Research Focus
In Professor SiSi Tran's Interpersonal Relationships Lab, the primary research concentration lies in examining the quality and stability of close interpersonal relationships. In this lab, ideas and perspectives from both Attachment theory as well as Interdependence theory are applied, linking the influence of expectations formed from past experiences (i.e., attachment systems, rehearsed coping strategies) with structures of interdependence in current relationship experiences (i.e., reciprocal and mutual influence between partners, power dynamics). In this way, our research examines characteristics that exist within individuals as well as emergent properties that exist between partners, which allows us to paint a more coherent and well-developed picture of relationship quality. Research methods in the Interpersonal Relationships Lab include a mixture of videotaped behavioural observation techniques, cued thought-listing tasks, laboratory-based experimental research designs, and longitudinal assessments of romantic dyads.