CHAPTER ONE: A First Look at Interpersonal Communication
STUDY GUIDE
TRUE/FALSE
Mark the statements below as true or false
_______
1. Studies show your physical health may be affected by communication.
_________________________________________________________________________
_______
2. We learn who we are through communication with others and their reactions to us.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______
3. Communication skills are usually much less important in getting a job than technical
competence, work experience, or a degree.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______
4. Instrumental goals are the same thing as social needs.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______
5. Psychologist Abraham Maslow claims that basic needs must be satisfied before people
concern themselves with higher order needs.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______
6. The linear view of communication suggests that communication flows in one direction,
from sender to receiver.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______
7. Disabled people have no repertoire of options available when responding to unwanted
offers of help.
_________________________________________________________________________
_______
8. Richness is verbal cues that add clarity to a nonverbal message.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______
9. Disinhibition is speaking or transmitting messages without considering their
consequences.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______ 10. Dyadic communication is the earliest form of interaction we experience and the most
common type of communication.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______ 11. What qualifies as competent behavior in one culture might be completely inept, or even
offensive, in another.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______ 12. In order to build a competent relationship, we need to get rid of our need to maintain
some space between ourselves and the other person.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______ 13. Ten minutes per day of socializing improves memory and boosts intellectual function.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______ 14. Research suggests that face-to-face relationships and virtual relationships are increasingly
oppositional.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______ 15. MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter are just some of the ways that people can communicate
through mediated channels.
_________________________________________________________________________
_______ 16. There is no place for impersonal communication in day to day activity.
_________________________________________________________________________
_______ 17. We can always choose not to communicate if the situation seems too difficult.
_________________________________________________________________________
COMPLETION
Fill in the blanks below with the correct terms chosen from the list below.
instrumental goals
social needs
identity needs
psychological noise
self-monitoring
co-cultures
cognitive complexity
empathy
physiological noise
richness
1.
_____________________ are the needs we have to define who we are.
2.
_____________________ are the needs we have to link ourselves with others.
3.
_____________________ are the needs we have to get others to behave in ways we want.
4.
_____________________ refers to the forces within a communicator that interfere with the ability to
express or understand a message accurately.
5.
_____________________ refers to the biological factors in the receiver or sender that interfere with
accurate reception of messages.
6.
_____________________ groups that shape our perceptions: ethnic, national, religious
7.
_____________________ is the abundance of nonverbal cues that add clarity to a verbal message.
8.
_____________________ is the ability to construct a variety of different frameworks for viewing an
issue.
9.
_____________________ is the process of paying close attention to your behavior in order to shape
the way you behave.
10.
_____________________ is the ability to imagine how an issue might look from the other’s point of
view.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
Choose the letter of the communication process element that is most illustrated by the description found
below. Italicized words provide clues.
a. encode
b. decode
c. channel
d. message/feedback
e. noise (external, physiological, or psychological)
f. environment
_______
1. The children make a videotape of themselves to send to their grandparents instead of
writing a letter.
_______
2. Marjorie tries to decide the best way to tell Martin that she can’t go to Hawaii with him.
_______
3. Martin decides Marjorie means she doesn’t love him when she says she can’t go to Hawaii.
_______
4. It’s so hot in the room that Brad has a hard time concentrating on what his partner is
telling him.
_______
5. Linda smiles while Larry is talking to her.
_______
6. Brooke is daydreaming about her date while Allison is talking to her.
_______
7. Since Jacob has never been married, it’s difficult for him to understand why his married
friend Brent wants to spend less time with him.
_______
8. Whitney says, “I’m positive about my vote.”
_______
9. Richard thinks Jon wants to leave when he waves to him.
_______ 10. Laura winks when she says she’s serious and gestures with her arms.
_______ 11. Erin is from a wealthy family and Kate from a poor one. They have a serious conflict about
how to budget their money.
_______ 12. Jack has been feeling a cold coming on all day while he has sat through the meeting.
Choose the best answer for each of the questions below:
13. The concept of co-cultures is closest to the concept of differing
a. environments.
b. relational messages.
c. self-monitoring.
d. impersonal communication.
14.
