@article{billingsley_forster_russell_smith_burnette_ohtsubo_lieberman_mccullough_2023, title={Perceptions of relationship value and exploitation risk mediate the effects of transgressors? post-harm communications upon forgiveness}, volume={44}, ISSN={["1879-0607"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2023.02.012}, DOI={10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2023.02.012}, abstractNote={Principles of adaptive design suggest that the decision-making systems tasked with regulating a victim's behavior in the wake of interpersonal harm should modulate forgiveness based at least in part on perceptions of the transgressor's relationship value and exploitation risk. We extended this framework with three experiments that tested whether conciliatory and antagonistic gestures influence forgiveness by altering these perceptions. We used an online sample from the United States (N = 1019), a laboratory sample from the United States (N = 318), and an online sample from Japan (N = 186). Across all three experiments, relationship value mediated the effect of antagonistic gestures (vs. control messages) on both behavioral and self-reported forgiveness, and exploitation risk mediated the effect of antagonistic gestures upon self-report (but not behavioral) forgiveness. For conciliatory gestures (vs. control messages), relationship value and exploitation risk emerged as significant mediators only in the American online sample.}, number={2}, journal={EVOLUTION AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Billingsley, Joseph and Forster, Daniel E. and Russell, V. Michelle and Smith, Adam and Burnette, Jeni L. and Ohtsubo, Yohsuke and Lieberman, Debra and McCullough, Michael E.}, year={2023}, month={Mar}, pages={68–79} }
 @article{kohut_dobson_balzarini_rogge_shaw_mcnulty_russell_fisher_campbell_2021, title={But What’s Your Partner Up to? Associations Between Relationship Quality and Pornography Use Depend on Contextual Patterns of Use Within the Couple}, volume={12}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.661347}, DOI={10.3389/fpsyg.2021.661347}, abstractNote={It is commonly assumed that exposure to pornography harms relationships because pornography changes the way that individuals think, feel, and behave in problematic ways. In the current research, we contribute to a small but growing body of work that challenges this assumption by carefully scrutinizing the relational context of pornography use. In contrast to dominant theoretical explanations in this field, we argue that at least some of the apparent negative “impacts” of pornography use on relationship quality may reflect partner dissimilarity in pornography use behavior rather than the consequences of exposure to such materials. Moreover, we further examine a particular type of pornography use – shared use with a partner – which previous evidence suggests may be positively associated with relationship quality. To this end, we sought to test whether dyadic patterns of pornography use, and related attributes, were associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction in two cross-sectional (N1 = 200; N3 = 207) and two longitudinal (N2 = 77; N4 = 277) samples of heterosexual couples. Across these samples, we found consistent evidence that partners who watch pornography together report higher relationship and sexual satisfaction than partners who do not, and notably, this association was not moderated by gender. Independent of this association, we also found evidence of a similarity-dissimilarity effect, such that the solitary pornography use of one partner was negatively associated with their own relationship and sexual satisfaction, but only in cases where their romantic partners used little or no pornography alone. Further consideration of several correlates of pornography use established comparable patterns of results for dissimilarity in attitudes toward pornography, erotophobia-erotophilia, sexual preferences, and sex drive. Importantly, only dissimilarity in sex drive statistically accounted for dissimilarity in solitary pornography use, suggesting that differences in sex drive may be implicated in the associations between pornography use and relationship quality. These findings demonstrate that links between pornography use and relationship health are partially a function of different dyadic patterns of pornography use within couples and do not always suggest relational harm.}, journal={Frontiers in Psychology}, publisher={Frontiers Media SA}, author={Kohut, Taylor and Dobson, Kiersten A. and Balzarini, Rhonda N. and Rogge, Ronald D. and Shaw, Amanda M. and McNulty, James K. and Russell, V. Michelle and Fisher, William A. and Campbell, Lorne}, year={2021}, month={Jul} }
