Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
CHAPTER 13: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION: A THEORETICAL
FOUNDATION
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1) Which of the following statements does not accurately reflect interpersonal communication?
A) Interpersonal communication occurs in a variety of contexts.
B) Interpersonal communication occurs in a variety of situations.
C) Interpersonal communication can be impersonal and superficial.
D) Interpersonal communication occurs only among those with whom we have close relationships.
E) Interpersonal communication requires knowing how to adjust and communicate effectively with a
variety of people from diverse backgrounds.
2) You go to a party and notice that a group of your friends are sitting in the corner and talking. You go over to
them and begin to enter the conversation. Which of Schutz’s needs is being most clearly illustrated in this
example?
A) inclusion
B) esteem
C) actualization
D) control
E) affection
3) When Mark met Erin for the first time, he found himself asking Erin a ton of questions so that he could ease
his anxiety and get to know her better. Which theory best explains Mark’s behavior?
A) dialectical theory
B) uncertainty reduction theory
C) predicted outcome value theory
D) social construction theory
E) social exchange theory
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
4) Patty decides to fulfill her need for belonging and love by joining a dating service. Psychologist Will Schutz
would say Patty is acting on her
A) inclusion needs.
B) self-actualization needs.
C) affection needs.
D) power needs.
E) control needs.
5) According to the text, relationships are associations between at least two people, which may be described in
terms of
A) the level of intimacy or kinship.
B) the number of people involved.
C) the types of activities people do for fun.
D) the nonverbal behaviors used within the relationship.
E) universal terms that span cultural contexts.
6) Which of the following statements could be considered self-disclosure?
A) I am wearing blue jeans.
B) I have blonde hair.
C) I am five feet, eight inches tall.
D) I am male.
E) I really enjoy romantic comedies.
7) According to uncertainty reduction theory, what happens when individuals use the active strategy to gain
information?
A) They ask a third party for information about someone.
B) They enter a relationship with someone they are interested in.
C) They talk directly to the individual they are interested in.
D) They observe the individual they are interested in.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
E) They are thinking about someone constantly.
8) Which of the following statements about interpersonal communication is most accurate?
A) Interpersonal communication allows us to establish relationships.
B) Interpersonal communication does not include communication between people involved in professional
relationships.
C) Interpersonal communication cannot happen in the early stages of a relationship.
D) Interpersonal communication is independent from public communication.
E) Interpersonal communication is an association between at least three people.
9) Communication scholar Dale Brashers refined uncertainty reduction theory with his uncertainty management
theory by studying
A) how people respond to romantic break-ups.
B) how people begin new relationships.
C) how people respond to health decisions.
D) how people seek new career paths.
E) how people recover from trauma.
10) According to Schutz’s interpersonal needs theory,
A) we seek those relationships we predict will have positive outcomes.
B) we each weigh rewards and costs when deciding whether or not to stay in a relationship.
C) all of us experience tension and contradiction in our relationships with others.
D) we ask questions during initial interactions in order to reduce uncertainty about others.
E) almost all of us have some need to control others and our surroundings.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
11) The theory that provides a description of the way people move through superficial levels of small talk to
more intimate and revealing talk, is called
A) disclosure layer theory.
B) uncertainty reduction theory.
C) social penetration theory.
D) social information processing theory.
E) dialectical theory.
12) According to Schutz’s interpersonal needs theory, people who cannot stop themselves from getting involved
and communicating with others are referred to as
A) oversocial.
B) underpersonal.
C) social.
D) overpersonal.
E) undersocial.
13) Men’s defensive strategies for reducing embarrassment and maintaining privacy boundaries include
A) apologizing for inconveniences.
B) laughing at their own behavior.
C) blaming the incident on other friends.
D) facing the situation.
E) accepting responsibility for their mistakes.
14) Holly recently joined a new group on campus. She hopes the other group members will accept her as a
significant and worthwhile member of the group. Holly’s desire is likely motivated by a need for
A) control.
B) actualization.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
C) esteem.
D) affection.
E) inclusion.
15) Guidelines for appropriate self-disclosure include which of the following?
A) If one person increases self-disclosure, the other person should not increase self-disclosure.
B) It is important to provide a large amount of self-disclosure when you first meet someone.
C) In some situations, it is reasonable not to reveal certain aspects of your past.
D) Avoid being overly positive in your self-disclosure.
E) Avoid permitting the situation to constrain your self-disclosure.
16) When meeting with another student in order to complete a class project, Kellenee rarely talks. She does not
want to feel responsible for what happens and feels overwhelmed by having too much responsibility. She
likely has ________ needs.
A) low control B) high control C) low
inclusion D) high
inclusion E) low
affection
17) Which of the following is NOT true about electronically-mediated relationships?
A) Electronically-mediated relationships grow only to the extent that people gain information about each
other.
B) People use information to form impressions.
C) When individuals are motivated to create impressions and develop relationships, they will use any
verbal signs available to communicate.
D) Electronically-mediated communication users create fully formed impressions of others based solely on
electronic message content.
E) Electronically-mediated relationships are weaker than other relationships.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
18) According to social exchange theory, we form relationships in response to
A) increasing our certainty about others.
B) reducing our uncertainty about others.
C) weighing associated costs and benefits.
D) needs for inclusion, control and affection.
E) reduce or increase conflict.
19) Women’s defensive strategies for reducing embarrassment and maintaining privacy boundaries include
A) laughing at themselves.
B) questioning the situation.
C) criticizing themselves.
D) retreating from the situation.
E) redefining what happened.
20) Social information processing theory indicates that online communication allows people to
A) use more humor than face-to–face conversations.
B) make and sustain overwhelmingly positive impressions of each other.
C) have more immediate conversations than face-to-face interactions.
D) avoid forming relationships.
E) fully identify themselves.
21) Our self-disclosure during interpersonal communication interactions typically encourages the other person to
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
A) reveal his or her blind area.
B) engage in small talk.
C) engage in intrapersonal communication.
D) become distant or hostile.
E) reciprocate with self-disclosure.
22) An intentional tactic where we reveal certain aspects of ourselves for specific reasons is called
A) self-awareness.
B) rhetorical sensitivity.
C) self-actualization.
D) social penetration.
E) self-presentation.
23) Rhetorical sensitivity is an alternate form of communication that can be applied to a situation in which wide-
open disclosure could be harmful. Rhetorically-sensitive people
A) try to be firm in their communication.
B) balance their own self-interests with that of others.
C) make consistent language choices.
D) communicate freely and openly.
E) maintain consistent values and beliefs in all situations..
24) ________ provides a view of how people connect with each other and how their communication moves from
small talk to more intimate and self-revealing talk.
A) Social information processing theory
B) Interpersonal needs theory
C) Social penetration theory
D) Dialectical theory
E) Social exchange theory
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
25) ________ suggests that relationships, as well as individuals, confront many tensions that push and pull in
many different directions at the same time.
A) Social information processing theory
B) Interpersonal needs theory
C) Social penetration theory
D) Dialectical theory
E) Social exchange theory
26)
There are many reasons people decide to self-disclose to others. If you self-disclose to release tension or
guilt, you are self-disclosing as a form of
A) catharsis.
B) relationship building.
C) uncertainty reduction.
D) self-presentation.
E) social-presentation.
27) Sherry and Doug have been married for twenty years. Over time, they have decided to recognize that
dialectical tensions will always be present, and that they should accept them and even embrace the challenges
they produce. This example illustrates how this couple chooses to _______ their dialectical tension.
A) segment B) reframe C) select D) moderate E) reaffirm
28) Your text recommends some guidelines for appropriate self-disclosure. Which of the following is such a
guideline?
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
A) Self-disclose the same with everyone.
B) Self-disclosure is a two-way process.
