Directly observed interaction within adolescent romantic relationships: What have we learned?
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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors
Published on: February 25, 2011
Deborah P Welsh1, Shmuel Shulman
1Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Austin Peay Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, USA. dwelsh@utk.edu
Abstract:
Review and conceptual analysis of the papers in this special issue calls attention to several important methodological and conceptual issues surrounding the direct observation of adolescent romantic couples. It also provides an important new foundation of knowledge about the nature of adolescents' romantic relationships. Connections with previous family relationships, new understandings of the distinctive nature of adolescent romantic relationships, and gender issues are clarified by this body of papers. Together, these papers move the scholarly field forward and generate new lines of questions for future investigators.
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