Methodological Interests

Best Practices: How can close relationships researchers draw from recent discussions of best practices to improve their science? How can meta-analyses advance our understanding of a phenomenon beyond single studies?

  • Beer, J. S., Eastwick, P. W., & Goh, J. X. (2023). Hits and misses in the last decade of open science: Researchers from different subfields and career stages offer personal reflections and suggestions. Social Psychological Bulletin, 18, 1-23. [Download Article]

  • Wang, Y. A., & Eastwick, P. W. (2020). Solutions to the problems of incremental validity testing in relationship science. Personal Relationships, 27, 156-175. [Download Article]

  • Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., & Simpson, J. A. (2019). Best practices for testing the predictive validity of ideal partner preference-matching. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45, 167-181. [Download Article]

  • Eastwick, P. W., & Smith, L. K. (2018). Sex-differentiated effects of physical attractiveness on romantic desire: A highly powered, preregistered study in a photograph evaluation context. Comprehensive Results in Social Psychology, 3, 1-27. [Download Article] [Data]

  • Joel, S., Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2018). Open sharing of data on close relationships and other sensitive social psychological topics: Challenges, tools, and future directions. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 1, 86-94. [Download Article]

  • Finkel, E. J., Eastwick, P. W., & Reis, H. T. (2017). Replicability and other features of a high-quality science: Toward a balanced and empirical approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113, 244-253. [Download Article]

  • Finkel, E. J., Eastwick, P. W., & Reis, H. T. (2015). Best research practices in psychology: Illustrating epistemological and pragmatic considerations with the case of relationship science. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108, 275-297. [Download Article]

  • Eastwick, P. W., Luchies, L. B., Finkel, E. J, & Hunt, L. L. (2014). The predictive validity of ideal partner preferences: A review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 140, 623-665. [Download Article]

  • Eastwick, P. W., Neff, L. A., Finkel, E. J., Luchies, L. B., & Hunt, L. L. (2014). Is a meta-analysis a foundation or just another brick? Comment on Meltzer, McNulty, Jackson, & Karney (2014). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106, 429-434. [Download Article] [Original Article]

Adversarial Collaborations: How can scholars who initially disagree work together to achieve new insights?

  • Durante, K. W., Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., Gangestad, S. W., Simpson, J. A. (2016). Pair-bonded relationships and romantic alternatives: Toward an integration of evolutionary and relationship science perspectives. In J. M. Olson & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (pp.1-74). Burlington: Academic Press. [Download Article]

  • Finkel, E. J., Norton, M. I., Reis, H. T., Ariely, D., Caprariello, P. A., Eastwick, P. W., Frost, J. H., & Maniaci, M. R. (2015). When does familiarity promote versus undermine interpersonal attraction? An integrative model from erstwhile adversaries. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10, 3-19. [Download Article]

  • Reis, H. T., Maniaci, M. R., Caprariello, P. A., Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2011). Familiarity does indeed promote attraction in live interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 557-570. [Download Article]

  • Reis, H. T., Maniaci, M. R., Caprariello, P. A., Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2011). In live interaction, does familiarity promote attraction or contempt? A reply to Norton, Frost, & Ariely, (2011). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 575-578. [Download Article] [Commentary]

External Validity: How do live interactions differ from imagined ones? How are our conclusions affected when we stick to particular methodological conventions? What theoretical frameworks can help us to understand why some methodologies differ from others?

  • Gawronski, B., Ledgerwood, A., Eastwick, P. W. (2022). Implicit bias ≠ bias on implicit measures. Psychological Inquiry, 33, 139-155 (target article). [Download Article]

  • Gawronski, B., Ledgerwood, A., Eastwick, P. W. (2022). Reflections on the difference between implicit bias and bias on implicit measures. Psychological Inquiry, 33, 219-231 (reply). [Download Article]

  • Park, L. E., Young, A. F., & Eastwick, P. W. (2015). (Psychological) distance makes the heart grow fonder: Effects of psychological distance and relative intelligence on men’s attraction to women. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41, 1549-1473. [Download Article]

  • Eastwick, P. W., Hunt, L. L., & Neff, L. A. (2013). External validity, why art thou externally valid? Recent studies of attraction provide three theoretical answers. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7, 275-288. [Download Article]

  • Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., & Eagly, A. H. (2011). When and why do ideal partner preferences affect the process of initiating and maintaining romantic relationships? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 1012-1032. [Download Article]

  • Finkel, E. J. & Eastwick, P. W. (2009). Arbitrary social norms influence sex differences in romantic selectivity. Psychological Science, 20, 1290-1295. [Download Article]

Online Dating and Speed-dating: What do online dating and speed-dating reveal about the psychological processes involved in romantic relationship initiation?

Video: Speed-dating and the social relations model

  • Baxter, A., Maxwell, J. A., Bales, K. L., Finkel, E. J., Impett, E. A., & Eastwick, P. W. (2022). Initial impressions of mate value and compatibility predict later dating and romantic interest. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119, e2206925119. [Download Article]

  • Herrenbrueck, L., Xia, X., Eastwick, P. W., & Hui, C. M. (2018). Smart-dating in speed-dating: How a simple search model can explain matching decisions. European Economic Review, 106, 54-76. [Download Article]

  • Finkel, E. J., Eastwick, P. W., Karney, B. R., Reis, H. T., & Sprecher, S. (2012). Online dating: A critical analysis from the perspective of psychological science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13, 3-66. [Download Article]

  • Finkel, E. J. & Eastwick, P. W. (2008). Speed-dating. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 193-197. [Download Article] [Nature] [Chicago Tribune]

  • Eastwick, P. W. & Finkel, E. J. (2008). Speed-dating: A powerful and flexible paradigm for studying romantic relationship initiation. In S. Sprecher, A. Wenzel, & J. Harvey (Eds.), The Handbook of Relationship Initiation (pp. 217-234). New York, NY: Erlbaum. [Download Article]

  • Finkel, E. J., Eastwick, P. W., & Matthews, J. (2007). Speed-dating as an invaluable tool for studying romantic attraction: A methodological primer. Personal Relationships, 14, 149-166. [Download Article]