TY - JOUR
T1 - Partner influence and in-phase versus anti-phase physiological linkage in romantic couples
AU - Reed, Rebecca G.
AU - Randall, Ashley
AU - Post, Jessica H.
AU - Butler, Emily A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families, in the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences at The University of Arizona . Information about the Frances McClelland Institute is available at: http://McClellandInstitute.arizona.edu .
Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2013/6
Y1 - 2013/6
N2 - Between-partner physiological linkage can be in-phase (changes in unison), or anti-phase (changes in opposite directions). In the context of conversation we predicted that in-phase linkage would occur when partners exert strong influence on each other; anti-phase linkage would occur due to the behavioral coordination of turn taking. To test this, blood pressure, inter-beat interval, and skin conductance were recorded from 44 heterosexual couples while they discussed how they influence each other's health-related behaviors. Partner influence was assessed in two ways: 1) partners' global perceptions of how they try to influence each other's health; and 2) behavioral manifestations of influence, specifically demand-withdraw behavior. As predicted, both measures of partner influence moderated physiological linkage of blood pressure such that at low levels of influence linkage was "anti-phase" and at high levels linkage was "in-phase." Several alternative hypotheses were ruled out; the effects were not due to relationship conflict, emotional experience, or simply the pattern of blood pressure over time. These results suggest that partner influence may be driving physiological linkage, which may be one avenue through which partners can affect each other's health.
AB - Between-partner physiological linkage can be in-phase (changes in unison), or anti-phase (changes in opposite directions). In the context of conversation we predicted that in-phase linkage would occur when partners exert strong influence on each other; anti-phase linkage would occur due to the behavioral coordination of turn taking. To test this, blood pressure, inter-beat interval, and skin conductance were recorded from 44 heterosexual couples while they discussed how they influence each other's health-related behaviors. Partner influence was assessed in two ways: 1) partners' global perceptions of how they try to influence each other's health; and 2) behavioral manifestations of influence, specifically demand-withdraw behavior. As predicted, both measures of partner influence moderated physiological linkage of blood pressure such that at low levels of influence linkage was "anti-phase" and at high levels linkage was "in-phase." Several alternative hypotheses were ruled out; the effects were not due to relationship conflict, emotional experience, or simply the pattern of blood pressure over time. These results suggest that partner influence may be driving physiological linkage, which may be one avenue through which partners can affect each other's health.
KW - Demand-withdraw
KW - Health
KW - Influence
KW - Physiological linkage
KW - Romantic relationships
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84884140321&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.08.009
DO - 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.08.009
M3 - Article
C2 - 22922526
AN - SCOPUS:84884140321
SN - 0167-8760
VL - 88
SP - 309
EP - 316
JO - International Journal of Psychophysiology
JF - International Journal of Psychophysiology
IS - 3
ER -