On July 5th through July 9th, Dr. Sibley, Jordyn Saddler, and I had the pleasure of presenting some of our research at the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR) 2024 Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza. Dr. Sibley and I had an early afternoon flight from Chicago to Boston while Jordyn flew from Minnesota and met us at the hotel. We had all previously met over Zoom with one of Dr. Sibley’s close colleagues Dr. Amber Venumm to finalize our slide show for our oral presentation which she also presented with us at the conference. We prepared for many months to attend the IARR 2024 Conference.
Once we all met at the hotel we checked into our rooms and got ready for dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant called Strega Italiano, which was connected to the hotel via the lobby where we ate dinner and discussed our oral presentation that we would be giving the next day and our poster presentation we had on the 7th. After dinner we decided to go to the opening ceremony which had started earlier in the day so there were not many people left. We then decided to go on a night walk to see Boston and get some fresh air.
Poster presentations were held daily from 8:00 am to 9:00 am with coffee and tea provided. Many oral presentations, panel discussions, method workshops, data blitz and symposiums were held between 9:00 am to 5:45 pm with a keynote speaker daily at 12:15pm with a lunch buffet served from 11:45am- 2:00 pm. Before our oral presentation session, we got some breakfast at the hotel lobby, and then we attended some earlier oral presentations until it was time for the lunch buffet. We listened to the keynote speaker as we ate and prepared for our paper presentation later that afternoon.
Saturday July 6th
Our oral presentation was scheduled for Saturday, July 6th at 2:00pm along with other emerging adults in the Early Stages of Relationships oral presentations. Dr. Sibley, Dr. Vennum, Jordyn Saddler, and I gave a paper presentation of Proceed with Caution: How Emerging Adults Are Testing the Water in Just Talking Relationships (click link to access the full presentation in PDF format) to about 80 conference attendees. Dr. Amber Vennum from Kansas State University recently co-authored another paper about just talking with Dr. Sibley that they are hoping to get published. You can find some other blog posts we have previously published that have discussed the romantic relationship trend of just talking.
- RQ1: How do emerging adults define just talking and distinguish it from other types of intimate relationships?
- RQ2: How do men and women differ in their beliefs about just talking relationships?
- RQ3: What are emerging adults’ reasons for just talking?
- RQ4: What role does technology play in just talking relationships?
In this presentation, the team presented themes of “just talking” by focusing on:
- The Characteristics of Just Talking
- The Purpose of Just Talking
- The Role of Technology in Just Talking
Along with this, they highlighted significant data in the quantitative research shown in the handouts.
This research expanded the knowledge available about what “just talking” is and how prevalent this relationship phenomenon is among emerging adults. The research brought forth how “just talking” may create space in relationships for ambiguity, but further research could assist in developing understanding of just talking relationships, their outcomes, and points of intervention.
After our oral presentation session, we decided to go for a walk to Chinatown and to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum that we wanted to go to sometime during the trip. We ended up walking around 15,000 steps and around 9 miles around Boston! We saw many shops, historical buildings, and many seafood restaurants. We really enjoyed walking around the beautiful city of Boston (click her for a great picture from our walks around Boston). We then walked back to the hotel to meet up with Dr. Amber Vennum to go to dinner. For dinner we went to State Street Provisions where Dr. Vennum and Dr. Sibley ordered lobsters rolls while Jordyn and I ordered a class cheeseburger and fries. It was Dr. Vennum’s first time eating a lobster roll which she was not the biggest fan of!
Sunday July 7th
On Sunday morning at 8:00am Jordyn and I had our poster presentation session which we were very excited to present . It was amazing that even on a Sunday morning so many students and faculty were awake and excited to talk about research. It went very well, and we enjoyed talking about the research and also walking around looking at everyone else’s posters and learning about everyone else’s research as well.
During the very well attended poster presentation session, Jordyn and I presented the poster Romantic Relationship Formation Continuum: An Exploration of Steps and Stages Leading to a Committed Relationship (click link to access the poster in PDF format) to the IARR 2024 Conference attendees. This poster presentation was similar to what our team presented at the ILCFR 2024 Conference held at Northern Illinois University.
- RQ1: What do emerging adults believe is the purpose of romantic relationships?
- RQ2: What are the steps and stages in a romantic relationship and how do they progress to a committed relationship?
- RQ3: How do emerging adults feel about marriage and their personal preparation for this committed relationship?
- RQ4: How do the steps and stages that lead to a committed relationship differ compared to previous generations?
While presenting, they introduced the main themes outlined by the research’s steps of qualitative analysis.
Eight themes related to the formation of committed relationships:
- Sense of Security and Support
- Clarifying Commitment
- Investing in the Future
- Building a Foundation
- Provide Purpose and Meaning
- Apprehensive about Committed Relationships
- Personal Growth
- Marriage is Not Always the End Goal
These themes outlined in the research support Stanley et. al. (2006) theory of Sliding versus Deciding, and highlight the importance of making thoughtful and intentional decisions in your relationship as you face transitions. The results supported other research studies on commitment and fear of rejection in relationships. Note that the development of committed relationships in emerging adults is ever-changing. Further research could attempt to recognize additional changes in the formation of committed relationships. 
After we did our poster we attended some more oral presentations, had lunch, and decided we were going to go to the New England Aquarium. The aquarium was nice there were sea lions, turtles, penguins, and a lot of fish! We then went to dinner at Chart House which was just on the water by the museum. We met up with Dr. Amber Venuum and one of her graduate students. Once we got back to the hotel Jordyn and I attended the very popular IARR 2024 Conference dance which was super fun.
Monday July 8th
On our last full day in Boston, Jordyn and I woke up early to see the sunrise on the beach (click for a beautiful picture of the sunrise at the beach)! It was incredibly beautiful. We then spent some time shopping and had lunch in Chinatown, while Dr. Sibley attended some meeting virtually. In the afternoon we met back up with Dr. Sibley and went on the famous Boston Duck Tour which was a land and water tour that is very popular. You can see Jordyn getting a chance to drive the duck on the Charles River. It was an amazing and fun tour and we got to see more of the city and history which was very cool! After our tour we decided to walk around Boston some more and look for a place to eat. We ended up eating at a cute Mediterranean restaurant called Eva. We shared a very delicious spinach artichoke dip with fresh pita bread. Then Dr. Sibley ordered a salmon entree while Jordyn ordered a watermelon salad and I got a burger and fries. It was a good end to our long day of exploring and learning!
Overall, we all enjoyed our time at the IARR 2024 conference, and it was especially an amazing learning experience for me and Jordyn. We got some great insight for graduate school and future plans and got to experience such an amazing conference! Boston was also beautiful to explore and be in. It was great making memories and growing closer. We could not have done it without Dr. Sibley so thank you to him for the opportunity and trying everything he could to make this trip happen. You can check out many more images in our Conference Photo Gallery.
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Hello! My name is Pelin Keceli. I am a senior at Northern Illinois University. I am dual majoring in Psychology and Human Development and Family Sciences. My goal is to become a licensed therapist and help those in need.
