Chapter 8
Multiple Choice
1. The “silent treatment” is what type of strategy?
a. Confirming
b. Disconfirming
c. Directional
d. Rejecting
2. The following example illustrates which term referring to power? Sergio and Isabelita each have
power over different things in their household. Sergio is in charge of the purchase and
maintenance of the cars and making decisions about home improvement projects. Isabelita has
decision-making power over the children’s activities and the day–to-day family budget.
a. Syncratic
b. Coercive
c. Autonomic
d. Reward
3. To say that power operates transactionally in a family means:
a. Power belongs to an individual
b. Power belongs to a relationship of two or more people
c. Power belongs to different people at different times
d. Power belongs to the entire family
4. Before he left for work, Dad asked Billy to mow the yard, Kristen to put out the garbage, and
Nicholas to straighten up the playroom. If they did those tasks, Dad promised to buy them
tickets to that night’s Sox baseball game. Which power base is Dad using?
a. Normative resources
b. Affective resources
c. Economic resources
d. Cognitive resources
5. Which of the following is not an influence strategy discussed in this chapter?
a. Shouting
b. Threatening
c. Bargaining
d. Withdrawal
6. When making joint purchases, which types of influence strategies do married or cohabiting
couples tend to use?
a. Smiling and flirting
b. Acting helpless and displaying negative emotions
c. Bargaining and reasoning
d. Emotional appeals and requests
7. Which of the following was reported as a frequently used influence strategy by spouses
regarding health behaviors?
a. Engaging in healthy behavior together
Discussing the health issue
b. Engaging in facilitative behavior
c. All of the above
8. When a parent is trying to influence a child, the success of the influence strategy will likely
depend on:
a. The parent’s sex
b. The parent’s age
c. The child’s sex
d. The child’s age
9. Jana and Richard are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary next month. Richard’s father
will be visiting from out of town during their anniversary. The couple wanted to try a new Thai
restaurant for their anniversary dinner, but Richard’s father insists on taking them to a
steakhouse. Jana and Richard consent, not because they really want steak, but because they
figure it is better to let him have his way and not “rock the boat.” Which type of decision-making
process has occurred in this example?
a. Consensus
b. De-facto
c. Laissez-faire
d. Accommodation
10. Which statement applies to the family problem-solving loop?
a. There are twelve steps of interaction in problem solving.
b. Families go through a circular pattern in making decisions
c. Over time the loops in families become more linear and families go through decision
making in a more direct, organized pattern.
d. In step 7, the family brainstorms for solutions.
11. Affective resources are related to which of the following concepts:
a. Self-disclosure
b. Privacy boundaries
c. Relational currencies
d. Role enactment
12. Which of the following is not one of the principles suggested for families to adhere to in decision
making?
a. Create a sense of autonomy
b. Create a sense of competition
c. Create a sense of loyalty
d. Create a sense of awareness
13. Which of the following examples demonstrate implementation power?
a. Dad tells Brian he can decide where the family goes on vacation over break
b. Amy tells her husband it’s time to buy a new car
c. Ryan tells his mother to buy him cereal when she’s at the grocery store
d. Jasmine tells her younger brother that Mom wants him to clean his room
14. Skewed power relationships (such as husband or wife dominance) can result in
a. More rapid decision-making in the relationship
b. Less conflict for power in the relationship
c. More violence in the relationship
d. Less role confusion in the relationship
15. When Chrissy asks if she can have a sucker at the grocery store, her dad says “no.” She says,
“why not?” and he says, “because I said so; that’s why.” What power resource is Chrissy’s dad
asserting?
a. Normative
b. Economic
c. Affective
d. Cognitive
16. Jen complements Kelly on his new haircut… and then asks him for a ride to the airport. Which
influence strategy is this?
a. Direct request
b. Bargaining
c. Emotional
d. Deception
17. In their relationship, Monique has authority over the children and activities; Marco has authority
over finances and budget. What type of authority does this couple exhibit?
a. Wife-dominant
b. Husband-dominant
c. Autonomic
d. Syncratic
18. Which of the following is NOT a source of relational power?
a. Possessing or controlling access to resources.
b. A high desire for resources
c. High availability
d. A highly committed partner
Answer Key
Quiz True False
1. A syncratic relationship fosters shared authority and joint decision making.
a. True
b. False
2. Power outcomes include the control attempts each family member makes using influence,
persuasion, and assertiveness.
a. True
b. False
3. A family member who acts helpless cannot control others as effectively as another member who
shouts orders.
a. True
b. False
4. Influence is said to occur when a family member uses power to try to change or modify another
family member’s beliefs or behavior.
a. True
b. False
5. Influence attempts do not occur very often in families.
a. True
b. False
6. Children try to influence their parents, but parents do not try to influence their children.
a. True
b. False
7. Decision-making is a certain type of power that belongs to a single individual in the family.
a. True
b. False
8. Instrumental decisions include finding a job, hiring a sitter and arranging for a housekeeper.
a. True
b. False
9. Consensus is a type of decision-making that occurs when family members consent to a certain
decision, not because they agree with that decision, but because they feel further discussion will
be useless.
a. True
b. False
10. Issues of decision-making between parents and children really only occur when the children are
still living in their parents’ homes.
a. True
b. False
11. Disagreements serve as a functional part of decision-making.
a. True
b. False
Answer Key
Chapter 8:
Explain the process that a real or fictional family might use in making a decision.
Explain the decision and show how the family’s process would follow the decision making loop presented
in Chapter 8.
How are power, influence, and decision-making different? How are they similar?
Use specific examples to illustrate the differences and similarities between these concepts.
Using a real or fictional family, identify one example in which nagging can be useful and productive in
family relationships, and one example in which nagging can be destructive and detrimental. What do
these examples tell you about nagging as a persuasive technique? When is nagging appropriate (if ever)
and when is it inappropriate (if ever)?