Nonverbal behaviors convey how we perceive our relationships to other people.
Synectics asks group members to remain rooted firmly in reality toward generating new
ideas for solutions to a problem.
Reading the notes of your speech over and over is better than practicing the speech out
loud.
Making communication productive in a group meeting is the responsibility of the
group’s leader rather than of all the members.
Despite goodwill and discussion using well-managed conflict resolution procedures,
some conflicts in groups cannot be resolved.
Usually it is more productive for a member to wait until late in a discussion to express a
disagreement rather than verbalizing it when first felt.
If not handled effectively, interaction with the group’s environment can decrease
cohesiveness.
The average college student can recognize 60,000 words.
The reflective observation learning style describes individuals who process a
considerable amount of information by reading and solitary study.
The group’s relational communication is less important than the task-oriented functions
of the group.
Since compromise does not resolve underlying issues, it is not recommended in the text
for managing any conflicts that occur among members of a group.
If you know that your audience is not familiar with your topic, then you should stay
with basic facts and provide background information.
Within small groups the introduction of a new member can change the functioning of
the entire group.
Group members must reinforce each others’ roles if they are to become stable.
At step 2 of P-MOPS, the question should be “What might be done to solve this
problem?” rather than “What should be done to solve this problem?”
The theory of cohesiveness indicates that verbal and nonverbal communication among
members creates the group norms, operating procedures, and climate; and maintains
them once they are established.
The dominant culture of the United States is collectivist.
Relational conflict is also known as substantive conflict.
Only the leader of a problem-solving group needs to understand details of the problem
and its solution.
By definition, committees are formed by larger groups.
Members of a highly collectivist culture value independence and rights of individuals
more than conformance and harmony.
The purpose of a symposiumto enlighten the audience on an important subjectis very
different from the purpose of a panel.
Cues such as sex, ethnicity, and age can convey personal characteristics like status and
wisdom.
Humor is never an effective way to handle tension within a group.
The best way to give critical feedback in a group is to not give it.
To create an even larger system, a small group must interact with its environment.
Either-or thinking is the best way to understand gender differences within a group.
The likelihood of group members taking the “devil’s advocate’s” criticisms personally is
low.
CMC groups follow the same pattern of conflict types as FtF groups.
Style of leadership practiced within a group is an example of a small group input
variable.
Belittling another member for stupid ideas is ethical if there is a danger of that member
misleading the group.
Mind mapping was originally developed as a technique to foster individual creativity.
Members of groups that follow a systematic procedure, such as an outline for
problem-solving, tend to be so frustrated that they do poor work.
Communicating in Groups recommends that regardless of how you learned to speak in
your family and neighborhood, you will benefit from conforming to the vocabulary and
grammatical rules of standard U.S. English in mainstream business and educational
communities.
Unlike European-Americans, African-Americans tend to look others straight in the eye
while listening to what others have to say.
Members of the group must rely on each other to achieve their goal.
Members who join a group primarily to meet control or achievement needs will be
which of the following?
A.task oriented.
B.function oriented.
C.relationally oriented.
D.self oriented.
E.group oriented.
The major difference between rules and norms
A.rules are enforced by peer pressure, norms by leaders.
B.norms are written, rules are not.
C.norms are created by individuals, rules by groups.
D.rules are about what should happen; norms are about what should not happen.
E.rules are more formal and often written.
“Culture” is defined in Communicating in Groups as
A.a system of beliefs, values, symbols, and rules that underlie communication patterns
within a discernible grouping of people.
B.the complex structure of individuals, small groups, and organizations which make up
a human society.
C.inherited tendencies which make human societies more complex than those of other
mammals.
D.cultivation of tastes, morality, and artistic sensitivities.
E.products of acquired skills and technologies such as languages, books, and houses.
Hersey and Blanchard claim that a(n) ______ leader is appropriate for a fully mature
group.
