Assignment 7

1. According to Skolnick: How did attitudes toward marriage change dramatically from 1950 to the 1970s?
--In the 1950s, people judged themselves, and their partners in terms of how well the partners fulfilled their social roles in marriage. For example: Is he a good provider? Is she a good homemaker? By the 1970s people had become more psychologically oriented, seeking emotional warmth and intimacy in marriage.

2. According to Skolnick: Why did this change occur?
-- The shift is linked to higher educational levels. In the 1950s, the psychological approach to relationships was found among the relatively few Americans who had been to college.

3. Describe two methods used during the 1970s and beyond that improved research on marital satisfaction.
-- Two methods that improved marital satisfaction in the 1970s are video taping and viewing through one way mirrors. One way mirrors made it possible for psychologists, clinicians, and social scientists to observe interaction between partners without the subjects knowing. Video taping made it possible to preserve these interactions between partners for later data analysis.

4. What does Skolnick mean by the caption "Marriage is a Movie not a snapshot?" How does that idea relate to how we can best study families?
--What Skolnick meant by "Marriage is a Movie not a snapshot" is you cannot observe a marriage in one day and be able to make a proper statement. Each day brings something different in a relationship. There are factors from day to day which could cause change in behavior. Families can be best studied through years of study. You need a longitudinal study to have accurate data on family life.