 @article{burnette_hoyt_russell_lawson_dweck_finkel_2020, title={A Growth Mind-Set Intervention Improves Interest but Not Academic Performance in the Field of Computer Science}, volume={11}, ISSN={["1948-5514"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1948550619841631}, DOI={10.1177/1948550619841631}, abstractNote={We investigated whether a growth mindset intervention could be leveraged to promote performance and interest in computer science, through what mechanisms it might do so, and whether effects were stronger for women than for men. In particular, we explored whether the growth mindset intervention improved academic performance and career interest by increasing intrinsic value. We developed and tested a scalable, online, 4-session growth mindset intervention at 7 universities, across 16 introductory computer science classes ( N = 491). The intervention did not have a significant total effect on academic performance, although it indirectly improved grades via value. Additionally, the intervention, relative to the control, improved interest in the field and value also mediated this effect. Counter to expectations, the intervention worked equally well for women and men. Theoretical and practical applications are discussed.}, number={1}, journal={SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={Burnette, Jeni L. and Hoyt, Crystal L. and Russell, V. Michelle and Lawson, Barry and Dweck, Carol S. and Finkel, Eli}, year={2020}, month={Jan}, pages={107–116} }
 @article{forster_billingsley_russell_mccauley_smith_burnette_ohtsubo_schug_lieberman_mccullough_2020, title={Forgiveness Takes Place on an Attitudinal Continuum From Hostility to Friendliness: Toward a Closer Union of Forgiveness Theory and Measurement}, volume={119}, ISSN={["1939-1315"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000227}, DOI={10.1037/pspi0000227}, abstractNote={Researchers commonly conceptualize forgiveness as a rich complex of psychological changes involving attitudes, emotions, and behaviors. Psychometric work with the measures developed to capture this conceptual richness, however, often points to a simpler picture of the psychological dimensions in which forgiveness takes place. In an effort to better unite forgiveness theory and measurement, we evaluate several psychometric models for common measures of forgiveness. In doing so, we study people from the United States and Japan to understand forgiveness in both nonclose and close relationships. In addition, we assess the predictive utility of these models for several behavioral outcomes that traditionally have been linked to forgiveness motives. Finally, we use the methods of item response theory, which place person abilities and item responses on the same metric and, thus, help us draw psychological inferences from the ordering of item difficulties. Our results highlight models based on correlated factors models and bifactor (S-1) models. The bifactor (S-1) model evinced particular utility: Its general factor consistently predicts variation in relevant criterion measures, including 4 different experimental economic games (when played with a transgressor), and also suffuses a second self-report measure of forgiveness. Moreover, the general factor of the bifactor (S-1) model identifies a single psychological dimension that runs from hostility to friendliness while also pointing to other sources of variance that may be conceived of as method factors. Taken together, these results suggest that forgiveness can be usefully conceptualized as prosocial change along a single attitudinal continuum that ranges from hostility to friendliness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).}, number={4}, journal={JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Forster, Daniel E. and Billingsley, Joseph and Russell, V. Michelle and McCauley, Thomas G. and Smith, Adam and Burnette, Jeni L. and Ohtsubo, Yohsuke and Schug, Joanna and Lieberman, Debra and McCullough, Michael E.}, year={2020}, month={Oct}, pages={861–880} }
 @article{baker_kane_russell_2020, title={Romantic partners’ working memory capacity facilitates relationship problem resolution through recollection of problem-relevant information.}, volume={149}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000659}, DOI={10.1037/xge0000659}, abstractNote={Intimates often discuss the causes of, and solutions to, their relationship problems with their partners, and this information can shape partners' behavior and thus facilitate problem resolution. Partners' ability to encode and later recall such discussions should lead to greater declines in the severity of those problems. This brief report presents the results from a broader longitudinal study in which newlywed couples completed tasks assessing their working memory capacity (WMC), engaged in problem-solving discussions, recalled those discussions after a short delay, and then reported the severity of the problems discussed over the course of a year. Greater WMC among partners was associated with greater declines in the severity of a relationship problem, mediated by partners' recall of the discussion of that problem, suggesting that WMC facilitated the long-term memory encoding of the problem discussion. This study is among the first to suggest that individual differences in basic cognitive abilities may affect conversation processing and recall, and thereby close relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).}, number={3}, journal={Journal of Experimental Psychology: General}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Baker, Levi R. and Kane, Michael J. and Russell, V. Michelle}, year={2020}, month={Mar}, pages={580–584} }
