In an experiment, this study investigated the moderating effect of pre-interaction relational satisfaction and media (a)synchronicity on the relationship between conflict behaviors and attributions among romantic couples. The study hypothesized that individuals who have greater pre-interaction relational satisfaction make more relationally enhancing attributions regarding their partners’ conflict behaviors than do individuals who have less pre-interaction relational satisfaction. It was also predicted that media asynchronicity (vs. synchronicity) decreases the rate at which individuals who have less relational satisfaction make relationally diminishing attributions regarding their partners’ conflict behaviors. A pre-interaction questionnaire measured participants’ relational satisfaction. Romantic couples then engaged in an online conflict discussion using synchronous or asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC). After engaging in the online conflict discussion, participants completed a post-interaction questionnaire that assessed their attributions for their partners’ conflict behaviors. The results revealed one of the predicted attribution patterns: individuals who had greater pre-interaction relational satisfaction made more dispositional attributions for their partners’ increasing positive conflict behaviors and less dispositional attributions for their partners’ decreasing positive conflict behaviors, whereas individuals who had less pre-interaction relational satisfaction made less dispositional attributions for their partners’ increasing positive conflict behaviors and more dispositional attributions for their partners’ decreasing positive conflict behaviors. Media asynchronicity, however, had no influence on individuals’ attributions for their partners’ behaviors. Therefore, pre-interaction relational satisfaction appears to be the best predictor of individuals’ attributions for their partners’ conflict behaviors.
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