International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences, 2(12) December 2013, Pages: 1018-1021

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International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences

ISSN
2306-7276

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Prediction of Marriage Expectation based on Information

Processing Styles among University Students
Atoosa Kaki *1, Karim Afshariniya 2, Keivan Kakabaraei 3, Hojat Alah Tahmasebian 4
1

Department of Counseling, Kermanshah science and research branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran.
Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran.
Kermashah university of medical sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.

2,3
4

AR TIC LE INF O

AB STR AC T

Keywords:

The purpose of present study was that investigate the predictive role of information processing
styles on marriage expectation. This study performed on 376 students (227 males and 149 females)
in Azad university of Kermanshah. The experiential rational inventory (ERI) and marriage
expectation questionnaire (MES) used as date gathering tools. For data-analyzing the descriptive
and inferential statistics used; for investigating the relation and level of power in above mentioned
predictive variables, the Pearsons product-moment correlation coefficient, and concurrent
regression were used and the MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis Of Variance) was used for
comparing the study variables between males and females. The results of concurrent regression
showed that the rational style could not predict the idealistic expectation while that the experiential
style can do this significantly. The experiential style with a negative coefficient can predict the
pessimistic expectation. The rational and experiential style can predict about 0/05 of realistic
expectation. The results of MANOVA showed that females in compare to males significantly have
more realistic and idealistic expectations.

information processing style

rational thinking style
experiential thinking style
marriage expectation

2013 Int. j. econ. manag. soc. sci. All rights reserved for TI Journals.

Introduction
Marriage is one of the most important events in human life. Marriage not only effective in persons mental and physical health, but has an
important role to entering the human to adult period (Mousavi, 2007). Erickson argue that the ability of making warm relations is a growth
task in youth period from 18 to 35 years and he believes those people that cannot make this relation will be in seclusion (Eschanz, 1999). In
this respect, many studies investigated the different factors that have some roles in capacity of making hearty relations and one of these
factors is the persons expectation of marriage. The mean of marriage expectation is the amount of satisfaction, dissatisfaction or
pleasantness, unpleasantness, and divorce probability that person predicts for his/ her marriage (Simon and Markosen, 1999). The marriage
expectation is important because it shapes the consequences and satisfaction in future matrimony relation (Donny et al, 1998). As a
principle, people act based on their expectations (Shalin and Rozenhim, 1999). In other word, the peoples expectations influence on what
really happen in their relations. For example evidences show that when a person expects that be outcast by his/ her mate, he/ she behavior
in amorous relations in a manner that recall reactions caused to outcast by partner because the people expectations influence on their
thinking, emotions and behaviors in these relations (Donny et al, 1998).
In fact, this determines the role of partners (Shalin and Rozenhim, 1999). Also, the main patterns of matrimony interactions such as
sincerity level, distance and work division determine the nature of relation with the main family. The different studies showed that marriage
expectation in stage before marriage, is related to stability and matrimony satisfaction (Holman, 2001). The research evidence relatively
show that the important psychological variables are among the most stable and powerful predictive variables, so that the marriage
expectation is considered as one of them (Bacom and Epstein, 1996). Based on Epsteins view point, different styles of information process
will caused to different consequences (Epstein and Pacini, 1999). Here the considered consequence is the marriage expectation that based
on definition the marriage is a set of subjective hypotheses and standards, predetermined frameworks, musts and not musts that each of
partners have about each others and it can be based on reality or not (Khamseh, 2003). The expectation of people will growth based on
what they see, hear and experiment during the time. The influencing factors on marriage expectation are source family (Reed, 2003),
socialization (Harris and Lee, 2007), opportunities structure (Harris and Lee, 2007) and culture (Reed, 2003).
Expectation is one of five cognitive phenomenon and these are including expectations, perceptions, attributes, standards and hypotheses;
and they are contribute in matrimony chaos due to any distortion in them (Bacom and Epstein, 1990; citation by Sharp and Kaneng, 2004).
At least based on the theoretical documents, marriage significantly influenced by cognition and subjective manifests about reality and the
kind of their relations (Datillio and Epstein, 2005). Epstein introduced the self knowing- experimental theory based on difference between
two styles of cognitive process. This theory is in set of twofold process theory. The main hypothesis in twofold process theories is that
human for perception, interpret and reaction to environment has two cognitive features that they are known as experimental and rational
* Corresponding author.
Email address: atoosa.kaki@gmail.com

Prediction of Marriage Expectation based on Information Processing Styles among University Students

