Revision in memories of relationship development: Do biases persist over time?

Abstract

Partners often recall that their relationship satisfaction has improved over the recent past, even when their satisfaction has actually declined, and such perceptions appear to contribute to optimism about the future. But what happens to memories as the recent past recedes into the distant past? To address this question, data were examined from a U.S. sample of 53 newlywed couples. Every 6 months, spouses reported their memories of relationship change. After 2½ years, they again reported their memories of change over these time periods. Initially, spouses recalled significant improvements over each interval, even though no improvements were observed. By the end of 2½ years, however, they had revised their memories, recalling improvements only in the recent past. Such revisions have implications for research relying on self‐reported relationship change and suggest a way for spouses to benefit from the perception of recent improvement while maintaining a generally accurate view of the course of the relationship overall.

Positively biased appraisals in everyday life: When do they benefit mental health and when do they harm it?

“… 1 Data describing this sample have been reported elsewhere (Frye & Karney, 2002, 2004, 2006; McNulty & Karney, 2001, 2002, 2004; McNulty, Neff, & Karney, 2008; McNulty, O'Mara, & Karney, 2008; Neff & Karney, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005b, 2009). Nevertheless, none of those reports examined the variables used to test the current hypothesis.…”

Relationship problems and physical aggression: The moderating role of temporal comparison

“…To date, research in the realm of temporal comparisons has generally focused on the sorts of comparisons people engage in, rather than how to change those comparisons. However, one possibility rests in helping partners to think of negative relationship events as having occurred in the more distant past (see, e.g., Ross & Wilson, 2002), which may help partners to perceive improvements over time (see, e.g., Frye & Karney, 2004). Research in the arena of social comparisons (e.g., Buunk & Ybema, 2003) suggests that such changes in partners' comparisons do have implications for their perceptions of their relationships.…”

The predictive value of daily vs. retrospective well-being judgments in relationship stability

“…There is a parallel phenomenon in memories of the partner's behaviors and the relationship. For instance, in a 4-year longitudinal study, Sprecher (1999) found that the couples who stayed in the same relationship throughout the study reported that their love, commitment, and satisfaction were increasing every year, although actual annual reports indicated otherwise (see also Frey & Karney, 2004;Karney & Frye, 2002;McFarland & Ross, 1987). Furthermore, beliefs about increases in love and commitment were associated with current feelings about the relationship and relationship stability.…”