Do You See What I See? Actor and Partner Attachment Shape Biased Perceptions of Partners
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2018
Keywords
bias, attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, romantic relationships, partner perceptions
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218791782
Abstract
The present research examined how actor and partner attachment insecurity relates to biases in perceptions of partners’ core relationship-relevant constructs. Across three dyadic studies (Ncouples = 333, Nindividuals = 666), we examined attachment anxiety and avoidance as predictors of over- or underestimation of partners’ relationship satisfaction, commitment, and responsiveness, using partners’ own reports as the reference point for evaluating bias. Actors higher in avoidance and actors with partners higher in avoidance perceived their partners to be less satisfied and committed. In addition, actors higher in avoidance and actors higher in anxiety displayed a pessimistic bias, perceiving their partners to be less satisfied and committed than their partners reported being. Finally, actors with partners higher in avoidance displayed an optimistic bias, perceiving their partners to be more satisfied and committed than their partners reported being. Results underscore the importance of adopting a dyadic perspective on perceptual biases in romantic relationships.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, v. 45, issue 4, p. 587-602
Scholar Commons Citation
Rodriguez, Lindsey M.; Fillo, Jennifer; Hadden, Benjamin W.; Øverup, Camilla S.; Baker, Zachary G.; and DiBello, Angelo M., "Do You See What I See? Actor and Partner Attachment Shape Biased Perceptions of Partners" (2018). Psychology Faculty Publications. 2494.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/psy_facpub/2494
