I've Chosen Well, But Perhaps I Could Do Better : Maximizing Tendencies and Romantic Relationship Judgments

Color poster with text and graphs.People make choices in nearly every domain of life, and individuals differ in their choice-making strategies: maximizers search extensively for the best possible option. Satisficers search just until they encounter an option that fits what they are looking for. Studies suggest that maximizers ensure they have a lot of options to choose from, invest more time into exploring all options and report less certainty about having made the right choice (even though they often end up with highly favorable options). In this study, we explored how maximizing-satisficing manifests in romantic relationships.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

They Obviously Didn’t Stand a Chance : Hindsight Bias in Judgments of a Dating Couple

Color poster with text, charts, and graphs.Hindsight bias is commonly referred to as the “I knew it all along” effect. Individuals who are informed of a specific outcome prior to judging how the event will pan out perceive that outcome as more likely to occur than do individuals who are not informed of any outcome. In essence, individuals perceive a given outcome as more obvious when they know that it happened. We chose to investigate hindsight bias in the context of romantic relationships because it is common for people to experience self-blame after a breakup and for others outside of the relationship to claim they “saw it coming.” However, do the data support this notion?University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Sharing the Load : Men's and Women's Attitudes Toward Household and Childcare Tasks

Color poster with text and graphs.Studies suggest that the division of household labor and childcare, even in dual-earner households, is imbalanced. Women spend more time than men do on household and childcare tasks. Gender differences in childcare exist even in samples of men and women who are well-informed about gender egalitarian ideals. For example, among tenure-track faculty with small children, mothers report doing far more childcare than fathers do. In the current study, we predicted that male-female differences in enjoyment of household and childcare tasks would parallel male-female differences in their preferences for splitting household and childcare tasks with a partner.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Immediate Hire or Immediate Rejection? : Grammar Usage Errors Taint Ratings of Applicants’ Writing, Employability, and Character

Color poster with text and graphs.Scholars debate whether English instructors should devote focused attention to grammar usage and mechanics. On one hand, most grammar usage errors are superficial and do not impede readers’ understanding, and an emphasis on mastery of usage rules perpetuates a system in which certain forms of grammar usage may afford status and prestige. On the other hand, studies have illustrated that professionals perceive grammar usage errors as bothersome; more importantly, interviews with business professionals suggest that grammar usage errors might harm impressions of the writer as a person.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program