The Dyad as the Unit of Analysis: Conceptual and Methodological Issues

This work assesses conceptual and methodological issues in the use of the dyad as the unit of analysis in family research. Illustrative examples from dyadic research and a table to aid researchers in the generation of dyadic studies using one or two informants are included. The focus of dyadic research is the relationship between two people. All components of a study must be at the level of the dyad and each stage of research must have the relationship as the object of study. Conceptualizing the pattern between two people is an essential first step. The pattern can take many forms reflecting different conceptual models of relationships and interactions. Individual properties such as values or needs must be distinguished from relationship properties such as norms or roles. Information about the partners individual characteristics or relationship may come from many sources and it is necessary to specify whose construction is under examination. Issues of subjectivity or objectivity self-report or observation and one informant or two relate to generalizability of information. How relationships are conceptualized must also be congruent with choice of sampling procedures. Two major weaknesses are common at the level of data analysis: data from both members of the dyad are aggregated rather than reflecting the pattern between the two or the conceptual basis of the constructed relationship pattern is not clear. The paper concludes with a discussion of the range of research questions that can appropriately be addressed using one or both partners as informants.

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