A03 Rusbult's Investment Model

• Supporting research evidence

  Meta-analysis of Le and Agnew who reviewed 52 studies from the late 1970s-1999, which included 11000 ppts from 5 countires.
• Le and Agnew findings (Supporting research evidence)

  They found that satisfaction, CLalt and investment size all predicted research commitment. Relationships in which commitment was greater were the most stable and lasted the longest. These findings were true for females/males accross all cultures and for homosexual as well as heterosexual couples. Thus, there is some validity to Rusbult's claim.
• Explains abusive relationships


  Investment model is thought to be particularly valid and a useful explanation of relationships involving intimate partner violence (IPV).
• Rusbult and Martz's study (Explains abusive relationships)


  Studied 'battered' women at a shelter and found that those most likely to return to an abusive partner reported the greates investment and having fewest attractive alternatives. Model recognises that a victim of IPV does not have to be satisfied with a relationship to stay in it.
• Oversimplifies investment


  Goodfriend and Agnew argue there is more to investment than just resources you have already put into a relationship. In the early stages of a romantic relationship, the partners will have made very few actual investments.
• Planning for the future (Oversimplifies investment)


  So, they extended Rusbult's original model by including the investment romantic partners make in their future plans. They are monitored to commit to eachother, as they want to see if their cherished plans for the future to work out. The oringinal model is a limited explanation of romantic relationships as it fails to recognise the true complexity of investment, specifically how planning for the future influences commitment.
• Methodological strengths


  Much support from the investment model relies on self-report measures like questionnaires and interviews. But there are appropriate methods as it is not the objectivity of investment size that matters. What matters is the individual partners' perceptions. It is your belief that you have made a big investment that will influence your commitment or belief you have no attractive alternatives.
• Based on Correlational Research


  Strong correlations have been found between all the important factors predicted by the investment model. But, even the strongest correlation is not evidence of causation. Most studies do not allow us conclude that any of the factors actually cause commitment in a relationship. It could be the more commited you are, the more investment you are willing to put in the relationship and so the direction of causality could therefore reversed. Challenges the validity and reliability of the model.