ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the related topics of relationship cognition and relationship affect-that is, on the perceptions, attributions, beliefs, and thoughts (cognition), and the feelings, sentiments, and emotions (affect), that people experience and express in their intimate relationships. These processes are deeply entwined (see Fitness & Strongman, 1991). What and how we think about our partners and our relationships infl uences how we feel about them. In turn, how we feel infl uences our beliefs and expectations, including the thoughts we generate and the conclusions we draw during interactions with our partners.
