Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Graham, Steven

Keywords

Relationships, Communication, Technology, Intimacy, Happiness

Area of Concentration

Psychology

Abstract

Past research has explored how different modes of communication are associated with various relationship variables with mixed results; some studies have shown that more frequent communication leads to happier relationships, yet others have suggested that relying too much on technology can be detrimental. The majority of studies, however, have only used undergraduate participants and in doing so have ignored older age groups who have been found to utilize communication technology in different ways and to different degrees. The current study investigates how frequently people of all ages use various modes of communication in their relationships, and in turn how this relates to relationship satisfaction and intimacy. Participants (N = 152) were recruited from a Facebook advertisement, an online student forum, and from two coffee shops. Results showed that older individuals used texting, instant messaging, video chat, and social networking less often, and email more often, than younger individuals. Satisfaction was positively related to frequency of face-to-face interaction and voice calls, and intimacy was positively related to frequency of voice calls and texting, providing partial support for hypotheses. Participants who reported being in a long-distance relationship reported using nearly every communication technology more frequently. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

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