Chapter 12: Health Communication
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. The consumer-type relationship between patients and providers is best typified by
______.
a. a relationship in which patients and providers work together as equals to solve
problems
b. a view of the physician as simply carrying out the wishes of the patient
c. a relationship in which the physician is dominant and directs treatment alone
d. interactions in which the patient is passive and dependent on the physician for
recommendations
2. “Doorknob disclosures” are best defined as ______.
a. private information that is shared at the door between romantic partners
b. notes that physicians leave in the examination room for patients to read
c. delayed medical disclosures by patients, only revealed as the physician is leaving the
room
d. disclosures by physicians about their personal life or health
3. When patients and providers communicate in ways in which patients act in
accordance with provider interaction styles (positive or negative) and vice versa, it is
known as ______.
a. provider expertise
b. patient expertise
c. physical and psychosocial connections
d. reciprocity
4. Which of the following principles of patient–provider communication regard providers
as educating their patients in a manner that is clear and understandable?
a. Provider expertise
b. Emotions
c. Reciprocity
d. Patient stories
5. The patient and provider identity in which patients and providers work together to
solve a problem and are viewed as equals, each bringing special knowledge to the
interaction, is when they act as ______,
a. machines and mechanics
b. partners
c. consumers
d. children and parents
6. Patients who participate in the decision-making process regarding their treatment
options and protocols often also increase their ______.
a. medication dose
b. chance of failure
c. confusion about treatments
d. adherence to their medication regimen
7. Pro-smoking messages about smoking often include ______.
a. refutation of established findings that link tobacco use to cancer
b. acknowledgment of the risks associated with tobacco use
c. recognition and acceptance of antismoking messages
d. expression and acceptance of anxieties related to smoking
8. Nurturing support consists of two subtypes of support. What are they?
a. Emotional and action facilitating
b. Informational and action facilitating
c. Instrumental and esteem
d. Emotional and esteem
9. What is considered a key concern of individuals who are seeking or receiving social
support?
a. Loss of autonomy or independence
b. Enhancement of positive face
c. To be viewed as competent and reliable
d. Being overly burdened with requests for help
10. Which of the following is considered a supportive function of everyday
communication?
a. Perpetuation
b. Patient stories
c. Provider expertise
d. Partner identities
11. One way in which everyday communication serves as a regulation mechanism is
______.
a. by allowing an outlet for stress and worries
b. by providing an alternative to discussions of health issues and problems
c. by serving as a precursor to deeper discussions about health issues/problems
d. by maintaining sources of support
12. Which aspect of communication privacy management theory (Petronio, 2002) refers
to the cooperation among persons who share private information to keep boundaries
intact or to ensure that information revealed is not misused by the recipient?
a. Boundary turbulence
b. Coordination
c. Privacy boundaries
d. Ownership
13. Which of the following is at the heart of communication privacy management theory
and deals with the revelation of private, sensitive, and confidential information?
a. Motivation
b. Self-disclosure
c. Gender
d. Context
14. Social networks influence attempts to quit smoking. According to the chapter on
health communication, such influence can be which of the following?
a. Noncommittal
b. Positive or negative
c. Positive only
d. Negative only
15. The most common type of direct-to-consumer advertising of medications ______.
a. never mentions the name of the drug
b. does not make any claims concerning the drug’s effectiveness
c. highlights the uses and benefits of the named drug
d. mentions only the name of the drug and no other information
1. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following is/are true about families, eating,
and exercise?
a. Family members have a significant influence on both your food consumption and on
exercise.
b. Food is often ritually connected with holidays and celebrations in families.
c. Diet and exercise behaviors are reinforced among family members through their
everyday lives and talk.
d. Genetic predispositions may influence your choices and actions.
2. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Effective patient–provider communication has been
associated with decreases in ______.
a. anxiety
b. adherence to treatment
c. poverty
d. malpractice claims
3. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. What are some of the ways in which media depictions
of health-related issues are frequently inaccurate?
a. Illnesses portrayed on television are often more sudden and dramatic.
b. Certain types of illnesses are much more prevalent in entertainment media than
others.
c. Survival rates of fictional characters for some illnesses are fictionally represented to
be much higher than among real patients.
d. The mortality rate of fictional hospital patients is portrayed as much lower than the
mortality rate of real hospital patients.
4. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which of these factors are among the seven
communication principles that would improve interactions between patients and
providers?
a. Children and parents
b. Physical and psychosocial connections
c. Emotions
d. Patient stories
5. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Action-facilitating support involves providing
information or performing tasks for others. What are some of the benefits of providing
such information support to members of your social network?
a. It increases understanding of the situation and ability to make informed decisions.
b. It increases feelings of competence and value.
c. It validates a person’s ability to make personal decisions.
d. It reinforces the person’s own importance to you.
6. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. When a person does not receive the social support that
he or she expected from a particular relationship, that person may experience ______.
a. an increase in relational closeness
b. disappointment and rejection
c. feeling worse about the situation than prior to seeking support
d. feeling more competent and capable
7. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which are among the positive ways in which direct–to–
consumer advertising of medications impacts health communication?
a. It increases patient awareness of illnesses treated by the medication.
b. It shows a conversion to moral behavior on the part of drug manufacturers.
c. It increases patient awareness of available treatment options.
d. It increases the likelihood that patients will take a more active role in discussions with
providers.
8. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which are among the negative ways in which direct-to–
consumer advertising of medications impacts health communication?
a. It could lead to unnecessary treatments and overmedication.
b. It overlooks the fact that many “symptoms” happen to everyone occasionally.
c. It increases the prescription of certain medications even though other, cheaper
remedies could be available.
d. It focuses treatment on physical elements of illness and tends to overlook
psychosocial and other factors contributing to the illness.
6. The everyday function of distraction in communication is not viewed as beneficial to
someone dealing with a problem.
7. Privacy boundaries are borders between what is considered private and what is not.
8. No one has perceived ownership of private information.
9. Research has demonstrated that the media responsibly portray positive body images
and promote healthy nutrition.
10. Research indicates that 27% of Internet users have searched for health information
online within the past year.
1. Where does much of the information that people possess about health and wellness
come from?
2. Why do drug manufacturers give a long list of side effects of their medications during
direct-to-consumer advertising?
Ans: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires them to list the drug’s side
effects.
Focus Question: In what ways do media and technology impact issues of health?
Answer Location: Advertising Medications
Difficulty Level: Medium
3. Traditionally, health providers tend to ______ interactions with patients through
questions and directives.
4. What is the term used for when patients sometimes delay telling the real reason for
their need of a medical examination until the provider is getting ready to leave the
room?
5. In addition to family, who can have a profound influence on your diet and exercise
decisions?
6. Alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise are all associated with ______.
7. Effective patient–provider relationships can enhance feelings of patient ______,
which is a consequence of better communication taking place at various points
throughout care.
5. In today’s focus on economics, in what way do some patients see themselves as
consumers in their relationship with a provider?
6. Give an example of how news media provide audiences with social and moral slants
on health-related issues, and state why this can have a negative impact.
7. Explain how effective patient–provider relationships could decrease malpractice
lawsuits.
8. Explain how connections between physical and psychosocial health could vastly
improve interactions among patients and providers.