Citations for Research FAQs 
Tuesday, May 18, 2010Note: Some of these research articles can be accessed, saved, and printed for free, while others require purchase. This is due to copyright restrictions beyond our control. For additional research articles or information regarding Dr. Gottman’s research, please contact the Relationship Research Institute at
info@gottmanresearch.com
1. Is Dr. Gottman really able to predict whether a couple will get divorced with 94% accuracy?
Buehlman, K., Gottman, J.M., & Katz, L., (1992). How a couple views their past predicts their future: predicting divorce from an oral history interview, Journal of Family Psychology, 5(3-4), 295-318;
Gottman, J. and Levenson, R.W., (2002). A Two-Factor Model for Predicting When a Couple Will Divorce: Exploratory Analyses Using 14-Year Longitudinal Data, Family Process, 41 (1), p. 83-96 ;
Gottman, J.M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., and Swanson, C., (1998). Predicting Marital Happiness and Stability from Newlywed Interactions, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(1), 5-22; ( http://www.jstor.org/pss/353438 )
Carrere, S., Buehlman, K.T., Coan, J.A., Gottman, J.M., Coan, J.A., and Ruckstuhl, L., (2000). Predicting Marital Stability and Divorce in Newlywed Couples, Journal of Family Psychology, 14(1), 42-58
Gottman, J.M., (1991). Predicting the longitudinal course of marriages, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 17(1), 3-7
Gottman, J.M., and Krokoff, L.J., (1989). The relationship between marital interaction and marital satisfaction: a longitudinal view. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 47-52
Carrere, S., and Gottman, J.M., (1999). Predicting Divorce among Newlyweds from the First Three Minutes of a Marital Conflict Discussion, Family Process, Vol. 38(3), 293-301
3. Can you tell us more about Dr. Gottman’s post-hoc analysis, and how it’s different from prediction studies?
Gottman, J. and Levenson, R.W., (2002). A Two-Factor Model for Predicting When a Couple Will Divorce: Exploratory Analyses Using 14-Year Longitudinal Data, Family Process, 41 (1), p. 83-96
4. How statistically significant is it that Dr. Gottman can predict divorce with such a high rate of accuracy?
Gottman, J.M., Katz, L.F., & Hooven, C., (1996). Parental meta-emotion philosophy and the emotional life of families: theoretical models and preliminary data, Journal of Family Psychology, 10 (3), 243-268
Gottman, J.M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., and Swanson, C., (1998). Predicting Marital Happiness and Stability from Newlywed Interactions, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(1) , 5-22;
5. I’ve heard that the U.S. divorce rate is currently at 43%; how does that figure into Dr. Gottman’s research?
Gottman, J.M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., and Swanson, C., (1998). Predicting Marital Happiness and Stability from Newlywed Interactions, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(1), 5-22;
Buehlman, K., Gottman, J.M., & Katz, L., (1992). How a couple views their past predicts their future: predicting divorce from an oral history interview, Journal of Family Psychology, 5(3-4), 295-318;
6. How many divorce prediction research studies and general relationship studies has Dr. Gottman conducted with couples?
Five Couples Studies:
Gottman, J.M., and Krokoff, L.J., (1989). The relationship between marital interaction and marital satisfaction: a longitudinal view. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 47-52;
Gottman, J.M., (1980). The consistency of nonverbal affect and affect reciprocity in marital interaction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 711-717;
Gottman, J., (1982). Emotional responsiveness in marital conversations, Journal of Communication, 32, 108-120;
Gottman, J.M., & Porterfield, A.L., (1981). Communicative competence in the nonverbal behavior of married couples, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43, 817-824
Krokoff, L.J., Gottman, J.M., and Roy, A.K., (1988). Blue-collar marital interaction and communication orientation. Journal of Personal and Social Relationships, 5, 201-221
Seven Divorce Prediction Studies
Levenson, R.W., & Gottman, J.M., (1983). Marital interaction: physiological linkage and affective exchange, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 587-597
Levenson, R.W., & Gottman, J.M., (1985). Physiological and affective predictors of change in relationship satisfaction, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 85-94
Gottman, J.M., (1994). Nonlinear differential equation models of marital interaction. In S. Johnson and L. Greenberg (Eds.), The heart of the matter: Perspectives on emotion in marital therapy, 256-293;
Gottman, J.M., Katz, L.F., & Hooven, C., (1996). Parental meta-emotion philosophy and the emotional life of families: theoretical models and preliminary data, Journal of Family Psychology, 10 (3), 243-268
Gottman, J.M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., and Swanson, C., (1998). Predicting Marital Happiness and Stability from Newlywed Interactions, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(1), 5-22
Levenson, R.W., Carstensen, L.L. and Gottman, J.M., (1994). Influence of age and gender on affect, physiology and their interrelations: A study of long-term marriages. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(1), 56-68
Jacobson, N.S., Gottman, J.M., Gortner, E., Berns, S., & Shortt, J.W., (1998). The longitudinal course of battering: When do couples split up? When does the abuse decrease? Violence and Victims; 11(4), 371-392
All of these studies can be found in the book What Predicts Divorce? 1994, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
10. Can physiological data really predict changes in marital satisfaction?
Gottman, J.M. & Levenson, R.W., (1988). The social psychophysiology of marriage. In P. Noller and M.A. Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on Marital Interaction. Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters;
Levenson, R.W., & Gottman, J.M., (1985). Physiological and affective predictors of change in relationship satisfaction, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 85-94;
Gottman, J.M. (1994). What Predicts Divorce? Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc., 1994;
11. Are there any gender differences between men and women when it comes to physiological arousal?
Gottman, J.M., & Levenson, R.W., (1992). Marital processes predictive of later dissolution: behavior, physiology and health, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 221-233
Gottman, J.M. & Levenson, R.W., (1988). The social psychophysiology of marriage. In P. Noller and M.A. Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on Marital Interaction. Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters
18. Which of Dr. Gottman’s published papers and books would you suggest I review to better understand more about his research on divorce prediction?
Gottman, J., (1990). How marriages change. In G.R. Patterson (Eds.), Depression and Aggression in Family Interaction. Hillsdale, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum ;
Gottman, J.M., & Levenson, R.W., (1992). Marital processes predictive of later dissolution: behavior, physiology and health, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63 , 221-233 ;
Buehlman, K., Gottman, J.M., & Katz, L., (1992). How a couple views their past predicts their future: predicting divorce from an oral history interview, Journal of Family Psychology, 5(3-4) , 295-318;
Gottman, J.M. & Levenson, R.W., (1988). The social psychophysiology of marriage . In P. Noller and M.A. Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on Marital Interaction. Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters;
Gottman, J.M. (1994). What Predicts Divorce? Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc., 1994;
Gottman, J.M., (1991). Predicting the longitudinal course of marriages, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 17 (1), 3-7
Gottman, J.M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., and Swanson, C., (1998). Predicting Marital Happiness and Stability from Newlywed Interactions, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(1) , 5-22 ;
Gottman, J. and Levenson, R.W., (2002). A Two-Factor Model for Predicting When a Couple Will Divorce: Exploratory Analyses Using 14-Year Longitudinal Data, Family Process, 41 (1) , p. 83-96 ;
Gottman, J.M. (1979). Marital Interaction: Experimental Investigations . New York: Academic Press