Date of Award
5-11-2025
Date Published
June 2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
Advisor(s)
Daniel Corral
Keywords
Causal Attribution Judgments;Causal Learning and Reasoning;Causal Structure;Romantic Relationships
Subject Categories
Cognitive Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
I report on one between-subjects experiment exploring the impact of causal structures on decisions regarding staying in relationships. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a first-person perspective or a third-person perspective. In each condition, subjects encountered several relationship scenarios that instantiated one of five distinct causal structures: (a) common cause, (b) common effect, (c) causal chain, (d) positive feedback loop, and (e) negative feedback loop. Within these scenarios, subjects were asked to make causal attribution judgments by evaluating how each event described in the scenario would influence the decision to stay in the relationship. Additionally, subjects rated their own likelihood of remaining in the relationship. Valence was manipulated as a within-subjects variable to examine how positive versus negative valence scenarios might alter subjects’ causal attributions and decisions. The results suggest that causal attribution judgments in relationships are shaped by a combination of event order, underlying causal structure, emotional valence, and narrative perspective.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Burkle, Judith Lynn, "THE ROLE OF CAUSAL STRUCTURE IN ROMANTIC STAY-LEAVE JUDGMENTS" (2025). Theses - ALL. 947.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/947