 @article{orvidas_burnette_russell_2018, title={Mindsets applied to fitness: Growth beliefs predict exercise efficacy, value and frequency}, volume={36}, ISSN={["1878-5476"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.02.006}, DOI={10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.02.006}, abstractNote={Two studies examined if individuals' implicit theories, or mindsets, of fitness predict exercise behavior and whether self-efficacy and self-value mediated this relationship. Study 1 was a correlational study (n = 117) in which participants completed measures of mindsets of fitness, physical exercise self-efficacy, fitness self-value and exercising frequency. In Study 2, an experimental study (N = 314), participants were randomly assigned to read a news article portraying fitness as either malleable (growth condition) or static (fixed condition). Participants again completed measures of mindsets, physical exercise self-efficacy, and fitness self-value as well as future exercise intentions. In Study 1, mindsets of fitness predicted exercise frequency, with stronger growth mindsets positively relating to self-reports of exercise frequency. And, self-efficacy and self-value mediated this relationship. In Study 2, we successfully manipulated fitness mindsets. Self-reported growth mindsets of fitness predicted greater exercise intentions and self-efficacy and self-value mediated this relationship. However, the manipulation failed to predict exercise intentions. Study 1 provided initial support for the relationship between stronger growth mindsets of fitness and greater exercise efficacy, value and past exercise frequency. Study 2 offered experimental evidence of the potential to foster stronger growth mindsets. We discuss implications for future intervention development.}, journal={PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Orvidas, K. and Burnette, J. L. and Russell, V. M.}, year={2018}, month={May}, pages={156–161} }
 @article{russell_baker_mcnulty_overall_2018, title={“You’re forgiven, but don’t do it again!” Direct partner regulation buffers the costs of forgiveness.}, volume={32}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fam0000409}, DOI={10.1037/fam0000409}, abstractNote={Although forgiveness can have numerous benefits, it can also have a notable cost—forgiveness can allow transgressors to continue behaving in ways that can be hurtful (McNulty, 2010, 2011). Accordingly, two studies tested the prediction that the implications of forgiveness for whether the partner transgresses or fails to behave benevolently depend on whether forgivers regulate partners away from future transgressions and toward benevolent behaviors. Study 1 was an experimental study of emerging adult couples in which participants were (a) asked to report their partners’ tendencies to engage in partner-regulation behaviors, (b) led to believe their partners were either forgiving or unforgiving, and (c) given the opportunity to transgress against their partners. Study 2 was a longitudinal study of newlywed couples in which participants were (a) asked to report their tendencies to forgive their partners, (b) observed during problem-solving discussions, and then (c) asked to report their satisfaction with their partners’ considerateness every 6 months for 4 years. Both studies provided evidence that direct oppositional partner-regulation behaviors moderate the implications of forgiveness for partner behavior. Among intimates who demanded more change, forgiveness was associated with the partner transgressing less (Study 1) and compromising more (Study 2), as well as participants being more satisfied with their partners’ considerateness over time (Study 2); among intimates who demanded less change, forgiveness was associated with these outcomes in the opposite direction. These findings suggest that supplementing forgiveness with partner-regulation behaviors can help nondistressed couples avoid the undesirable outcomes and maximize desirable outcomes associated with forgiveness.}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Family Psychology}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Russell, V. Michelle and Baker, Levi R. and McNulty, James K. and Overall, Nickola C.}, year={2018}, month={Jun}, pages={435–444} }
 @article{burnette_russell_hoyt_orvidas_widman_2018, title={An online growth mindset intervention in a sample of rural adolescent girls}, volume={88}, ISSN={["2044-8279"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85048912279&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1111/bjep.12192}, abstractNote={BackgroundStudents living in rural areas of the United States exhibit lower levels of educational attainment than their suburban counterparts. Innovative interventions are needed to close this educational achievement gap.AimsWe investigated whether an online growth mindset intervention could be leveraged to promote academic outcomes.SampleWe tested the mindset intervention in a sample of 222 10th‐grade adolescent girls (M age = 15.2; 38% White, 25% Black, 29% Hispanic) from four rural, low‐income high schools in the Southeastern United States.MethodsWe conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the growth mindset intervention, relative to a sexual health programme. We used random sampling and allocation procedures to assign girls to either the mindset intervention (n = 115) or an attention‐matched control programme (n = 107). We assessed participants at pre‐test, immediate post‐test, and 4‐month follow‐up.ResultsRelative to the control condition, students assigned to the mindset intervention reported stronger growth mindsets at immediate post‐test and 4‐month follow‐up. Although the intervention did not have a total effect on academic attitudes or grades, it indirectly increased motivation to learn, learning efficacy and grades via the shifts in growth mindsets.ConclusionsResults indicate that this intervention is a promising method to encourage growth mindsets in rural adolescent girls.}, number={3}, journal={BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Burnette, Jeni L. and Russell, Michelle V. and Hoyt, Crystal L. and Orvidas, Kasey and Widman, Laura}, year={2018}, month={Sep}, pages={428–445} }
