Cheer-Leading versus Truth-Seeking in Intimate Relationships: Scale Development and Testing

This study details the development of a novel scale to measure individual differences in cheer-leading (bias) and truth-seeking (accuracy) in the context of romantic relationships. In Study 1, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out, which revealed the Cheer-Leading and Truth-Seeking Scale was internally reliable, and contains two distinct, albeit inter-related factors. Study 2 examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the scale. Cheer-leading and truth-seeking were related to relationship quality, attachment working models, responses to dissatisfaction and conflict, self-esteem and attributional complexity in largely predicted ways. Study 3 provided evidence for the predictive ability of the scale. Cheer-leading moderated the link between relationship quality and relationship problems as predicted. That is, high levels of cheer-leading provided a buffer against decreases in relationship satisfaction in the presence of more frequent and severe problems. The implications of this research and applications of this scale are discussed.