The Physiology of Argumentative Skill Deficiency: Cognitive Ability, Emotional Competence, Communication Qualities, and Responses to Conflict

Abstract

This study drew upon the argumentative skill deficiency model to advance hypotheses linking cognitive ability and emotional competence to the prominence of loudness, criticism, disagreement, and sarcasm in conflict interactions between dating partners. Hypotheses also predicted that these communication qualities amplify physiological stress responses to conflict interactions, as indexed by measures of salivary cortisol. One hundred college-aged students (50 romantic couples) participated in a dyadic interaction in which they discussed a source of conflict in their relationship. Structural equation analyses evaluated an actor–partner interdependence model in which personal qualities predicted communication qualities that, in turn, predicted amplitude of cortisol change. Results indicated partial support for our hypotheses.

Keywords:

• Interpersonal Conflict
• Communication Skills
• Cognitive Ability
• Emotional Competence
• Physiological Stress

Notes

[1] We focused on stress reactions in this study, rather than stress reactions and recovery. Our theoretical foundation emphasizes how communication skill deficits can lead to conflict experiences that escalate the stressfulness of those interactions. This framework leads to hypotheses linking individual differences to more or less problematic conflict qualities but does not anticipate that those individual differences correspond with downregulation after a conflict interaction. Thus, our study is more similar to work linking dispositional qualities to stress reactions (e.g., Lackschewitz et al., 2008), than it is to work examining how communication experiences influence stress recovery (e.g., Priem & Solomon, in press), or stress reactions and recovery (e.g., Afifi et al., 2013).

[2] We did not anticipate sex differences. We divided dyads by sex because doing so distinguished partners within dyads. Although the ASDM does not specify sex differences in the impact of communication skills on conflict experiences, this analytical strategy also allows us to evaluate if patterns are consistent for males and females.