Psychology 3724F 001 FW24

The Science of Romantic Relationships

WESTERN UNIVERSITY 

LONDON               CANADA 

Department of Psychology 

2024-2025 

 

Psychology 3724F   Section 001 

The Science of Romantic Relationships 

 

 

  1. 1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION 

 

This course provides an overview of the field of intimate relationships. Current empirical research is emphasized. Topics include theoretical perspectives on intimate relationships (e.g., social psychological theory, evolutionary and life histories theory), interpersonal attraction, love, sexuality, communication within relationships, and various relationship challenges (conflict, violence, power, loss, etc.). 

 

Antirequisites: Psychology 3726F/G, 3790G if taken in 2012/13 

 

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course. 

 

Prerequisites:  

Both Psychology 2801F/G (or one of Health Sciences 2801A/B, Psychology 2840F/G, Psychology 2855F/G) and Psychology 2811A/B (or one of Biology 2244A/B, Economics 2122A/B, Economics 2222A/B, Geography 2210A/B, Health Sciences 3801A/B, MOS 2242A/B, Psychology 2830A/B, Psychology 2850A/B, Sociology 2205A/B, Statistical Sciences 2035, Statistical Sciences 2141A/B, Statistical Sciences 2143A/B, Statistical Sciences 2244A/B, Statistical Sciences 2858A/B, the former Social Work 2207A/B), or the former Psychology 2820E, or both the former Psychology 2800E and the former Psychology 2810. 

 

2 lecture hours, 1 tutorial hour, 0.5 course 

 

Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites. 

 

 

2.0 COURSE INFORMATION 

 

Instructor: Lorne Campbell  

Office:  see Brightspace 

Group Office Hours: see Brightspace

 

Email: lcampb23@uwo.ca  

 

Teaching Assistants:  

 

  • Somer Schaffer (sschaff4@uwo.ca) 
  • Sara Moazami (smoazam4@uwo.ca)  

 

Time and Location of Classes and Labs:  See Student Centre or Brightspace for Timetable

  

3.0 TEXTBOOK 

 

There is not textbook for this class. I have assigned readings for each week/topic that are available online.  

 

Optional textbook: Fletcher, G.J.O., Simpson, J.A., Campbell, L., & Overall, N. (2019). The science of intimate relationships (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.  

ISBN: 978-1-119-43004-9 

 

4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES 

 

The purpose of this course is to develop a thorough understanding of the psychology of romantic, intimate relationships. The topics include interpersonal attraction, relationship maintenance, and relationship dissolution. The objectives are to be aware of current theory and research regarding different facets of intimate relationships, and critically evaluate this literature. 

 

Lectures are intended to complement and elaborate upon the readings. Given that weekly readings are focused more narrowly on a particular research topic, material that is not in the readings will be presented each week during lecture. Weekly slides presented at lectures will be posted in advance on the course website. If you wish, you can print copies of the slides, bring them to class, and use them as a framework for taking notes.  

Discussion during lecture time is encouraged, so please feel free to ask questions at any point and to offer your thoughts about issues raised in the lectures.  

Tutorial/laboratory meetings will focus on specific aspects of the week’s topic. Sometimes the lab will involve watching a video and discussing it afterwards, sometimes the lab will expose students to concrete elements of a research topic (e.g., different perspectives on gender differences in interpersonal attraction), and sometimes the lab will involve discussion of a pertinent topic. Tutorial/lab sections are limited to 25 students per section. 

