Deck 6: Social Relationships

Question 1

Which sibling relationships are the most valuable?

A) sisters
B) brothers
C) siblings-in-law
D) There is no difference.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

When asked about her childhood and her parents, Jane insists that the person she is today is the result of her own effort, and not due to anything her parents did for her or gave her. Jane remembers her childhood as being pretty positive and normal, but she can't give very many examples of real-life experiences. In the category system proposed by Mary Main, what type of internal model of attachment is Jane most likely to have?

A) secure/autonomous
B) dismissing/detached
C) preoccupied/enmeshed
D) anxious/distressed

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The figure below shows the well-being scores for the participants who had low parental support. Using the figure, select the following statement(s) that may drawn from the data.

A) Those with high sibling support scored significantly lower on the depression and loneliness measures
B) Those with high sibling support scored significantly higher on the self-esteem and life-satisfaction measures than participants who had low sibling support
C) both a and b
D) Those with high sibling support scored significantly higher on the depression and loneliness measures

Answer 3

C

Question 4

An avoidant marriage is _______.

A) a happy one
B) one with no children
C) one where the parents are poor
D) one made up of partners who agree to disagree

Question 5

Theorists of attachment suggest that in childhood we each create a sort of template of relationships that is applied to later interactions. Such a template is called _______.

A) an attachment model
B) an insecure attachment
C) a secure attachment
D) an internal working model

Question 6

What term does Antonucci use to describe the set of relationships with family and friends that continue through an adult's life?

A) cohort
B) lineage
C) convoy
D) social support network

Question 7

Studies in the United States suggest that men's friendships with one another, when compared to women's friendships with one another, are _______.

A) about the same
B) marked by talking, rather than doing
C) marked by doing, rather than talking
D) neurotic, marked by stoic aloofness

Question 8

If you ask a group of young men which quality is most important to them in choosing a prospective wife, which of the following qualities is likely to be ranked first?

A) level of the woman's education
B) the social class of the woman's family
C) the woman's attractiveness
D) the woman's prospective earning power

Question 9

Roger, at age 30, spends a lot of time talking with his wife and with his friends about his parents. Each time he spends time with them or talks to them on the phone, he needs to analyze the conversations afterward, trying to understand the whole dynamic. A lot of the time he is really angry with them, and thinks they are the cause of all his troubles. In the category system proposed by Mary Main, what type of internal model of attachment does Roger appear to have?

A) secure/autonomous
B) dismissing/detached
C) preoccupied/enmeshed
D) anxious/distressed

Question 10

Frequency of contact between adult children and their parents _______.

A) increases steadily from the early 20s until the parents' deaths
B) peaks when the child's generation is in their 40s
C) has its lowest point when the child's generation is in their 40s
D) is essentially constant throughout the life span

Question 11

Sibling relationships are most significant _______.

A) in childhood
B) in adolescence
C) in early adulthood
D) in late life

Question 12

When asked about her childhood and her parents, Jane insists that the person she is today is the result of her own efforts, and not due to anything her parents did for her or gave her. Jane remembers her childhood as being pretty positive and normal, but she can't give very many examples of real-life experiences. In the category system proposed by Mary Main, what type of internal model of attachment is Jane most likely to have?

A) secure/autonomous
B) dismissing/detached
C) preoccupied/enmeshed
D) anxious/distressed

Question 13

If you ask Juanita about her childhood, she can describe many quite negative episodes in detail. She says her parents were highly critical and not very loving. But Juanita also says that she understands better, now that she is an adult, just why they behaved that way, and that she has come to terms with them and with her early unhappiness. In the category system proposed by Mary Main, what type of internal model of attachment does Juanita appear to have?

A) secure/autonomous
B) dismissing/detached
C) preoccupied/enmeshed
D) anxious/distressed

Question 14

Longitudinal studies of long-term marriages suggest that __________.

