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Chapter 9
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Which theory says that each of us is born with a fundamental drive to seek, form, maintain,
and protect strong social relationships?
a. equity theory
b. need to belong theory
c. attraction theory
d. predicted outcome value theory
2. Friendships and other social relationships often involve which type of rewards?
a. emotional
b. material
c. health
d. All the answers are correct.
3. Which of the following is NOT an emotional reward commonly associated with close
relationships?
a. comfort
b. happiness
c. emotional continuity
d. empathy
4. Which of the following statements about potential health benefits of relationships is true,
according to the text?
a. People with more social contacts put themselves at greater risk for illnesses like a cold.
b. People with strong social networks are more than twice as likely to survive a heart attack.
c. A lack of social relationships increases the risk of mortality, but not on the same level as
smoking, heart disease, or obesity.
d. When friends share their problems with us, it increases our stress and can actually make us
less healthy.
5. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a close relationship?
a. need for deep commitment
b. minimization of interdependence
c. dialectical tensions
d. continuous investment
6. ________ is the desire to stay in a relationship no matter what happens.
a. Investment
b. Passion
c. Commitment
d. Intimacy
7. Which of the following is NOT a relational maintenance behavior?
a. social networks
b. openness
c. predictability
d. assurances
8. Which of the following reflects the resources we put into a relationship?
a. interdependence
b. investment
c. commitment
d. independence
9. Elizabeth and Aaron had been married for six months when Elizabeth started to feel
dissatisfied in their relationship. Although Aaron was a nice person and fun to be around, he
didn’t do any of the cooking or cleaning, despite the fact that both of them worked full-time.
Elizabeth’s dissatisfaction was likely due to the fact that
a. Aaron exhibited a lack of commitment in his behavior.
b. Elizabeth expected an equitable investment in household chores from Aaron.
c. Aaron was enjoying too much interdependence in their relationship.
d. Elizabeth was conflicted by her own dialectical tensions between work and home.
10. Jordan wants to feel emotionally close to his girlfriend but he also wants to make his own
decisions. Which dialectical tension is he experiencing?
a. openness-closedness
b. revelation-concealment
c. novelty-predictability
d. autonomy-connectedness
11. People use many strategies for dealing with dialectical tensions. Going back and forth
between the two sides of a tension is a characteristic of which strategy?
a. segmentation
b. integration
c. balance
d. alternation
12. ________ attraction is the force that draws people together to form relationships.
a. Physical
b. Psychic
c. Task
d. Interpersonal
13. When you meet Carrie, you are drawn to her as a friend because she is an excellent piano
player, just like you are. This is an example of which form of attraction?
a. social attraction
b. physical attraction
c. competence attraction
d. task attraction
14. Which of the following statements about similarity is FALSE?
a. Forming relationships with people unlike ourselves is more interesting and enjoyable.
b. Forming relationships with people like ourselves is socially validating.
c. Genetically, we are inclined to help people who are similar to ourselves.
d. Spending time with people like ourselves makes us feel better about ourselves.
15. Which theory predicts that the more we learn about someone, the more we like that person?
a. social exchange theory
b. uncertainty reduction theory
c. attraction theory
d. equity theory
16. When we experience any form of attraction for someone else, we are likely to engage in
________ behaviors, which signal our interest in another person.
a. liking
b. attraction
c. approach
d. initiation
17. Which term refers to your realistic expectation of what you think you deserve from a
relationship?
a. comparison level for alternatives
b. comparison level
c. complementarity assessment
d. predicted outcome value
18. Janice and Stephanie have been close friends for some time. When Stephanie recently lost
her job, she couldn’t afford her rent anymore and was on the verge of homelessness. Janice
invited her to stay in her guest room for as long as needed. While there, Stephanie does some
of the cooking for Janice and herself. According to equity theory, which of the following
statements about this relationship scenario is true?
a. Stephanie is currently over-benefited in their relationship.
b. Stephanie is investing less in their relationship than Janice right now.
c. This relationship will probably survive a period of brief inequity as long as long-term equity
is maintained.
d. All these statements are true.