 @article{mcnulty_russell_2016, title={Forgive and Forget, or Forgive and Regret? Whether Forgiveness Leads to Less or More Offending Depends on Offender Agreeableness}, volume={42}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167216637841}, DOI={10.1177/0146167216637841}, abstractNote={ How does forgiveness predict the likelihood of reoffending? One survey study, one experiment, one 4-year longitudinal study, and one 2-week diary study examined the implications of forgiveness for reoffending in relationships. In all four studies, agreeableness interacted with partner forgiveness to predict subsequent offending; partner forgiveness was negatively associated with subsequent offending among more agreeable people but positively associated with subsequent offending among less agreeable people. Furthermore, Study 4 demonstrated a unique mechanism of each simple effect; relatively agreeable people engaged in fewer transgressions against more forgiving partners because they felt obligated to refrain from transgressing against such partners whereas relatively disagreeable people engaged in more transgressions against more forgiving partners because they perceived those partners were less easily angered. These studies indicate that completely understanding the intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences of forgiveness requires recognizing the dyadic nature of forgiveness and attending to qualities of the offender. }, number={5}, journal={Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={McNulty, James K. and Russell, V. Michelle}, year={2016}, month={May}, pages={616–631} }
 @article{russell_mcnulty_baker_meltzer_2014, title={The association between discontinuing hormonal contraceptives and wives’ marital satisfaction depends on husbands’ facial attractiveness}, volume={111}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414784111}, DOI={10.1073/pnas.1414784111}, abstractNote={Significance
          Hormonal contraceptives (HCs) are believed to suppress biological processes associated with women’s preferences for cues of partner genetic fitness, cues that may be summarized by men’s facial attractiveness. Two longitudinal studies of marriage demonstrate that wives who used HCs at relationship formation became less satisfied when they discontinued HCs if their husband had a relatively less attractive face, but more satisfied if their husband had a relatively more attractive face. Incongruency between HC use at relationship formation and current HC use was negatively associated with sexual satisfaction, regardless of husbands’ facial attractiveness. Practically, these findings suggest that discontinuing HCs may have critical unintended effects on women’s relationships. Theoretically, they indicate that evolved mating processes have implications for established relationships.}, number={48}, journal={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, publisher={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, author={Russell, V. Michelle and McNulty, James K. and Baker, Levi R. and Meltzer, Andrea L.}, year={2014}, month={Dec}, pages={17081–17086} }
 @article{russell_baker_mcnulty_2013, title={Attachment insecurity and infidelity in marriage: Do studies of dating relationships really inform us about marriage?}, volume={= {27}, number = {2}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0032118}, DOI={10.1037/a0032118}, abstractNote={Attachment theory provides a useful framework for predicting marital infidelity. However, most research has examined the association between attachment and infidelity in unmarried individuals, and we are aware of no research that has examined the role of partner attachment in predicting infidelity. In contrast to research showing that attachment anxiety is unrelated to infidelity among dating couples, 2 longitudinal studies of 207 newlywed marriages demonstrated that own and partner attachment anxiety interacted to predict marital infidelity, such that spouses were more likely to perpetrate infidelity when either they or their partner was high (vs. low) in attachment anxiety. Further, and also in contrast to research on dating couples, own attachment avoidance was unrelated to infidelity, whereas partner attachment avoidance was negatively associated with infidelity, indicating that spouses were less likely to perpetrate infidelity when their partner was high (vs. low) in attachment avoidance. These effects emerged controlling for marital satisfaction, sexual frequency, and personality; did not differ across husbands and wives; and did not differ across the two studies, with the exception that the negative association between partner attachment avoidance and own infidelity only emerged in 1 of the 2 studies. These findings offer a more complete understanding of the implications of attachment insecurity for marital infidelity and suggest that studies of unmarried individuals may not provide complete insights into the implications of various psychological traits and processes for marriage.}, journal={Journal of Family Psychology}, author={Russell, V. Michelle and Baker, Levi R. and McNulty, James K.}, year={2013}, pages={242–251 ,} }