A) the great majority of marriages show a U-shaped pattern: high satisfaction in the early and late years, low satisfaction in the middle years
B) the great majority of marriages show an inverted U pattern: low satisfaction in the early and late years, high satisfaction in the middle years
C) the great majority of marriages show one stable pattern or another: consistently happy, consistently neutral, or consistently negative
D) some marriages show a typical curvilinear pattern; others show consistency

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a feature of attachment as shown by adults toward one another, according to Weiss's conceptualization?

A) desire for proximity with the attachment figure in situations of stress
B) heightened comfort when in the presence of the attachment figure
C) increase in discomfort when the attachment figure is inaccessible
D) desire for agreement on important values with the attachment figure

Question 16

Which of the following would be considered attachment behaviors if directed consistently at a particular other?

A) smiling
B) phoning
C) standing or sitting near
D) all of the above

Question 17

Rebecca says that she is content with her current friendships and not motivated to add new relationships. Based on the research evidence, what would be the best guess about Rebecca's age?

A) 20-25
B) 35-40
C) 55-60
D) 75-80

Question 18

Theorists of attachment suggest that in childhood we each create a sort of template of relationships that is applied to later interactions. Such a template is called _______.

A) an attachment model
B) an insecure attachment
C) a secure attachment
D) an internal working model

Question 19

Your friends Jeff and Lucia are considering living together as a kind of trial run, to see if they want to get married. They know you are studying psychology, and ask you whether psychologists know anything about couples who live together. Which of the following would best describe the current information?

A) Cohabitation before marriage is generally a good way to prepare for marriage; those who have cohabited later have more lasting and satisfying marriages.
B) Cohabitation before marriage appears to be helpful for some couples, especially those with higher levels of education.
C) Cohabitation spoils people for later marriage; it is a bad idea.
D) Cohabitation per se has little demonstrable negative effect, but neither does it make later marriages more stable.

Question 20

Which of the following behaviors toward another person would be LEAST LIKELY to be considered an attachment behavior?

A) hugging
B) shaking hands
C) writing a letter
D) smiling

Question 21

Rebecca says that she is content with her current friendships and not motivated to add new relationships. Based on the research evidence, what would be the best guess about Rebecca's age?

A) 20-25
B) 35-40
C) 55-60
D) 75-80

Question 22

The limited data we have suggests that personal convoys _______ over time.

A) contract gradually in size, but include more and more intimate relationships
B) remain about the same size, with relationships becoming more intimate
C) increase in size, with more friends added in each decade
D) increase in size, but with fewer intimate relationships

Question 23

Which of the following is most likely to be a feature of the relationship or interaction pattern of partners in an unhappy or dissatisfying marriage?

A) high ratio of displeasing to pleasing interactions
B) high levels of arguments
C) low levels of self-disclosure
D) low levels of "cross-complaining"

Question 24

The bulk of the research evidence indicates that couples who marry after cohabiting, when compared to those who marry without cohabiting first, _________.

A) have lower divorce rates and higher satisfaction
B) have lower divorce rates and equal satisfaction
C) have higher divorce rates and higher satisfaction
D) are more likely to divorce

Question 25

"A protective layer of individuals who surround a person and help in the successful negotiation of life's challenges" is, according to Antonucci, a definition of _______.

A) a family
B) a convoy
C) a cohort
D) a generation

Question 26

Studies in the United States suggest that men's friendships with one another, when compared to women's friendships with one another, are _______.
a. about the same
b. marked by talking, rather than doing
*marked by doing, rather than talking neurotic, marked by stoic aloofness

Question 27

Carstensen's "socioemotional selectivity theory" suggests that over adulthood, our relationships with friends should become _______.

A) more frequent and more intimate
B) more selective and more intimate
C) more frequent and less intimate
D) more expanded

Question 28

Frequency of contact between most adult children and their parents _______.

A) increases steadily from the early 20s until the parents' deaths
B) peaks when the child's generation is in their 40s
C) has its lowest point when the child's generation is in their 40s
D) takes place, for the majority, at least weekly

Question 29

How do lesbian couples compare to heterosexual couples in the area of monogamy in long-term relationships?

