Test Bank

Chapter 6: Communication and Family Relationships

Multiple Choice

1. Which of these statements is an example of metacognition?

a. I am hungry and so I will get a snack.

b. That wall is blue.

c. I wonder how I can use this information in my family relationships.

d. My stomach hurts right now.

Learning Objective: 6.1: Identify different aspects of communication and of the early theories exploring communication within family units.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Reaching Out and Connecting

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Imagine an adult sister is talking to her younger sister. Which of these statements demonstrates emotional intimacy and investment?

a. Let’s have lunch tomorrow, it’s been a while.

b. I feel so confused about whether to find a new job or just tolerate the harassment from my supervisor.

c. It is so cold here today. Let’s stay in and watch a movie.

d. Our mom needs to be taken to her doctor tomorrow.

Learning Objective: 6.2: Explore various emotional interactions occurring within family communication.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Emotional Interactions

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. ______ neurons contribute to our ability to perceive, imitate, and develop empathy in our relationships with others.

a. Amygdala

b. Mirror

c. Occipital

d. Temporal

Learning Objective: 6.1: Identify different aspects of communication and of the early theories exploring communication within family units.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Reaching Out and Connecting

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Imagine a couple where one spouse has an affair. Which of the following couples is taking the healthiest steps to invest in their relationship and commit to their marriage?

a. Jan plans to continue a platonic friendship with a man with whom she had an intimate affair and Bruce reluctantly concedes to that arrangement.

b. Barb cautiously agrees with Tomas to try an “open marriage” and to set aside their suspicions about each other.

c. Dave and Tonya commit to marriage counseling and agree to focus on spending more time together without interference from other relationships.

d. Marcus and Sylvia become involved in marriage counseling and avoid talking about issues that bring up conflict and guilt.

Learning Objective: 6.2: Explore various emotional interactions occurring within family communication.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Emotional Interactions

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. The work of ______ helped build the foundation of family communication as a formal discipline by verifying that families display unique patterns of communication.

a. language acquisition researchers

b. the Palo Alto Group

c. neuroscientists

d. psychoanalysts

Learning Objective: 6.1: Identify different aspects of communication and of the early theories exploring communication within family units.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Focus on Family Communication

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. What do family therapists and family communication scientists both focus on?

a. early development

b. intrapsychic dynamics

c. emotional aspects

d. how family members relate to each other

Learning Objective: 6.1: Identify different aspects of communication and of the early theories exploring communication within family units.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Reaching Out and Connecting

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. According to the text, ______ are necessary for self-disclosure to take place when forming emotional intimacy with a friend or family member.

a. trust and safety

b. positive self-regard and compassion

c. confidence and security

d. integrity and reflection

Learning Objective: 6.2: Explore various emotional interactions occurring within family communication.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Emotional Interactions

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Which scenario will most likely lead to emotional disinvestment in a “committed” relationship?

a. Alphonse and Alison promise to be monogamous despite their respective lack of trust.

b. Brandon and Sarah spend more time at home rather than going out together.

c. Sherise tells Emily that she is concerned about their respective family’s rejection.

d. Marilyn does not share with Charles her plans to spend time with friends and family.

Learning Objective: 6.2: Explore various emotional interactions occurring within family communication.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Emotional Interactions

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Which type of decisions draw on our emotions?

a. consensus decisions

b. de facto

c. instrumental

d. affective

Learning Objective: 6.3: Analyze the way power influences relationships and decision making within families.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Family Decision Making

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. “If you won’t make my mortgage payment this month, I won’t let you see the children.” This statements is an example of which relationship dynamic?

a. double bind

b. power inequality

c. affective decision-making

d. process of accommodation

Learning Objective: 6.3: Analyze the way power influences relationships and decision making within families.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Power and Patterns of Decision Making

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. Your partner would be upset if you spent money on a birthday surprise, but also would have hurt feelings if you did not buy them a gift. This example best demonstrates which communication dynamic?

a. incongruence

b. emotional divestment

c. double bind

d. power inequity

Learning Objective: 6.2: Explore various emotional interactions occurring within family communication.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Metacommunication

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Which parenting style may contribute to children having difficulty being responsible and accountable as young adults?

a. laissez-faire

b. authoritarian

c. harmonious

d. authoritative

Learning Objective: 6.3: Analyze the way power influences relationships and decision making within families.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Family Decision Making

