Deck 2: Understanding Yourself

Question 1

Which answer is the best example of positive self-talk replacing the following example of a negative self-talk statement? "I think I'm going to fail this test question about strategies for improving self-esteem."

A) This test is too difficult and too long for me to finish in the amount of time I've been given to take it.
B) I should have read the textbook more carefully.
C) The instructor didn't tell us self-talk would be on the test.
D) I understand the concept of self-esteem and should be able to figure out the right answers.
E) This is a well-written exam that demonstrates the complex challenge of understanding self.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Self-awareness, an understanding of your core identity, is

A) the keystone of emotional intelligence.
B) the ability to monitor your feelings from moment to moment in order to provide psychological insight.
C) the ability to identify your true feelings.
D) having a strong sense of how you really feel about your personal decisions.
E) all of the above.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The answer to all of the following questions can help you avoid self-fulfilling prophecies except:

A) What predictions am I making about my behavior?
B) Are the predictions I make about my behavior justified?
C) Am I doing anything to elicit the predicted response?
D) What other behaviors could help me avoid fulfilling my prophecy?
E) Why can't I compete with others who do the predicted behavior?

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which source of self-concept significantly affects whether you remember high school as one of the best or worst times of your life?

A) how well you self-monitor
B) how well you self-disclose
C) how you have been influenced by your roles and rewards
D) how your past experiences have a tendency to distort memories
E) how you respond to significant others

Question 5

The textbook list of strategies for improving your self-esteem provides an exception to each strategy. What is the exception for the strategy "Practice self-acceptance"?

A) But not as an excuse
B) But don't try to control everything
C) But respect the needs of others
D) But understand and respect others
E) But listen to others too

Question 6

The textbook list of strategies for improving your self-esteem provides an exception to each strategy. What is the exception for the strategy "Practice positive self-talk"?

A) But not as an excuse
B) But don't try to control everything
C) But respect the needs of others
D) But understand and respect others
E) But listen to others too

Question 7

If you behave in ways that are consistent with your values and beliefs, you are practicing

A) self-acceptance.
B) self-concept.
C) self-talk.
D) purposeful-living.
E) personal integrity.

Question 8

You go to a lunch meeting with Hannah and immediately notice that she is missing an earring, that she isn't wearing her usual professional make-up, and that she's breathing hard when she sits down. What part of the perception process have you used?

A) the Figure-Ground principle
B) selection
C) organization
D) interpretation
E) evaluation

Question 9

If you are willing to stand up for yourself in appropriate ways to fulfill your needs, you are practicing

A) self-acceptance.
B) self-responsibility.
C) assertiveness.
D) purposeful-living.
E) personal integrity.

Question 10

A new family in town has joined a local church and enrolled their children in the Sunday morning religious school. Members welcome the family by inviting the parents to join the adult prayer group on Wednesdays. The parents explain that they are not very religious, but have joined the church because they believe in providing a religious education for their children. What perceptual principle explains this scenario?

A) proximity principle
B) similarity principle
C) closure principle
D) simplicity principle
E) selection principle

Question 11

While waiting to buy movie tickets, Brent sees three friends leaving the theatre. They are laughing hysterically. Brent assumes that the film must be very funny. What organizational principle of perception is Brent using?

A) Peter principle
B) simultaneous principle
C) closure principle
D) simplicity principle
E) complexity principle

Question 12

If Emma daydreams while her instructor is lecturing, what stage has she skipped in the three-step perceptual process?

A) selection
B) organization
C) interpretation
D) synthesis
E) evaluation

Question 13

The Know Thy Self: Assess Your Self Esteem feature in your textbook identifies beliefs that affect how you see yourself. Which of the following statements would indicate a low self-esteem?

A) On the whole, I'm satisfied with myself.
B) I feel that I have a number of good qualities.
C) I am able to do things as well as most other people.
D) I feel useless at times.
E) I take a positive attitude toward myself.