Martin Buber’s concept of communication that is truly interpersonal is called
a. I-You.
b. I-They.
c. I-It.
d. I-We.
15. Improving intercultural competence involves all of the following except
a. motivation.
b. open-mindedness.
c. knowledge and skill.
d. avoiding ambiguity.
16.
According to the quantitative definition of interpersonal communication, interpersonal
communication occurs when
a. two people interact with one another, usually face to face.
b. you watch a TV show about relationships.
c. you read a romance novel.
d. large numbers of people communicate.
17. All of the following statements are true except
a. Communication has content and relational dimensions.
b. Communication is irreversible.
c. Communication can be unintentional.
d. Communication is repeatable.
18. All of the following statements are true except
a. Meanings are not in words.
b. More communication is not always better.
c. Communication can solve all your problems.
d. Communication is not a natural ability.
19.
According to most studies cited in your text, mediated communication
a. diminishes the amount of face-to-face interaction.
b. enriches and promotes more social interaction.
c. leads to more impersonal communication in families.
d. makes people more aware of gender and age differences.
20. When you are able to perform communication skills without thinking about how you should
behave, you have entered the skill stage of
a. awareness.
b. awkwardness.
c. skillfulness.
d. integration.
21.
When we volunteer personal information online that we prefer to keep private from some parties,
this is one form of
a. awareness.
b. awkwardness.
c. skillfulness.
d. integration.
22.
Communication competence seeks to be both
a. loud and clear.
b. effective and appropriate.
c. skillful and concise.
d. intuitive and cautious.
23.
When using social media you should
a. share your feelings openly and honestly.
b. include everyone.
c. think before you post.
d. upload personal pictures.
24.
In becoming a competent intercultural communicator you should
a. trust the advice of friends.
b. remain open-minded.
c. use a linear communication model.
d. minimize external noise
CHAPTER ONE STUDY GUIDE ANSWERS
TRUE/FALSE
1. T
2. T
3. F
4. F
5. T
6. T
7. F
8. F
9. T
10. T
11. T
12. F
13. T
14. F
15. T
16. F
17. F
COMPLETION
1. identity needs
2. social needs
3. instrumental goals
4. psychological noise
5.
6.
7.
8.
physiological noise
co-cultures
richness
cognitive complexity
9. self-monitoring
10. empathy
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1.
2.
3.
4.
c
a
b
e
5.
6.
7.
8.
d
e
f
d
9.
10.
11.
12.
b
c
f
e
13.
14.
15.
16.
a
a
d
a
17.
18.
19.
20.
d
c
b
d.
21.
22.
23.
24.
d
b.
c.
b.
C H A P T E R
T W O
Communication and Identity: Creating and Presenting
the Self
STUD Y GUID E
TRUE/FALSE
Mark the statem ents below as tru e or false.
______
1. Collaboration in id entity m anagem ent m eans absolu te agreem ent abou t each p erson’s role.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______
2. Most researchers agree that w e are born w ith a fu lly form ed self-concep t.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______
3. Som e stu d ies show that p eop le strongly influ enced by m ed ia bod y im ages d evelop m ore
negative self-im ages.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______
4. Self-fu lfilling p rop hecies can affect job p erform ance.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______
5. Research has show n that p eop le w ith high self-esteem seek ou t p artn ers w ho view them
u nfavorably becau se they are strong enou gh to take the criticism .
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______
6. Personality is flexible, d ynam ic, and shap ed by exp eriences.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______
7. In ind ivid u alistic societies, there is a higher d egree of com m u nication ap p rehension.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
8. The self-concep t is su ch a p ow erfu l force that it not only influ ences how you see you rself
in the p resent bu t also can actu ally influ ence you r fu tu re behavior and that of others.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______
9. Research show s that p eop le w ho believe they are incom p etent are m ore likely than others
to p u rsu e rew ard ing relationship s in an attem p t to ally them selves w ith com p etent p eop le.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______
10. H igh self-m onitors feel less intim acy, satisfaction , and com m itm ent in their rom antic
relationship s becau se they d o not hid e w hat t hey really feel.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
11. Trying on a ‘‘new self’’ can be a m eans to self-im p rovem ent.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
12. Self-esteem has little to d o w ith self-w orth evalu ations.
___________________________________________________________________________
COMPLETION
Fill in the blanks below w ith the correct term s chosen from the list below .
d istorted feed back
obsolete inform ation
self-d elu sion
ego booster
ego bu ster
realistic exp ectations
realistic p ercep tions
m anner
self-fu lfilling p rop hecy
ap p earance
1.
