978-0134202037 Test Bank Chapter 3

Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank

Chapter 3 Test Bank: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication

1) What process is involved when we focus our attention on specific elements of our

environment and ignore others?

A) interpersonal perception

B) selective attention

C) perception

D) selective recall

2) A woman observes what she believes is her husband flirting with the waitress at a restaurant

where the couple is having dinner. The woman decides to ask her husband what he was

doing. The husband claims he only smiled at the waitress. In this case, the wife decided to

use which of the following to be clearer on the situation?

A) punctuation

B) indirect perception checking

C) direct perception checking

D) attribution

3) When we categorize individuals and attribute a set of qualities to them because of their

membership in that category, what perceptual process are we using?

A) selective perception

B) patterning

C) standardizing

D) stereotyping

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4) When Lori got an A on her music history paper, she concluded that she was indeed smart.

The

next week, however, when she failed her biology test, she blamed the professor’s

“confusing”

questions for her poor result. Lori is using what barrier to accurate perception?

A) fundamental attribution error

B) implicit personality theory

C) self-serving bias

D) horn effect

5) Mary goes to the gym to exercise after work because she says her husband, John, comes

home

late every night. John stays at work late because he says Mary works out every night

anyway. Which principle of organizing and imposing structure is involved?

A) patterning

B) punctuating

C) superimposing

D) closure

6) You shake hands with someone and notice that the hands are hard and callused. You might

infer that this person worked with his hands. And since he is wearing coveralls, you assume

he is a farmer. Which stage of the perceptual process would be reflected in this example?

A) selecting or simplifying stimuli

B) organizing or imposing structure

C) interpreting or attributing meaning

D) responding or expressing understanding

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7) When we perceive elements of our environment simply because our senses are operating,

we are engaged in ________ perception.

A) interpersonal

B) active

C) selective

D) passive

8) According to the causal attribution theory, which of the following is NOT a potential cause

for a

person’s actions?

A) the person himself or herself

B) a stimulus

C) a circumstance

D) impressions

9) Maria is sitting in a study area in the library trying to study a lesson in which she really isn’t

interested. All of a sudden, she smells cologne, which causes her to look up. Which of the

following processes is Maria most likely employing?

A) interpersonal perception

B) active perception

C) selective perception

D) passive perception

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Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank

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D) implicit personality theory.

13) Morgan creates categories by applying a familiar structure to information she has selected

so she can interpret that information. Morgan is

A) imposing consistency.

B) superimposing.

C) direct perception checking.

D) becoming other-oriented.

14) After the first day of classes Hadya has already decided that her economics professor is

strict

(“He said he doesn’t tolerate cell phones”), her art professor is flaky (“She came in

late because

she couldn’t find the room”), and her communications professor is fun (“He sat

on the desk and started to learn all of our names”). What process has Hadya used in forming

her perceptions?

A) selective perception

B) thin slicing

C) superimposing

D) punctuation

15) Which of the following is an example of direct perception checking?

A) looking for cues in a person’s voice to confirm your perception

B) listening more attentively

C) asking someone if your perception is accurate

Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank

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D) ignoring unimportant details about a person’s appearance or behavior

16) Our tendency to put ourselves in situations that reinforce our attitudes, beliefs, values, or

behaviors is known as

A) intuitive reinforcement.

B) situational control.

C) memory enforcement.

D) selective exposure.

17) The theory that helps explain why Nabil’s view and account of Shawna’s behavior differs

dramatically from Benjamin’s view and account of that same behavior is known as

________ theory.

A) implicit personality

B) impression formation

C) standpoint

D) attribution

18) What is the proper ordering of the stages by which we come to make sense of the various

stimuli around us?

A) selecting, interpreting, organizing

B) organizing, selecting, interpreting

C) organizing, interpreting, selecting

D) selecting, organizing, interpreting

Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank

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Answer: D

Chapter number: 03

Module number: 3.1

Learning Objective: 3.1 Define perception, and explain the three stages of interpersonal

perception.

Topic: Understanding Interpersonal Perception

Difficulty: Easy

Skill: Remember the Facts

19) Peter noticed that Bill came to class late one day. When he met Bill later at a party, he

turned to one of his friends and remarked, “Yeah, Bill’s the guy I told you about who comes

to class late all the time.” The perceptual barrier Peter is exhibiting is

A) ignoring information.

