Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Chapter 7: Communicating Closeness: Affection, Immediacy, and Social
Support
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Centuries ago, humans needed other people to help them gather food and
protect them if attacked. Today, we still need people to help us survive daily life.
This is one of the principles of the ______.
A. relational closeness hypothesis
B. cognitive valence theory
C. dual process model
D. affection exchange theory
2. When you direct someone to a person or a group that can help them, you are
offering ______ support.
A. emotional
B. informational
C. tangible
D. network
3. Which of the following statements best describes the link between affection
and health?
A. Giving affection is related to mental health, whereas receiving affection is
related to physical health.
B. Receiving affection is related to mental health, whereas giving affection is
related to mental health.
C. Giving and receiving affection are both related to mental and physical health.
D. Giving and receiving affection are unrelated to either mental or physical
health.
4. According to ______, affectionate communication is a biologically adaptive
behavior that contributes to human viability and fertility by improving health and
fortifying the body’s flight or fight system.
A. cognitive valence theory
B. the intimacy process model
C. adaptive value theory
D. affective exchange theory
5. Messages that elaborate, acknowledge, and validate feelings and concerns of
a distressed person are called ______ messages.
A. high person-centered
B. low person-centered
C. positive-centered
D. position-centered
6. The research reported in your textbook suggests that ______ are the two
nonverbal behaviors that are most frequently used to express comfort and social
support.
A. hugs and smiles
B. pats and eye contact
C. hugs and close proxemic distancing
D. smiling and eye contact
7. A friend comes to you with a problem—she just had an argument with her
roommate, and her roommate said some really nasty things to her. Your friend is
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
visibly upset. Which of the following would be most effective in comforting your
friend?
A. low person-centeredness and low nonverbal intimacy
B. low person-centeredness and high nonverbal intimacy
C. high person-centeredness and low nonverbal intimacy
D. high person-centeredness and high nonverbal intimacy
8. Cognitive valence theory proposes that the process of intimacy exchange
begins with ______.
A. perceptions
B. behavior
C. social cognition
D. personality
9. The idea that nonverbal immediacy behaviors are processed as a gestalt
means that ______.
A. when people make judgments about the intimacy level of an interaction,
nonverbal behaviors outweigh verbal statements
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
B. people focus on the whole package of nonverbal behaviors rather than any
single behavior
C. people consider the situational and relational context when interpreting the
meaning behind nonverbal immediacy cues
D. people isolate one or two behaviors to understand the nonverbal message
10. According to cognitive valence theory, high levels of arousal lead to ______.
A. positive outcomes
B. negative outcomes
C. positive or negative outcomes depending on the cognitive valencers
D. a neutral outcome
11. According to Andersen’s cognitive valence theory, ______ are templates that
people use to help them label behavior as appropriate or inappropriate.
A. cognitive valencers
B. chronemic vocalics
C. tangible aids
D. past experiences
12. One reason why researchers have found that women have more intimate
relationships than men do is that ______.
A. scholars have traditionally thought of intimate relationships as emotional,
feminine, and affectionate
B. in today’s society, women are more emotional than men
C. scholars have traditionally thought of intimate relationships as being
instrumental, masculine, and logical
D. men are typically unable to talk about their feelings
13. When people are accelerating their relationship into a more intimate phase,
research found that ______ behaviors also increase significantly.
A. kinesic
B. gestalt
C. proxemic
D. haptic
14. According to research, men use ______ to display intimacy more than
women do.
A. self-disclosure
B. self-discovery
C. church and marriage
D. shared interest and activities
15. Which of the following has the most influence on the quality of our
relationships?
A. sexual interaction
B. verbal behaviors
C. nonverbal behaviors
D. metatalk
16. According to the social meaning model of nonverbal communication, ______.
A. some nonverbal behaviors have strong consensual meanings across different
contexts
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
B. meanings are completely dependent on appropriate cognitive schemata
C. getting to know someone is like pealing an onion
D. rewarding people benefit from norm violations
7.2:17. Which of the following statements best characterizes the stance taken by
the authors of your textbook regarding sex differences in intimate
communication?
A. Men and women are so different in their motives and behaviors that it really is
like men are from Mars and women are from Venus.
B. Men and women are not entirely different, just more different than they are
similar.
C. Men and women are more similar than they are different.
D. Men and women have hardly any differences in their intimate communication.
18. The first time Diba introduced Nathan as her boyfriend in public, it was a
special moment. The word “boyfriend” is an example of a verbal ______.
A. form of address
B. depth of disclosure indicator
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
C. involvement behavior
D. relationship indicator
19. Lisa just received some bad news about the health of her mother. Her best
friend tried to comfort her, but Lisa doesn’t want to talk. The two of them just sit
together. According to the dual process model of supportive communication, Lisa
responded to the ______.
A. quality of the message
B. environmental cues
C. close distance
D. invisible support phenomenon
20. Jeff had been planning a special evening for Keith for several weeks. They
had their special drinks, favorite foods, and memorable music. Unfortunately,
Keith didn’t react positively, and the evening backfired. This is an example of
______.
A. bad planning
B. paradox of affection
C. emotional viability
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
D. indirect behavior
21. Every time Ellen and Elliot see each other, they do their own special, unique
handshake and then smile and laugh about it. This is an example of a/an ______
behavior.
A. support
B. idiomatic
C. vocalic
D. relationship
22. Touch occurs least in ______.
A. Asian countries
B. the United States
C. the Mediterranean region
D. Latin America
23. There are some sex differences between men and women and how they
express closeness in same-sex friendships. Men are more likely to have ______.
A. artistic relationships
B. dialectical dyads
C. agentic friendships
D. expressive friendships
24. The dual process model of supportive communication ______.
A. involves both hemispheres of the brain
B. deals with both motivated and unmotivated reception of comforting messages
C. is called dual because it involves both language and nonverbal
communication
D. because it works for men and women
25. A highly person-centered message is perceived as appropriate, helpful, and
sensitive. These messages ______.
A. acknowledge the receiver’s feelings but don’t elaborate on the situation
B. deny the legitimacy of the receiver’s feelings
C. express care and concern and help the receiver reevaluate the message
D. elaborate on the situation
True/False
1. Your text maintains that the brightest side of life’s experience often occurs in
close relationships during the exchange of warm, involving, immediate
messages.
2. The benefits of affection are primarily from receiving rather than giving
affection.
3. Calling someone by his or her favorite nickname is considered a verbal
immediacy behavior.
4. Saying “we” is more verbally immediate than saying you and I.
5. Offering to babysit for a new mother is considered a support behavior.
6. The United States is a low-touch country.
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
7. Most studies of touch have been conducted in private settings.
8. Interpersonal valence refers to the degree we find someone attractive.
9. Relational closeness is the interdependence people share.
10. The most effective comforting messages involve offering advice to a
distressed person.
11. Helping a person to reappraise their situation is a powerful form of
comforting.
12. Invisible support is most effective in reducing distress because people do not
want to feel dependent.
1. According to affection exchange theory, there are three primary principles that
illustrate how affectionate communication benefits people. Discuss and define
two of them and explain the benefits of giving and receiving affection.
2. Montgomery states “the nonverbal mode of expression appears more closely
linked to relational quality than the verbal modes.” Why is this true?
3. Compare and contrast the differences and similarities between direct
nonverbal behavior and indirect nonverbal behavior.
4. Discuss and define four different forms of verbal immediacy.
5. Discuss how men and women communicate closeness in their same-sex
friendships.
6. Define the invisible support phenomenon. How does it help people maintain
relationships?