by another participant. The participant was asked to fill in an interpersonal judgement scale to rate the other student. Those who listened to good news responded more postively and felt more attracted to the other participant. The effect was stronger when the other participant had expressed similar attitudes.
- Does not provide an adeqyate account of interpersonal attraction as it seems only relevant to the early stages of attraction. It also does not explain much about parent/child relationships.
- Assumes people are selfish and concerned about rewards only.
- Relevant only to individualistic societyies, and more speculatively, relevant only to men. In many cultures, there is more emphasis on females than on males learning to be attentive to the needs of others (Lott, 1994).