Question 14

Which of the following concepts about self focuses on the extent to which you are aware of your thoughts and feelings and have the ability to modify how you present yourself?

A) self-concept
B) self-disclosure
C) self-monitoring
D) self-fulfilling prophecies
E) self-esteem

Question 15

Which two forms of self-appraisal can help us minimize our tendency to engage in self-deception about who we are?

A) whether we see ourselves as successful or unsuccessful
B) our roles and rewards
C) actual performance and social comparison
D) self-awareness and self-monitoring
E) past experience and cultural background

Question 16

Which of the following influences is the most powerful determinant of your self-concept?

A) self-awareness
B) the influence of others
C) past experiences
D) cultural background
E) self-monitoring

Question 17

In Chapter 2, there is a graphic of a triangle depicting a chicken, a cow, and grass. Asians are more likely to pair the cow and the grass because they

A) are more focused on what they eat.
B) perceive the world in terms of relationships.
C) perceive the world in terms of categories and subcategories, such as animals and examples of animals.
D) are less sensitive to context.
E) have no word for chicken.

Question 18

Which of the following items describes people who are high self-monitors? They

A) feel awkward in the company of others.
B) have never been good at games like charades.
C) can only argue for ideas in which they already believe.
D) can change their behavior to suit different people and situations.
E) do not change their opinions or behaviors to please others or win their favor.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is a self-appraisal?

A) I'm a really good dancer.
B) I'm a second grade teacher.
C) I think my boss is really angry with me.
D) I came in third in the writing contest.
E) I'm feeling angry..

Question 20

In order to maintain a positive self-concept we often try to make ourselves look good by

A) attributing success to our own abilities and failure to external factors.
B) viewing evidence depicting us unfavorably as flawed.
C) forgetting negative feedback and remembering positive feedback.
D) comparing ourselves to others who will make us look good.
E) doing all of the above.

Question 21

According to your textbook self-awareness is a more powerful determinant of self-concept than the influence of others.

Question 22

When using systematic desensitization as a method of reducing communication apprehension, you begin by trying to relax while visualizing a nonthreatening communicative act. Which of the following situations would be a good choice for your initial visualization?

A) You are introducing yourself to a group in which you are the only new member.
B) You have been appointed the chairperson of a meeting.
C) You are having a casual conversation with a coworker before a meeting.
D) You have been asked to make a presentation, but do not have enough time to prepare.
E) Your boss has just asked you a difficult question.

Question 23

The two most common fears among North Americans are

A) fear of death and fear of financial difficulties.
B) fear of heights and fear of public speaking.
C) fear of snakes and fear of death.
D) fear of heights and fear of financial difficulties.
E) fear of snakes and fear of public speaking.

Question 24

Your culture plays a significant role in determining your self-concept. For example, most Western cultures emphasize the value of independence, whereas East Asian cultures emphasize the value of group membership.

Question 25

Self-appraisals are evaluations of your self-concept in terms of your abilities, attitudes, and behaviors.

Question 26

The fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons is referred to as

A) self-concept.
B) feedback.
C) communication apprehension.
D) social tension.
E) confidence.

Question 27

Which key element of effective communication is represented in the perception checking guidelines when you ask the following question: How do your perceptions affect the way you choose communication channels and deliver your message?

A) Structure
B) Context
C) Purpose
D) Others
E) Expression

Question 28

Self-monitoring is sensitivity to your own behavior and others' reactions as well as the ability to modify how you present yourself.

Question 29

Which of the following answers best represents a significant factor that influences your interpretation of people or events?

A) past experience
B) knowledge
C) expectations and attitudes
D) relational involvement
E) all of the above

Question 30

Communication scholar James McCroskey makes all of the following claims about the nature of communication apprehension except:

A) it permeates every facet of an individual's life.
B) it is a learned trait, one that is conditioned through reinforcement of a child's communication behavior.
C) it affects major decisions such as career and housing choices.
D) it is probably the most important factor in causing ineffective communication.
E) it is a relatively permanent personality trait, an inborn neurobiological function.

