Deck 7: Interpersonal Communication

Question 1

Which of the following statements about interpersonal communication is not true?

A) Interpersonal communication is a process.
B) Interpersonal communication depends heavily on the sender's social identity.
C) Participants send as well as receive messages when they're interacting.
D) For communication to be considered interpersonal, at least two people must be involved.

Answer 1

Interpersonal communication depends heavily on the sender's social identity.

Question 2

Bill's use of the word "broad" in conversation when referring to women offends Betty and makes it hard for her to follow his meaning. This type of miscommunication is called

A) noise.
B) context.
C) background.
D) a display rule.

Answer 2

noise.

Question 3

According to Edward Hall, people who interact at distances of 12 feet and beyond are considered to be in the ____ distance zone.

A) public
B) social
C) intimate
D) personal

Answer 3

public

Question 4

Nonverbal communication is most informative when it is

A) multichanneled.
B) typical of the majority culture.
C) occurring in a single channel only.
D) accompanied by verbal messages.

Question 5

The anthropologist who described interpersonal distance zones was

A) Sidney Jourard.
B) Edward Hall.
C) Albert Mehrabian.
D) Daryl Bem.

Question 6

Nonverbal communication

A) is frequently used to express feelings or emotions.
B) is not influenced by culture.
C) usually occurs in a single channel.
D) is consistent with verbal messages.

Question 7

According to proxemics research, the personal-space zones of women appear to be ____ than those of men.

A) more fluid
B) more social
C) smaller
D) friendlier

Question 8

Numerous studies have shown that good communication is most likely to be related to which of the following?

A) satisfaction in relationships
B) employee absenteeism
C) reduced risk for cancer
D) recovery from posttraumatic stress disorder

Question 9

In interpersonal communication the information that is transmitted from one person to another is called the

A) code.
B) noise.
C) message.
D) context.

Question 10

Which of the following was not listed as a basic guideline for cell phone use in public?

A) Put your cell phone on vibrate mode.
B) Keep calls short.
C) Use a catchy tune as a ring tone.
D) Make and receive calls out of earshot from others.

Question 11

In interpersonal communication, the person who originates a message is called the

A) channel.
B) sender.
C) context.
D) speaker.

Question 12

When you and your friend make faces at each other during a class lecture it is an example of

A) miscommunication.
B) verbal communication.
C) nonverbal communication.
D) encoded communication.

Question 13

The context of interpersonal communication includes

A) mood
B) cultural background
C) physical place
D) all of these

Question 14

When your friend silently makes faces at you during a class lecture, the channel of communication is primarily

A) gestures.
B) verbal.
C) fluent.
D) encoded.

Question 15

____ and his colleagues have identified six primary emotions that have distinctive facial expressions.

A) Paul Ekman
B) Eric Berne
C) Edward Hall
D) Erving Goffman

Question 16

When your friend calls you at home to make plans for the weekend, the ____ of communication is sound.

A) sender
B) channel
C) message
D) stimulus

Question 17

The study of people's use of interpersonal space is called

A) proxemics.
B) territoriality.
C) paralanguage.
D) distance analysis.

Question 18

Elements in the communication process include all of the following except

A) sender.
B) message.
C) personal space.
D) distorting noise.

Question 19

In interpersonal communication, speaker is to encode as receiver is to

A) noise.
B) decode.
C) verbalize.
D) detect.

Question 20

The size of an individual's personal space is related to which of the following?

A) situation
B) gender
C) cultural background
D) all of these

Question 21

Which of the following can not readily be determined about a person from the study of kinesics?

A) attitude
B) social status
C) level of tension
D) attraction patterns

Question 22

The study of communication through body movement is called

A) kinesics.
B) musculature.
C) paralanguage.
D) proxemics.

Question 23

We're better at sending deceptive messages with our ____ than with other body parts.

A) faces
B) mouths
C) hands
D) lower bodies

Question 24

Which of the following is not considered an aspect of paralanguage?

A) loudness of speech
B) speed of talking
C) content of message
D) rhythm of speech

Question 25

Basic emotions are designated as such because

A) they are present from birth in nearly all mammalian species.
B) they are the emotions that people feel most readily in a variety of situations.
C) the facial expressions associated with them are recognized across world cultures.
D) Freud designated these emotions as generated by the Id from birth.

Question 26

Among the display rules for men in many world cultures is found

A) the use of the face to show anger.
B) the pressure to smile at others even when uncomfortable or frustrated.
C) the pressure to deceive others by use of eye contact.
D) the pressure to inhibit facial displays of emotion.

Question 27

____ includes all vocal cues other than the content of the verbal message itself.

A) Kinesics
B) Proxemics
C) Sublanguage
D) Paralanguage

Question 28

Which of the following statements about interpersonal touching is not true?

