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Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Chapter 4: Making Sense of Our World: Managing Uncertainty and
Expectancy Violations
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following statements best reflects the first and most central
principle of uncertainty reduction theory?
A. People are motivated to seek information in an effort to reduce uncertainty,
especially during initial encounters with others.
B. People can reduce uncertainty using passive, active, or interactive strategies.
C. As the process of uncertainty decreases between two people, initial attraction
increases.
D. As relationships become more established, people become more likely to use
secret tests to reduce uncertainty.
2. Chris is interested in getting to know Pat. They are in the same class together.
Chris gets to class early to be able to sit next to Pat. Chris is reducing uncertainty
by ______.
A. observing others
B. manipulating the social environment
C. asking questions
D. playing it cool
3. If you have a low level of uncertainty about someone, this means that you
______.
A. trust the person
B. consider the person to be a good friend
C. tend to make more positive attributions than negative attributions about her or
his behavior
D. are confident about being able to predict and explain this person’s behavior
4. In a series of studies cited in the textbook, researchers had people interact for
up to 16 min and found that uncertainty did not decrease significantly after the
first ______ min of interaction.
A. 14
B. 10
C. 6
D. 2
5. According to predicted outcome value theory, people are likely to seek more
information when they ______.
A. want to reduce uncertainty
B. predict that future interactions with a person will be rewarding
C. are unlikely to have many future interactions
D. want to make an especially good impression
6. During a party for a mutual friend, Mike spots Alex. Mike observes that Alex
does not have any people around her who seem to be romantic partners. He
notices that she hums along to the same songs he likes. He realizes she eats the
same food he eats. As he watches her leave with her friends, he decides the next
time he sees her, he’ll talk to her. Mike’s uncertainty reduction strategy is best
described as ______.
A. passive
B. inactive
C. interpersonal
D. unassertive
7. Which of the following strategies would be classified as active according to
uncertainty reduction theory?
A. asking a friend to find out if someone you are interested in is already dating
someone else
B. asking someone out on a date
C. unobtrusively observing someone at a party
D. encouraging someone to tell you something embarrassing about themselves
8. Baxter and Wilmot’s (1985) research on secret tests shows that the majority of
our uncertainty reduction techniques in early stages of relationships are ______.
A. direct
B. indirect
C. interactive
D. unsuccessful
9. The dialectical perspective on uncertainty is best characterized by which of the
following statements?
A. Individuals will only continue to interact so long as their partner provides
positive outcome value.
B. People react in predictable ways when they experience expectancy violations.
C. As uncertainty increases, attraction decreases.
D. We want both certainty and uncertainty in our relationships.
10. With which of the following individuals do most people usually have high
incentive value for reducing uncertainty?
A. boss
B. potential romantic partner
C. disliked person who cannot be avoided
D. all of these
11. Jamie recently began dating after exiting a long-term relationship. Jamie feels
like this new relationship is working. However, given the recent breakup, Jamie
isn’t quite sure if this is an accurate, shared perception. Jamie is experiencing
______ uncertainty.
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
A. partner
B. social
C. initial
D. intuitive
12. According to the theory of motivated information management, ______ affect
how people seek information to reduce uncertainty.
A. outcome expectancies
B. directness tests
C. relationship characteristics
D. emotional assessments
13. The turbulence model suggests that people experience the most uncertainty
______.
A. in the initial stages of a relationship
B. when they are in the process of moving their relationship from casual to
committed
C. when they are in an intimate long-distance relationship
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
D. when they are managing their relationship after their first big fight
14. Paul jokingly asks his wife if she’d like to have five children. If Paul’s
comment is designed to see if his wife really might consider having five children,
his comment would be classified as the secret test called ______.
A. third-party test
B. public presentation test
C. indirect suggestion test
D. triangle test
15. Jana is engaged to Matt. She suspects Matt is very flirtatious. To reduce her
uncertainty about her fiancé and to see if he is the “right one” for her, she types
up an anonymous letter. In the letter, she asks Matt to meet at a certain place
and time. She signs it, “your secret admirer.” Jana believes that her uncertainty
will be reduced by seeing if Matt tells her about the letter and/or if he shows up at
the fictitious meeting. Jana’s uncertainty reduction strategy is best categorized as
a ______ test.
A. third-party
B. public presentation
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
C. indirect suggestion
D. triangle
16. The goal of expectancy violations theory is to predict and explain ______.
A. how people reduce uncertainty about others
B. self-monitoring in uncertain and unexpected situations
C. when people will self-disclose in interpersonal encounters
D. how people react when they encounter atypical behavior
17. On a normal basis, you come home from school and find your housemate’s
socks on the floor. One day, however, you come home and find the floor free of
socks. Which of the following types of expectancies have been violated?
