Authors: Lizzie Stewart, Hayden Underwood, Dallas Goolsby, Spencer Sears
Mentors: Camilla Hodge
Insitution: Brigham Young University
Social connection is critical to understanding how individuals interact with one another and form social bonds in groups. Our research evaluates the effects on social connection based on the Ecology of Family Experiences framework, which considers the interplay between three domains: family, activity, and time. We believe that the EFE is a transferable framework that will have important social implications for understanding interpersonal relationships and designing experiences intended to increase social connection. In this study, we examine the relationship between social connection and two variables: 1) social interaction, or the behavior between two or more people crossing paths. Social interaction considers joint or parallel interaction styles between people; 2) self-disclosure, or interaction where one intends to willfully and deliberately divulge something personal to another. We hypothesize that social interaction and self-disclosure influence social connections outside the family context. We seek to shed light on the mechanisms that shape and alter the quality and depth of interpersonal connection. In our experiment, we used a 2x2 quasi-experimental design. Participants were assigned to one of four conditions varying in self-disclosure (high vs. low) and social interaction (joint vs. parallel). Self-disclosure questions asked participants to answer prescribed questions, including highly personalized questions (high disclosure) and non-personalized information (low disclosure). Participants either interacted with a partner (joint) or wrote responses next to a partner without verbal communication (parallel). Social connection was measured using the Inclusion of Others and Self Scale. The sample consisted of 148 university students. The average participant was a white, unmarried, 20-year-old from a middle- to high-class economic background. Data analysis was conducted using mixed model techniques that took into account the unique dyadic relationship of each pairing. Results suggested a significant interaction between self-disclosure and social interaction (t = 2.354, p < 0.05). With high self-disclosure and joint activity having a mean of 4.54, high self-disclosure and parallel activity having a mean of 2.33, low self-disclosure and joint activity having a mean of 3.47, and low disclosure parallel activity having a mean of 2.01. These findings highlight the importance of self-disclosure and social interaction styles in influencing social connection, extending the applicability of the EFE framework beyond the family unit.