Ch2 – Exam Questions | Connecting Perception, Self, And

Chapter 2: Connecting Perception, Self, and Communication

Multiple Choice

1. In his assertion that “Nothing is clear in and of itself but in some context for some person,” communication scholar Robert L. Scott meant that __________.
2. when we talk with others, we say things in certain ways that undermine the creation of meaning
3. one person’s perceptions are not more accurate than another's
4. words are static and unchanging
5. communication occurs in a linear, step-by-step fashion

Learning Objective: 2.1 Explain the connection between perception and your communication

competence.

Topic: Perception and Communication

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. Our perceptions are based on __________.
2. universal meaning
3. the experiences of our peer group
4. our personal experiences
5. the meaning assigned by our culture

Learning Objective: 2.1 Explain the connection between perception and your communication

competence.

Topic: Perception and Communication

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. What statement is correct about the process of perception?
2. Perception is a simple process.
3. Perception is universal.
4. Perception involves selecting, organizing, and interpreting information.
5. Perception of a single communication event provides a complete picture.

Learning Objective: 2.1 Explain the connection between perception and your communication

competence.

Topic: Perception and Communication

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. When we make deliberate choices to experience or to avoid experiencing particular stimuli, we engage in __________.
2. selective set
3. selective exposure
4. perceptual set
5. selective attention

Learning Objective: 2.2 Understand the effect of the three stages of perception on your communication.

Topic: The Perception Process

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. What are the three primary elements of the perception process?
2. selecting, organizing, and interpreting information
3. creating, understanding, and selecting information
4. creating, interpreting, and organizing information
5. selecting, deconstructing, and remembering information

Learning Objective: 2.2 Understand the effect of the three stages of perception on your communication.

Topic: The Perception Process

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. Kate is putting together a puzzle. She places silver puzzle pieces in one pile, purple puzzle pieces in another pile, and pink puzzle pieces in a third pile. What organizational strategy helps Kate to understand this information?
2. closure
3. proximity
4. similarity
5. complexity

Learning Objective: 2.2 Understand the effect of the three stages of perception on your communication.

Topic: The Perception Process

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. The tendency to fill in missing pieces and to extend lines in order to finish or complete figures illustrates what organizational process?
2. closure
3. proximity
4. similarity
5. complexity

Learning Objective: 2.2 Understand the effect of the three stages of perception on your communication.

Topic: The Perception Process

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. You arrive at a mall you have never visited before, and you are not sure where your favorite store is located. You approach an information kiosk to ask for directions, because you have received directions at other information kiosks before. This illustrates what strategy used for interpretation?
2. interpretation based on new situations
3. interpretations based on others' opinions
4. interpretation based on a new situation
5. interpretation based on experiences

Learning Objective: 2.2 Understand the effect of the three stages of perception on your communication.

Topic: The Perception Process

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. The categorizing of events, objects or people without regard to unique qualities or characteristics is most reflective of __________.
2. impartiality
3. stereotyping
4. attribution
5. perception

Learning Objective: 2.3 Identify seven reasons why different people may perceive the same situation in

different ways.

Topic: Perceptual Differences

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. Bob continually communicates with 28-year-old Lisa as if she were still a child. In Bob's eyes, Lisa will always be “his little girl.” This illustrates the fact that __________ can interfere with effective communication.
2. a perceptual set
3. dispositional attribution
4. gender
5. situational attribution

Learning Objective: 2.3 Identify seven reasons why different people may perceive the same situation in

different ways.

Topic: Perceptual Differences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. Instead of accepting that external factors influence other people’s behavior, George attributes the bank teller's rudeness this morning to being “that kind of person.” George's belief reflects __________.
2. a perceptual set
3. discrimination
4. profiling
5. a fundamental attribution error

Learning Objective: 2.3 Identify seven reasons why different people may perceive the same situation in

different ways.

Topic: Perceptual Differences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. When Janet wakes up on Sunday, the rain outside makes her think to herself what a great day for getting organized. On Monday when she wakes up and it's rainy outside, she thinks to herself how gloomy and depressing the day ahead will be. The difference in Janet's perception can best be attributed to __________.
2. physical characteristics
3. cultural background
4. psychological state
5. gender

Learning Objective: 2.3 Identify seven reasons why different people may perceive the same situation in

different ways.

Topic: Perceptual Differences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. Which behavior would be most helpful in improving your communication competence?
2. Take the roles of perception at face value.
3. Seek out as much information as possible.
4. Trust your inferences as correct.
5. Always go with your first perception.

Learning Objective: 2.4 Accurately interpret and check your perceptions to improve your communication competence.

