Close relationships are among the most meaningful and rewarding aspects of life. The research conducted in the Pitt Relationship Processes Lab aims to enhance our understanding of the processes that promote (or undermine) the development and maintenance of high-quality close relationships. Much of our work focuses on communication processes, including emotional expressivity and self-disclosure, social support, and partner responsiveness. We also examine how people support close partners’ goal pursuits, and how people cope with experiences that have the potential to threaten romantic relationships.
We approach our research questions using a combination of correlational, experimental, and longitudinal methods with an emphasis on capturing real behavior across a range of interpersonal contexts. Recent and ongoing projects examine predictors and consequences of negative and positive expressivity; how people can effectively seek support for goals they are pursuing or for upsetting personal events they are facing; relationship-promoting perceptions, cognitions, and behaviors; and the role of dyadic processes in cigarette smoking and craving.
The lab is located in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, and is directed by Amanda Forest.
