Comm Chapter 10 Review Questions

Which of the following statements is NOT true about how gender influences conflict management? a. men are encouraged to avoid conflict b. women are encouraged to avoid conflict c. women are likely to accommodate d. men are likely to compete

Answer: A, men are encouraged to avoid conflict; Men learn to adopt competitive or even violent approaches to interpersonal clashes while women are encouraged to avoid and suppress conflict. Women may also be encouraged to sacrifice their own goals to accommodate others. (See p. 266)

You're engaged in a Facebook conflict with a friend who writes a nasty comment about you and signs off before you can reply. What conflict approach is your friend using? a. sniping b. skirting c. cumulative annoyance d. withdrawal

Answer: A, sniping; Sniping is the act of communicating in a negative fashion and then abandoning the encounter by physically leaving the scene or refusing to interact further. Skirting is another form of avoidance in which a person avoids a conflict by changing the topic or joking about it. Cumulative annoyance, in which repressed irritation grows as the mental list of grievances we have against our partner builds, is a risk of avoidance. (See p. 262) Withdrawal refers to leaving an encounter or avoiding it. (See p. 262 and p. 277)

Conflict can be described as having all the following characteristics EXCEPT a. it is perceptual b. it is a process c. it is dynamic d. it stems from a serious of unrelated events

Answer: D, it stems from a series of unrelated events; Conflict is a process that unfolds over time rather than as a result of a series of unrelated events. Conflict is perceptual because it occurs when people perceive incompatible goals or actions. Conflict is a process that unfolds over time and is determined by the communication choices we make. Conflict is dynamic because it is everchanging and unpredictable. (See p. 254-5).

If Mary and Marie believe their goals are incompatible, when in fact their goals are compatible, they are engaged in a. escalation b. demand-withdraw pattern c. domination d. pseudo-conflict

Answer: D, pseudo-conflict; Psuedo-conflict is the perception that a conflict exists when in fact it doesn't. Escalation refers to a dramatic rise in emotional intensity and increasingly negative and aggressive communication. (See p. 262-3) A demand-withdraw pattern is a serial argument in which one partner in a relationship demands that his or her goals be met, and the other partner responds by withdrawing from the encounter. (See p. 277). Domination occurs when one person gets his or her way by influencing the other to engage in accommodation and abandon goals. (see p. 271).

Which of the following approaches to conflict is the least strategic in terms of achieving or pursuing conflict-related goals? a. reactivity b. competition c. accommodation d. avoidance e. collaboration

a. reactivity

Fran always changes the subject by making jokes when Jenna confronts her about a problem. Fran relies on what type of conflict approach? a. skirting b. sniping c. cumulative annoyance d. psuedo-conflict e. none of the options are correct

a. skirting

Which of the following is NOT a suggestion for how to collaboratively manage a conflict? a. Attack problems, not people. b. Focus on your own interests. c. Create options before arriving at decisions. d. Critically evaluate solutions. e. None of the options are correct.

b. Focus on your own interests

After obtaining his PhD in nanoscale science, Jaryn is flooded with job offers. Jaryn is enjoying which of the following types of power currency? a. resource currency b. expertise currency c. social network currency d. intimacy currency e. personal currency

b. expertise currency

During a heated conflict Jasmine says, "This relationship isn't working—we should just end this now!" This is an example of which of the following? a. escalation b. sudden-death statement c. dirty secret d. sniping e. none of the options are correct

b. sudden-death statement

Hans considers himself scrappy, and he typically approaches most interpersonal conflicts with a desire to win. Which of the following statements about Hans is least likely to be true? a. Hans likes to have control during a conflict situation. b. Hans is willing to hurt the other person if it means winning. c. Hans is most comfortable employing defensive communication. d. Hans goes head-to-head with others out of respect for them. e. None of the options are correct.

d. Hans goes head-to-head with others out of respect for them.

Which of the following is an example of kitchen-sinking? a. using humor to deflect the tension in a situation b. ending a long-term relationship suddenly during a fight c. avoiding hot-button topics for fear the other person will turn violent d. bringing up a grievance that's unrelated to the current conflict e. cooling off by examining all the good things in the relationship

d. bringing up a grievance that's unrelated to the current conflict

Which of the following is the best example of a complementary power relationship? a. wife to husband b. friend to friend c. teammate to teammate d. child to parent e. none of the options are correct

d. child to parent

Jamal and Sara cannot decide whose family to spend a holiday with. They decide to invite both families to a central location instead. This is an example of which of the following short-term conflict resolutions? a. separation b. domination c. structural improvements d. integrative agreements e. none of the options are correct

d. integrative agreements

Having extreme physical beauty is an example of which of the following types of power currency? a. resource currency b. expertise currency c. social network currency d. personal currency e. intimacy currency

d. personal currency

When a person believes he or she has a moral obligation to behave in selfless, self-sacrificial ways that quickly end conflicts and assist others, he or she is practicing which of the following? a. conflict avoidance b. kitchen-sinking c. collaboration d. radical pacifism e. none of the options are correct

d. radical pacifism

Which of the following features is a characteristic of most interpersonal conflicts? a. They involve clashes in goals or behaviors b. They are dynamic c. They begin with perception d. They unfold over time as a process e. All of the options are correct

e. All of the options are correct

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of power? a. Power is always present. b. Power can be used ethically or unethically. c. Power is granted. d. Power influences most conflicts. e. None of the options are correct.

e. None of the options are correct.

Which of the following strategies should a collectivist use to resolve a conflict with an individualist? a. recognize that conflicts can be separate from people b. use direct & assertive language c. manage conflicts rather than avoiding them d. all of the options are correct

Answer: D, all of the options are correct; Individualists tend to separate conflicts from people, use an assertive and direct style, and manage conflicts rather than avoid them. (See p. 268)