1) What elements distinguish interpersonal communication from other forms of human communication?
A) It is a distinctive, transactional form of human communication involving mutual influence for the purpose of managing relationships.
B) It involves treating people as objects, responding to roles rather than the person, and distinctive conversations.
C) It is a mechanical, transactional form of human communication, where each person has a role to perform.
D) It involves communicating with someone you care about, communicating in an I-It relationship, and treating people as individuals.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
2) A(n) __________ is a connection established when you communicate with another person.
A) transaction
B) relationship
C) interaction
D) lifelong bond
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
3) What term is defined as the process of acting on information?
A) human communication
B) interpersonal communication
C) communication
D) impersonal communication
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
4) Sarita goes to a restaurant with her friends after class. While dining, Sarita communicates with the server only to place an order, ask for more water, and request the bill. Which type of communication is she using with the server?
A) intrapersonal
B) impersonal
C) interpersonal
D) public
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
5) Which term describes the process of making sense out of the world and sharing that sense with others by creating meaning through the use of verbal and nonverbal messages?
A) human communication
B) interpersonal communication
C) communication
D) relationship communication
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
6) Rashid went to dinner with his good friend Megan. They stayed at the restaurant for hours simply because they were enjoying each other’s conversation. According to Martin Buber, their relationship is best described as __________.
A) I-It
B) It-Thou
C) I-Thou
D) It-I
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
7) Sammy and Jobeth are considering moving in together. Sammy is unsure, so she sits down to make a mental list of the pros and cons of cohabitating with Jobeth. Sammy is demonstrating which form of communication?
A) interpersonal communication
B) impersonal communication
C) intrapersonal communication
D) intermediate communication
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
8) What form of communication takes place when someone communicates the same message to many people at once but the creator of the message is usually not physically present?
A) mass communication
B) public communication
C) small group communication
D) intrapersonal communication
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
9) Communication author Virginia Satir calls __________ "the largest single factor determining the kinds of relationships [people make] with others."
A) romantic communication
B) physical health
C) family communication
D) emotional health
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.2 Explain why it is useful to study interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication's Importance to Your Life
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
10) Which statement best describes the general correlation between social support and the prognosis of terminally ill patients?
A) Patients who have strong social support die sooner.
B) Patients who have strong social support survive longer.
C) Patients are not impacted by their level of social support.
D) Social support is beneficial to patients if it comes from friends, not family members.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.2 Explain why it is useful to study interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication's Importance to Your Life
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
11) Which statement is true about interpersonal communication in the workplace?
A) Employers don't seek applicants with strong interpersonal skills.
B) It is more important to get along with your supervisors than your peers.
C) Applicants are sought after if they have the ability to listen to others and manage conflict.
D) Interpersonal communication in the workplace decreases productivity.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.2 Explain why it is useful to study interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication's Importance to Your Life
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
12) Currently, about __________ of all marriages end in divorce within twenty years of the wedding.
A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 75%
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.2 Explain why it is useful to study interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication's Importance to Your Life
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
13) Alycia tells Zoe that a crowded restaurant is not the place to tell Fred that he failed to qualify for the interview. She is referring to what aspect of communication?
A) feedback
B) channel
C) context
D) decoding
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
14) During the communication process, whose role is it to decode the message?
A) sender
B) intermediary
C) messenger
D) receiver
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
15) This view of communication suggests that all elements involved in the communication process are interconnected, meaning that a change in one can impact the rest.
A) communication as action
B) communication as transaction
C) communication as interaction
D) communication as message exchange
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
16) Communication as ___________ is the oldest and most simplistic of the models of human communication.
A) action
B) interaction
C) transaction
D) system
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
17) What is considered to be the most sophisticated and most realistic model of interpersonal communication?
A) communication as action
B) communication as interaction
C) communication as transaction
D) communication as contraction
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
18) The message transfer model of communication portrays human communication as a(n) ___________ process.
A) interactive
B) linear
C) circular
D) simultaneous
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
19) Which actions best describe encoding?
A) translating ideas, feelings, and thoughts into a code
B) filtering messages through past experiences
C) minimizing external and psychological noise
D) making sense out of words or nonverbal cues
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
20) Which actions best describe decoding?
A) putting thoughts, ideas, and feelings into words or nonverbal cues
B) filtering messages through past experiences
C) minimizing external and psychological noise
D) interpreting ideas, feelings, and thoughts that have been translated into a code
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
21) Noise in a communication context is understood to mean __________.
A) the physical and psychological environment for communication
B) the filters through which messages pass
C) anything that interferes with the message being interpreted in the way it was intended
D) the transmission of a thought or feeling
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
22) Gary is going to break up with Hortensia and has decided to break the news at an expensive restaurant in hopes of avoiding an unpleasant scene. Even though this might not work, Gary’s decision reflects his understanding of the importance of which component of communication?
A) noise
B) feedback
C) context
D) decoding
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
23) When Arman and Roger discuss what issues in their relationship are acceptable to discuss in front of friends and which are acceptable only to discuss between themselves, they are engaging in __________.
