COMM 315 Final

People who are poor communicators are not aware that someone may communicate better than they do. This is explained by which of the following explanations?

"Ignorance is Bliss" Explanation

In long-term committed relationships, ______.

"birds of a feather flock together" is truer that "opposites attract"

Studies suggest that approximately ______ of the meaning of a given interaction is interpreted from nonverbal behavior.

60-65%

According to the textbook, which of the following conditions define behavior's relationship to communication?

Behavior is communication if it is interpreted by a receiver.

What is the difference between the content and relational communication of messages?

Content level conveys information at a literal level; relational level provides context for interpreting the message.

According to the book, Generation MySpace, discussed in Chapter 2, which of the following is true of the current millennial generation?

Entertainment rules! Life is about video games and social networking.

Which of the following is one of the reasons given for the existence of the "Romeo and Juliet" effect?

Individuals may enjoy the feeling of an illicit secret.

Which of the following statements best reflects the first and most central principle of uncertainty reduction theory?

People are motivated to seek information in an effort to reduce uncertainty, especially during initial encounters with others.

Which of the following is the best example of trying to protect negative face?

Sam doesn't want to feel obliged to go to his girlfriend's house for Thanksgiving.

One explanation for differences between what is attractive to men and what is attractive to women is the theory that men and women have different roles in procreation and parenting, and thus need to look for different things in a potential mate. What theory is this?

Social Evolutionary Theory

______ provides an explanation for how our identities are developed and maintained as well as how our identity is intricately linked to group memberships.

Social identity theory

Professor Plum begins an interaction with his class using negative behavior. During the course of the interaction, he switches to positive behavior. Prof. Reibolt started an interaction with his class using positive behavior; but, he switched to negative behavior. How would the Loss-Gain Effect explain how the class would feel about Prof. Plum compared to Prof. Reibolt?

The class would be attracted to Professor Plum because the students' expectations were exceeded.

Which of the following statements best illustrates the process of fatal attraction?

The very qualities that draw us to someone can contribute to the eventual relationship breakup.

Which of the following is the best example of symmetrical message exchange?

Tom says, "Take out the trash," and Jake says, "Take it out yourself."

The dialectical perspective on uncertainty is best characterized by which of the following statements?

We want both certainty and uncertainty in our relationships

Marcia is nervous when an attractive person approaches her and says "hello." She ties to hide her anxiety, but the person notices that she is a bit fidgety and figures out that she is nervous. This is an example of ______.

accidental communication

Close relationships satisfy interpersonal needs. The three most central needs are ______.

affection, social inclusion, and behavioral control

With which of the following individuals do most people usually have high incentive value for reducing uncertainty?

all of these

Researchers explored the concept of "nice guys finish last." According to their study, people who are attracted to "nice guys" also value ______.

altruism

If you have a low level of uncertainty about someone, this means that you ______.

are confident about being able to predict and explain this person's behavior

Which of the following strategies would be classified as active according to uncertainty reduction theory?

asking a friend to find out if someone you are interested in is already dating someone else

Isabel stands at the foot of the stairs and yells "dinner's ready" to her kids who are upstairs. However, her kids do not hear her because they are both listening to their I-Pods. This is an example of ______.

attempted communication

Brenna tells Jacob: "We always spent time together, and that's great, but I need to spend time with my friends too." Which dialectical tension does Brenna discourse reflect?

autonomy-connection

Which of the following strategies for enacting a face threatening act (FTA) is typically used, when task efficiency is a priority and the power/status difference between individuals is large?

bald-on-record strategy

Close relationships are defined by ______.

behavioral interdependence, repeated interaction, emotional attachment, and need fulfillment

If Natalie begins a statement by saying "I know this might not make you happy, but . . .", she is engaging in which kind of preventative facework strategy?

cognitive disclaimer

According to the text, the ability to manage your self-presentation flexibly in a variety of contexts is one important aspect of ______.

communication competence

Which form of complementarity is least likely to be related to attraction and liking?

complementarity in values

A smile from your significant other sends a different message to you than a smile from a stranger. A secret your best friend tells you means something different than a disclosure from a stranger on a plane. The principle that explains these interactions is that relationships ______.

contextualize messages

Dean and Jess are having trouble managing the tension in their relationship. Jess uses sarcasm and ambiguous statements to deal with it. Which strategy is Jess using to manage the tension?

disqualification

Max travels by plane on a business trip even though he is terrified of plane rides. As he anxiously sits through take-off, he becomes aware of his attraction to the woman sitting next to him and begins to talk with her. What led to Max becoming more attracted to this woman than he would normally have been?

