Flashcards
virtual relationships
Cards in this deck (19)
- 1What are virtual relationships?Relationships that are conducted using the medium of technology. Referred to as Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)
- 2What are some examples of mediums used in virtual relationships?Facebook, Instagram, online dating sites such as match.com, gaming
- 3What is self disclosure?Revealing personal information about yourself e.g. your aspirations, experiences, thoughts and fears.
- 4Why might we disclose more through CMC?- anonymity
- they don't know your friends
- you have time to think about what to say
- less embarrassment - 5Why might we disclose less in CMC?fear of ridicule
- 6What does the reduced cues theory suggest about disclosure?We disclose less in virtual relationships as we are de-individuated, so we communicate in a way that is more impersonal and sometimes aggressive. This leads to reluctance (in others) to self disclose.
- 7According to the reduced cues theory, are virtual relationships more or less intimate than face to face ones?Less
- 8Who came up with the Hyper-personal model?Walther
- 9What does the hyper personal model argue about virtual relationship?Virtual relationships can be more personal and have higher levels of self disclosure. This is because the sender has more time to construct their message, meaning it is easier to manipulate the message in a way that promotes intimacy and presents a positive and idealised self image. Therefore, with CMC, we have a tendency to be 'hyper-dishonest'- Walther calls this selective self preservation
- 10Who came up with the boom and bust phenomenon?Cooper and Sportolari
- 11What does the boom and bust phenomenon suggest about virtual relationships?People reveal more about themselves earlier in than in face to face interactions, meaning the relationships get very intense very quickly (boom). However, because of the lack of underlying trust and knowledge of the person, the relationships are hard to sustain and therefore burn out just as fast (bust).
- 12What are 'gates'?Obstacles that stop you attracting a partner.
- 13What are the three types of gates?Visual gates e.g. visual unattractiveness
Non-verbal gates e.g. speech impediment
Psychological gates e.g. social anxiety - 14What does Mckenna argue is a huge advantage of virtual relationships?Absence of gating is a huge advantage as it allows the relationship to get off the ground. Absence of gating refocuses the attention on self-disclosure and away from superficial features.
- 15What can absence of gating lead to?People creating online identities that they could never manage face to face, projecting a more socially desirable version of themselves.
- 16What is an evaluation point for self disclosure in online relationships?There is supporting evidence for self disclosure in online relationships. Whitty and Joinson found that the questions asked when online tend to be more intimate and direct. Likewise, the responses were very direct and to the point. This was in contrast to face to face conversations, which contained a lot more 'small talk'. This increases the validity of the idea that self disclosure tends to occur more in virtual relationships.
- 17What is an evaluation point for virtual relationships?There is supporting evidence for the usefulness of virtual relationships. Baker and Oswald surveyed 207 students about their shyness, facebook usage and quality of friendships. Greater use of facebook was associated with higher perceptions of friendship quality for shy people. However, facebook usage was not associated with friendship quality for people who scored low on shyness. This increases the validity of the idea that virtual relationships are effective in providing further opportunities for certain groups of people and are becoming increasingly popular in today's society.
- 18What is an evaluation point for the reduced cues theory?There are arguments against the reduced cues theory in relationships. Walther suggedted that the cues in virtual relationships are just different rather than reduced, for example the time taken to reply to a message indicates how interested someone is and the use of emojis and acrostics such as lol substitute for facial expressions. As well as this, with advancements in technology, we can now have real life 'live' interaction through the use of bitmojis and gifs. This reduces the validity of the reduced cues theory as it implies that virtual relationships can be just as personal as FtF ones.
- 19What is an evaluation point for CMC?CMC is not a single concept. For example, self disclosure may be lower if using video to communicate as there is a higher possibility that you may meet in real life. However, when there is less chance of meeting in real life, self disclosures may be higher. This reduces the validity of the reduced cues theory and the hyper-personal model as there is no blanket rule regarding the nature of self disclosure online.
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- GCSE Psychology Flashcards on virtual relationships, created by Emily Mawson on 31/08/2020.
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- Emily Mawson
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