What Makes It Difficult to Interpret the Research on the Link

question 108

Multiple Choice

What makes it difficult to interpret the research on the link between marriage and happiness?

• A)Much of the research is correlational and also involves indirect links between marriage and happiness.
• B)Being married automatically puts people at risk for health problems which make people unhappy.
• C)Husbands and wives serve as social support for each other, which can be draining and actually make you less happy.
• D)There are confounding features, like the fact that many surveys take place right after people get married and are still in the "honeymoon period."

---

Definitions:

Forgetting

A decrease in a response as a result of not being able to display it over time. Forgetting involves preventing a response from occurring for some period after it has been conditioned.

Withholding Reinforcement

A behavioral strategy involving the absence or delay of a reinforcement to decrease or eliminate an undesired behavior.

Passage of Time

The progression or flow of time characterized by changes and events.

Backward Chaining

A method for teaching a stimulus–response chain. When backward chaining is used, the reinforcing power of the positive reinforcer (presented at the end of the chain) is transferred “down the line” to each discriminative stimulus as it is added to the chain. This makes for very efficient use of positive reinforcement to establish a strong chain.