Exploring the implications of relational mobility as an socio-ecological variable- Group 1

This project investigates relational mobility, a socio-ecological variable that shapes how freely people can form, maintain, or leave social relationships. In high relational mobility contexts (such as the United States), people have many opportunities to choose new friends or colleagues, and they can also end unsatisfying relationships more easily. In low relational mobility contexts (such Japan), relationships are more stable and often shaped by family, community, or workplace ties—meaning people have fewer opportunities to change their social circles.
Understanding relational mobility is important because it affects how people build trust, manage conflicts, and experience belonging in social and work settings. 
In this project, in addition to conducting a literature review on relational mobility, students will analyze open-ended descriptions of social relationships from three different sources:

1. Imagined contexts: Participants who imagined themselves as students in high vs. low relational mobility settings.
2. Described contexts: Participants who read about an employee in high vs. low relational mobility work settings and reflected on them.
3. Real contexts: Employees from the U.S. (a higher relational mobility country) and Turkey (a lower relational mobility country).

By comparing these three datasets, students will explore how relational mobility influences the way people describe and understand their social relationships.
IMPORTANT: The study requires very good command of both English and Turkish, given the data.