2.
_____________________ is som eone w ho help s enhance you r self-esteem by acting in w ays that
m ake you feel accep ted , im p ortant, and loved .
_____________________ is som eone w ho acts to red u ce you r self-esteem .
3.
_____________________ are m essages that others send to you that are u nrealistically p ositive or
negative.
4.
_____________________ consists of a com m u nicator’s w ord s and nonverbal actions that help create
an im p ression.
5.
_____________________ is inform ation that w as once tru e abou t you that is no longer tru e.
6.
_____________________ are the p ersonal item s p eop le u se to shap e an im age.
7.
8.
_____________________ is the inability to see a real need for change in the self, d u e to hold ing an
u nrealistically favorable p ictu re of you rself.
_____________________ are reasonable goals to set for self-grow th.
9.
10.
_____________________ occu rs w hen exp ectations of an event influ ences a p erson’s behavior,
w hich in tu rn influ ences the event’s ou tcom e.
_____________________ are relatively accu rate view s of the strengths and w eaknesses of the s elf.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
Id entify w hich p rincip le influ ences the self-concep t in each exam p le.
a. obsolete inform ation
b. d istorted feed back
c. em p hasis on p erfection
d . social exp ectations
______
1. You alw ays scored m ore p oints than anyone else on you r team in high school. You still
think you ’re the best even thou gh you r college team m ates are scoring m ore than you .
______
2. You keep getting d ow n on you rself becau se you can’t cook as w ell as Megan, even thou gh
you are a great stu d ent and a fair athlete.
______
3. You believe p eop le shou ld n’t brag or boast, so you tell others that you ‘‘blew ’’ the
chem istry test and got a ‘‘C---’’ bu t you never acknow led ge you r ‘‘A’s’’ in m ath.
______
4. You r p arents tell you , their friend s, and all you r relatives abou t all you r w ond erfu l
accom p lish m ents, even thou gh you have only average achievem ent.
______
5. Janee says that you are insensitive to her p ersp ective d esp ite you r m any attem p ts to listen
honestly to her and em p athize.
______
6. You p ay a lot of attention to the m agazines show ing p erfectly d ressed and groom ed
ind ivid u als and keep w ishing you cou ld look as good as they d o.
______
7. You think of you rself as the shy fifth grad er d esp ite being at the social hu b of at least three
clu bs on cam p u s.
______
8. You feel u ncom fortable accep ting the com p lim ents you r fr iend s honestly give you .
______
9. You ’re exhau sted by trying to get all A’s, w ork 30 hou rs a w eek, and be a loving rom antic
p artner at the sam e tim e. You d on’t see how so m any other p eop le m anage to get it all
d one.
______
10. ‘‘You ’re the p erfect w eight,’’ you r father tells you d esp ite you r recent gain of tw enty
p ou nd s over the norm al w eight for you r height.
Choose the best answ er for each statem ent below :
11. Decid ing w hich p art of you r self-concep t to reveal to others is term ed
a. p rop hecy.
b. im p ression m anagem ent.
c. collectivism .
d . tw o-faced synd rom e.
12. The m ost significant p art of a p erson’s self-concep t
a. is the social roles the p erson p lays.
b. is his or her ap p earance.
c. is his or her accom p lishm ents.
d . is d ifferent for d ifferent p eop le.
13. Self-esteem has to d o w ith evalu ations of
a. self-concep t.
b. self-im age.
c. self-w orth.
d . self-d iscovery.
14. Which of the follow ing cou ld be an exam p le of a self-fu lfilling p rop hecy?
a. Sid is born w ith a very large nose.
b. Margarita has a very large, extend ed fam ily.
c. Serge is a Ru ssian im m igrant.
d . Joy has given u p on trying to talk to her u nreasonable father.
