Jonathan Butner

Dynamical Evolutionary Psychology: Individual Decision Rules and Emergent Social Norms

A new theory integrating evolutionary and dynamical approaches is proposed. Following evolutionary models, psychological mechanisms are conceived as conditional decision rules designed to address fundamental problems confronted by human ancestors, with qualitatively different decision rules serving different problem domains and individual differences in decision rules as a function of adaptive and random variation. Following dynamical models, decision mechanisms within individuals are assumed to unfold in dynamic interplay with decision mechanisms of others in social networks. Decision mechanisms in different domains have different dynamic outcomes and lead to different sociospatial geometries. Three series of simulations examining trade-offs in cooperation and mating decisions illustratehow individual decision mechanisms and group dynamics mutually constrain one another, and offer insights about gene-culture interactions.

Compliance with a Request in Two Cultures: The Differential Influence of Social Proof and Commitment/Consistency on Collectivists and Individualists

University students in Poland and the United States, two countries that differ in individualistic-collectivistic orientation, indicated their willingness to comply with a request to participate without pay in a marketing survey. Half were asked to do so after considering information regarding their own history of compliance with such requests, whereas the other half were asked to do so after considering information regarding their peers’ history of such compliance. This was designed to assess the impact of two social influence principles (commitment/consistency and social proof, respectively) on participants’ decisions. As expected, although both principles were influential across cultures, the commitment/consistency principle had greater impact on Americans, whereas the social proof principle had greater impact on Poles. Additional analyses indicated that this effect was due principally, but not entirely, to participants’ personal individualistic-collectivistic orientations rather than to the dominant individualistic-collectivistic orientation of their cultures.

Hostility, Anger, and Marital Adjustment: Concurrent and Prospective Associations with Psychosocial Vulnerability

Hostility may contribute to risk for disease through psychosocial vulnerability, including the erosion of the quality of close relationships. This study examined hostility, anger, concurrent ratings of the relationship, and change in marital adjustment over 18 months in 122 married couples. Wives’ and husbands’ hostility and anger were related to concurrent ratings of marital adjustment and conflict. In prospective analyses, wives’ but not husbands’ hostility and anger were related to change in marital adjustment. In hierarchical regression and SEM models wives’ anger was a unique predictor of both wives’ and husbands’ change in marital adjustment. The association between wives’ anger and change in husbands’ marital satisfaction was mediated by husbands’ ratings of conflict in the marriage. These results support the role of hostility and anger in the development of psychosocial vulnerability, but also suggest an asymmetry in the effects of wives’ and husbands’ trait anger and hostility on marital adjustment.

Parent-adolescent discrepancies in adolescents' competence and the balance of adolescent autonomy and adolescent and parent well-being in the context of Type 1 diabetes.

This study examined whether intrafamily discrepancies in perceptions of the adolescents competence and independence were associated with autonomy and well-being for adolescents and parents. The ways in which mothers and fathers consistently differed from their adolescent across measures of independence and competence regarding Type 1 diabetes, a stressful context for families, were examined with the latent discrepancy model. A sample of 185 adolescents (mean age = 12.5 years, SD = 1.3), their mothers, and participating fathers completed measures of the adolescents independence in completing diabetes tasks, problems with diabetes management, adherence to the medical regimen, measures of well-being, and metabolic control. The latent discrepancy model was conducted via structural equation modeling that generated latent discrepancies from the adolescent for mothers and fathers. Both mothers and fathers viewed the adolescents competence more negatively than did the adolescent. These discrepancies related to more parental encouragement of independence and adolescent autonomy but also to poorer metabolic control and poorer parental psychosocial well-being. The results are interpreted within a developmental perspective that views discrepancies as reflecting normative developmental processes of autonomy but as being associated with disruptions in well-being in the short term.

Profiles of successful aging in middle-aged and older adult married couples.

The study identified coupled profiles of successful aging in middle-aged (n = 139; wives, M = 43.8 years old; husbands, M = 45.6 years old) and older adult married couples (n = 148; wives, M = 62.0 years old; husbands, M = 64.4 years old). Latent profile analysis was applied to variables reflecting the domains of cognition, physical health, personality, and social support. A 2-profile solution and a 4-profile solution were interpreted. Both solutions indicated that a large group of couples scored favorably across domains of successful aging. A small group of largely middle-aged couples who were experiencing extreme marital distress was identified. Unevenness across domains was identified, in that some groups involved a disassociation between marital satisfaction and health outcomes. Spouses were substantially similar in the pattern of their profile of aging. Older adults were not always associated with less favorable profiles. Profiles of successful aging did discriminate on external measures of well-being. The results point to the value of a multidimensional notion of successful aging in couples across the life span.

Affiliation and control during marital disagreement, history of divorce, and asymptomatic coronary artery calcification in older couples.