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Internat ional Jour nal of Economy, Mana ge ment and Social Sciences , 2(12) December 2013

cognitive features and they act independently and based on different principles (Pacini and Epstein, 1999). The rational structure is
analyzing, processing, partly slow, unemotional and cautious and reveal the realities as abstract symbols. In opposite, the experimental
feature is fast, emotional, mainly cautious, association orient and based on obtained evidence, it act bawd on previous experiences. Note
that these two information processing features while is relatively independence, but behavior concurrent and as complement for each other
in determining the behavior and in many cases they have not a same outcome (Epstein, Pacini, Denes-Raj, and Hir,1996 ; cited by
Shirzadifard, 2011).
Based on this theory, two processing features and the experimental feature are the very important variables in clearing the personal traits.
Many of performed studies showed the importance of two information processing features for prediction the important personality variables
and identification processing styles (for example Epstein et al, 1996; Marx, Hassen, Blur, Philips, 2008; Shoot, Norstenson, Hain, Fester,
and Caochi, 2010; Fartash, 2012). The evidence of mentioned studies supports the significant and important relations between information
processing styles or other important psychological variables. The main question that the present research want answer to it is: do the
information processing parts predict the marriage expectation?
The research questions
1. Do the information processing styles predict the marriage expectation?
2. Is there any significant relation between male and female students about marriage expectation?

Method
The statistical society, sample and sample selection method
The statistical society of this research was all students in Islamic Azad University of Kermanshah (227 males and 149 females) from
different fields in scope of humanism, technical- engineering and other fields. One of the requirements for participating in this research was
the singleness of students. After description the research goals and catching the satisfaction and cooperation from students, the rationalexperimental inventory (REI) (Pacini and Epstein, 1999) and marriage expectation scale (MES) (Jones and Nelson, 1996) applied for them.
The measuring tool for information processing styles
The information processing styles in this research measured by using the Experimental- Rational Inventory (ERI) (Pacini and Epstein,
1999). The main version of this questionnaire included 40 statements that cover two main scales of rational (20 statements) and
experimental (20 statements). Each of these scales constructed from two sub- scales as interaction (10 statements) and ability (10
statements). Thus, the ERI constructed from 14 sub-scales include:
a)
b)
c)
d)

Rational ability that refers to high of low levels of thinking ability in a rational manner; for example, I can think carefully about
problems.
Rational interaction that refers to levels of pleasure and attitude to precise and rational thinking; for example, deep and long time
thinking about subjects cant satisfy me.
Experimental ability that reveals the high and low levels of thinking ability in a perception manner; for example, I an recognize
some things correctly without having any rational reason for them.
Experimental interaction that including statements for measuring attitude and tendency to using and emphasis on experimental
thinking; for example, I prefer that not to rely on my perceptional deductions.

Participators answered to these questionnaires based on Likerts five points scale (1 means completely false and 5 means completely true).
This scale has a particular place among those scales that are used for measuring the information processing methods, so that used in many
studies since its designing time (ex: Handly, Newstate and Right, 2000; Marx, Hain, Blur and Philips, 2008; Whitman, Van den Broken,
Kliz and Gadoway, 2009; cited by Shirzadifard, 2011). In present study, the Experimental-Rational questionnaire with 20 questions used.
The measuring tool for marriage expectation
In this research, the marriage expectation measured by marriage expectation scale (MES) (Jones and Nelson, 1996). This scale includes 40
statements. This has three sub-scales: realistic marriage expectation, idealistic marriage expectation, and pessimistic marriage expectation.
Students answered to questionnaire statements based on Likerts five points scale (1 means completely disagree, 5 means completely
agree). Therefore, the least score is 40 and the highest is 200. Statements 4, 18, 23, 28, 30, 35 and 38 scored inversely. Typically, the lower
scores implying the pessimistic marriage expectation and higher scores implying the idealistic marriage expectation. Those scores that are
in the median level implying the realistic marriage expectation. Also the higher scores in sub-scales of idealistic and realistic marriage
expectations show the higher rate for these two style of expectations while that the lower scores in them show the more pessimistic
marriage expectations. The time for answering this scale was 10 minutes (Jones and Nelson, 1996).

Results
The first question in this research was do the information processing styles predict the marriage expectation? For answer of this question,
the concurrent regression in each kind of marriage expectation used for two styles of information processing that it offered in table 1 in
summary.

Atoosa Kaki et al.

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Internat ional Jour nal of Economy, Mana ge ment and Social Sciences , 2(12) Dece mber 2013

Table 1. An abstract from concurrent regression for marriage expectation in styles of information processing
Criterion variable

Previous variables

Realistic marriage
expectation

Rational style

R2

P-value

0/219

0/048

9/42

0/000

P-value

0/19

3/68

0/000

0/155

3/005

0/003

0/082

1/57

0/116

0/215

4/15

0/000

0/316

6/31

0/000

-0/034

-0/67

0/503

Experimental style
Idealistic
marriage
expectation
Pessimistic
marriage
expectation

