VIP - Variation in Information Processing in Romantic Partnerships​

Project by Christine Finn, Kristin Mitte & Franz J. Neyer

The Project

Engaging in a romantic relationship may have positive effects on personality development of young adults, e.g., an increase in emotional stability (Neyer & Lehnart, 2007). The scope of the VIP project is to explore how this type of personality maturation may be reflected in personality-congruent information processing. New assessment instruments will be developed to measure the processing of both relationship-specific and general everyday life information. In order to investigate the variation and possible changes in individual cognitive processing, both members of romantic couples will be assessed several times over a 1-year period. This longitudinal dyadic design will enable us to investigate the interplay of the characteristics of each partner and the dyadic relationship with regard to personality
development of both partners.

Publications

Finn, C., Mitte, K. & Neyer, F. J. (2015). Recent decreases in specific interpretation biases predict decreases in neuroticism: Evidence from a longitudinal study with young adult couples, Journal of Personality, 83, 274-286. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12102External link

Finn, C., Mitte, K. & Neyer, F. J. (2013). The Relationship-Specific Interpretation Bias Mediates the Link Between Neuroticism and Satisfaction in Couples. European Journal of Personality, 27, 200-212. doi: 10.1002/per.1862