Topic: Improving Perception Competencies and Perception Checking

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. Perception checking involves which communication strategy?
2. verifying information
3. trusting your intuition
4. making assumptions
5. jumping to conclusions

Learning Objective: 2.4 Accurately interpret and check your perceptions to improve your communication competence.

Topic: Improving Perception Competencies and Perception Checking

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. A statement which is objective and is easily verified is a(n) __________.
2. belief
3. inference
4. opinion
5. fact

Learning Objective: 2.4 Accurately interpret and check your perceptions to improve your communication competence.

Topic: Improving Perception Competencies and Perception Checking

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. Which statement is the best example of an inference?
2. Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States.
3. Thanksgiving was established as a national holiday during the Lincoln administration.
4. The Gettysburg Address was among the most influential presidential addresses in history.
5. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865.

Learning Objective: 2.4 Accurately interpret and check your perceptions to improve your communication competence.

Topic: Improving Perception Competencies and Perception Checking

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. According to the text, our social identity involves __________.
2. what we aspire to become
3. how we see and evaluate ourselves
4. what we hide from the world
5. how others see us

Learning Objective: 2.5 Understand the role perception has in determining self-concept.

Topic: Perception and Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. At work, Clarence is always pleasant and efficient and seems to get the job done with a minimum of fuss. At home, Clarence often seems to lose his temper over the least little thing. What do these two situations tell us about Clarence and his self-concept?
2. No person is an island.
3. We all manage to maintain a coherent image of our respective selves.
4. Our perceptions of others and events are usually objective.
5. We define ourselves and behave differently in different situations.

Learning Objective: 2.5 Understand the role perception has in determining self-concept.

Topic: Perception and Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. When someone asks Maria to describe herself, she usually says she is a first-generation Latino-American. This description represents Maria's __________.
2. self-image
3. public identity
4. self-enhancement
5. self-esteem

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. What is identified as a critical component in the initial development of our self-concept?
2. genetic inheritance
3. generational cohort
4. parental communication
5. media

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. Relatively long-lasting principles or standards that guide our behavior are known as __________.
2. opinions
3. values
4. beliefs
5. attitudes

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. Shraddha enjoys being around outgoing people, but she dislikes those who brag about themselves. Shraddha's feelings about people she prefers reflect a(n) __________.
2. standard
3. value
4. belief
5. attitude

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. A belief can best be explained as __________.
2. a conviction
3. a preference
4. a desire
5. a feeling

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. According to the model developed by social psychologist John Kinch, what directly affects or alters our behavior?
2. our responses to other's behavior
3. our attitudes and beliefs
4. our perceptions of other's responses
5. our innate self-concept

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. Which statement is correct regarding the social identity level of the personal-social identity continuum?
2. We can experience all aspects of our self-concept simultaneously.
3. Our personal identity characterizes how alike we are to others.
4. Self-identity has little influence upon our behavior.
5. Characterizing ourselves depends upon comparisons to others.

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. When we describe ourselves as members of a group, we tend to emphasize __________.
2. ways we are similar to other group members
3. what we wish to change about the group
4. ways the group can shape our identity
5. what we dislike about the group

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. Jenn likes to document her daily life on Snapchat and Instagram. She posts what she's eating, where she's going and who she is hanging out with. It is clear that Jenn has a high degree of __________.
2. online communication apprehension
3. online self-disclosure
4. online communication competence
5. online miscommunication

Learning Objective: 2.7 Identify social media factors that influence self-concept.

Topic: Social Media and Perceived Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. Online social connection is the belief that online communication enables __________.
2. apprehension
3. self-esteem
4. social contact
5. miscommunication

Learning Objective: 2.7 Identify social media factors that influence self-concept.

Topic: Social Media and Perceived Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. What is most valued by cultures with a collectivistic orientation?
2. the group
3. the self
4. individualism
5. personal achievement

Learning Objective: 2.8 Characterize the role of culture in determining self-concept.

Topic: Culture and Perceived Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. When dealing with individuals with different cultural backgrounds, competent communicators should develop the ability to __________.
2. adapt their perceptions
3. focus on personal goals
4. avoid interpretation of stimuli
5. use selective exposure

Learning Objective: 2.8 Characterize the role of culture in determining self-concept.

Topic: Culture and Perceived Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. Which term refers to something that is socially constructed?
2. sex
3. cognition
4. gender
5. anatomy

Learning Objective: 2.9 Characterize the role of gender in determining self-concept.

Topic: Gender and Perception of Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. Generally, when does gender consistency develop for most people?
2. in utero
3. at birth
4. between ages 4 to 7
5. between ages 14 to 17

Learning Objective: 2.9 Characterize the role of gender in determining self-concept.