C) Self-disclosure is always appropriate.
D) Self-disclose completely.
E) Self-disclose quickly in most situations.
29) Ray finds Lorrie to be attractive and wants to ask her out on a date. He is trying to decide whether to use a
passive, active, or interactive strategy to get her phone number. What theory would help him select an
appropriate strategy?
A) social penetration theory
B) dialectical theory
C) social exchange theory
D) uncertainty management theory
E) uncertainty reduction theory
30) Which theory suggests that when we first meet someone, we mentally weigh the potential rewards and costs
of creating a relationship with that person?
A) uncertainty reduction theory
B) social exchange theory
C) social penetration theory
D) dialectical theory
E) uncertainty management theory
TRUE/FALSE
1) According to social exchange theory, people consciously and deliberately weigh the costs and rewards
associated with a relationship.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
2) Two of the reasons why individuals develop relationships are to avoid loneliness and to learn about
themselves.
3) Social exchange theory suggests that as relationships develop, people increase their disclosure and move
toward increasing closeness in their relationships.
4) According to Schutz, oversocial individuals cannot stop themselves from getting involved and
communicating with others.
5) Typically, the drive to reduce uncertainty regarding those we meet is motivated by anticipation of future
contact, incentive value or reward, or deviance.
6) Uncertainty reduction theory has three main features: the interpretation and experience of uncertainty, the
effect of emotion related to uncertainty, and the ways communication and emotion are managed when
uncertainty exists.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
7) Electronically-mediated relationships can be just as strong as any other relationship.
8) The breadth of penetration is represented as penetration from external factual information to inner feelings
revealing more private information about the self.
9) Rhetorical sensitivity is a more cautious approach to exchanging information with others.
10) In general, people from different cultural backgrounds tend to self-disclose very differently..
SHORT ANSWER
1) Explain the social penetration model. Provide an example to support your explanation.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
2) Define what Schutz means by people being “undersocial” and “oversocial.” Provide an example for each.
3) Explain uncertainty reduction theory.
4) Do you agree or disagree with the uncertainty reduction theory’s assumption that as we increase our desire to
be in a relationship with others, we utilize tactics to decrease uncertainty? Defend your answer.
5) Identify and explain the basic assumptions of social exchange theory. Do you agree or disagree with this
approach to relational development? Defend your answer.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
6) Identify and define Schutz’s interpersonal needs theory. In your response, describe the specific types of
individuals that display varying degrees of each need.
7) Describe why our need to have control or influence changes as we grow up and mature, and how this affects
relationships.
8) What does it mean to be rhetorically sensitive? What behaviors would you do in order to increase your
rhetorical sensitivity?
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
9) Describe how self-disclosing communication is related to catharsis.
10) Identify and briefly describe the three common dialectical tensions.
11) Self-disclosure involves risk. Discuss the key concern for appropriate self-disclosure.
12) What is self-presentation? How can you use it in a job interview situation?
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
13) Explain how technology is changing interpersonal communication and the development of relationships.
14) Define depth of penetration and breadth of penetration.
15) Describe four characteristics that define relationships.
16) According to uncertainty reduction theory, what motivates people to form relationships?
17) Describe what costs and benefits are. Provide an example of each.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
18) What conclusions we can draw about self-disclosure and privacy in relationships?
19) Describe the tension known as connection-autonomy.
20) What do you think are the most important implications culture has in self-disclosure habits? Defend your
answer.
ESSAY
1) Name one guideline for determining the appropriateness of self-disclosure. What happens to communication
and to a relationship when this guideline is not followed?
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
2) Describe the five strategies people use to manage dialectical tension. Provide an example for each.
3) Describe two general reasons why we develop relationships. Provide an example for each.
4) Define verbal cues and extended time as a feature of electronic-mediated communication. In an online
relationship, how could you use these features?
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
5) Discuss various ways in which culture and gender affect processes of self-disclosure. Provide examples
where appropriate to support your answer.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition