Consequences of Participating in a Longitudinal Study of Marriage

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Abstract
The possibility that survey research methods, particularly those used in longitudinal studies, can effect enduring changes in attitudes or behavior among respondents was explored using data from a 4-year study of black and white newlyweds. Randomly selected couples in first marriages were assigned to either a relatively large study group or a smaller control group, with the former receiving more frequent and more intense interviewing over the study period. Some evidence is found that participating in the panel procedures has consequences for the experience of marital well-being. Compared to the control group, the study group had significantly higher variance in their reported marital satisfaction in the second year of marriage, reflecting the fact that a greater number of study group respondents reported low satisfaction. By the fourth year, however, the marriages of the study group couples appeared to be better adjusted on several dimensions of marital quality.

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