The present studies examined the often-implicit notion that people think about couples as discrete entities, distinct from the individuals therein—a concept we refer to as couple-level identities. Findings suggest that people perceive both their own and other couples as distinct units (Study 1) that can possess dyadic qualities unique from those of either couple member. Exploring the implications of these identities, Studies 2 and 3 examined how couple-level identities (beyond the identities of the individuals) influence social judgment (e.g., cognitive biases). Finally, Study 4's findings suggest that perceptions of discrete couple-level identities are natural parts of everyday social cognition. Together, results suggest the need to consider couple-level identities in research on the self, social perception, and close relationships.

中文翻译：

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将夫妻视为离散单位：夫妻层面身份的存在

目前的研究检验了一个经常隐含的观念，即人们将夫妻视为离散的实体，与其中的个人不同——我们将这个概念称为夫妻层面的身份。研究结果表明，人们将自己的夫妻和其他夫妻视为不同的单位（研究 1），它们可以拥有不同于任何夫妻成员的二元特质。研究 2 和研究 3 探讨了这些身份的含义，研究了夫妻层面的身份（超越个人身份）如何影响社会判断（例如认知偏见）。最后，研究 4 的研究结果表明，对离散夫妻层面身份的认知是日常社会认知的自然组成部分。总之，结果表明在自我、社会认知和亲密关系的研究中需要考虑夫妻层面的身份。