Objective: To examine behavioral observations of affiliation (ie, warmth versus hostility) and control (ie, dominance versus submissiveness) and prior divorce as predictors of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in older couples. In some but not all studies, marital disruption and low marital quality have been shown to confer risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Inconsistencies might reflect limitations of self-reports of marital quality compared with behavioral observations. Also, aspects of marital quality related to CAD might differ for men and women. Methods: Couples underwent computed tomography scans for CAC and marital assessments, including observations of laboratory-based disagreement. Participants were 154 couples (mean age, 63.5 years; mean length of marriage, 36.4 years) free of prior diagnosis of CAD. Results: Controlling traditional risk factors, we found behavioral measures of affiliation (low warmth) accounted for 6.2% of variance in CAC for women, p < .01, but not for men. Controlling behavior (dominance) accounted for 6.0% of variance in CAC for men, p < .02, but not for women. Behavioral measures were related to self-reports of marital quality, but the latter were unrelated to CAC. History of divorce predicted CAC for men and women. Conclusions: History of divorce and behavioral-but not self-report-measures of marital quality were related to CAD, such that low warmth and high dominance conferred risk for women and men, respectively. Prior research might underestimate the role of marital quality in CAD by relying on global self-reports of this risk factor.CAD = coronary artery disease; CAC = coronary artery calcification; CHD = coronary heart disease; IPC = interpersonal circumplex; MAP = mean arterial blood pressure; SASB = structural analysis of social behavior.

Perceived diabetes task competence mediates the relationship of both negative and positive affect with blood glucose in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

BackgroundAdolescents dealing with type 1 diabetes experience disruptions in affect and diabetes management that may influence their blood glucose.PurposeA daily diary format examined whether daily fluctuations in both negative and positive affect were associated with adolescents’ perceived diabetes task competence (DTC) and blood glucose, and whether perceived DTC mediated the relationship between daily affect and blood glucose.MethodsSixty-two adolescents with type 1 diabetes completed a 2-week daily diary, which included daily measures of affect and perceived DTC, then recorded their blood glucose readings at the end of the day. We utilized hierarchical linear modeling to examine whether daily perceived DTC mediated the relationship between daily emotion and blood glucose.ResultsDaily perceived DTC mediated the relationship of both negative and positive affect with daily blood glucose.ConclusionsThis study suggests that within the ongoing process of self-regulation, daily affect may be associated with blood glucose by influencing adolescents’ perception of competence on daily diabetes tasks.

Interpersonal Behavior, Psychopathology, And Relationship Outcomes Among Adolescent Mothers And Their Partners

This study was designed to identify predictors of relationship outcomes among 179 young (ages 14-24) coparenting couples during the transition to parenthood, with a particular focus on interpersonal process and psychopathology. Findings indicated that couples identified as hostile during the prenatal assessment were more likely to report relationship violence at follow-up (2 years postbirth). Couples identified as warm were more likely to remain together as coparents even if their romantic relationship dissolved. Couples in which the female partner was highly controlling were less likely to be cohabiting at follow-up. Mothers with a history of substance abuse and fathers with a history of conduct disorder were also more likely to engage in interpartner violence. Latino couples were more likely than Caucasian and African American couples to be warmly engaged and to remain romantically involved across the transition to parenthood.

Utilizing topology to generate and test theories of change

Statistical and methodological innovations in the study of change are advancing rapidly, and visual tools have become an important component in model building and testing. Graphical representations such as path diagrams are necessary, but may be insufficient in the case of complex theories and models. Topology is a visual tool that connects theory and testable equations believed to capture the theorized patterns of change. Although some prior work has made use of topologies, these representations have often been generated as a result of the tested models. This article argues that utilizing topology a priori, when developing a theory, and applying analogous statistical models is a prudent method to conduct research. This article reviews topology by demonstrating how to build a topological representation of a theory and recover the implied equations, ultimately facilitating the transition from complex theory to testable model. Finally, topologies can guide researchers as they adjust or expand their theories in light of recent model testing.

Affect Covariation in Marital Couples Dealing with Stressors Surrounding Prostate Cancer

Background: Consistent with a dyadic perspective to coping with chronic illness, couples may experience covariation in their daily affective experiences, particularly as they deal with stressful events surrounding chronic illness, such as prostate cancer. Objective: Our purpose was to examine the daily covariation of negative and positive affect among husbands and wives and whether this covariation was enhanced when couples mentioned the same stressful event and reported frequently collaborating. Methods: Fifty-nine husbands diagnosed as having prostate cancer and their wives participated in a daily diary where they reported on the most stressful event of the day, positive and negative affect, coping strategies and whether their spouse was involved in a collaborative manner. Coders independently made judgments as to whether the stressful event mentioned by husbands and wives was the same. Results: Multivariate hierarchical linear models revealed that on days when wives experienced greater negative affect, husbands did so as well. However, negative affect covariation was only found when spouses mentioned the same daily stressful event. The mean levels of collaborative coping across the 14 days moderated this negative covariation effect for wives, such that negative affect covariation was enhanced when wives reported collaborating more frequently. Positive affect covariation was not found. Conclusion: The results reveal that negative affect covariation may be most likely when spouses experience similar stressors and wives perceive frequently collaborating. Partners within close relationships experience similar negative affect as their spouse, pointing to the shared nature of illness in late life.