19. At which stage of relationship formation has a deep commitment formed and a strong sense
exists that the relationship has its own identity?
a. bonding
b. integrating
c. intensifying
d. initiating
20. During which of Knapp’s stages of relationship termination do couples decrease both the
quality and frequency of their interactions?
a. differentiation
b. termination
c. circumscribing
d. stagnating
21. When forming online relationships, which of the following strategies reduces uncertainty the
most?
a. passive
b. active
c. interactive
d. integrative
True/False Questions
22. According to the need to belong, we need relationships that are both emotionally close and
interactive.
23. Smoking cigarettes is worse for your health than not having close friendships.
24. A good relationship does not involve any sort of cost to you.
25. Most relationships have some measure of interdependence; what differentiates them is their
degree of interdependence.
26. Dialectical tensions are rare in most intimate relationships.
27. When it comes to forming friendships, similarity is good and complementarity is bad.
28. Other things being equal, we are more likely to form social relationships with people we see
often than with people we don’t.
29. Uncertainty reduction theory suggests that people get to know each other if they believe the
effort will be worth it.
30. According to equity theory, it is better to be equally benefited than to be over-benefited.
31. The experimenting stage of relationship development occurs when people meet and interact
for the first time.
32. Most couples tend to progress through the stages of coming together in the same way.
33. Research finds that assurances and task-sharing do not appear to enhance online
relationships.
Short-Answer Questions
(Answers will vary.)
34. Define and give concrete examples of the emotional, material, and health rewards of strong
social relationships.
Bloom’s: Understand
35. Define and give concrete examples of emotional commitment, social commitment, and legal
commitment in a close relationship.
Bloom’s: Understand
36. Discuss the differences between Berger and Calabrese’s uncertainty reduction theory and
Sunnafrank’s predicted outcome value theory.
Bloom’s: Analyze
37. Compare and contrast the concepts of comparison level and comparison level for
alternatives, using examples for each.
Bloom’s: Understand
38. Give brief examples of each of Knapp’s five stages of relationship formation.
Bloom’s: Understand
39. Give brief examples of each of Knapp’s five stages of relationship termination.
Bloom’s: Understand
40. Identify and briefly define each of the five relational maintenance behaviors described by
Stafford and Canary.
Bloom’s: Understand
Essay Questions
(Answers will vary.)
41. There are four specific factors that drive interpersonal attraction: appearance, proximity,
similarity, and complementarity. Define each of these terms and discuss their importance in
the process of interpersonal attraction. Next, identify one of these factors as the single most
important in the process of attraction. Make an argument for this factor and against the others
in the context of both friendship and romantic relationships.
Bloom’s: Analyze
42. Pick a friend of yours with whom you’ve had a relationship for at least three months. Identify
this friend and provide a brief description of your relationship. Next, evaluate your
relationship in terms of social exchange theory. Make sure to include as many parts of the
theory as you can.
Bloom’s: Analyze
43. What are dialectical tensions in relationships? List, define, and provide an example of the
three most common dialectics that emerge in relationships. Of the three, which one do you
feel is most important in a new romantic relationship? Justify your choice.
Bloom’s: Analyze
44. People often stay in relationships that are unsatisfying or even harmful. Use the ideas of
social exchange theory and equity theory to explain why this might happen. Next, talk about
ways that friends and family members might be able to persuade their loved ones to abandon
these detrimental relationships.
Bloom’s: Analyze
45. Much is made of the benefits of friendship, but suppose you were asked to argue against
having friends. Using what you’ve learned in this chapter, make a reasoned argument against
friendship. Why should people avoid making friends? Your argument should be sound and
should make explicit reference to concepts covered in this chapter.
Bloom’s: Analyze