B) overgeneralizing.

C) stereotyping.

D) imposing consistency.

20) Uncertainty reduction theory suggests that we seek information in order to

A) reduce anxiety about what we see and experience.

B) achieve closure and control.

C) better understand our own motives.

D) help us be open to others.

21) Rebecca is nervous and fidgets during her job interview with Calder. She is hired anyway,

but Calder is surprised when he sees her at work on her first day and she is calm and

collected. Calder may be guilty of the perceptual mistake of

A) ignoring information.

B) oversimplifying.

C) stereotyping.

D) imposing consistency.

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Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank

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B) apply the self-serving bias.

C) consider self-fulfilling prophecy.

D) link details with the big picture.

25) When we look for nonverbal cues to help us understand how a person is feeling about

something we did, we are engaging in

A) mindfulness.

B) indirect perception checking.

C) direct perception checking.

D) intuitive perception.

26) Rex likes Karl, in part, because he thinks Karl is fun, smart, and energetic. When Paul

points out to Rex that Karl is a terrible driver, Rex refuses to believe it. Perhaps Rex’s

perception is clouded by the ________ effect.

A) horn

B) consistency

C) pattern

D) halo

1) Interpersonal perception is the process by which we decide what people are like and

give

meaning to their actions.

Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank

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Answer: TRUE

Chapter number: 03

Module number: 3.1

Learning Objective: 3.1 Define perception, and explain the three stages of interpersonal

perception.

Topic: Understanding Interpersonal Perception

Difficulty: Easy

Skill: Remember the Facts

2) Selective exposure is the process of focusing on specific stimuli.

3) When we stereotype others, we do so to fulfill our needs for power, authority, and

structure.

4) The three stages of the interpersonal perception process are: selecting, organizing, and

integrating.

5) Meghan is engaged in perception, but is not consciously trying to do so. She is engaged in

passive perception.

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Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank

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characteristic, then we attribute his or her behavior to a stimulus.

11) You see your friend Hernando sitting quietly, leaning forward with his head in his hands. As

you approach him, you say, “Hernando, you look like you are really tired.” Your statement

is an example of a direct perception check.

12) Roberta told her parents that she earned an “A” on her psychology exam because she had

studied hard and knew the material. She told her parents that she only received a “C” on her

history exam because, although she also knew that material, her history professor doesn’t

like

her. This is an example of the self-serving bias.

13) Imposing consistency is an effective tactic for improving your perception skills.

14) People tend to give more weight to positive information than to negative information about

Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank

others.

15) Alyce knows that her classmate, Ginny, has unusually stringy hair. While this may be due to

a genetic issue, Alyce assumes that Ginny doesn’t wash her hair and skin regularly, and is

an overall unclean person. She further assumes that Ginny isn’t very smart. Alyce is

engaging in the

horn effect.

1) Define perception and interpersonal perception, and give an example between active

perception and passive perception.

2) List and describe the three stages of the interpersonal perception process.

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3) Explain how stereotypes can help us.

4) Explain the difference between direct perception checking and indirect perception checking,

and give an example of each.

5) Explain what the fundamental attribution error is, and give an example of how it might

affect

a relationship.

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6) Explain how the impression formation theory, implicit personality theory, the use of mental

constructs, and attribution theories are related.

7) Paula and Gary are divorcing after eight years of marriage. Paula cites Gary’s infidelity as

the primary cause of the divorce, but Gary says his affair was simply a symptom of a

marriage

that had been empty for years, ever since Paula’s career became more demanding

and her time at

home scarce. Use causal attribution theory to explain their differing

attributions for the demise of their marriage.

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8) Discuss the difference(s) between the halo effect and the horn effect.

9) Dr. Smith, a university professor, finds that one of his colleagues, Dr. Tompkins, is difficult

to deal with professionally. However, once you get Dr. Tompkins away from the office, he

can be one

of the nicest and most caring people you would want to know. Dr. Smith decides

that while Dr. Tompkins can be difficult to work with, he is still an admirable man. Which

of the processes of perceptual organization and interpretation (impression formation,

implicit personality theory, attribution theory, or use of personal constructs) did Dr. Smith

most likely employ in arriving at

this conclusion?

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10) What is standpoint theory, and how does it explain why people with differing cultural

backgrounds have different perceptions of others’ behaviors? Give an example.