Cognitive strategies employed in trying to arrange a first date

This article deals with how adolescents go about making a date. It uses a funnelling approach to elicit information which is then studied in more detail in a series of further steps. Study 1 used a short survey to obtain data concerning subjects' (n=410) experience of dating. Thereafter, 47 of these subjects selected situations and actions relevant to their dating experience, from two specially prepared lists. Study 1 provided information concerning the relevance of the lists, their comprehensibility and the frequency with which subjects had encountered specific situations or actions. In Study 2, 287 subjects completed the survey, 73 were selected and given revised versions of the lists. After selecting situations and actions, they were interviewed concerning their choice. Subject's responses are discussed with respect to social cognitive development in adolescence.