Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T18:06:29.716Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Working With Dyadic Data in Studies of Emerging Adulthood: Specific Recommendations, General Advice, and Practical Tips

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2010

By
Robert A. Ackerman ,
M. Brent Donnellan  and
Deborah A. Kashy
Edited by
Frank D. Fincham  and
Ming Cui
Frank D. Fincham
Affiliation:
Florida State University
Ming Cui
Affiliation:
Florida State University
Get access

Summary

There is increasing recognition that human development is embedded in interpersonal contexts throughout the lifespan (e.g., Reis, Collins, & Berscheid, 2000), and this is especially true of development during emerging adulthood. Indeed, a salient developmental task of this period is to negotiate the challenges of establishing intimate relationships with romantic partners (Arnett, 2000, 2004). Researchers who pursue studies of relationships during this period of the lifespan therefore need both conceptual and methodological sophistication with respect to dyadic data analysis. Despite the fact that interdependent data present special analytic challenges (e.g., Kashy & Snyder, 1995; Kenny, 1998; Kenny, Kashy, & Cook, 2006), the application of appropriate statistical techniques for dyadic data offers important opportunities to better understand the nature and functioning of relationships. As such, the broad objective of this chapter is to introduce researchers to the methodological and analytic issues that are most relevant when considering dyadic data from romantic couples.

Our chapter builds on a recent monograph published by Kenny et al. (2006), and we readily acknowledge that a relatively short chapter cannot serve as a substitute for a book-length treatment of the relevant issues. Even so, this chapter expands on some of the most fundamental topics in that book and provides a gentle introduction to the major issues that are prominent when studying romantic dyads.

Type
Chapter
Information
Romantic Relationships in Emerging Adulthood , pp. 67 - 98
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acock, A. C., & Fuller, T. D. (1985). Standardized solutions using LISREL on multiple populations. Sociological Methods & Research, 13(4), 551–557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Alferes, V. R., & Kenny, D. A. (2009). SPSS programs for the measurement of nonindependence in standard dyadic designs. Behavior Research Methods, 41, 47–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469–480.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnett, J. J. (2004). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Campbell, L., & Kashy, D. A. (2002). Estimating actor, partner, and interaction effects for dyadic data using PROC MIXED and HLM: A user-friendly guide. Personal Relationships, 9, 327–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, L., Simpson, J. A., Boldry, J., & Kashy, D. A. (2005). Perceptions of conflict and support in romantic relationships: The role of attachment anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 510–531.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christensen, A., & Sullaway, M. (1984). Communication Patterns Questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript, University of California, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Cohen, P., Cohen, J., & Brook, J. S. (1995). Bringing in the sheaves, or just gleaning? A methodological warning. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 5, 263–266.Google Scholar
Cronbach, L. J., & Gleser, G. C. (1953). Assessing similarity between profiles. Psychological Bulletin, 50, 456–473.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cui, M., & Donnellan, M. B. (2009). Trajectories of conflict over raising adolescent children and marital satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 478–494.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Donnellan, M. B., Assad, K. K., Robins, R. W., & Conger, R. D. (2007). Do negative interactions mediate the effects of Negative Emotionality, Communal Positive Emotionality, and Constraint on relationship satisfaction? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 557–573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dyrenforth, P. S., Kashy, D. A., Donnellan, M. B., & Lucas, R. E. (in press). Predicting relationship and life satisfaction in nationally representative samples from three countries: The relative importance of actor, partner, and couple similarity effects for personality traits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Feeney, B. C., & Collins, N. L. (2001). Predictors of caregiving in adult intimate relationships: An attachment theoretical perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80 (6), 972–994.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraley, R. C., & Marks, M. J. (2007). The null hypothesis significance testing debate and implications for personality research. In Robins, R.W., Fraley, R.C., & Krueger, R. F. (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in personality (pp. 149–169). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Fraley, R. C., Waller, N. G., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). An item response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), 350–365.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gonzaga, G. C., Campos, B., & Bradbury, T. (2007). Similarity, convergence, and relationship satisfaction in dating and married couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 34–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Griffin, D., Murray, S., & Gonzalez, R. (1999). Difference score correlations in relationship research: A conceptual primer. Personal Relationships, 6, 505–518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heavey, C. L., Larson, B. M., Zumtobel, D. C., & Christensen, A. (1996). The Communication Patterns Questionnaire: The reliability and validity of a constructive communication subscale. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 796–800.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hendrick, S. S., Dicke, A., & Hendrick, C. (1998). The relationship assessment scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 137–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hyde, J. S. (2005). The gender similarities hypothesis. American Psychologist, 60, 581–592.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kashy, D. A., Campbell, L., & Harris, D. W. (2006). Advances in data analytic approaches for relationships research: The broad utility of hierarchical linear modeling. In Vangelisti, A. L. & Perlman, D. (Eds). The Cambridge handbook of personal relationships (pp. 73–89). New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kashy, D. K., & Donnellan, M. B. (2008). Comparing MLM and SEM approaches to analyzing developmental dyadic data: Growth curve modeling of hostility in families. In Card, N. A., Selig, J. P., & Little, T. D. (Eds.). Modeling dyadic and interdependent data in the developmental and behavioral sciences (pp. 165–190). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Kashy, D. K., Donnellan, M. B., Burt, S. A., & McGue, M. (2008). Growth curve models for indistinguishable dyads using multilevel modeling and structural equation modeling: The case of adolescent twins' conflict with their mothers. Developmental Psychology, 44, 316–329.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kashy, D. A., & Snyder, D. K. (1995). Measurement and data analytic issues in couples research. Psychological Assessment, 7, 338–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, D. A. (1998). Couples, gender, and time: Comments on method. In Bradbury, T. N. (Ed.), The developmental course of marital dysfunction (pp. 410–422). New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, D. A., & Cook, W. (1999). Partner effects in relationship research: Conceptual issues, analytic difficulties, and illustrations. Personal Relationships, 6, 43–448.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, D. A., Kashy, D. A., & Cook, W. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Kraemer, H. C. (1994). Special methodological problems of childhood developmental follow-up studies: Focus on planning. In Friedman, S. L. & Haywood, H. C. (Eds), Developmental follow-up: Concepts, domains, and methods (pp. 259–276). San Diego: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luo, S., Chen, H., Yue, G., Zhang, G., Zhaoyang, R., & Xu, D. (2008). Predicting marital satisfaction from self, partner, and couple characteristics: Is it me, you, or us? Journal of Personality, 76, 1231–1265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCartney, K., & Rosenthal, R. (2000). Effect size, practical importance, and social policy for children. Child Development, 71, 173–180.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGraw, K. O., & Wong, S. P. (1996). Forming inferences about some intraclass correlation coefficients. Psychological Methods, 1, 30–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Olsen, J. A., & Kenny, D. A. (2006). Structural equation modeling with interchangeable dyads. Psychological Methods, 11, 127–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879–903.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reis, H. T., Collins, W. A., & Berscheid, E. (2000). The relationship context of human behavior and development. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 844–872.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robins, R. W., Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (2000). Two personalities, one relationship: Both partners' personality traits shape the quality of their relationship. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 251–259.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowe, D. C., Vazsonyi, A. T., & Flannery, D. J. (1994). No more than skin deep: Ethnic and racial similarity in developmental process. Psychological Review, 101, 396–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmitt, D. P., Realo, A., Voracek, M., & Allik, J. (2008). Why can't a man be more like a woman? Sex differences in Big Five personality traits across 55 cultures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 168–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shrout, P. E., & Fleiss, J. L. (1979). Intraclass correlations: Uses in assessing reliability. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 420–428.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×