What Predicts Divorce ?: The Measures

This book presents the measures from the Gottman laboratory that were used in the book "What Predicts Divorce?" Developed and applied over a period of the past 15 years, these materials have demonstrated reasonably high reliability and validity. They are: * The Specific Affect Coding System (SPAFF) An observational coding system for measuring emotional behavior in couples, the SPAFF's codes go beyond the more simple positive/negative/neutral affects of the past and classify the couple's specific emotions -- anger, sadness, contempt, interest, affection, validation, excitement-joy. There are two versions of the SPAFF -- one employing 10 codes, the other 16. Each version has appropriate training and test videotapes. * The Rapid Couples Interaction Coding System (RCISS) In using the RCISS (pronounced R-KISS), which codes problem-solving, at every turn of speech the observer chooses items from a set of menus. There are menus for the presentation of a problem, for the response to the presentation of a problem, for emotional maintenance, for problem-solving, and for listener behavior. In addition to the manual for the RCISS, there is a "training and test videotape" and a "set of computer programs" written by Donald Goldstein. The computer programs are for data entry and data analysis. * The Buehlman Oral History Coding System The Oral History Interview codes the couple's behavior during the oral history interview. It asks couples about the history of their marriage, their philosophy of marriage, how their marriage differs from their parents' marriages, and more. The Buehlman Coding System has predicted divorce and marital stability with 94% accuracy. Also, it is significantly correlated with marital interaction and with physiology during conflict resolutions. Finally, it is a useful clinical interview that can be used on intake. * The Play-by-Play Interview This interview procedure, which has been used for the past 22 years, sets up the conflict resolution conversation -- a discussion that must be grounded and not abstract. The play-by-play interview maximizes the possibility that couples will be talking about a real area of continuing disagreement in their marriage. * The five questionnaires from the "Distance and Isolation Cascade." Correlated with the process cascades toward divorce, these questionnaires assess: 1. the couple's perception of the severity of their marital problems; 2. the perception that it makes no sense to try and work these problems out with the spouse; 3. flooding or feeling overwhelmed and disorganized by a partner's expressions of negative emotions; 4. parallel lives as the way the marriage works; and, 5. loneliness in the marriage.