A.contingent
B.laissez-faire
C.telling
D.spontaneous
E.delegating
Which is the correct order for the stages in P-MOPS? 1. generating and explaining
possible solutions; 2. evaluating possible solutions; 3. describing and analyzing the
problem; 4. planning implementation; 5. deciding on a solution.
A.1, 2, 3, 4, 5
B.4, 1, 3, 2, 5
C.1, 5, 3, 4, 2
D.3, 1, 2, 5, 4
E.3, 5, 4, 1, 2
You conduct a survey of parking problems on your campus by talking to students who
try to park between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Your results may not be valid because the survey
was not __________________.
The instructor explained that the students did not perform well on the exam, but he did
so in a very condescending tone, this refers to the _________ dimension of the
message.
A.content
B.relational
C.personal
D.tonality
E.expressive
Marshall believes in trade-offs, in which he gives up something in exchange for
something he wants. His typical conflict management style is called
A.competition.
B.collaboration.
C.accommodation.
D.compromise.
E.win-win.
Most Hispanic cultures tend to be which of the following?
A.individualist.
B.collectivist.
C.self focused.
D.individual based.
E.none of these.
Saul has described how a virus was discovered and how it works, then he discussed the
suffering of the people who have contracted the virus. His organizational pattern is
which of the following?
A.problem-solution.
B.chronological.
C.spatial.
D.cause and effect.
E.topical.
Creative thinking in small groups encourages the use of
A.wild and crazy ideas thrown out rapidly by group members.
B.imagination, hunches, intuition, and fantasy to generate innovative solutions.
C.systematic evaluation of data gathered.
D.flights of fancy taken by group members in a daydream like state.
E.ethos.
All of the following are among the factors that influence what words and actions mean
to us, except:
A.gender.
B.age.
C.learning style.
D.sexual orientation.
E.all of these
The second step in the introduction is called this:
A.thesis step.
B.preview step.
C.need step.
D.orientation step.
E.qualification step.
Which of the following is characteristic of highly task-cohesive groups?
A.members understand and accept the task.
B.members are committed to completing the task.
C.members may be excited about the task.
D.members are motivated to accomplish the task.
E.all of these.
Listening is a process that includes:
A.perceiving, responding.
B.hearing, recognizing, feeling, responding.
C.hearing, altering, perspective taking, responding.
D.recognizing, perceiving, encoding.
E.perceiving, interpreting, deciding meaning, responding.
Regarding the do’s and don’ts of using visual aids, which of the following is a don’t?
A.make sure the visual aid is visible to all audience members.
B.practice with the visual before the presentation.
C.make sure the visual is large enough to be seen by all.
D.pass small visual aids around during your speech so all are able to see and feel it.
E.be sure that all equipment used to show something visually is working properly.
Which of the following is not a way in which a group norm is set?
A.through primacy.
B.through explicit statements.
C.Robert’s Rules of Order.
D.through critical events.
E.established from the general culture.
“Leadership,” as it is used in your text, implies all of the following, except:
A.leadership is accomplished through communication.
B.leadership involves coercion when necessary.
C.Communication is the central defining activity of leading.
D.leadership consists of behaviors that help the group achieve goals.
E.leaders must be adaptable to changing conditions of the group.
Which of the following is often used when groups are generating ideas?
A.brainstorming.
B.evaluating.
C.probing.
D.thinking.
E.talking.
When members of the newly appointed tuition committee first met, they addressed each
other by title and family name (e.g., “Dr. Einfatt”). They continued to do so throughout
the life of the committee. This is an example of a group norm established by
A.explicit statements.
B.primacy.
C.latency.
D.reference to a general cultural norm.
E.a critical incident.
Which of the following is true of conflict management in groups?
A.even when handled correctly it is bad.
B.no one management style is the best in all circumstances.
C.it shouldn’t be handled immediately.
D.it is not situational.
E.none of these.
If you come from a culture that emphasizes high power distance, you
A.will be likely to seek a group leader who lets others in the group make most of the
decisions.
