Evaluative Conditioning for Marital Relationships

Overseen By James K McNulty

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Recruiting

Sponsor: Florida State University

No Placebo Group

Approved in 1 Jurisdiction

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The overall objective is to evaluate the efficacy of a novel computerized learning procedure to enhance marital well-being among military members and their partners.

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Evaluative Conditioning for improving marital relationships?

Research shows that evaluative conditioning, which involves pairing a partner's image with positive stimuli, can improve automatic partner attitudes and increase marital satisfaction over time. This suggests that the treatment can effectively enhance relationship satisfaction by altering emotional associations. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is evaluative conditioning safe for humans?

The research on evaluative conditioning, which involves changing how much people like or dislike something by pairing it with positive or negative things, does not report any safety concerns for humans. It has been studied in various contexts, and no harmful effects have been noted in the available literature. ^{2 3 6 7 8}

How is the treatment Evaluative Conditioning unique for improving marital relationships?

Evaluative Conditioning is unique because it involves changing how people feel about their partners by pairing their partner's image with positive stimuli, which can lead to improved relationship satisfaction. This approach is different from other therapies as it focuses on altering automatic emotional responses through repeated exposure, rather than addressing relationship issues through communication or behavioral changes. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for married couples where at least one partner is an active-duty US military member. Both partners must be over 18 and proficient in English reading and speaking.

Inclusion Criteria

My partner and I are both over 18.

One member of the couple is active-duty US military

Couple is married

Trial Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants engage in evaluative conditioning (EC) procedures, viewing photos of their partners paired with positive or neutral stimuli every three days for six weeks

6 weeks

Virtual sessions every three days

Assessment

Participants complete assessments of automatic partner attitudes and marital satisfaction every two weeks

8 weeks

Assessments every two weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in marital satisfaction and behavior through recorded discussions and assessments

8 weeks

Recorded discussions at baseline and 8-week follow-up

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Evaluative Conditioning (Behavioral Intervention)

Trial Overview The study tests a new computer program designed to improve how much spouses like each other, aiming to boost marital satisfaction among military members and their partners.

Participant Groups

Group I: Servicemember partner paired with positive stimuli, servicemember paired with neutral stimuli Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The servicemember sees the partner paired with positive stimuli and the partner sees the servicemember paired with neutral stimuli

Group II: Servicemember partner paired with neutral stimuli, servicemember paired with positive stimuli Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The servicemember sees the partner paired with neutral stimuli and the partner sees the servicemember paired with positive stimuli

Group III: Servicemember and partner paired with positive stimuli Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Both the servicemember and the partner of the servicemember see their partner paired with positive stimuli

Group IV: Servicemember and partner paired with neutral stimuli Active Control 1 Intervention

Both the servicemember and the partner of the servicemember see their partner paired with neutral stimuli

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Florida State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

234

Recruited

41,100+

United States Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth

Collaborator

Trials

35

Recruited

4,900+

Findings from Research

In a study involving 144 married couples, those who viewed images of their partners paired with positive stimuli reported more positive automatic attitudes towards their partners, which correlated with increased marital satisfaction over time.

This research suggests that altering affective associations through evaluative conditioning can be an effective mechanism for improving relationship satisfaction, highlighting potential new strategies for relationship interventions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Automatic Associations Between One's Partner and One's Affect as the Proximal Mechanism of Change in Relationship Satisfaction: Evidence From Evaluative Conditioning. McNulty, JK., Olson, MA., Jones, RE., et al.[2019]

Evaluative conditioning can effectively change how much people like a stimulus by pairing it with positive or negative stimuli, showing significant effects across various types of stimuli and methods.

This form of conditioning may occur even in situations where traditional Pavlovian conditioning does not work, suggesting unique mechanisms at play that warrant further investigation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Associative learning of likes and dislikes: a review of 25 years of research on human evaluative conditioning. De Houwer, J., Thomas, S., Baeyens, F.[2019]

The study found that the effectiveness of evaluative conditioning varies with the number of acquisition trials, showing a quadratic relationship for neutral-liked conditioning, where effects increased up to 10 trials and then decreased from 10 to 20 trials.

