title: Sociosexual orientation, commitment, and infidelity: a mediation analysis.
abstract: Individuals with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation (SO) are less committed to their romantic relationships and more likely to engage in infidelity. Furthermore, commitment is negatively associated with tendencies to cheat. However, no previous research has examined the possible mediating role of commitment in the relationship between SO and infidelity. The current study examined whether commitment mediated the relationship between SO and willingness to engage in three types of cheating behaviors (Ambiguous, Deceptive, and Explicit). Results suggested that commitment partially mediated the relationship between SO and infidelity, such that unrestricted individuals had lower commitment, which in turn led to a greater likelihood of cheating. Implications of this association and directions for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Ashland University, Department of Psychology, 156 Schar College of Education, 401 College Ave., Ashland, OH 44805, USA. bmatting@ashland.edu
authors.forename: Brent A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Mattingly
authors.forename: Eddie M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Weidler
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bullock
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hackathorn
authors.forename: Katheryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blankmeyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D008192:Deception; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012945:Social Values; D055815:Young Adult