Article Version of Record

Naive realism in the unmarried cohabitation controversy in the United States

Author(s) / Creator(s)

McCracken, Andrea A.
McGlone, Matthew S.

Abstract / Description

We explored the role of “naïve realism” in perceptions of attitudinal differences between proponents and opponents of unmarried cohabitation (UC) in the United States. Participants were presented with UC vignettes, asked to describe their own impressions of the couple in each scenario, and then to speculate about the impressions of the typical UC proponent and opponent. A comparison of these impressions yielded a pattern of false polarization in their perceptions, such that partisans’ self-reported sympathy was reliably more similar than the degree of sympathy either side attributed to the other. Partisans also exhibited egocentric bias regarding the basis for each side’s stances on UC. The relevance of this misperception and faulty assumptions toward the resolution of the debate over unmarried cohabitation is discussed.

Keyword(s)

naive realism cohabitation conflict perception attributions

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2016-06-30

Journal title

Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships

Volume

10

Issue

1

Page numbers

36–55

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

McCracken, A. A., & McGlone, M. S. (2016). Naive realism in the unmarried cohabitation controversy in the United States. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 10(1), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v10i1.202
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    McCracken, Andrea A.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    McGlone, Matthew S.
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-12-05T08:44:14Z
  • Made available on
    2018-12-05T08:44:14Z
  • Date of first publication
    2016-06-30
  • Abstract / Description
    We explored the role of “naïve realism” in perceptions of attitudinal differences between proponents and opponents of unmarried cohabitation (UC) in the United States. Participants were presented with UC vignettes, asked to describe their own impressions of the couple in each scenario, and then to speculate about the impressions of the typical UC proponent and opponent. A comparison of these impressions yielded a pattern of false polarization in their perceptions, such that partisans’ self-reported sympathy was reliably more similar than the degree of sympathy either side attributed to the other. Partisans also exhibited egocentric bias regarding the basis for each side’s stances on UC. The relevance of this misperception and faulty assumptions toward the resolution of the debate over unmarried cohabitation is discussed.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    McCracken, A. A., & McGlone, M. S. (2016). Naive realism in the unmarried cohabitation controversy in the United States. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 10(1), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v10i1.202
    en_US
  • ISSN
    1981-6472
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1739
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2105
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v10i1.202
  • Keyword(s)
    naive realism
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    cohabitation
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    conflict
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    perception
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    attributions
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Naive realism in the unmarried cohabitation controversy in the United States
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    1
  • Journal title
    Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships
  • Page numbers
    36–55
  • Volume
    10
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record