15. The fact that none of u s can see ou rselves com p letely accu rately illu strates the ___________ natu re
of the self-concep t.
a. su bjective
b. objective
c. u nrealistic
d . verification
16. Which of the follow ing statem ents abou t gend er and self-concep t is correct?
a. Wom en stru ggle w ith self-esteem issu es m ore than m en.
b. Men’s sense of su p eriority tend s to d ecrease over tim e.
c. Men tend to have low ap p raisals of their lead ership and athletic abilities .
d . Wom en tend to have high ap p raisals of their lead ership and athletic abilities .
17. The influ ence of significant others
a. is the sole d eterm inant of ou r self-concep t.
b. becom es less p ow erfu l as p eop le grow old er .
c. is synonym ou s w ith the term reflected ap p raisal.
d . only occu rs in p eop le w ith p oor self-concep ts.
18. Com p u ter-m ed iated com m u nication
a. m akes it im p ossible to m anage id entity.
b. has only d isad vantages for im p ression m anagem ent.
c. can be an effective tool for im p ression m anagem ent .
d . alw ays lessens the am ou nt of interp ersonal com m u nication.
19. Which is the fou rth stage of a self-fu lfilling p rop hecy?
a. hold ing an exp ectation (for you rself or for others)
b. behaving in accord ance w ith that exp ectation
c. the exp ectation com ing to p ass
d . reinforcing the original exp ectation
20. Com m u nicating ego bu sters to others w ou ld seem to violate w hich concep t of m oral
ru les theory?
a. nonm aleficence
b. self-im p rovem ent
c. ju stice
d . gratitu d e
CHAPTER TWO STUD Y GUID E AN SWERS
TRUE/FALSE
1.
2.
3.
4.
F
T
T
T
5.
6.
7.
8.
F
T
F
T
9. F
10. F
11. T
12. F
COMPLETION
1.
2.
3.
4.
ego booster
ego bu ster
d istorted feed back
m anner
5.
6.
7.
8.
obsolete inform ation
ap p earance
self-d elu sion
realistic exp ectations
9. self-fu lfilling p rop hecy
10. realistic p ercep tions
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1.
2.
3.
4
a
c
d
b
5.
6.
7.
8.
b
c
a
d
9.
10.
11.
12.
c
b
b
d
13. c
14. d
15. a
16. a
17. b
18. c
19. d
20. a
C H A P T E R
T H R E E
Perception: What You See Is What You Get
TRUE/FALSE
Mark the statem ents below as tru e or false. Correct statem ents that are false on the lines below to
create a tru e statem ent.
______
1. And rogynou s m ales have a sm aller rep ertoire of behaviors than m ascu line m ales.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
2. Selection, organization, interp retation , and negotiation com p rise the step s of the
p ercep tion p rocess.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
3. The fact that w e p ay attention to som e things and ignore others illu strates the fact
that selection is an objective p rocess.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
4. Allow ing child ren to exp erience and m anage fru strating events can help increase
their em p athic concern for others in later life.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
5. Generalizations and stereotyp es of grou p s are generally accu rate for everyone in
the grou p .
___________________________________________________________________________
______
6. The halo effect is the tend ency to form an overall p ositive im p ression of a p erson
on the basis of one p ositive characteristic.
______
7. Ad renal and sex horm ones affect the w ay both m en and w om en relate to others.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
8. All cu ltu res view talk as d esirable, u sing it for social p u rp oses as w ell as to
p erform tasks.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
9. Societal gend er roles and stereotyp es d o not d ram atically affect p ercep tion .
___________________________________________________________________________
______
10. The w ay w e p erceive ou rselves influ ences ou r op inions of ou rselves, bu t not ou r
op inions of others.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
11. Since w e are able to p erceive w ith ou r senses, ou r p ercep tions m ake u s aw are of
all that is going on arou nd u s.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
12. Cu ltu re p lays an im p ortant role in ou r ability to u nd erstand the p ersp ectives of
others.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
13. Recent stu d ies show that hu m ans are ‘‘hard -w ired ’’ to em p athize w ith one
another.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
14. Cognitive com p lexity is the ability to constru ct one fram ew ork for a variety of
issu es.
