Chapter 37 Quiz
12 questions. Questions 1–8 are multiple choice; Questions 9–12 are short answer.
1. In Sternberg's triangular theory, "consummate love" refers to:
a) Love that develops only after surviving a major relationship crisis b) The combination of high passion, high intimacy, and high commitment simultaneously c) Long-term companionate love with low passion but deep mutual investment d) Infatuation that transitions successfully to commitment
Answer: b — Sternberg defines consummate love as the complete form involving all three components; it is difficult to achieve and maintain.
2. Gottman's research on the "Four Horsemen" identifies which pattern as the single strongest predictor of divorce?
a) Stonewalling b) Criticism c) Defensiveness d) Contempt
Answer: d — Contempt — communicating superiority and disgust with a partner — is the strongest predictor of dissolution in Gottman's data, consistently across studies.
3. "Positive sentiment override" means that:
a) Happy couples never fight b) Partners in healthy relationships interpret neutral or ambiguous partner behavior charitably due to accumulated positive affect c) Early infatuation causes partners to misread negative signals as positive d) Relationship satisfaction overrides partners' individual personality differences
Answer: b — The accumulated positive reservoir allows charitable interpretation of ambiguous behavior; its absence (negative sentiment override) causes neutral behavior to be read negatively.
4. Emily Nagoski's concept of "responsive desire" refers to:
a) Desire that emerges only from emotional intimacy, not physical stimulation b) The desire to respond to a partner's sexual requests c) Sexual desire that emerges in response to erotic context or stimulation, rather than arising spontaneously d) Desire that decreases over time in long-term relationships
Answer: c — Responsive desire requires contextual stimulation to emerge; it is not the same as "low desire" but a different desire type that Nagoski argues is common and normal, particularly in long-term relationships.
5. Gottman's research on "perpetual problems" finds that:
a) The presence of recurring conflicts is the primary cause of divorce b) Happy couples resolve most of their conflicts completely, leaving few perpetual issues c) Approximately 69% of couple conflicts involve perpetual problems that are unlikely to be fully resolved, and happy couples manage these rather than solving them d) Perpetual problems reflect attachment insecurity and require therapy to address
Answer: c — Happy couples are distinguished not by resolving perpetual problems but by managing them — arguing about the same things without the arguments permanently damaging the relationship.
6. In the Okafor-Reyes Year 4 follow-up data, which of the following best describes the cross-cultural findings on long-term relationship satisfaction predictors?
a) Long-term satisfaction predictors were even more culturally variable than early attraction predictors b) The predictors showed more cross-cultural convergence than early attraction data, with perceived responsiveness, conflict quality, and reciprocal support emerging consistently c) American samples showed the strongest relationship satisfaction; South Korean samples the weakest d) Cultural variation was so high that no single predictor emerged across all twelve countries
Answer: b — The unexpected convergence finding — that long-term satisfaction predictors show more cross-cultural similarity than attraction predictors — is the central Okafor-Reyes Year 4 result.
7. According to the chapter's description of the neurological transition from early love to long-term attachment, which is most accurate?
a) Brain dopamine activity increases over time as the relationship deepens b) Oxytocin and vasopressin become more prominent as dopamine activity decreases, shifting from reward-seeking arousal to a calmer attachment state c) The brain imaging profile of a couple together for 10 years is identical to that of a couple in their first month d) The neurochemical shift from infatuation to attachment is completed within the first few weeks of a relationship
Answer: b — The transition from the dopaminergic early-attraction state to an oxytocin/vasopressin-predominant attachment state typically occurs over 18 months to 3 years and characterizes long-term bonded relationships.
8. Research on "earned security" in adult attachment suggests:
a) People who were anxiously attached as children cannot develop secure attachment as adults b) Only therapy can shift attachment insecurity toward security c) A reliably responsive and patient long-term partner can gradually facilitate a shift toward greater attachment security d) Earned security requires the anxiously or avoidantly attached person to resolve their childhood experiences first
Answer: c — Longitudinal research shows that highly responsive partners can facilitate earned security over time, without therapy being required, though therapy can accelerate the process.
9. Short Answer (3–4 sentences): What is stonewalling, and why does Gottman's research identify it as one of the Four Horsemen even though the person stonewalling often intends to prevent the conflict from getting worse?
Model answer: Stonewalling is emotional and communicative withdrawal during conflict — going silent, becoming monosyllabic, or refusing to engage. The person stonewalling often does so because they are physiologically flooded and are trying to prevent themselves from saying something harmful. However, the partner being stonewalled typically reads the withdrawal as contempt or rejection rather than self-protection, which escalates rather than de-escalates the conflict. The protective intent of the withdrawing partner and the damaging impact on the other partner create a pattern that is destructive regardless of motivation.
10. Short Answer (3–4 sentences): Explain the rupture-repair cycle and why the capacity for repair matters more than the frequency of conflict in distinguishing happy from distressed couples.
Model answer: The rupture-repair cycle refers to the normal rhythm of close relationships: a connection failure of some kind (misattunement, conflict, emotional distance) followed by a repair attempt that successfully restores connection. Research shows that all couples, happy and distressed alike, experience ruptures and conflicts. What distinguishes them is whether repair attempts succeed — happy couples accept each other's repair attempts, restoring the relationship to positive territory; distressed couples reject repair attempts because negative sentiment override means even skilled attempts are not received as genuine. The ability to repair, rather than the absence of conflict, is the key variable.
11. Short Answer (2–3 sentences): Why does Nagoski's responsive desire framework suggest that "waiting until you feel like it" is often exactly the wrong strategy for partners who have transitioned to primarily responsive desire in long-term relationships?
Model answer: Responsive desire does not arise spontaneously but emerges in response to erotic context and stimulation. Waiting to feel spontaneously in the mood will mean waiting indefinitely, since the conditions for spontaneous desire (novelty, newness) are not present in long-term relationships. The responsive desire framework suggests instead creating the context in which desire can emerge — warmth, time, non-goal-directed physical affection — which is meaningfully different from "having sex when you don't want to" and is more likely to result in genuine desire and satisfaction.
12. Short Answer (3–4 sentences): Dr. Reyes and Dr. Okafor interpret the Year 4 convergence finding differently. Summarize each interpretation and explain what evidence would help distinguish between them.
Model answer: Reyes interprets the convergence in long-term satisfaction predictors as evidence of an evolved cross-cultural core for pair-bonding — the human need to feel known, safe, and mutually invested is biologically grounded and culturally universal. Okafor interprets the convergence as reflecting the global diffusion of Western romantic love ideals through media, such that even diverse societies now benchmark relationships against a similar model. To distinguish these interpretations, one would need data on relationship satisfaction predictors from societies with minimal exposure to Western media, or historical comparative data from before global media diffusion. Finding similar predictors in both high- and low-Western-media-exposure societies would support Reyes; finding that high-exposure societies converge while low-exposure societies show more variation would support Okafor.