Topic: Gender and Perception of Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. In research involving videos of 9-month old infants, observers identified the infant as either male or female based on __________.
2. size
3. name
4. beauty
5. behavior

Learning Objective: 2.9 Characterize the role of gender in determining self-concept.

Topic: Gender and Perception of Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. According to psycholinguist Deborah Tannen, male conversations are __________.
2. seeking support
3. negotiations to reach consensus
4. seeking intimacy
5. negotiations to gain the upper hand

Learning Objective: 2.9 Characterize the role of gender in determining self-concept.

Topic: Gender and Perception of Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. Which type of men and women are identified by psychologists as those most likely to be successful in their interactions and careers?
2. individuals with strictly male traits
3. individuals with strictly female traits
4. individuals with neither male nor female traits
5. individuals with both male and female traits

Learning Objective: 2.9 Characterize the role of gender in determining self-concept.

Topic: Gender and Perception of Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. Mae is a little anxious when it's time for her first mid-term exams in college. But she prepares thoroughly, and expects to get good grades just as she always has. Mae's expectations reflect which aspect of self-concept?
2. other-enhancement
3. self-fulfilling prophecy
4. self-enhancement
5. impression management

Learning Objective: 2.10 Explain the roles of self-fulfilling prophecy and impression management as

they relate to self-concept.

Topic: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and Impression Management

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. Before his job interview, Anderson buys a new suit and gets a haircut. On the morning of his interview, he tells himself that he is a great candidate for this job and that the interviewer is sure to like him. Anderson's preparations are a type of __________.
2. impression management
3. other-enhancement
4. low self-esteem
5. self-fulfilling prophecy

Learning Objective: 2.10 Explain the roles of self-fulfilling prophecy and impression management as

they relate to self-concept.

Topic: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and Impression Management

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. According to Gonzales and Hancock, why does social media use tend to enhance our self-esteem?
2. eliminates our communication anxiety
3. helps us practice our social skills
4. information we post is usually positive
5. increases our social contacts

Learning Objective: 2.10 Explain the roles of self-fulfilling prophecy and impression management as

they relate to self-concept.

Topic: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and Impression Management

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. The way we want to appear to others is referred to as our __________.
2. perceived self
3. social self
4. presenting self
5. real self

Learning Objective: 2.10 Explain the roles of self-fulfilling prophecy and impression management as

they relate to self-concept.

Topic: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and Impression Management

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. Which strategy is essential to improving self-concept?
2. Make a commitment to improve or change.
3. Ignore why you are unhappy.
4. Focus on your best qualities, and forget about the negative ones.
5. Set overly optimistic goals.

Learning Objective: 2.11 Identify six ways to improve self-concept.

Topic: Enhancing Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

Essay Questions

1. Identify and explain the three stages of perception.

Learning Objective: 2.2 Understand the effect of the three stages of perception on your communication.

Topic: The Perception Process

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

1. Selective exposure, selective attention, and selective retention: define each, and explain the relationship they have with each other.

Learning Objective: 2.2 Understand the effect of the three stages of perception on your communication.

Topic: The Perception Process

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. Define proximity in terms of perception. Why is this a faulty method of organizing information?

Learning Objective: 2.2 Understand the effect of the three stages of perception on your communication.

Topic: The Perception Process

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. Discuss the concept of perceptual set. Provide an example that demonstrates it in terms of communication.

Learning Objective: 2.3 Identify seven reasons why different people may perceive the same situation in

different ways.

Topic: Perceptual Differences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. When we communicate with others, a variety of things might influence our perceptions and behaviors. One substantial factor affecting our communication encounters is our own cultural background. Explain how one’s cultural background influences communication. Provide an example from your own communication experiences that illustrates your answer.

Learning Objective: 2.3 Identify seven reasons why different people may perceive the same situation in

different ways.

Topic: Perceptual Differences

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. Becoming a competent communicator involves perception checking. Explain the three steps involved in perception checking, using an example to demonstrate your response.

Learning Objective: 2.4 Accurately interpret and check your perceptions to improve your communication competence.

Topic: Improving Perception Competencies and Perception Checking

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. Briefly define values, beliefs and attitudes. How are these concepts related?

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

1. Discuss the personal-social identity continuum. Using this model, describe your personal identity and your social identity as a member of this class.

Learning Objective: 2.6 Differentiate among self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

Topic: Understanding Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. Why is aging considered a social construct? How has your culture affected your view of aging and the elderly?

Learning Objective: 2.8 Characterize the role of culture in determining self-concept.

Topic: Culture and Perceived Self-concept

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

1. Most of us also have areas of our self-image we would like to improve or change. How could you enhance your own self-concept? Select one area to improve, and explain how you might go about this process.

Learning Objective: 2.11 Identify six ways to improve self-concept.

Topic: Enhancing Self-Concept

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts