Sex Difference in Response to Sexual and Emotional Infidelity and the Influence of Attachment Style

Document Type:Lab Report

Subject Area:Statistics

Document 1

The study was conducted using a sample of 79 men and 213 women. The subjects were provided with several questions that tested on their feelings against emotional infidelity, sexual infidelity, sex/gender, and attachment style. The outcome of the study supported several results from previous research. Our results showed that most males found sexual infidelity more upsetting while most women found emotional infidelity more upsetting. Keywords: Jealousy, Infidelity, Emotional infidelity, Sexual infidelity, Sex difference, Attachment styles. According to this theory, males and females faced different adaptive challenges, which led to the development of different jealousy systems. The challenge for females was to ensure their partner remained invested in their offspring to help maximize their chances of survival. Thus, females developed a jealousy system that is most sensitive to their partner forming an emotional attachment to another person.

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For males, the challenge was to ensure they were indeed the biological father of any child they invested in. Evolutionary, it would be pointless to invest their energies in raising a child that was not genetically related. H3. There is a significant difference between the attachment styles and the type of infidelity between sexual infidelity and emotional infidelity they find most upsetting. Preoccupied, secure, and fearful attachment styles of attachment are more upset by emotional infidelity while dismissive attachment style is more upset by sexual infidelity (Levy & Kelly, 2010; Treger & Sprecher 2010). H4. The sex difference of either type of infidelity perceived as most upsetting is different across all attachment styles or more pronounced in different attachment styles compared to others. ) The dependent variable in this research was how upsetting each type of infidelity was imagined to be.

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This was measured with a binary choice measure in which you were asked to choose which of the two scenarios you would find most upsetting. Henceforth, the key variables in this study will be labeled as follows: Binary: This was the dependent variable. This variable codes whether a participant chose sexual or emotional infidelity as most upsetting; 1 = sexual, 2 = emotional. Participant_Sex: This was an independent variable. Attachment style We also measured attachment style using the general form of the ECR scale (Brennan, Clark & Shaver, 1998). Based on their responses, participants were categorized into Bartholomew and Horrowitz’s (1991) four categories of attachment style (Secure, Preoccupied, Dismissive, Fearful), by dichotomizing the anxiety and avoidance dimensions by median split. Participants were categorized into one of the four attachment styles based on whether they were high or low on anxiety and avoidance, as follows: Secure = Low anxiety, low avoidance.

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Preoccupied = High anxiety, low avoidance. Dismissive = Low anxiety, high avoidance. ) Participants who consented to take part then provided demographic information and indicated their sexual orientation and relationship status. They then viewed the sexual and emotional jealousy scenarios. (The order in which the scenarios were presented to participants was counterbalanced. ) Participants offered continuous ratings of their responses to the scenarios immediately after the presentation of each scenario after which they were asked to make a binary choice about which scenario they found most upsetting. All participants completed the study procedures independently, and they were presented with a debriefing screen at the completion of the study. g. , rewards). You should ignore these; do not mention them in your lab report. The only variables you need to describe are those central to our study – i.

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e. , 1992; Bendixen et al. The results show a significant association between gender and type of infidelity X2(1) = 20. 108, p<0. In the analysis of the frequency of attachment within gender, our results table 4 to 6, revealed that most men had a secure attachment style at 29. 9% compared to the other styles while most women had a fearful attachment style compared to the other three style. 9% respectively. The result from this hypothesis test was not significant X2(3) = 5. 887, p=0. Sex difference of either type of infidelity results showed some differences between the expected results and the results that we got. Using table 10 to 12 on secure attachment style, revealed that men with this attachment style were more upset with sexual infidelity (69. 2% and 52. 7% respectively. This test is however not significant X2(1) = 1.

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162, p=0. In the case of fearful attachment style presented in table 19 to 21, most men are more upset by sexual infidelity (71. The results on the relationship between infidelity and attachment style indicated that individuals with secure and fearful attachment style were more upset with emotional infidelity while dismissive and preoccupied attachment styles were more upset with sexual infidelity. This finding did not fully agree with the previous research indicating preoccupied, secure, and fearful attachment styles of attachment are more upset by emotional infidelity while dismissive attachment style is more upset by sexual infidelity (Levy & Kelly, 2010). The results of sex difference and either type of infidelity showed an agreement in some variables while some did not agree with previous research results. The results of secure and preoccupied attachment style showed men were more upset with sexual infidelity while women were more upset with emotional infidelity while fearful attachment style, men most men are more upset by sexual infidelity and most women are upset by emotional infidelity.

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This is in violation of the research performed by Levy and Kelly (2010). E. O. , Kaasa, H. , Isaksen, L. , Pedersen, L. J. , Westen, D. , & Semmelroth, J. Sex differences in jealousy: Evolution, physiology, and psychology.  Psychological Science, 3(4), 251-255. Levy, K. N. , & Kelly, K. M. Sex differences in jealousy: A contribution from attachment theory. S. Goodman (Eds. ), Dynamics of Romantic Love: Attachment, Caregiving, and Sex, pp. London: Guildford Press. Simpson, J. The Influences of Sociosexuality and Attachment Style on Reactions to Emotional Versus Sexual Infidelity.  Journal Of Sex Research, 48(5), 413-422. doi: 10. 516845 Whitty MT, Quigley L. Emotional and sexual infidelity offline and in cyberspace. (1-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 20. 108a 1. 000 Continuity Correctionb 18. 000 Likelihood Ratio 20. 000 Fisher's Exact Test. 0% % within Attachment style 70. 9% Total Count 77 64 68 83 292 % within Sex 26. 0% % within Attachment style 100.

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0% Table 6 Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymptotic Significance (2-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 3. 568a 3. 282 N of Valid Cases 290 a. 0 cells (0. 0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 31. Table 8 Case Processing Summary Cases Valid Missing Total N Percent N Percent N Percent If you had to choose, which of the two scenarios you read about would you find most upsetting? * Attachment style 290 99. 9% Female Count 22 32 54 % within Sex 40. 0% % within If you had to choose, which of the two scenarios you read about would you find most upsetting? 57. 1% Total Count 38 39 77 % within Sex 49. 0% % within If you had to choose, which of the two scenarios you read about would you find most upsetting? 100. 0% a. 0 cells (0. 0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 11. c. Computed only for a 2x2 table Table 4.

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(2-sided) Exact Sig. (1-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 5. 260b 1. 022 Continuity Correctionc 4. 043 Likelihood Ratio 5. Attachment style = preoccupied Table 17 Sex * If you had to choose, which of the two scenarios you read about would you find most upsetting? Crosstabulationa If you had to choose, which of the two scenarios you read about would you find most upsetting? Total sexual infidelity emotional infidelity Sex Male Count 9 4 13 % within Sex 69. 0% % within If you had to choose, which of the two scenarios you read about would you find most upsetting? 23. 1% Female Count 29 26 55 % within Sex 52. 0% % within If you had to choose, which of the two scenarios you read about would you find most upsetting? 76. 9% Total Count 38 30 68 % within Sex 55. 285 N of Valid Cases 68 a. Attachment style = preoccupied b. 0 cells (0. 0%) have expected count less than 5.

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