Effects of behavioural exchanges and cognitions on the relationship satisfaction of dating and married persons.

Abstract
The present study investigated (a) the independent and joint contributions of cognitive appraisals and behavioural exchanges to relationship satisfaction, and (b) whether relationship stage affected behavioural exchanges and/or cognitions. Subjects were 44 dating and 64 married individuals. Subjects completed four self-report inventories and provided demographic information yielding three demographic, three behavioural and five cognitive predictors, as well as a measure of relationship satisfaction. The behavioural and cognitive predictor sets each contributed uniquely to the prediction of relationship satisfaction, regardless of which set was entered first. Further, there was a significant interaction between the behavioural and cognitive sets, indicating that each set of predictors mediated the impact of the other set on relationship satisfaction. Relationship stage did not affect the relationship between any of the sets of predictors and relationship satisfaction. Respondents who had been in relationships longer reported engaging in fewer activities and experiencing less pleasure from those activities and had a smaller discrepancy between the actual and desired number of activities. These results are interpreted within the cognitive-behavioural model of relationship satisfaction and relationship change.

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