In this study, Cramer started with 108 participants but 2 of these said that they never had difference in opinions and fourteen students were excluded because of missing data. He was then left with ninety-two students in which sixty-two were women and thirty were men. The average age for both men and women participating on the study was twenty. The mean duration of their romantic relationships was 3.52. Only three relationships did not report duration so the mean was solely based on 89 participants.

Cramer used four multi-item scales to measure the participants' relationship satisfaction. The first scale, the Hendrick Relationship Assessment Scale, consisted of seven items, which had to be answered on a 5-point Likert scale. This scale contained questions such as, how satisfie

In this study, the four multi-item scales, alpha reliabilities were suitable. The means of the measure in table 1 indicated that respondents generally were satisfied with their romantic relationships, agreed with their partner often initially, agreed slightly more often at the time of the study, and did not often experience negative conflict (Cramer, 2001). Significant correlation in relationship satisfaction was found in all four measures apart form consensus change. In addition, initial consensus and present consensus was significantly correlated with negative conflict. In short, this study concluded that decreased consensus was associated with lower relationship satisfaction and greater negative conflict, whereas increased consensus was not convoyed by higher relationship satisfaction and less negative conflict.

In the materials they used, the scales, participants could have lied. Asking question on a scale could face distortion for the simple fact that the participants might be embarrassed of saying that they were not romantically satisfied or whatever other reason. Cramer also failed to include in this article the operational meanings of satisfaction, minor issues, or major issues. Most of the questions evolved around those three problems, and not everyone shares the same views. Some peoples satisfaction levels differ from others as we as what one participant might view as a major issue, the other might view as a minor issue and vise versa. Another thing that might have been helpful in this article was knowing if the participants were living under the same roof at the time of the relationship or they lived apart. Usually when couples live together, they tend to have more problems in their relationship and might not be as satisfied because of seeing their significant other as they

Some common words found in the essay are:
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