A) Touch can convey messages of status and power.
B) Women generally respond more favorably to touching than men do.
C) Touching is more frequent between male-male pairs than between female-female pairs.
D) As people age, men tend to touch women less, and women tend to touch men more.

Question 29

Interpreting touch does not depend on

A) age
B) gender
C) setting
D) attitude

Question 30

____ are norms governing the appropriate display of emotions.

A) Manners
B) Proxemics
C) Display rules
D) Principles of facial display

Question 31

Jamal is leaning back with open arms as he talks to the other members of his study group. He is most likely feeling ____ his peers.

A) anxious with
B) relaxed with
C) amused by
D) admired by

Question 32

Gender patterns in eye contact are most likely to be confounded by which of the following?

A) age
B) status
C) height
D) culture

Question 33

Various confounding factors can lead to misinterpretation of eye contact between individuals. This may cause such nonverbal communication to become a form of ____ in interpersonal communication.

A) encoding
B) mutual gaze
C) noise
D) signal

Question 34

Anna is speaking rapidly to Steve as she asks him out to lunch. Her paralanguage most likely conveys ____ in this situation.

A) frustration
B) nervousness
C) uncertainty
D) sadness

Question 35

According to Paul Ekman and his colleagues, ____ is not associated with a specific facial expression

A) fear
B) surprise
C) frustration
D) happiness

Question 36

In terms of postural cues, a forward lean is most likely to indicate which of the following?

A) low status
B) high status
C) interest
D) anxiety

Question 37

People who engage in high levels of eye contact are usually judged as more ____ than those who maintain less eye contact.

A) credible
B) attractive
C) intelligent
D) trustworthy

Question 38

Which of the following is poor advice for avoiding "road rage"?

A) Don't use obscene gestures.
B) Signal before switching lanes.
C) Don't drive when you're angry or upset.
D) Try making eye contact with hostile motorists.

Question 39

Which of the following is considered the most meaningful aspect of eye contact?

A) size of pupillary opening
B) duration of eye contact
C) gender of the persons involved
D) relationship between the persons involved

Question 40

Loud vocalization is most likely to convey which of the following?

A) anger
B) anxiety
C) uncertainty
D) happiness

Question 41

Adopting another person's frame of reference so you can understand his or her point of view is called

A) empathy.
B) sympathy.
C) attribution.
D) self-disclosure.

Question 42

Which of the following is not monitored by a polygraph?

A) perspiration
B) heart rate
C) blood pressure
D) neural activity in the brain

Question 43

All of the following problems arise in interpreting the results of a polygraph test except that

A) some people experience emotional arousal when telling the truth.
B) some people can lie without experiencing emotional arousal.
C) polygraph results are subject to a high degree of observer bias.
D) validity evidence is sparse.

Question 44

Rather than high self-disclosure, the critical factor that helps couples avoid stress may be

A) equity in self-disclosure.
B) honesty in self-disclosure.
C) the duration of self-disclosure.
D) the disattribution of self-disclosure.

Question 45

Which of the following types of self-disclosure is most likely to lead to feelings of intimacy between individuals?

A) factual
B) conceptual
C) emotional
D) attributional

Question 46

Which of the following is not associated with lying?

A) higher pitch
B) pupil dilation
C) relatively short responses
D) excessive shifting of posture

Question 47

Which of the following types of opening lines is likely to be least effective in initiating a conversation with an other-gender stranger?

A) direct
B) cute/flippant
C) innocuous
D) complimentary

Question 48

Martin speaks slowly as he gives his answers in an oral examination for a master's degree in psychology. His paralanguage most likely conveys ____ in this situation.

A) anger
B) sadness
C) uncertainty
D) frustration

Question 49

Nonverbal sensitivity varies by all of the following except

A) social competence.
B) age.
C) academic competence.
D) gender.

Question 50

Conventions for conveying emotion in email communication include

A) use of "emoticons"
B) use of capitalized letters to indicate emphasis
C) interpretation of capitalized letters as shouting
D) all of these

Question 51

Expressing your opinions tentatively indicates that

A) you really don't have firm opinions.
B) you probably have a low level of self-esteem.
C) your attitudes are flexible and subject to revision.
D) you need to be more courageous in communicating.

Question 52

Which of the following communication behaviors does not tend to produce a positive interpersonal climate?

A) empathizing with others
B) treating others as equals
C) expressing inflexible opinions
D) expressing opinions tentatively

Question 53

The voluntary act of verbally communicating your personal information to another person is called

A) empathy.
B) clarification.
C) self-disclosure.
D) self-actualization.

Question 54

Which of the following opening lines are likely to be effective in initiating a conversation with a stranger?

A) comment on your surroundings
B) talk about something in which few people have interest
C) keep changing topics
D) don't worry about the end of the conversation

Question 55

Steps for making effective small talk include:

A) introduce yourself
B) comment on the surroundings
C) keep the conversation ball rolling
D) all of these

Question 56

Deception on the part of another person may be signaled by

A) pauses before speaking.
B) slowness in speech patterns.
C) giving short answers.
D) shifts in body posture.

