The impact of extradyadic relationship participation on trust and cooperation
The purpose of this project was to examine the relationship between extradyadic behavior (EDB) and its behavioral economic and moral correlates. Literature on extradyadic behavior currently depends on self-report data which may lead to bias in reports. Due to the high prevalence of EDB and EDB’s negative impact on romantic relationships, many mental health professionals have patients who have engaged in or been victims of EDB. No studies to date have evaluated the behavioral economic or moral correlates of EDB. This study selected measures of relationship history, personality, moral beliefs, and behavioral economic games (i.e., The Prisoner’s Dilemma, The Trust Game) which were administered over videoconferencing. Performance on moral belief measures and behavioral economic games were compared between Midwestern University students who reported history of EDB and students who denied history of EDB. This study also explored whether performance on behavioral games differed between students who reported being a victim of EDB compared to students who denied victimhood. The results of this study found that performance on behavioral games did not differ based on history of EDB engagement or victimhood of EDB. There was also no significant relationship between moral beliefs and EDB engagement. Based on these findings, it will be important for future studies to address limitations of this study, including unexpected low self-report of EDB engagement and high levels of cooperation. It will also be important to explore other correlates of EDB engagement
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