Question 31

Your friend experiences very high levels of communication apprehension. You know this is true because you hear her say things like "I know I'll bomb on the oral report" or "I can't stand up for myself when I talk to Jim or Barbara." Which of the following strategies would you recommend to help your friend reduce her communication apprehension?

A) relaxation
B) cognitive restructuring
C) visualization
D) systematic desensitization
E) practice

Question 32

According to your textbook, the influence of other people is a more powerful determinant of self-concept than self-awareness or past experiences.

Question 33

The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension measures a person's feelings about

A) group communication.
B) communicating in meetings.
C) interpersonal communication.
D) public speaking.
E) all of the above.

Question 34

Which answer best explains why Valerie loved the film Avatar while Vincent thought it was dumb?

A) Valerie is a woman and Vincent is a man.
B) Valerie is a Democrat and Vincent is a Republican.
C) Valerie and Vincent have different perceptions.
D) Valerie and Vincent do not communicate well.
E) Valerie and Vincent are sister and brother.

Question 35

All of the following steps can help you apply the Golden Rule except

A) understand how other people may perceive a situation, particularly if their perceptions differ from your own.
B) imagine how you might feel if placed in another person's situation
C) do unto others as you believe they deserve.
D) try to find solutions that would be appropriate from someone else's perspective.
E) make decisions and act based on what you think would be right if you were in the other person's situation or place.

Question 36

Why are many people confident when asked to sing in a choir, but nervous when asked to sing solo?

A) fear of failure
B) fear of the unknown
C) fear of others
D) fear of breaking the rules
E) fear of the spotlight

Question 37

In his book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goldman identifies self confidence as the first and most fundamental emotional competency: the keystone of emotional intelligence.

Question 38

Throughout your lifetime, your self-concept is a relatively permanent characteristic of who you are.

Question 39

Your self-concept changes throughout your lifetime.

Question 40

Carlos is about to make an important presentation. He admits he is very nervous and hopes that he remembers to avoid saying "and uh" or "um" as he speaks. Which of the following fears probably underlies his communication apprehension?

A) fear of failure
B) fear of the unknown
C) fear of others
D) fear of breaking the rules
E) fear of the spotlight

Question 41

Strategies for improving your self-esteem include practicing self-acceptance, self-responsibility, and self-assertiveness.

Question 42

The simplicity principle of perception explains why the closer objects, events, and people are to one another, the more likely you will perceive them as belonging together.

Question 43

Many researchers claim that the fear of a negative evaluation is the number one cause of communication anxiety.

Question 44

The three components of perception are assertiveness, personal integrity, and positive self-talk.

Question 45

Researchers claim that violent people often act the way they do because they suffer from low self-esteem.

Question 46

Daniel Goleman notes that practice can improve performance because simulating an act is-to your brain-the same as performing it.

Question 47

You may be able to reduce your level of communication apprehension by thoroughly preparing for a communication situation which can transform the unfamiliar into something familiar.

Question 48

In terms of the key communication element structure, perception checking involves assessing how psychosocial, logistical, and interactional communication contexts affect your perceptions and the perceptions of others.

Question 49

Research notes that self-fulfilling prophecies largely explain why, in general, girls do better at mathematics than boys do.

Question 50

The closure principle of perception explains why we often fill in missing elements to form a more complete impression of an object, person, or event.

Question 51

Cognitive restructuring is a relaxation and visualization technique that involves learning to relax while visualizing various communication situations.

Question 52

According to researcher James McCroskey, communication apprehension is not a permanent personal trait and that it can be eliminated by taking a good public speaking course.

Question 53

You may be able to reduce your level of communication apprehension by concentrating on yourself-how you sound and look-rather than on your message.

Question 54

In terms of the key communication element self, perception checking involves assessing how your personal biases, level of self-awareness, and cultural background affects your perceptions.