Rational style
0/213

0/046

8/904

0/000

Experimental style
Rational style
0/325

0/105

21/97

0/000

Experimental style

The significant level of F in three equations of regression in table 1 show that revealing coefficient (R2) is significant. The rational and
experimental styles with positive and significant beta coefficients can predict the marriage expectation in a realistic manner and reveal
about 0/05 of changes in this variable. In second equation, the rational style cannot predict the marriage expectation in an idealistic manner,
while experimental styles with positive beta coefficients can predict this expectation significantly and reveal about 0/05 of its changes. In
third equation, the rational style cannot predict pessimistic marriage expectation but experimental style with negative beta coefficient can
predict it and reveal about 0/11 of its changes. Totally, the realistic marriage expectation can be predicted by increasing the usage of
experimental and rational styles. Also the idealistic marriage expectation can be predicted by increasing the usage of experimental style and
the pessimistic marriage expectation can be predicted more by decreasing the usage of experimental style. The second question of this study
was that is there any significant relation between marriage expectation among male and female students. For answering to this question,
firstly, the descriptive indices of marriage expectation separately for each sex reported in table 2 and then by using the multivariate analysis
of variance (MANOVA), the significant differences considered.
Table 2. Descriptive indices for marriage expectation based on each sex separately
Males
Variable

Females
Standard deviation

Mean

Standard deviation

Mean

Realistic marriage expectation

68/56

7/24

71/09

7/27

Idealistic marriage expectation

52/72

8/60

54/89

7/43

Pessimistic marriage expectation

17/39

4/04

17/53

4/23

As seen in table 2, it shows that in all variables, females mean is higher than males. For determining the significance differences, the
MANOVA based on Hotellings trace test showed that there is a significant difference between sexes in these variables, by an error level
below 0/05(Hotellings trace= 0/030; F[3,327]= 3/678; P= 0/012). For pursuit this difference and answering to this question that in which
variable there is a significant difference, the single variable tests of ANOVA used that its results offered in table 3.
Table 3. A summary of single variable ANOVA for marriage expectation.
Source of
changes
Sex

Dependent variable

SS

Df

MS

Realistic expectation

539/75

539/75

10/258

0/001

Idealistic expectation

421/03

421/03

6/857

0/009

1/72

1/72

0/101

0/751

Realistic expectation

19679/79

374

52/62

Idealistic expectation

22964/57

374

61/40

Pessimistic expectation

6343/22

374

16/96

Pessimistic expectation
Error

In respect to table 3, the difference between girls and boys mean in two variables of Realistic and Idealistic marriage expectation is
significant. In respect to descriptive table (table 2) it can conclude that girls in compare to boys have significantly more realistic and
idealistic marriage expectations.

Prediction of Marriage Expectation based on Information Processing Styles among University Students

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Internat ional Jour nal of Economy, Mana ge ment and Social Sciences , 2(12) December 2013

Discuss and conclusion

Results showed that the idealistic marriage expectation can be predicted more by increasing the usage of experimental style and the
pessimistic marriage expectation can be predicted more by decreasing the usage of experimental style. In addition, people that use the
experimental and rational styles concurrently have more realistic marriage expectation. In social-cognitive approach, it assumes that
believes, viewpoints and thoughts of human in addition to impressible from environment, greatly related to personal attitudes (Kanda,
1999; translated by Kaviani, 2005). Based on self knowing-experimental theory as one of social- cognitive approaches, people with two
information processing features have a different perception and interpretation from a situation. This different perception from a situation
has a significant role in shaping the next processing. The rational feature due to attitudes such as reductive and normative specifications and
by considering the maximum probabilities, potentiality is along with compatible interpretations and favorable believes. This specification
can be very useful in situations that needs satisfaction will meet by delay (Epstein, 2003, 2008; cited by Shirzadifard, 2011). In addition to
above mentioned statements, in revealing these two subjects it can argued that when people concurrently use the rational and experimental
features for information processing, they will enjoy from advantages of both; because the experimental feature as an associational feature
can be a source for creativeness. Thus, the experimental feature is the learning feature that can be a source for useful information. More
important is that the experimental feature can be a source for sentiment experiences, but the rational feature due to its slow and analyzing
nature can modify it by evaluation the experimental feature outcomes. In many cases, people easily by more analyses can modify their
immediate and irrational conclusions (Denes-Raj and Epstein, 1994).
As it is clear, the realistic people are moderate ones and while they are emotional and sensational, they can deal with problems by ration
and reasoning, they can use the problem solving method, and they are success in their life. They have a more positive evaluation about their
life and they use the emotions and rationality together. In addition, the MANOVA results showed that in all variables, the obtained mean
for girls is higher than boys and in respect to descriptive table it can conclude that girls significantly have more idealistic and realistic
expectations.
Results of present research are not consist with results that obtained by Nilfrooshan et al (2011). In respect to results of present research, it
can say that the sensible difference between girls and boys about idealistic and realistic expectations is due to minute viewpoints. Of course,
the cultural problems due to their high role in this respect should not be disregarded. In addition, he investigated society and socialeconomical conditions can be differing in different environments. The obtained results in present study can be satisfied partly, but the
investigated society was the studying people, thus it should be cautious for generalizing these results.

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