A) Monogamy is less common in lesbian couples
B) Monogamy is as common in lesbian couples
C) Monogamy is more common in lesbian couples
D) It is impossible to make a comparison.

Question 30

If I ask you to make a list of all the people who are most important to you, including those you cannot imagine living without and those who are important but not quite that close, this list would describe your _______.

A) convoy
B) family
C) friends
D) cohort

Question 31

Your friends Jeff and Lucia are considering living together as a kind of trial run, to see if they want to get married. They know you are studying psychology, and ask you whether psychologists know anything about couples who live together. Which of the following would best describe the current information?

A) Cohabitation before marriage is generally a good way to prepare for marriage; those who have cohabited later have more lasting and satisfying marriages.
B) Cohabitation before marriage appears to be helpful for some couples, especially those with higher levels of education.
C) Cohabitation spoils people for later marriage; it is a bad idea.
D) Cohabitation per se has little demonstrable negative effect, but neither does it make later marriages more stable.

Question 32

Which type of friendship pair is likely to be the most intimate, with the highest levels of mutual self-disclosure?

A) 2 women
B) a woman with either a man or a woman
C) 2 men
D) a man with either a man or a woman

Question 33

Marital satisfaction peaks during __________.

A) the beginning years of marriage
B) the empty nest phase
C) the childrearing years
D) none of the above

Question 34

Longitudinal research shows that an infant's attachment classification _______.

A) generally remains stable into young adulthood
B) is related to adult children's care of their parents
C) is relatively stable and is passed on to the next generation
D) is reflected in all of the above

Question 35

In his relationship with his wife, Clarence is often jealous, anxious about whether she returns his feelings, and generally unsure of himself. Such a pattern is characteristic of individuals with what kind of internal model of attachment?

A) secure/autonomous
B) dismissing/detached
C) preoccupied/enmeshed
D) anxious/distressed

Question 36

If you ask a group of young men which quality is most important to them in choosing a prospective wife, which of the following qualities is likely to be ranked first?

A) level of the woman's education
B) the social class of the woman's family
C) the woman's attractiveness
D) the woman's prospective earning power

Question 37

The key feature of unsuccessful marriages (those most likely to end in divorce), according to Gottman's research, is _______.

A) a high level of squabbles or disagreements
B) a low level of laughter
C) an inability to resolve conflicts by discussion or argument
D) a high ratio of displeasing to pleasing interactions

Question 38

Anthropologist Helen L. Fisher (2000, 2004) suggests that mate selection depends on three distinct emotional systems: __________, ___________, and _______________.

A) attraction, closeness, and attachment
B) attraction, friendship, and love
C) lust, friendship, and love
D) lust, attraction, and attachment

Question 39

Which of the following best describes the findings on the frequency of committed relationships (as opposed to casual relationships) among homosexual couples?

A) Committed relationships are very uncommon among homosexuals.
B) Committed relationships are very common among homosexuals.
C) Committed relationships are the norm among homosexual men, but are quite uncommon for homosexual women.
D) Committed relationships are the norm for both sexes.

Question 40

What term does Antonucci use to describe the set of relationships with family and friends that continue through an adult's life?

A) cohort
B) lineage
C) convoy
D) social support network

Question 41

Evaluate the following statement in light of the theory and research described in the text: "The majority of adults remain strongly attached to their parents throughout their adult lives."

Question 42

Research on changes in the nature of marriage relationships over the years of adulthood suffers from several serious methodological problems. Discuss those problems.

Question 43

In what period of adulthood do siblings become more significant?

A) early
B) middle
C) late
D) There is no change in significance.

Question 44

The filter theory of mate selection suggests we first screen for _____, then _____.

A) appearance; social class
B) attitudes and beliefs; role fit
C) appearance; attitudes and beliefs
D) role fit; manners

Question 45

Late-life divorce usually results in what change for the adult daughter?