B.will value hierarchical structure and an authoritarian leader.
C.will want a leader who stays far above the group’s conflicts.
D.are likely to work better with people from individualist cultures.
E.none of these.
Group B has just completed their project and given their final presentation. They are
probably in which of Tuckman’s stages of development?
A.forming.
B.storming.
C.norming.
D.sensitizing.
E.adjourning.
Passing objects (visual aids) around during your presentation is a bad idea.
Which advice was not given in your textbook for reducing misunderstandings of
abstract language used in discussions?
A.Avoid using abstract language.
B.Use concrete, specific words.
C.Use synonyms.
D.When feasible, use numbers to quantify.
E.Provide examples of what you are talking about.
“Group drive” refers to
A.motivation to belong to a group.
B.motivation to accomplish the group task.
C.motivation to gain power in a group.
D.motivation of a group to increase its influence over the parent organization.
E.competition among groups in an organization.
Which of the following conflict is the root of effective decision making?
A.substantive.
B.affective.
C.task.
D.interpersonal.
E.functional.
Keeping a group goal-oriented and focused is part of the leader’s responsibility in which
area?
A.structuring discussion.
B.equalizing opportunity to participate.
C.stimulating critical thinking.
D.stimulating creative thinking.
E.all of these.
One of the better methods a leader can reduce tertiary tensions is to:
A.deal with it indirectly.
B.rely on any type of humor.
C.use a vote to settle the issue.
D.confront the members, pointing out how their power struggle is hurting the group.
E.drop out of the group because you can only suffer from such ego-centered,
time-wasting behavior.
Public discussions in which participants deliver uninterrupted speeches on a selected
topic is called which of the following?
A.symposium.
B.panel presentation.
C.forum presentation.
D.debate.
E.impromptu speech.
By making eye contact, most North Americans signal that
A.the communication channel is open.
B.they do not want to respond.
C.they agree.
D.they want the speaker to clarify.
E.they want evidence to support a claim.
Which of the following types of conflict is more closely aligned with tertiary tensions,
as discussed in chapter 4?
A.substantive.
B.relational.
C.task.
D.interpersonal.
E.functional.
Saul is a member of a group that has different racial/ethnic backgrounds, different
generations, different genders and different socioeconomic statuses. This group would
be classified as:
A.unique.
B.complex.
C.heterogeneous.
D.homogeneous.
E.impossible.
In a _______________ culture, the verbal part of the message carries the most meaning.
CMC groups initially displaying more affective and procedural conflict than
_______________ saw these types of conflicts lessen over time.
Having a number of different ways to plan a fun party represents ___________, a
characteristic of systems theory.
_____________ group members should supply some of the needed leadership services
to the group.
A group consists of members who know little about the problem they are assigned to
solve. The problem is low in _____________________.
When the number of possible options is large, a problem is said to be high in the
characteristic of _________________________.
An ideal time to use creativity-enhancing procedures is after members have learned
something about the problem and _________ they delve into the details.
You discover a tobacco company funded a study concluding that smoking has no
relationship to lung cancer. You have reason to suspect the ___________________ of
the source of the study.
As members create, perceive, interpret, and respond to messages from one another, they
are engaging in ______________.
Task-oriented individuals, with their focus on control and achievement needs, believe
the group’s ______________ is the reason for the group’s existence.
The ______________________ is a learning style model that demonstrates several
important differences in how individuals process information and learn.
Sometimes conflict is highly emotional and drives people on both sides of an issue to
talk about the other side as the ________________.
Tension felt when members disagree about substantive issues is called ____________
tension.
The ________________ learning style describes those individuals who learn well from
events they actually observe or activities in which they actually participate.
According to research by Nijstad and Paulus, creative groups are _______________.
Inequity usually results in ________ conflict.
When a group appears to be listening but is thinking about something else, she/he is
_________.
_______________ are all of the factors that are brought into the group from the outside.