Nancy E. Frye

But we've been getting better lately: comparing prospective and retrospective views of relationship development.

What kinds of stories do people wish to tell about the development of their close relationships? To address this question, 2 studies of newlyweds compared retrospective reports of marital satisfaction over 4 years with prospective data on marital satisfaction over the same period. In both studies, growth curve analyses revealed that spouses tended to recall satisfaction that had declined in the distant past but made up for those declines with recent improvements. Prospective reports, however, tended to decline linearly over time. Furthermore, Study 2 revealed that current confidence in the future of the relationship was associated with perceptions of change in satisfaction but not perceptions of past levels of satisfaction. Results suggest that the ability to perceive improvements, especially over the recent past, may be a source of hope for partners in less satisfying relationships.

The context of aggressive behavior in marriage: a longitudinal study of newlyweds

Under what circumstances are spouses more or less likely to engage in aggressive behaviors? To address this question, the current study drew on multiple longitudinal assessments of 1st-married newlyweds to examine correlates of within-subject variability in aggressive behavior. Controlling for marital satisfaction, the authors found that spouses were more likely to engage in physical aggression at times when they engaged in higher levels of psychological aggression. Additionally, husbands reporting higher levels of chronic stress were more likely to engage in physical aggression overall and were more likely to engage in physical aggression when they were experiencing higher than average levels of acute stress. These results highlight how demands and supports in the context external to a marriage may affect processes within the marriage.

Being Better or Getting Better? Social and Temporal Comparisons as Coping Mechanisms in Close Relationships

How do partners in close relationships evaluate the broader implications of their specific problems? Prior research suggests that partners evaluate their relationships through social and temporal comparisons. The current study expanded on this work in two ways. First, within-subject analyses examined whether partners use comparisons strategically, engaging in more favorable comparisons with respect to more threatening problems. Results confirmed that spouses generally perceive themselves to be better off than other couples and generally expect their problems to remain stable over time. However, within-subject analyses revealed that, with respect to more severe problems, spouses were less likely to perceive themselves as superior but more likely to perceive those problems as improving over time. Second, sample and longitudinal data were used to examine the accuracy of partners’ comparisons. Consistent with predictions, social comparisons were associated with actual standing within the sample, whereas temporal comparisons were not associated with actual change over time.

Using Dialogic Reading as Professional Development to Improve Students’ English and Spanish Vocabulary

Professional development was conducted to assess the effects of dialogic reading (DR) on child outcomes related to vocabulary development in English and Spanish. Six teachers and 72 children enrolled in a state-funded public universal prekindergarten program, partnering with higher education, participated in the study. The content of the professional development consisted of research-based DR strategies and vocabulary for English-only, bilingual, and Spanish-dominant speakers. The format included in-service training workshops, consultations, and reflections within community of practice meetings. The results showed that the intervention led to an increase in vocabulary over time within and across language groups. Regardless of teacher experience and educational training, vocabulary for all prekindergarten children improved. Suggestions are offered for replicating DR techniques in early care and development settings. Findings add to the importance of providing instruction in vocabulary for low socioeconomic...

Implementing Dialogic Reading with Culturally, Linguistically Diverse Preschool Children

The purpose of this research-to-practice article is to describe dialogic reading (DR) as a professional development intervention that took place in a state-funded public universal prekindergarten program, partnering with a university. Our goals were to use a research-based literacy program to measure child outcomes related to vocabulary development in English and Spanish. Through our professional development, faculty at our university provided in-service workshops, consultations, and reflections within community of practice meetings. Children varied in their home language experiences and we used a few data sources to provide insights about childrens home language abilities. We categorized childrens language exposure as English only, bilingual, and Spanish dominant. Teachers’ fidelity of implementation of weekly DR lessons learned during in-service training was monitored by university faculty. Practical implications of the findings to replicate this research with diverse populations are provided for earl...

The effect of bilingual instruction and play on preschoolers' English proficiency

This study seeks to demonstrate the benefits of bilingual instruction, story drama, and play with low-income preschool children. Sixty-five percent of the children in the study were dual language learners (DLLs). The investigation took place in a state-funded, public, universal prekindergarten program implementing Tools of the Mind (Tools), a Vygotskian play-based curriculum. Teachers read aloud fairy tales twice a week. Children in three classrooms were exposed to one of three read-aloud conditions: English-only, bilingual and no play, or bilingual and play. The results indicated that the classroom that provided bilingual instruction and play had significantly higher English proficiency and story recall scores than either of the other two classrooms. Providing opportunities to play and reenact fairy tales seemed to have positive effects on English proficiency and story recall for low-income preschool children.

Breaking it is one thing, fixing it is another: Responsibility attributions and support for the U.S. Presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court

Abstract When do attributions of responsibility predict support for governmental institutions? Data from an online survey of 508 United States citizens examining attributions for their most salient national problem revealed associations between attributions and evaluations of the Presidency, Supreme Court, and Congress. With respect to the Presidency, causal attributions were related to more negative evaluations, while resolution attributions were related to more positive evaluations. This was especially true for conservative participants. With respect to the Supreme Court, causal attributions were related to more negative evaluations. With respect to Congress, there was an association between causal attributions and negative evaluations, but only for those with a low level of resolution attributions. Results are discussed in terms of the political climate and differences in institutional expectations.