Personality and social relationship dynamics: Short- and medium-term processes in daily life (DIPS)

In two large-scale studies, researchers are investigating short- and medium-term dynamics within and between social relationships. These are the first studies of their kind to take not only quantitative but also qualitative behavioral relationship characteristics into account. Using multivariate analysis methods, they examine the influence of personality characteristics (e.g., extraversion, affiliative motives) on relationship dynamics in connection with social context factors (e.g., social network, population density).

Study 1 will use mobile sensing (MS), experience sampling (ESM), and day reconstruction (DRM) methods to collect data on personality traits and the types and quality of social interactions. The results will be used in developing the questionnaires for Study 2.

Study 2 will examine the behavior of respondents in the SOEP Innovation Sample (N > 4,000 respondents). Over a period of 14 days, respondents will be surveyed by mobile phone on the quantity and quality of their social interactions.

Conducting the study as part of the SOEP Innovation Sample makes it possible to combine different levels of analysis (individuals, dyads, social networks, social classes, regions) and different temporal perspectives (longitudinal survey data, short-term mobile phone data).