 @inbook{wenner_russell_mcnulty_2010, title={Attitudes toward unconventional sex scale}, url={https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=gUnbAAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA80&dq=info:Bvm2YvG6V7QJ:scholar.google.com&ots=Ku78Mr9ofv&sig=v-Qbw_YbHb2swIiVhcJdm94UEus#v=onepage&q&f=false}, note={Handbook of sexuality-related measures, 80.}, booktitle={Handbook of sexuality-related measures}, author={Wenner, C.A. and Russell, V.M. and McNulty, J.K.}, year={2010} }
 @article{russell_mcnulty_2011, title={Frequent Sex Protects Intimates From the Negative Implications of Their Neuroticism}, volume={2}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1948550610387162}, DOI={10.1177/1948550610387162}, abstractNote={ A robust literature indicates that neuroticism has numerous negative implications for romantic relationships. But are there factors that can protect intimates from such implications? Given that negative affect accounts for part of the association between neuroticism and relationship distress, and given that the positive affect associated with sex may negate that negative affect, the authors predicted that sexual frequency would moderate the association between neuroticism and relationship satisfaction. A total of 72 newlywed couples reported their marital satisfaction and sexual frequency up to seven times over the first 4 years of marriage. Consistent with predictions, a lagged multilevel analysis revealed that although neuroticism was negatively associated with marital satisfaction on average, it was unrelated to marital satisfaction when couples had engaged in relatively frequent sex over the past 6 months. These findings join others in highlighting the importance of attending to the broader context of the relationship to developing a complete understanding of relationships. }, number={2}, journal={Social Psychological and Personality Science}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={Russell, V. Michelle and McNulty, James K.}, year={2011}, month={Mar}, pages={220–227} }
 @article{mcnulty_russell_2010, title={When “negative” behaviors are positive: A contextual analysis of the long-term effects of problem-solving behaviors on changes in relationship satisfaction.}, volume={= {98}, number = {4}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0017479}, DOI={10.1037/a0017479}, abstractNote={How should partners discuss the problems that arise over the course of their intimate relationships? Prior studies have provided inconsistent answers to this question, with some suggesting that partners benefit by avoiding negative behaviors and others suggesting that partners benefit by engaging in negative behaviors. The 2 longitudinal studies of newlyweds described here reconcile these inconsistent findings by revealing that direct negative problem-solving behaviors interact with the severity of the problems couples face in their relationships to account for changes in relationship satisfaction. Whereas spouses' tendencies to blame, command, and reject their partners predicted steeper declines in their own marital satisfaction when exhibited in the context of relationships facing only minor problems, those same behaviors predicted more stable satisfaction in relationships facing more severe problems. Subsequent analyses revealed that changes in the severity of the problems themselves mediated these effects. By contrast, indirect negative communications were associated with stably lower levels of satisfaction regardless of problem severity. The current findings join others in highlighting the theoretical importance of accounting for the relational context when examining the implications of various interpersonal processes.}, journal={Journal of Personality and Social Psychology}, author={McNulty, James K. and Russell, V. Michelle}, year={2010}, pages={587–604 ,} }
 @article{little_mcnulty_russell_2010, title={Sex Buffers Intimates Against the Negative Implications of Attachment Insecurity}, volume={= {36}, number = {4}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167209352494}, DOI={10.1177/0146167209352494}, abstractNote={ Contextual models of relationships and recent theories of attachment system activation suggest that experiences that promote intimacy, such as sexual intercourse, may moderate the negative implications of attachment insecurity. In two independent studies, 207 couples reported their attachment insecurity, the frequency of their sexual intercourse over the past 30 days, their expectancies for their partner’s availability, and their marital satisfaction, and in a 7-day diary they reported their daily sexual and relationship satisfaction and their expectancies for how satisfied they would be with their partners’ availability the next day. Attachment avoidance was unrelated to marital satisfaction among spouses reporting more frequent sex, and attachment anxiety was unrelated to marital satisfaction among spouses reporting more daily sexual satisfaction. Both effects were mediated by expectancies for partner availability. These findings suggest that the effects of attachment insecurity are not immutable but vary according to the context of the relationship. }, journal={Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin}, author={Little, Katherine C. and McNulty, James K. and Russell, V. Michelle}, year={2010}, month={Apr}, pages={484–498 ,} }