Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Test Bank
Chapter 5: The Perceptual Context
Multiple Choice
1. Perception is defined as the ______.
a. long-term cognitive processing of information
b. short-term cognitive processing of information
c. mental interpretation of external stimuli via sensation
d. cognitive interpretation of selective attention
2. Perceptual filters alter and change how humans interpret information, physiologically,
sociologically, and ______.
a. genetically
b. descriptively
c. prescriptively
d. psychologically
3. One reason for cross-cultural differences in perception is due to ______.
a. conditions in the environmental context
b. short-term memory loss
c. long-term memory loss
d. interference
4. Information in long-term memory is usually lost because of ______.
a. sensory receptor errors
b. olfactic stimulation
c. iconic stimulation
d. interference
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
5. Episodic long-term memory refers to the preservation of ______.
a. auditory stimulation
b. information pertaining to the unique experiences of the individual
c. a person’s general conceptual world
d. iconic stimulation
6. Semantic long-term memory refers to the ______.
a. preservation of auditory stimulation
b. type of information pertaining to the unique experiences of the individual
c. preservation of a person’s general conceptual world
d. preservation of iconic stimulation
7. Persons in cultures with little formal education tend to remember information based
on its ______.
a. uniqueness
b. novelty
c. organization of unrelated items
d. functionality
8. Classifying, sorting, or arranging information into identifiable compartments that share
certain features or characteristics is called ______.
a. iconic perception
b. sensory reproduction
c. sensory replication
d. categorization
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
9. Some psychologists believe that stereotyping is an automatic information-processing
strategy, meaning that ______.
a. stereotyping is an unintentional and/or instinctive activation of thoughts that have
been learned through repeated stimulation
b. stereotyping is intentional and requires the conscious attention of the information
processor
c. stereotyping is a subset of categorization with an added attitudinal component
d. most people are innately prejudiced against people different from themselves
10. The tendency for people to see members of an out-group as less diverse and more
stereotypic than the members of that in-group see themselves is called the ______.
a. illusory correlation principle
b. out-group homogeneity effect
c. illusory homogeneity effect
d. out-group correlation effect
11. The perception that one’s in-group is the center of everything whereby all other
groups are scaled and rated with reference to the in-group is called ______.
a. categorization
b. stereotyping
c. ethnocentrism
d. authoritarianism
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
12. Ethnocentrism is a belief in the ______.
a. moral or intellectual superiority of men over women
b. degree to which one sees his or her culture as superior
c. universality of racism
d. moral or intellectual superiority of one race over another
13. According to Nisbett, geographical differences in culture have a dramatic influence
on how humans perceive the world. His basic focus is that people from Eastern cultures
and Western cultures think differently because ______.
a. Eastern philosophies focus on understanding in terms of interdependence and
harmony and western philosophies focus on understanding in terms of linear methods
b. Western philosophies focus on understanding in terms of interdependence and
harmony and eastern philosophies focus on understanding in terms of linear methods
c. the language systems of eastern cultures are centered in activity and the language
systems western cultures are centered in inactivity
d. Eastern philosophies are centered in understanding the worth of the individual and
western philosophies are centered in understanding the worth of the culture
14. Matlin developed a mini-experiment to demonstrate the effect of interference and
memory. He discovered that ______.
a. stress has no measurable effect on memory
b. negative arousal helps in the retrieval of information
c. people suffering from anxiety often report being unable to recall information
d. pleasant information is processed more slowly than unpleasant
15. According to Cultivation Theory, steady, cumulative exposure to the world of
television contributes to our ______.
a. development and maintenance of our perceptions of social reality
b. inability to develop effective relationships with other
c. lack of interest in communicating in face-to-face situations
d. re-examination and re-creation of cultural contexts
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
16. Which of the following implications of cultivation theory and media representations
of microcultural groups is accurate?
a. Television has evolved over the decades and is actively changing stereotypes.
b. While some negative stereotyping still exists, significant positive changes have been
made in prime-time television shows.
c. Stereotypical portrayals still serve to validate, accentuate, and perpetuate racism.
d. All microcultural groups continue to be portrayed with negative stereotypes.
17. The process of categorizing people according to some easily identifiable
characteristics and then attributing to them qualities or behaviors believed to be typical
of members of that classification is called ______.
a. expecting
b. categorizing
c. cataloging
d. stereotyping
18. Ethnocentrism influences intercultural communication. It often leads to what Guan
calls ______-centered dialog.
a. other-centered
b. self-centered
c. culturally-centered
d. audience-centered
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
19. Comments like “top of the totem pole” and “the blind leading the blind” are examples
of the communicative distance of ______.
a. indifference
b. avoidance
c. disparagement
d. ethnophaulism
20. Several research studies have been conducted on ethnocentrism and the
workplace. Ultimately, the overall finding of these studies was that in an increasingly
diverse workplace, the extent to which interactants are ______.
a. ethnocentric, interpersonal perceptions and communication will be influenced
negatively
b. not ethnocentric, interpersonal perceptions and communication will be influenced
negatively
c. ethnocentric, interpersonal perceptions and communication will remain neutral.
d. not ethnocentric, interpersonal perceptions and communication will remain neutral
21. The difference between racial groups and ethnic groups is that ______.
a. Racial groups can be conceived around blood and religion; Ethnic groups are social
constructs perceived to be biological
b. Racial groups are social constructs perceived to be biological; Ethnic groups can be
conceived around blood and religion
c. There is no difference between racial and ethnic groups; they are the same.
Multiple Select
1. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Taylor and Porter study the socially desirable aspects of
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
stereotyping, and they have learned ______.
a. the negative connotation associated with stereotyping may be uniquely associated
with the U.S
b. the melting-pot metaphor is a very effective way to understand the impact of
stereotyping
c. stereotypes that emphasize group differences essentially block the potential for
intergroup friendships
d. since “opposites attract,” stereotypes that emphasize group differences help people
develop intergroup friendships
True/False
1. Persons in Western cultures tend to classify objects into discrete categories based on
their similarity while persons in Eastern cultures tend to classify objects into categories
based on their relationships.
2. The first stage of information processing is the input stage, where raw information is
taken in through the senses.
3. Although the amount of information stored in short-term memory is quite limited, it
can be stored permanently.
4. The essential difference between short- and long-term memory is the type of
information that is stored.
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
5. Negative arousal, or anxiety, is also thought to interfere with the retrieval of
information from long-term memory.
6. Most cognitive psychologists argue that all people, regardless of culture, engage in
categorization and that it is a necessary part of everyday life.
7. According to the Stereotype Content Model, an individual’s stereotypes about others
are based on the two judgments of warmth and competence.
8. The illusory correlation principle refers to the tendency for people to see members of
an out-group as less diverse and more stereotypic than the members of that group see
themselves.
9. Ethnocentrism serves a valuable function when one’s central group is under actual
attack or threat of attack because it forms the basis for patriotism and the willingness to
sacrifice for one’s central group.
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
10. Ethnocentrism refers to a belief that one racial group is superior to others and that
Essay/Short Answer
1. Describe the three stages of human information processing.
2. Describe the difference between categorization and stereotyping.
3. Use George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory to provide an example of a stereotype
influenced by media.
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
4. Categorize the following emotions and behaviors based on the Stereotype Content
Model: sympathy, pride, resentment, and envy.
5. Define ethnocentrism and discuss its causes and effects.