excitation transfer

Which of Knapp's stages is characterized by extended small talk?

experimenting stage

The initiating stage is to Knapp and Vangelisti's model as the ______ stage is to Altman and Taylor's social penetration model.

exploratory affective exchange

Engaging in direct communication is referred to as an extractive strategy.

false

For relational growth to produce lasting, positive results, it needs to be linear.

false

Identity is independent of our social relationships.

false

In good relationships, a person should always help maintain a partner's former identity.

false

Recent research by Duran and colleagues showed that the autonomy connection dialectic did not apply to cell phone communication.

false

Research shows that "opposites attract" relationships last longer than "similarities attract" relationships.

false

Self-presentational goals relate to the image we want others to convey.

false

The primary focus of the model of relational turbulence is that the initial interactions in a relationship are filled with tension as people adjust to each other.

false

The study of personal relationships is taught solely in communication departments.

false

Initially, Amy was attracted to Naomi due to her skill in flirting and her desire to try new things—the exact opposite of Amy's own shy personality. Recently, Amy has discovered that Naomi often flirts with other women and makes plans to be with them, so the very qualities that attracted Amy are now those that are destroying the relationship. This exemplifies ______.

fatal attraction

The way we would greet a potential boss and try to impress her/him by discussing ideas of ethics and company loyalty illustrates which aspect of Goffman's dramaturgical perspective?

front-stage behaviors

Raphael has stopped texting and replying to Jane's messages. It's like Raphael has just disappeared from the relationship. This is known as ______.

ghosting

The tendency to perceive physically attractive people as more sociable is part of what effect?

halo effect

______ refers to the qualities we understand ourselves to possess.

identity

The concept of ______ refers to the idea that we sometimes like people who are similar to us in arbitrary ways, such as having similar names or being born during the same month.

implicit egotism

Which strategy is used the most often to help intensify relationships?

increased contact

Baxter and Wilmot's (1985) research on secret tests shows that the majority of our uncertainty reduction techniques in early stages of relationships are ______.

indirect

Paul jokingly asks his wife if she'd like to have five children. If Paul's comment is designed to see if his wife really might consider having five children, his comment would be classified as the secret test called ______.

indirect suggestion test

The correct sequence for Knapp's five stages of coming together is ______.

initiating, experimenting, intensifying, integrating, and bonding

As mentioned in the textbook, there are three overriding sets of goals that people strive for in relationships. If you are interested in obtaining a letter of recommendation from one of your professors, you have to communicate your wishes to your professor and explain why and how the letter will help you. In doing this, you would be attempting to fulfill which of the following sets of goals?

instrumental

Chloe and Aidan have known one another for several years, but gradually they've begun to get closer and have moved their relationship to a romantic level. They've begun to attend parties together, host get-togethers, and often finish one another's sentences. What stage of Knapp's theory of coming together would best characterize Chloe and Aiden's current relationship?

integrating stage

The judgment-acceptance dialectic ______.

involves being able to accept friends for who they are

Charles Horton Cooley's classic belief that our identity is affected by the feedback we receive from others is termed ______.

looking-glass self

Chris is interested in getting to know Pat. They are in the same class together. Chris gets to class early to be able to sit next to Pat. Chris is reducing uncertainty by ______.

manipulating the social environment

Which strategy for dealing with dialectical tensions involves striving to reach a midpoint between the two ends of the dialectic?

moderation

When you can stand up for your own rights and tell your partner that they hurt your feelings, you are able to use ______ effectively.

negative assertions

Anika considers herself to be a very athletic person. After a game one day, her coach congratulates her on her performance during the game. However, she hears some of her teammates saying that they think she is not very athletically skilled. Which instance(s) of feedback is Anika likely to attend to?

only her coach's feedback—we usually attend to feedback that is consistent with our own perception of identity

According to the theory of motivated information management, ______ affect how people seek information to reduce uncertainty.

outcome expectancies

Jamie recently began dating after exiting a long-term relationship. Jamie feels like this new relationship is working. However, given the recent breakup, Jamie isn't quite sure if this is an accurate, shared perception. Jamie is experiencing ______ uncertainty.

partner

During a party for a mutual friend, Mike spots Alex. Mike observes that Alex does not have any people around her who seem to be romantic partners. He notices that she hums along to the same songs he likes. He realizes she eats the same food he eats. As he watches her leave with her friends, he decides the next time he sees her, he'll talk to her. Mike's uncertainty reduction strategy is best described as ______.