A. certainty
B. predictive
C. prescriptive
D. social normative
18. On a normal basis, you come home from school and find your housemate’s
socks on the floor. One day, however, you come home and find the floor free of
socks. The fact that your housemate has not left dirty socks on the floor is a
much better scene than you expected to find. In this case, you experienced a(n)
______ expectancy violation.
A. positive
B. negative
C. interpersonal
D. uncertainty
19. You do not get along very well with your boss but you want to make things
better. According to expectancy violations theory, which of the following
strategies would be the most appropriate choice?
A. asking her out to lunch, bringing her coffee, and doing her small favors every
day
B. talking and laughing with her circle of friends to try and make them like you
C. explaining to your boss how much better you are than all of your coworkers to
gain her respect
D. remaining civil and polite and gradually becoming friendlier over time
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
20. You are involved in a good romantic relationship but you want to make it
even better. Which of the following would expectancy violations theory predict
would most effectively help you accomplish your goals?
A. remaining consistent and predictable in your behaviors over time
B. persuading your partner that “less is more”
C. doing things that your partner would think were positive expectancy violations
D. doing things that your partner would think were negative expectancy violations
21. Joshua and Jodi are at their first college party. They decide to try some of the
party punch their hosts have prepared. After two glasses, they have discovered
that it’s much easier to talk with each other. They aren’t at all stressed. Which of
the following would best explain what Joshua and Jodi are experiencing?
A. social interactive influence theory
B. social expectancy observation
C. social lubrication effect
D. social flirtation theory
22. ______ violations happen when someone’s behavior deviates from what is
considered right.
A. Moral
B. Trust
C. Social
D. Modality
23. Zeke and Zelda have been in an online relationship for several months. They
have decided they want to meet in a face-to-face environment. The increase in
uncertainty over this event can be explained by ______.
A. environmental violations
B. physical idealization
C. territory turbulence
D. modality switching
24. Which online uncertainty reduction strategy is most common in online dating
sites such as eHarmony or Match.com?
A. lurking
B. extractive
C. interactive
D. stalking
25. ______ theory research has revealed that partners in cross-sex friendships
frequently avoid talking about the future of the relationship. This is especially true
when one partner has romantic feelings for the other. They would rather not have
their worst fears confirmed.
A. Dialectics
B. Self-uncertainty
C. Partner uncertainty
D. Predicted outcome value
True/False
1. As relationships become more established, people are more likely to use
secret tests to reduce uncertainty.
2. Prescriptive expectancies tell people what to expect in a relationship based on
what is considered appropriate.
3. The dialectical perspective on uncertainty reduction suggests that we are
always uncertain about people with strange dialects.
4. The primary focus of the model of relational turbulence is that the initial
interactions in a relationship are filled with tension as people adjust to each other.
5. Uncertainty reduction is just as important when people are communicating
online as when they are communicating face-to-face.
6. When our life partner does something unexpected, we are sometimes less
able to predict their attitudes and behaviors.
7. Because there are fewer nonverbal cues in online communication, people
have a greater need for uncertainty reduction online than face-to-face.
8. Engaging in direct communication is referred to as an extractive strategy.
9. Low uncertainty occurs when people feel confident in their ability to predict and
explain someone’s behavior.
10. The primary premise underlying the original uncertainty reduction theory is
that people generally dislike uncertainty and are therefore motivated to reduce it.
11. Some studies show that men are likely to have higher sexual expectations for
dates that are initiated by women than women have.
Essay
1. Discuss how online communication has changed uncertainty reduction
strategies in romantic relationships.
2. Recent studies have shown that information sometimes increases uncertainty
in established relationships. The book discussed six uncertainty-increasing
behaviors. Select three of them and discuss how they effect a relationship.
3. The theory of motivated information management predicts that people seek
information in some situations and not in others. Compare and contrast two
situations--one where someone would seek out information and one where
someone would not seek out information. What influences their actions?
4. There are a variety of types of expectancy violations in close relationships.
Select three of them and discuss how they effect a relationship.
5. When people go on a first date, they have different ideas about what will
happen. These expectations and goals influence the success of their experience.
Discuss how similar expectations can lead to a good date and how dissimilar
expectations can lead to a bad date.
6. Discuss the role of “secret tests” in close relationships. Select five secret tests
and briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy.
