How does yesterday affect our relationship today? Intraindividual variability in satisfaction, positive affect, and interaction behaviors among dating couples

Change is inherent in dating relationships, eventually resulting in long-term commitments or terminations. Whereas a large body of research has examined long-term developmental patterns in close relationships, relatively few studies have investigated short-term variability in relationship variables. Using two methodological approaches and two independent samples, the present study examined patterns of intraindividual variability in satisfaction, mood, and interaction behaviors among dating couples. In Study 1, 11 dating couples completed diary assessments each day for 6 weeks. An additional 13 couples completed diary assessments at the beginning and at the end of the study period in order to examine the effects of repeated measurement. Study 2 was largely a replication of the procedures used in Study 1 with two important methodological improvements: extension of the study period to 50 occasions and improved measurement of shared interactions. Study 2 consisted of 12 dating couples that completed diary assessments for the entire study period and 13 couples in the comparison group.;The transfer function and dynamic factor analyses documented significant patterns of short-term variability that were not merely the result of random variation, trends, or seasonal cycles. Several gender differences emerged from the study. Men's satisfaction had carry-over effects from one day to the next, whereas women's satisfaction and positive affect had these autoregressive characteristics. Men's communication behaviors, but not women's, had carry-over effects from one day to the next. There were also gender differences in the cross-over effects between partners. Women's satisfaction, but not men's, was influenced by their partner's satisfaction levels from the day before. Men's verbal attentiveness, but not women's, was influenced by the frequency of communication behaviors initiated by their partners from the day before.;The findings indicated new directions for research on relationship development. The results challenged two traditions in this area including static methodological approaches and long-standing views that women are more relationship-oriented than men. The cross-over results suggested that both men and women are responsive to their relationship experiences. The clinical and methodological implications of these findings are discussed.