Question 57

Which of the following is not a good suggestion for creating a positive interpersonal climate?

A) Strive for honesty.
B) Practice withholding judgment.
C) Learn to feel and communicate empathy.
D) Express your opinions in a direct, non-tentative manner.

Question 58

Which of the following would be considered the best strategy for reducing the risks of engaging in self-disclosure?

A) You should discuss a variety of superficial topics.
B) You should move gradually when using self-disclosure.
C) You should emphasize the number of personal problems you have.
D) You should avoid revealing truthful information until you know you can trust the other person.

Question 59

Which of the following is the most accurate description of the polygraph machine?

A) emotion detector
B) facial expression detector
C) lie detector
D) criminal behavior detector

Question 60

Keisha's friends like to talk with her about their personal concerns because she seems to understand how they feel, and she never puts them down for their feelings. Keisha's behavior exemplifies which of the following?

A) empathy
B) sympathy
C) attribution
D) self-disclosure

Question 61

Self-disclosure can aid adjustment by

A) improving one's self-esteem.
B) enhancing one's sexual attractiveness.
C) reducing one's stress.
D) controlling one's anxiety.

Question 62

Eric Berne defines ____ as manipulative interactions with predictable outcomes, in which people conceal their real motivations.

A) games
B) communications
C) self-preoccupations
D) interpersonal conflicts

Question 63

Which of the following responses to communication apprehension is the most common?

A) excessive communication
B) communication avoidance
C) communication disruption
D) communication withdrawal

Question 64

Once relationships are well established, self-disclosure tends to

A) taper off.
B) become more reciprocal.
C) increase in breadth, but not depth.
D) increase in depth, but not breadth.

Question 65

Anxiety caused by having to talk with others is called communication

A) aversion.
B) disruption.
C) avoidance.
D) apprehension.

Question 66

Interpersonal conflict

A) is inherently a good thing.
B) is inherently bad for relationships.
C) should be suppressed if at all possible.
D) can lead to a variety of good outcomes.

Question 67

Which of the following is not considered a possible response to communication apprehension?

A) excessive communication
B) communication avoidance
C) communication disruption
D) communication attribution

Question 68

Researchers suggest that avoidance and withdrawal tactics are effective strategies for coping with communication apprehension, but only

A) in the short-term.
B) in intimate relationships.
C) when used consistently.
D) when used in same-gender relationships.

Question 69

The root of communication apprehension is thought to be

A) the context in which the communication is to take place.
B) the strength of one's physiological reactions to communication.
C) the interpretation of one's own physiological reactions.
D) the audience to whom one is going to communicate.

Question 70

Engaging in selective attention is an example of which of the following barriers to effective communication?

A) collusion
B) game playing
C) defensiveness
D) motivational distortion

Question 71

____ exists whenever two or more people disagree.

A) Communication distortion
B) Interpersonal conflict
C) Game playing
D) Collusion

Question 72

Which of the following topics is least likely to produce motivational distortion?

A) gardening
B) politics
C) religion
D) sexuality

Question 73

Individualistic cultures tend to ____ as a conflict management strategy.

A) promote conflict avoidance
B) encourage direct confrontations
C) encourage indirect confrontations
D) downplay the importance of conflicts

Question 74

Which of the following is not likely to promote effective listening?

A) paraphrasing the speaker's message
B) asking the other person for clarification
C) attending to the other person's nonverbal signals
D) assuming a body posture with arms and legs crossed

Question 75

Effective strategies for managing communication apprehension do not include:

A) use of anti-anxiety medications
B) cognitive restructuring techniques
C) systematic desensitization
D) visualization

Question 76

Which of the following is not considered one of the common barriers to effective communication?

A) defensiveness
B) game playing
C) cognitive restructuring
D) motivational distortion

Question 77

Thomas likes to talk about himself a great deal. It is often quite hard to move the topic of conversation away from his interests, achievements, and activities. The barrier to effective communication with Tom is

A) working self-concept.
B) self-defensiveness.
C) self-preoccupation.
D) motivational distortion.

Question 78

Which of the following statements about self-disclosure is not true?

A) In the U.S., females tend to be more openly self-disclosing than males.
B) Females share more personal information with same-gender friends than males in the U.S.
C) In the early stages of other-gender relationships, American females disclose more than American males.
D) Japanese males share more with same-gender friends than American males.

Question 79

Active listening consists of

A) paying careful attention to what is being said
B) mindful processing
C) both paying careful attention and mindful processing
D) none of these

Question 80

In the beginning stages of a relationship with a person of the opposite sex,

A) women typically disclose more than men.
B) men often disclose more than women.
C) there is very little reciprocal self-disclosure.
D) men tend to disclose more about negative emotions.