Evaluative Conditioning for Marital Relationships

Overseen By James K McNulty

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Florida State University

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Approved in 1 Jurisdiction This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 8

Duration: 6 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a new computerized learning method called Evaluative Conditioning to improve the well-being of married military couples. The approach shows partners positive or neutral images linked to each other to see if it enhances their relationship. Participants will be divided into groups: both partners see positive images of each other, one sees positive and the other neutral, or both see neutral images. This trial is for married couples where one partner is active-duty U.S. military, and both can read and speak English well.

As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could enhance military couples' relationships.

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 prior data suggests that this evaluative conditioning technique is safe for enhancing marital well-being?

Research shows that the treatment under study, called evaluative conditioning, is generally safe for people. This method involves linking a person or object with something positive, and studies have found it is well-tolerated. Previous research reported no major negative effects. Evaluative conditioning has been used in other areas, such as improving feelings toward partners by associating them with positive images, like puppies. Although data on its use in marriages is limited, current evidence suggests that the treatment is safe for participants. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about evaluative conditioning for improving marital relationships because it offers a novel psychological technique focused on pairing partners with positive stimuli. Unlike traditional relationship therapies that often rely on communication skills or conflict resolution strategies, this method aims to subconsciously enhance positive associations between partners. By using positive stimuli, it could potentially strengthen emotional bonds without requiring extensive therapy sessions. This approach is particularly intriguing because it might improve relationship satisfaction in a more indirect and possibly faster way.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for enhancing marital well-being?

This trial will evaluate the effects of evaluative conditioning on marital relationships. Studies have shown that evaluative conditioning can help partners feel better about each other. In one study, spouses who saw their partners alongside positive images felt more positively about them compared to those who didn't. This method links a partner with something positive. In this trial, some participants will see their partner paired with positive stimuli, while others will see their partner paired with neutral stimuli. Research shows that more frequent pairing with positive images can improve feelings. These findings suggest that evaluative conditioning could enhance marital happiness by fostering more positive feelings between partners. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

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

Timeline for a Trial Participant

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

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Evaluative Conditioning

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.

How Is the Trial Designed?

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+

Published Research Related to This Trial

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Citations

1. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-relationships-marital-6-2024-23e7a

Evaluative Conditioning for Marital Relationships The study found that the effectiveness of evaluative conditioning varies with the number of acquisition trials, showing a quadratic relationship for neutral- ...

2. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/317272015_Automatic_Associations_Between_One's_Partner_and_One's_Affect_as_the_Proximal_Mechanism_of_Change_in_Relationship_Satisfaction_Evidence_From_Evaluative_Conditioning

Automatic Associations Between One's Partner and ... Spouses who viewed their partners paired with positive stimuli demonstrated more-positive automatic partner attitudes than did control spouses, ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3254108/

Evaluative Conditioning: The “How” Question - PMC Evaluative conditioning (EC) refers to attitude formation or change toward an object due to that object's mere co-occurrence with another valenced object or ...

4. psycnet.apa.org psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-28127-001

Change trajectories classes in couple therapy - APA PsycNet This study combined two samples of couples seeking services at an on-campus training clinic (n = 317 couples). The purpose of the study was to assess ...

5. journals.sagepub.com journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0033294119894231

Exploring Positive Classical Conditioning Procedure ... (2016). Learning to like exercising: Evaluative conditioning changes automatic evaluations of exercising and influences subsequent exercising ...

6. journals.sagepub.com journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19485506231165585

A Systematic Study of Ambivalence and Well-Being in ... This work is the first systematic study of ambivalence and well-being in relationships and highlights the importance of capturing mixed feelings ...

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5390734/

Social Pavlovian conditioning: Short- and long-term effects ... This novel, ecologically improved conditioning paradigm uncovered a remarkably efficient multi-layered social learning mechanism that may represent a risk ...

8. npr.org npr.org/2017/11/08/562721444/pavlovian-conditioning-and-marriage

Pavlovian Conditioning And Marriage A new study finds that people who looked at positive images of things like puppies next to a pictures of their spouses went on to have more positive feelings ...