A) increased close contact with her mother
B) less contact with her father
C) increased communication responsibilities with her father
D) all of the above

Question 46

Researchers have consistently found that happiness or life satisfaction among adults in old age is unrelated to the degree of contact they have with their children. How might you explain this finding?

Question 47

Diagram and describe Antonucci's convoy model of love.

Question 48

List at least three ways in which happily married couples differ from unhappily married couples in their interactions with one another. Which of these features seems to you to be most amenable to change?

Question 49

Researchers have used a number of theories to explain the topic of what attracts one person to another or two people to each other. Which of the following theories below best exemplifies the trade-off we often make with intimate partners such as a sense of humor offsetting a physical unattractive trait, for example, being overweight.

A) filter theory
B) socioemotional theory
C) evolutionary theory
D) exchange theory

Question 50

Beginning in the 1970s, social scientists noted an increase in the break-up of the nuclear family. Today, which 2 phrases best describe the actual outcomes between extended family members?

A) increased distances between extended family members, increased isolation
B) increased isolation, less communication
C) increased distances, no change in isolation
D) increased isolation, decreased distances

Question 51

The Aronson and Huston study involving mother-infant relationships showed that these relationships were better in which type of family?

A) 2-parent married
B) 2-parent cohabitating
C) single parent
D) lesbian

Question 52

Gottman labels which marriage type "unsuccessful"?

A) avoidant marriages
B) hostile negative marriages
C) volatile marriages
D) validating marriages

Question 53

Comparisons of the convoy maps of men and women suggest that _______.

A) younger women have the most relationships
B) differences in numbers of relationships were primarily due to differences in the number of outer circle friends
C) brothers are closer to their brothers than sisters are to their sisters
D) All of the above are accurate.

Question 54

Describe the three types of attachment in adults as posited by Main & Hesse (1990).

Question 55

Describe the several varieties of stable/successful and unstable/unsuccessful marriages evident from Gottman's research. What quality or qualities do all the stable/successful pairs share?

Question 56

College-aged grandchildren rank (from highest to lowest) their investment with their grandparents in what order?

A) mother's father, father's mother, father's father, mother's mother
B) father's mother, father's father, mother's father, mother's mother
C) mother's mother, mother's father, father's mother, father's father
D) mother's mother, father's father, mother's father, father's mother

Question 57

Evaluate the effects of cohabitation before marriage. What explanation can you offer for this finding? What evidence can you muster in support of your explanation?

Question 58

Which period groupings below best represent the highest overall marital satisfaction periods for men and women?

A) wife during childrearing years, husband during the beginning period
B) wife during the empty nest period, husband during the empty nest period
C) wife during the beginning period, husband during the beginning period
D) wife during the beginning years, husband during the childrearing years

Question 59

Which descriptors best delineate a marriage that statistically may be in jeopardy of failing?

A) a husband who insults his wife
B) Both husband and wife will not acknowledge each other's thoughts and feelings about the relationship.
C) a female with poor problem-solving skills and a male expressing negative feelings about the marriage
D) The prognosis is poor for all examples cited.

Question 60

Describe briefly the basic features of "filter theories" of courtship or mate selection.

Question 61

Create a fictitious couple of any sexual orientation and fully explain their intimate attachment in terms of one of the following theories: attachment theory, the convoy model, socioemotional selectivity theory, or evolutionary theory.

Question 62

What do theorists mean by an internal working model of attachment? How might such a model affect an adult's relationships-with parents, with partner, with friends? Cite relevant data where available.

Question 63

As yet we know relatively little about the role of friends and friendships in adult lives. What are the problems with current research on this subject? Design a study that would add significantly to our information.

Question 64

Describe the nature of the relationship between siblings across the life span.

Question 65

Theorists have disagreed about whether the relationship of a parent with her or his child should be called an attachment or not. Why is there a dispute about this? Describe the problem, give your own view, and justify that view if you can.