A) impersonal communication
B) metacommunication
C) content communication
D) asynchronous communication
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.4 Discuss five principles of interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Principles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply the Concepts
24) What is a common myth about interpersonal communication?
A) All interpersonal relationship problems are communication problems.
B) Interpersonal communication is complicated.
C) Communication rules are sometimes unclear in a relationship.
D) People judge others based on behavior, not their intent.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.4 Discuss five principles of interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Principles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
25) __________ is defined as a followable prescription that indicates behavior expectations in a relationship.
A) Dimension
B) Symbol
C) Guideline
D) Rule
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.4 Discuss five principles of interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Principles
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
26) When Gladys says, “I’m sorry, Pete. I take it back. Your new haircut isn’t really atrocious,” she seems to be forgetting that communication __________.
A) is irreversible
B) connects us to others
C) is governed by rules
D) involves content dimensions
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.4 Discuss five principles of interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Principles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
27) Monica is being punished by her teacher because the teacher didn’t care for the way Monica said, “Yes, Ma’am.” Her nasal rendition of “yes” and the long drawn out “Ma’am” suggested a lack of respect that the teacher considered unacceptable. The teacher’s dissatisfaction with Monica’s statement demonstrates which characteristic of interpersonal relationships?
A) Interpersonal communication has both systems and processes.
B) Interpersonal communication has both content and relationship dimensions.
C) Interpersonal communication is irreversible.
D) Interpersonal communication is governed by social rules.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.4 Discuss five principles of interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Principles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
28) Beth sends Julian an e-mail asking him to meet her at the bank at 2:30 p.m. She is on time, but Julian doesn’t arrive until 3:15 p.m. When she asks him why he is late, he replies, “I came as soon as I got your message.” The problem they are encountering may stem from the fact that a message sent by e-mail is __________.
A) synchronous
B) instantaneous
C) asynchronous
D) unreliable
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
29) What statement best describes the findings of Tidwell and Walther about computer-mediated communication versus face-to-face interaction?
A) People ask more direct questions but reveal less about themselves online.
B) People ask less direct questions and reveal less about themselves online.
C) People ask more direct questions and reveal more about themselves online.
D) People ask less direct questions but reveal more about themselves online.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
30) Research has found that those who need to communicate something negative, such as a desire to end a relationship, often select a __________ communication medium.
A) less rich
B) more personal
C) more rich
D) non-electronic
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
31) What enhances the feeling of social presence for electronic communicators?
A) anonymity
B) asynchronous messaging
C) synchronous messaging
D) distance
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
32) A hyperpersonal relationship is an electronically mediated relationship that is __________.
A) more personal than a face-to-face relationship
B) less direct than a face-to-face relationship
C) less personal than a face-to-face relationship
D) more successful than a face-to-face relationship
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
33) __________ theory suggests that emotional expression is severely restricted when we use only text-based messages to communicate.
A) Media richness
B) Cues-filtered-out
C) Diminished capacity
D) Transactional interference
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
34) The social information-processing theory explains how __________.
A) information about society is conveyed to the public by the mass media
B) family members convey essential information to one another through e-mail
C) information about social groups learned online is used to form opinions that affect communication with those groups.
D) we can communicate relational and emotional messages to others via e-mail and other electronic means.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
35) Which best describes the findings of Rodriguez and Wise in their study of college students' use of deceptive text messages?
A) Text messaging was rarely used by students to lie.
B) Students were more likely to send untrue texts to friends and family than to strangers.
C) Students were more likely to send deceptive Facebook messages than text messages.
D) Detecting untrue text messages was easiest for students who reported always being truthful.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
36) Margarita is having an important conversation with her father through text messaging. According to social information-processing theory, how is Margarita's ability to communicate relational and emotional messages impacted in since electronic communication lacks nonverbal cues?
A) Margarita cannot express these kinds of messages.
B) Margarita can express these kinds of messages more accurately.
C) Margarita can express these kinds of messages, but it may take her more time.
D) Margarita can express relational messages but not emotional messages.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
37) Taron loves to dance, so he attends a ballroom class each Monday evening. Taron feels happy after each class, and he thinks it is because he is surrounded by classmates who all have positive attitudes. Which concept explains how Taron's emotions are impacted by attending dance class?
A) emotional contagion
B) synchronous communication
C) social presence
D) social information-processing theory
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
38) Jozea notices that he is not successful in expressing his ideas to others. To help, a friend suggests that Jozea should adopt an other-oriented approach, meaning that he should __________.
A) consider the thoughts and feelings of others, but at the cost of his own integrity
B) consider the thoughts and feelings of others while still maintaining his own integrity
C) think of others when communicating but not allow it to impact his interactions
D) attempt to converse with as many people possible
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.6 Identify strategies that can improve your communication competence.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Competence
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
39) When we create a message without giving much thought to the person who is listening, we are engaging in __________.
A) self-centered thinking
B) egocentric communication
C) emotional contagion
D) interpersonal communication
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.6 Identify strategies that can improve your communication competence.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Competence
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
40) To be a competent communicator is to express messages that are perceived to be both effective and __________.
A) direct
B) valuable
C) interesting
D) appropriate
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.6 Identify strategies that can improve your communication competence.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Competence
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Essay
1) Describe the differences between impersonal and interpersonal communication.