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Zelda’s mother has become addicted to opioids after a car accident that happened when her alcoholic father was driving them home from a night club. Given her circumstances, she is most likely to have which parenting style?

a. authoritarian

b. balanced

c. harmonious

d. disengaged or withdrawn

Learning Objective: 6.3: Analyze the way power influences relationships and decision making within families.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Family Decision Making

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Bilingual children who grow up in a family in which the parents or grandparents have immigrated from another country may experience ______.

a. authoritarian parenting

b. a cultural echo

c. nonaligned power

d. monolingual fluency

Learning Objective: 6.4: Discuss some of the family challenges in the context of multilingual communication.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Communication in Multicultural Contexts

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. Which of the following is an example of “cultural shorthand” that refers to a turning point in U.S. society?

a. 9/11

b. Iran gate

c. Beatlemania

d. birth order

Learning Objective: 6.5: Describe cultural echoes as they occur in communication.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cultural Shorthand

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. The study of intercultural communication became prominent after which event?

a. schools began offering English as a second language

b. the publication of The Silent Language, by Edward Hall

c. people immigrated to the U.S. at the end of the 19th century

d. the Great Depression beginning in 1929

Learning Objective: 6.5: Describe cultural echoes as they occur in communication.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: “The Silent Language”

Difficulty Level: Easy

17. Using different languages to describe the same event will most likely result in which of the following?

a. Each multi-cultural recipient taking in a different emotional meaning

b. each multi-cultural recipient feeling confused about the event description

c. the multi-cultural recipients will be able to repeat the event exactly as reported

d. the multi-cultural recipients of the descriptions having the same understanding and meaning.

Learning Objective: 6.4: Discuss some of the family challenges in the context of multilingual communication.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Communication in Multicultural Contexts

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. Which of these interpersonal situations is an example of communication accommodation?

a. a professor using similar lecture notes for each semester’s classes

b. a supervisor wanting to distance herself from the employees when she is explaining the project to be completed

c. a family counselor listening for how the family members describe their concerns and reflecting that using some of the members’ idioms and mannerisms

d. a customer service representative reading from a script about what is required information to give to the customer regardless of the customer’s question

Learning Objective: 6.6: Summarize communication accommodation theory (CAT) and explain the key characteristics.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Spotlight on Theories: Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT)

Difficulty Level: Easy

19. Select the statement that is an accurate description about the impact of culture on communication.

a. Cross cultural communication involves the literal meaning of what is stated.

b. Cross cultural communication conveys a consistent set of beliefs, values, and symbols.

c. Culture is conveyed through idioms and the connotations behind the words.

d. Culture has little effect on how one describes any experience and understands what is communicated.

Learning Objective: 6.5 Describe cultural echoes as they occur in communication.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cultural Echoes: Nuances in Communication

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. Social identity theory is an important aspect of communication accommodation theory that is linked to _________ theory.

a. social exchange process

b. cognitive behavioral

c. ecological

d. metacognition

Learning Objective: 6.6: Summarize communication accommodation theory (CAT) and explain the key characteristics.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Spotlight on theories: Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT)

Difficulty Level: Easy

True/False

1. It is likely that two good friends from high school can easily connect again at their 25-year high school reunion, even though there was much conflict at the core of their friendship during high school.

Learning Objective: 6.2: Explore various emotional interactions occurring within family communication.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Emotional Interactions

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Triangulations among family members are more likely to strengthen, rather than undermine, the balance of power in the family system.

Learning Objective: 6.3: Analyze the way power influences relationships and decision making within families.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Power and Patterns of Decision Making

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. There can be negative outcomes for both children and their immigrant parents when the children are expected to act as cultural brokers for their parents in social and educational interactions.

Learning Objective: 6.4: Discuss some of the family challenges in the context of multilingual communication.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Communication in Multicultural Contexts

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Trevor becomes even more interested in Chrystal when he finds out that she has similar socio-political views as his. This is an example of similarity-attraction theory.

Learning Objective: 6.6: Summarize communication accommodation theory (CAT) and explain the key characteristics.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Spotlight on Theories: Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Short Answer

1. Describe an example of when you used self-disclosure and what you needed to be willing to risk this emotional investment.

Learning Objective: Explore various emotional interactions occurring within family communication.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Emotional Interactions

Difficulty Level: Medium