 

Learning Outcome 

Learning Activity 

Assessment 

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge 

 

Describe , identify and explain the evolutionary, personal, interpersonal, and developmental factors that influence thoughts, feelings and behaviors of partners in romantic relationships 

 

 

Lecture; Class discussions; Textbook/Readings 

 

 

Exams, Tutorial participation 

Application of Knowledge 

 

Articulate the above concepts when critically evaluating research and building persuasive arguments in this area 

 

 

Lecture; Class discussions; Textbook/Readings 

 

 

Exams, Tutorial participation 

Application of Methodologies 

 

Explain how personal, situational, and relationship factors apply to the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of partners in romantic relationships 

 

 

Lecture; Class discussions; Textbook/Readings 

 

 

Exams, Tutorial participation 

Communication Skills 

 

Communicate ideas clearly and concisely, in language accessible to intelligent non-experts (oral and written formats) 

 

 

Lecture; Class discussions; Textbook/Readings, paper 

 

 

Exams, Tutorial participation, paper 

Awareness of Limits of Knowledge 

 

Describe and explain the limits of research conclusions in the context of methodological practices within the field 

 

 

 

Lecture; Class discussions; Textbook/Readings 

 

 

 

Exams, Tutorial participation 

Autonomy and Professional Capacity 

 

Develop the ability to critique others’ writing politely and professionally 

 

 

 

Lecture; Class discussions 

 

 

 

Exams, Tutorial participation 

 

 

5.0 EVALUATION 

 

The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4.0 and are considered necessary for meeting these learning objectives. 

Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%. 

This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty. 

The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages: 

70% 1000-level to 2099-level courses 

72% 2100-2999-level courses 

75% 3000-level courses 

80% 4000-level courses 

 

In the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components. 

 

Policy on Grade Rounding 

 

Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. 

 

6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE 

 

The two exams (Midterm Exam and Final Exam) will contain both multiple choice and essay questions. Material for the exams will be taken from weekly lectures AS WELL as weekly tutorials. The final exam is NOT cumulative. You will have a maximum of 2 hours to complete each exam. Each exam is worth 35% of the final grade.   

 

MIDTERM TEST: October 29 (in class during class time) 

 

FINAL EXAM:      TBA (during exam schedule) 

 

Make-Up Exams: Tests must be written during the scheduled timeframe unless you have a legitimate excuse recognized by the university administration. Valid reasons include medical or compassionate reasons, and must be substantiated by proper documentation (e.g., a medical certificate, which will be verified by the Office of the Dean). A student who misses a regularly scheduled exam for other reasons, or who cannot justify a claim, will be assigned a 0 for the exam.   

 

Paper: 

 

The paper (worth 30%) will be a 10-page double-spaced paper of text (minimum 2500 words of text, maximum 3725 of text), plus title page, references, and tables (if any). Please use Times New Roman font, size 12, with margins of 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all four sides (left, right, top, bottom). 

The paper is due on the date of the last lecture via the assignment tab on OWL. Essays that are late will be penalized 1 mark (out of 30) every 2 days. Further instructions regarding electronic submission will be provided.  

For the paper you will (a) identify at least 3 research articles in reputable academic journals on a topic of interests, (b) develop a thorough understanding of the ideas, methods, and results of this body of research, (c) and write a “popular press” article that conveys the information in a way that accurately represents the research but can be understood by someone without a science background. Essentially, I am asking you to become a science writer. For context, here is a link to my favorite science writer: https://ed-yong.squarespace.com/writing/. More information will be provided in class and tutorials.  

7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE 

 

**No Lab/Tutorial the week of September 2nd  

 

Week of September 9 

Lecture 1  Organizational lecture; Introduction to the study of intimate relationships 

Readings: The Greening of Relationship Science by Ellen Berscheid (DOI:  

https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.4.260) 

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: Introductory session 

 

Week of September 16 

Lecture 2 Relationship Science—Key theories and concepts 

Readings: Steps Toward the Ripening of Relationship Science by Harry Reis      (DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2006.00139.x) 

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: The study of relationships from a scientific perspective assignments; Levels of explanation for human behaviour 

 

Week of September 23 

Lecture 3 The relationship mind 

Readings: Social Cognition in Relationships: Building Essential Bridges Between Two Literatures by Harry Reis et al. (DOI: 10.1521/soco.1999.17.2.97)   

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: Implicit and explicit processes in relationships  

 