Presentation schedules (blockwise vs. random) influenced conditioning patterns in unexpected ways, suggesting that these parameters should be carefully considered in therapeutic applications for affective-behavioral disorders.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Human evaluative conditioning: acquisition trials, presentation schedule, evaluative style and contingency awareness. Baeyens, F., Eelen, P., Crombez, G., et al.[2019]

Evaluative conditioning is defined as a change in how we feel about a stimulus after it is paired with another stimulus, highlighting that this process can occur through various mechanisms.

The paper suggests that the conflicting results in evaluative conditioning studies may stem from different underlying processes, and future research should focus on understanding when specific conditions are important for achieving evaluative conditioning.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A conceptual and theoretical analysis of evaluative conditioning. De Houwer, J.[2019]

The author argues that Davey's 1994 conclusion about evaluative conditioning being no different from classical conditioning is biased due to his focus on procedural issues in studies and selective interpretation of evidence.

The manuscript proposes that evaluative conditioning should be understood as a distinct phenomenon resulting from a Referential Learning System, separate from the Expectancy Learning System, suggesting a more nuanced understanding of how conditioning works.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluative conditioning is a qualitatively distinct form of classical conditioning: a reply to Davey (1994). Baeyens, F., De Houwer, J.[2019]

In two experiments, it was found that pairing a conditioned stimulus (CS) with either a positive or negative unconditioned stimulus (US) affects both the valence (how positive or negative something feels) and arousal (how excited or calm it feels) of the CS, with stronger effects observed when the US had high arousal.

Changes in the arousal of the CS were linked to better memory recall of the CS-US pairings, while the valence of the CS was more easily diminished when the CS was presented alone, suggesting that arousal is more resilient to extinction than valence.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Simultaneous conditioning of valence and arousal. Gawronski, B., Mitchell, DG.[2014]

Evaluative conditioning (EC) can effectively change how people feel about a stimulus when it is paired with an emotional stimulus, and the review provides guidelines on how to use EC procedures based on its functional properties.

The review highlights that while EC effects are observed in controlled settings, there are still important questions about how these effects apply in real-life situations and the extent to which people can consciously control their responses to these conditioned stimuli.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluative Conditioning: Past, Present, and Future. Moran, T., Nudler, Y., Bar-Anan, Y.[2023]

This study shows that both expectancy-learning (associating a conditioned stimulus with an outcome) and evaluative learning (perceiving the conditioned stimulus itself as positive or negative) can occur simultaneously during aversive conditioning, using human faces as stimuli and an electrocutaneous shock as the unconditioned stimulus.

The amount of evaluative learning observed in this aversive conditioning setup was comparable to that seen in traditional evaluative conditioning with positive and negative adjectives, indicating that different types of learning can be effectively measured and are not limited by the type of stimuli used.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Expectancy-learning and evaluative learning in human classical conditioning: affective priming as an indirect and unobtrusive measure of conditioned stimulus valence. Hermans, D., Vansteenwegen, D., Crombez, G., et al.[2019]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Automatic Associations Between One's Partner and One's Affect as the Proximal Mechanism of Change in Relationship Satisfaction: Evidence From Evaluative Conditioning. [2019]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Associative learning of likes and dislikes: a review of 25 years of research on human evaluative conditioning. [2019]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Human evaluative conditioning: acquisition trials, presentation schedule, evaluative style and contingency awareness. [2019]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A conceptual and theoretical analysis of evaluative conditioning. [2019]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluative conditioning is a qualitatively distinct form of classical conditioning: a reply to Davey (1994). [2019]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Simultaneous conditioning of valence and arousal. [2014]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluative Conditioning: Past, Present, and Future. [2023]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Expectancy-learning and evaluative learning in human classical conditioning: affective priming as an indirect and unobtrusive measure of conditioned stimulus valence. [2019]