MATCHING EFFECTS ON ATTITUDE CHANGE AND RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION AMONG ROMANTIC COUPLES

Abstract

Romantic couples often attempt to change aspects of their partners that they dislike using persuasion. Yet, little studies have focused on attitude change amongst romantic partners. This study extends current literature by examining if there is a matching effect between meta-base and message presented on attitude change and relationship satisfaction. Participants’ meta-base were assessed before being misled to believe that their partner had chosen messages pertaining to the attitude topics of Joint Finances and Working Overseas to resolve the differences that they have regarding the two topics. Regression analyses revealed that there was no significant support for a matching effect on both attitude change and relationship satisfaction. In other words, there was no increase in either attitude change or relationship satisfaction when the message presented matched the individual’s meta-base. The findings of this study imply that a simple matching effect is not enough to account for attitude change and increased relationship satisfaction within a romantic relationship, which hints at the possibility that the dynamics of a romantic relationship might result in a different persuasion process as compared to the average stranger dyad.