___________________________________________________________________________
COMPLETION
Fill in the blanks below w ith the correct term s chosen from the list below .
narrative
the p illow m ethod
p u nctu ation
and rogynou s
1.
self-serving bias
em p athy
ethnocentrism
ind ivid u alist cu ltu re
sym p athy
stereotyp es
_____________________ belief that one’s cu ltu re is su p erior to others.
13
2.
_____________________ is the d eterm ination of cau ses and effects in a series of
interactions.
3.
_____________________ is a story created by shared p ersp ectives to exp lain events and
behavior.
4.
_____________________ is the tend ency to ju d ge ou rselves in the m ost generou s term s
p ossible.
5.
_____________________ is the ability to re-create another p erson’s p ersp ective.
6.
_____________________ is one m eans for boosting em p athy and cognitive com p lexity.
7.
_____________________ are exaggerated generalizations associated w ith a categorizing
system .
8.
_____________________ is an exam p le of a p sychological sex typ e that influ ences
p ercep tion.
9.
10.
_____________________ is feeling com p assion for another p erson.
_____________________ is generally less ad ep t at p ersp ective-taking.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
RECOGN IZIN G PERCEPTION -CHECKIN G ELEMEN TS
For each of the follow ing statem ents, id entify w hich elem ent of the p ercep tion -checking
statem ent is m issing. Place the letter of the m ost accu rate evalu ation of the statem ent on the line
before the statem ent.
a.
b.
c.
d.
This statem ent d oesn’t d escribe behavior.
This statem ent d oesn’t give tw o d istinctly d ifferent interp retations.
This statem ent d oesn’t requ est clarification of the behavior in an op en -end ed w ay.
There is nothing m issing from this p ercep tion -checking statem ent.
______
1. ‘‘Why d id you send m e those flow ers? Is this a sp ecial occasion or w hat?’’
______
2. ‘‘When you w ent straight to bed w hen you cam e hom e, I thou ght you w ere sick.
Are you all right?’’
______
3. ‘‘You m u st be either really excited abou t you r grad es or anxiou s to talk abou t
som ething im p ortant. What’s going on?’’
______
4. ‘‘When you ran ou t sm iling, I figu red you w ere glad to see m e and read y to go, or
m aybe you w ere having su ch a good tim e here you w anted to stay longer.’’
14
______
5. ‘‘I thou ght you w ere angry w ith m e w hen you d id n’t com e over this afternoon like
you ’d said you w ou ld . Bu t then I thou ght m aybe som ething cam e u p at w ork.
What is it?’’
______
6. ‘‘When you told m e you exp ected to get an ou tline w ith m y rep ort, I thou ght you
w ere trying to trick m e into d oing m ore w or k, or m aybe you d id n’t realize that
w asn’t p art of m y job.’’
______
7. ‘‘When you told everyone m y p arents ow n the com p any, you m u st have been
ind icating I w as hired here only becau se of them . Is that w hat you think?’’
______
8. ‘‘When you p assed the ball to m e, I thou g ht you w anted m e to shoot. Did you ?’’
______
9. ‘‘Why is it that you ’re so p leased w ith you rself? Did you w in the lottery or
accom p lish som ething great? What’s u p ?’’
_______
10. ‘‘Dad , w hen you told m y friend Art w hat a great athlete you think I am , I thou ght
you w ere either really p rou d of m e and w anted to brag a little, or m aybe you
w anted to see w hat Art and I had in com m on by the w ay he resp ond ed . What
w ere you r intentions?’’
CHAPTER 3 STUD Y GUID E AN SWERS
TRUE/FALSE
1. F
2. T
3. F
4. T
5. F
6. T
7. T
8. F
9. F
10. F
11. F
12. T
13. T
14. F
COMPLETION
1.
2.
3.
4.
ethnocentrism
p u nctu ation
narrative
self-serving bias
5.
6.
7.
8.
em p athy
the p illow m ethod
stereotyp es
and rogynou s
9. sym p athy
10. ind ivid u alist cu ltu res
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. b
2. b, c
3. a
4. c
5. d
6. c
7. b, c
8. b
15
9. a
10. d