Knowledge Bank

Individuals in committed, romantic relationships devaluate attractive alternative partners as a means of maintaining their commitment. It is less clear, however, under which conditions that people will utilize this strategy. Past research suggests that people who process their surroundings in terms of global, abstract (high-level) vs. local, concrete (low-level) features make judgments consistent with their goals. This study tested the hypothesis that committed individuals induced to higher- vs. lower-level construals will be more likely to devalue attractive others. In this study, heterosexual female participants first reported their current dating status and then completed a construal manipulation task. Subsequently, participants were presented with photographs of available, attractive vs. unattractive males and asked to rate target attractiveness on a variety of dimensions. Contrary to my hypothesis, results suggested that individuals induced to a high-level of construal rated attractive photos as more attractive irrespective of relationship status than those at a low-level. These results are interpreted as suggesting that the threat to the relationship was not powerful enough to induce a need for self-control at the high-level of construal.