Answer:
- Impersonal
- People treated as objects
- People communicate in “I-It” relationships
- Mechanical, stilted interaction, and no honest sharing of feelings
- Communicating with people with whom you have no history and expect no future
- Interpersonal
- People treated as unique individuals
- People communicate in “I-Thou” relationships
- True dialogue and honest sharing of self with others
- Communicating with someone you care about such as a friend or family member
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
2) What makes interpersonal communication inescapable?
Answer:
- Unless you live in isolation, you communicate interpersonally every day.
- Listening to your roommate, talking to a teacher, texting a friend, and talking to your parents or your spouse in person or via Skype are all examples of interpersonal communication.
- People always interpret what you say or do as a message, whether they are correct or not. So, as long as people are in contact with other people, communication will take place.
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
3) Briefly describe the differences between communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Answer:
- Communication is a process of acting on information
- Human communication is a process of making sense out of the world and sharing it with others by creating meaning through the use of verbal and nonverbal messages.
- Interpersonal communication, distinct from the others, is a transactional form of human communication that incorporates mutual influence primarily for the purpose of influencing relationships.
Learning Objective: 1.1 Compare and contrast definitions of communication, human communication, and interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Defined
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
4) Discuss in which communication model the sources can be both sender and receiver.
Answer:
- The model of communication as transaction acknowledges that when we talk to another person face to face, we are constantly reacting to our partner’s responses.
- Thus, all the components of the communication process in this model are simultaneous.
Learning Objective: 1.3 Describe the communication process, including key components and models of communication as action, interaction, and transaction.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and the Communication Process
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
5) Define explicit and implicit rules in interpersonal communication, and provide your own example of each.
Answer:
- Explicit rules are stated or written.
- An example is that there is no loud talking in the college library, so conversational partners know to keep their volume low when discussing the research they are seeking. Loud talking will result in being asked to leave the library.
- Implicit rules are not spelled out. Student examples may vary.
- An example is that each person in a conversation speaks in turn and does not talk over the conversational partner.
Learning Objective: 1.4 Discuss five principles of interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Principles
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
6) Using an example, briefly explain the difference between the content and the relationship dimensions of interpersonal communication.
Answer:
- Student examples may vary.
- Example: Jill tells Jack to clean the kitchen. Jack says it’s Jill’s turn.
- Content: topic of cleaning the kitchen—what was said.
- Relationship: offers cues about the emotions, attitudes, and amount of power and control the speaker feels with regard to the other person; who can tell whom what to do—how it was said.
Learning Objective: 1.4 Discuss five principles of interpersonal communication.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Principles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
7) What are some disadvantages of using electronically mediated communication in a particular relationship?
Answer:
- The nature or type of the relationship will influence the answers given.
- Disadvantages may include: the asynchronous nature of some electronic messages, the potential for deception, the limits on the nonverbal cues available, the skill and ability the interactants have with typing and writing, and the limitations that some media have for expressing emotions.
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
8) Name the four criteria of richness of a communication channel and how they can be applied.
Answer:
- Media richness theory suggests that the richness of a communication channel is based on four criteria:
- The amount of feedback that the communicator can receive
- The number of cues that the channel can convey and that can be interpreted by a receiver
- The variety of language that a communicator uses
- The potential for expressing emotions and feelings.
- Using these four criteria, researchers have developed a continuum of communication channels, from communication-rich to communication-lean. Media richness theory also suggests that the restriction of nonverbal cues, which provides information about the nature of the relationship between communicators, hampers the quality of relationships that can be established using EMC.
- Some evidence suggests that those wishing to communicate a negative message, such as a message ending a relationship, may select a less rich communication medium. On the other hand, those who want to share good news tend to communicate in person so they can enjoy the positive reaction to the message.
Learning Objective: 1.5 Discuss the role of electronically mediated communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication and Social Media
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
9) Define ethics and discuss the behaviors of an ethical communicator.
Answer:
- Ethics are the beliefs, values, and moral principles by which we determine what is right or wrong.
- Characteristics of ethical communicators:
- Sensitive to the needs of others, give people choices rather than forcing them to act a certain way, keep private information that others wish to be kept private, honesty, avoid diminishing others' self-worth, don't tell people only what they want to hear.
Learning Objective: 1.6 Identify strategies that can improve your communication competence.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Competence
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply the Concepts
10) You and your neighbor carpool to work every day since you both work in the same office. You believed this would be a good way for you both to save money on gas, but your neighbor has not been paying her fair share for the past few months. You've decided to discuss the situation with her, but you need to do some careful planning first. Describe a conversation you might have with her that incorporates the strategies of being effective and appropriate.
Answer:
- Student answers may vary, but must include that to be effective, messages must be understood by others and achieve their desired effects. Responses must also indicate that messages must be appropriate, by taking into account the time, place, and overall context of the message in order to be sensitive to the feelings and attitudes of the neighbor.
- In this case, the desired effect is that the neighbor chips in for carpooling.
Learning Objective: 1.6 Identify strategies that can improve your interpersonal communication competence.
Topic: Interpersonal Communication Competence
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