Week of September 30 

Lecture 4 The relationship body  

Readings: Men in Committed, Romantic Relationships have Lower Testosterone by T.C. Burnham et al. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0018-506X(03)00125-9)   

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: Distress and eustress in relationships 

 

Week of October 7  

Lecture 5 Beyond thinking of romantic relationships only as two people 

Readings: Beyond the Dyad: A Review of the Novel Insights Gained from Studying Consensual Non-Monogamy, by Rhonda Balzarini & Amy Muise (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-020-00297-x 

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: “Mixed” Relationships 

 

Week of October 14 

No Class—Fall reading week  

 

 

Week of October 21 

Lecture 6 Interpersonal attraction 

Readings: No reading this week—too many to choose from!   

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: Culture and attraction  

 

 

Week of October 28  

Lecture 7 Midterm Test (in class, during class time) 

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: No lab 

 

  

Week of November 4  

Lecture 8 Love and commitment 

Readings: Love and the Commitment Problem in Romantic Relations and Friendship by Gian Gonzaga et al. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.81.2.247  

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: Same-sex relationships  

 

Week of November 11 

Lecture 9 Understanding each other’s minds 

Readings: Working Models of Attachment and Attribution Processes in Intimate Relationships by Nancy Collins et al. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205280907 

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: Assessing empathic accuracy 

 

Week of November 18 

Lecture 10 Communication and interaction 

Readings: What Type of Communication During Conflict is Beneficial for Intimate Relationships?, by Nickola Overall & James McNulty (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.03.002 

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: Body language 

 

Week of November 25 

Lecture 11 Sex and passion 

Readings: Sexual Frequency Predicts Greater Well-Being, But More is Not Always Better, by Amy Muise et al. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550615616462 

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: Sexual and relationship satisfaction 

 

Week of December 2 

Lecture 12 The Dark side of relationships: Relationship Violence; Relationship Dissolution 

Readings: Using I3 Theory to Clarify when Dispositional Aggressiveness Predicts Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration, by Eli Finkel et al. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025651 

 

Lab/Tutorial topic: Staying in bad relationships 

 

TBA Final Exam (During final exam period) 

 

 

8 Academic Integrity  

 

Scholastic offences are taken seriously, and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf. 

Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University. 

Plagiarism Detection Software 

 

All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism.  All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com. 

Use of AI 

 

The use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to produce written work is not permitted unless permission is granted by the instructor for specific circumstances. Any work submitted must be the work of the student in its entirety unless otherwise disclosed. When used, AI tools should be used ethically and responsibly, and students must cite or credit the tools used in line with the expectation to use AI as a tool to learn, not to produce content. 

Multiple Choice Exams  

 

Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating. 

Exam Proctoring Software 

 

Tests and examinations for online courses may be conducted using a remote proctoring service. More information about this remote proctoring service, including technical requirements, is available on Western’s Remote  

Proctoring website at: https://remoteproctoring.uwo.ca. 

Personal Response Systems (“Clickers”) 

 

In classes that involve the use of a personal response system, data collected will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. 

9 Academic Accommodations and Accessible Education 

View Western’s policy on academic accommodations for student with disabilities at this link. 

Accessible Education provides supports and services to students with disabilities at Western. 

If you think you may qualify for ongoing accommodation that will be recognized in all your courses, visit Accessible Education for more information.  Email: aew@uwo.ca  Phone: 519 661-2147 

10 Absence & Academic Consideration 

View Western’s policy on academic consideration for medical illnesses this link 

Find your academic counsellor here: https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/faculty_academic_counselling.html 

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain academic considerations. Students must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence. 

Medical Absences 

 

Submit a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for Academic Consideration. 

Nonmedical Absences 

 

Submit appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate. 

Religious Consideration 

 

Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term. 

 

11 Other Information  

 

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness@Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help. 

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you.  

If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf. Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal in writing to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca). 

Copyright Statement  

 

Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent. 

12 Land Acknowledgement 

 

We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton. Nations, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of our society.