passive

In the textbook, the authors note that in dating relationships, we tend to prefer ______ feedback on our identity, yet in marriage relationships we tend to prefer ______ feedback on our identity.

positive, authentic

According to predicted outcome value theory, people are likely to seek more information when they ______.

predict that future interactions with a person will be rewarding

On a normal basis, you come home from school and find your housemate's socks on the floor. One day, however, you come home and find the floor free of socks. Which of the following types of expectancies have been violated?

predictive

According to the textbook, the study of interpersonal communication emerged as one of the primary emphases in the communication discipline because of the ______.

realization that relational development and communication share a symbiotic relationship

According to most research, we are attracted to those who are attitudinally similar to us because they are able to provide us with ______.

reinforcement

Late one Friday afternoon, the person you are dating calls and asks, "So, what are we doing tonight?" You interpret this question as good thing and realize you have a partner who is always there for you. This refers to the ______ level of the message.

relational

According to research cited in the text, when people interact with others, the most common topics involve ______.

relationship problems, sex, family, and romantic partners

According to Knapp's reversal hypothesis of relational de-escalation, ______.

relationships go through predictable stages during breakups

Research has shown that self-disclosure in international friendships is most effective in helping develop the relationship if it is accompanied by ______.

responsiveness

The external manifestation of the expression dialectic is called ______.

revealment-concealment

People seek out relationships in order to gain more experience. They terminate these relationships when they perceive that their identities are no longer growing. This is the basic premise behind ______.

self-expansion theory

A/an ______ occurs when an expectation exists that something will happen, and a person behaves in a way (often unconsciously) that actually makes it more likely that the anticipated event will occur.

self-fulfilling prophecy

The desire to "hang out" and be friendly with someone is which type of attraction?

social

The two fields that have contributed most to the study of personal relationships are ______.

social psychology and communication

Vivian enjoys working with Chris on class projects, and she admires how hardworking he is. What kind of attraction does Vivian feel for Chris?

task attraction

There are several elements that affect the severity of a face threatening​ act (FTA). Which of the following is NOT one of these elements?

the esteem levels of the receiver and the sender

Jana is engaged to Matt. She suspects Matt is very flirtatious. To reduce her uncertainty about her fiancé and to see if he is the "right one" for her, she types up an anonymous letter. In the letter, she asks Matt to meet at a certain place and time. She signs it, "your secret admirer." Jana believes that her uncertainty will be reduced by seeing if Matt tells her about the letter and/or if he shows up at the fictitious meeting. Jana's uncertainty reduction strategy is best categorized as a ______.

triangle test

According to Knapp and Vangelisti, the stages of coming together are the mirror image of the stages coming apart.

true

According to your text and Watzlawick et al., one cannot not communicate in face-to-face settings.

true

Because there are fewer nonverbal cues in online communication, people have a greater need for uncertainty reduction online than face to face.

true

Being attracted to a narcissistic person appears to be a common type of fatal attraction.

true

Identity incorporates expectations and guides behavior.

true

Knapp's 10-stage outline for the typical pattern of relationship development and decline follows a typical order; however, the steps can vary in real life situations.

true

Knowledge of relational communication does not guarantee that we will be attracted to the "right people".

true

Many gay, lesbian, and transgendered people closet their real identities because of fears of rejection and possible violence.

true

People like people with whom they are frequently in close proximity.

true

Rather than having two completely separate identities, people in close relationships tend to merge identities.

true

Snapchat is a form of small talk.

true

Some studies show that men are likely to have higher sexual expectations for dates that are initiated by women than women have.

true

Studies show that sites which include attractive images lead to greater attraction to that person than those with no image.

true

The coming apart phase of differentiating begins with uncoupling behavior.

true

The idea that relational communication is dynamic means that communication reflects the changing nature of relationships.

true

When our life partner does something unexpected, we are sometimes less able to predict their attitudes and behaviors.

true

Mike and Micky decided to have a ceremony to renew their vows to celebrate their 50th anniversary. They recognize that this event signifies a ______ in their relationship.

turning point

Pat has spent weeks preparing for the dance recital. On the opening night, Pat tells everyone "I twisted my ankle and might not be able to dance tonight." Pat is nervous and afraid of a potentially poor performance. Pat just used ______ as a method of preventive facework.

verbal handicapping

The turbulence model suggests that people experience the most uncertainty ______.

when they are in the process of moving their relationship from casual to committed

The distinction between romantic versus nonromantic relationships is based on ______.

whether people define themselves as a couple