Discuss one or more studies investigating the formation of personal relationships.

Refer to the paper 2 assessment criteria when awarding marks. These can be found under the “Your tests” tab > supplemental materials.

The command term “discuss” requires candidates to offer a considered review of one or more studies investigating the formation of personal relationships.

Relevant studies may include, but are not limited to:

• Flora and Segrin’s (2003) study on the perception of the relationship in married and dating couples
• Wedekind’s (1995) experiment on mate preference based on genetic makeup
• Buss et al.’s (1990) cross-cultural factors in attraction (the international mate selection project)
• Gupta and Singh’s (1982) study using interviews on arranged marriages in Indian couples.

Critical discussion points may include, but are not limited to:

• methodological and ethical considerations
• cultural/gender considerations
• how the findings of research have been interpreted and applied
• implications of the findings
• contradictory evidence.

Responses referring to studies on maintenance, changes, dissolution or end of a relationship are not acceptable and should not be awarded marks.

This was another popular question. Candidates generated answers based upon all three approaches to behaviour, and generally used appropriate and relevant research to illustrate. Discussion was also mainly relevant. Biological explanations were popular, especially those focused on evolutionary explanations. Buss's studies and Wedekind's study were popular choices to back up such responses and were often well tailored to the question.

Examiners occasionally reported that some lower quality responses focused upon maintenance or ending of relationships, rather than formation.