Part I: Multiple Choice (worth 1 point each or 30 points total)
Directions: Below are 30 multiple choice questions. Please indicate the best answer from the selections given.
1. One of the issues to consider in defining communication is intentionality. Which of the following best exemplifies the belief that communication must be intentional?
a. communication is goal-oriented behavior
b. communication is any interpretation of meaning
c. communication is the perception of power
d. communication is a means by which truth is established
2. Having a conversation with someone over walkie-talkies is an example of which model of the communication process?
a. linear
b. interactional
c. transactional
d. Information transfer
3. Communication is considered transactional when
a. a person waits to hear feedback after sending a message
b. the people communicating send and receive messages simultaneously
c. one person is responsible for sending the message; the other person is responsible for understanding the message
d. each element of the communication process is not connected to the others
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4. Selecting the word rage to label your feeling of anger is a process known as
a. feedback
b. decoding
c. encoding
d. semantics
5. Littlejohn defines a theory as "any conceptual representation or explanation of a phenomenon." Based on our class discussion, why is it important to notice the word "OR" in this definition?
a. it narrows the definition by making it too inclusive
b. it broadens the definition by including many approaches to theory
c. it strengthens the definition by making anything a theory
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
6. The ultimate goal of communication theory development is to produce an accumulating body of reliable knowledge enabling us to
a. predict, explain, and control communication behavior
b. explain, predict, and manipulate communication behavior
c. predict, understand, manipulate communication behavior
d. explain, manipulate, dominate communication behavior
7. A theorist who asks, "Should I develop a theory that will change society's view of gay marriage?" is asking him/herself a question that pertains to the area of
a. ontology
b. epistemology
c. axiology
d. phenology
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8. Theories about communication phenomena
a. include definitions of concepts
b. may include explanations about the relationships between and among concepts
c. concern abstract ideas
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
9. All theories must
a. contain causal necessity
b. contain practical necessity
c. be logically consistent
d. include hypotheses
10. When you are unable to see the concepts explained in a theory operating in real life, the theory does not have
a. precision
b. scope
c. validity
d. power
Symbolic Interaction Theory
11. Symbolic interaction theory argues that meaning
a. can only exist when people share common interpretations of the symbols they exchange in an interaction
b. occurs between people
c. is affected by society
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
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12. According to Mead, one of the most critical activities people accomplish through thought is
a. projection
b. role taking
c. the Pygmalion effect
d. the concept of mind
13. The looking-glass self is best defined as
a. the mental image others have of us
b. the mental image we have of ourselves
c. the mental image we have of how others see us
d. the mental image of the physical attributes we observe
14. True or False? One of Mead's ontological assumptions is that human communication is social.
a. true
b. false
Coordinated Management of Meaning
15. Coordinated management of meaning
a. refers to how individuals establish rules for creating and interpreting meaning
b. refers to how rules are used in a conversation
c. assumes that humans co create reality
d. all of the above
16. Which of the following is a speech act?
a. a compliment
b. an insult
c. a sarcastic remark
d. all of the above
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17. Deanna and her son Aidan are talking about manners. Deanna tells Aidan, "Cover your mouth when you sneeze." This is an example of which type of rule?
a. constitutive
b. unwarranted
c. regulative
d. patterned
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
18. Cognitive dissonance can be defined as
a. the feeling people have when they do things that don't fit with what they believe
b. the feeling people have when some of their opinions do not fit with other opinions they hold
c. the feeling people have when their actions are congruent with what they know
d. both a and b
e. none of the above
19. You believe that smoking is dangerous to your health; and yet, you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. When this inconsistency is pointed out to you, you are likely to experience
a. dissonance
b. consonance
c. irrelevance
d. none of the above
20. When confronted with the fact that you smoke even though you think it is bad for you, you rationalize that it's okay for you to smoke because you are under a tremendous amount of stress in college and smoking helps to calm your nerves. This rationalization process is likely to
a. increase your dissonance
b. anger your Comm 300 professor
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c. restore consonance
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
21. Which of the following is an assumption of Cognitive Dissonance Theory?
a. human beings desire inconsistency in their cognitions
b. dissonance is created by physiological discomfort
c. dissonance is an aversive state that drives people to change attitudes and/or behaviors
d. none of the above
Uncertainty Reduction Theory
22. According to URT, the two primary goals of individuals engaged in an initial interaction are _________________ and __________________.
a. understanding, disclosure
b. prediction, explanation
c. disclosure, explanation
d. prediction, control
23. In the ____________ phase of interpersonal communication, self disclosure increases as parties begin to reduce their uncertainty about one another.
a. entry
b. primary
c. personal
d. exit
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Social Exchange Theory
24. Relationships in which costs exceed rewards are perceived as being
a. interdependent
b. negative
c. supportive
d. positive
25. We are likely to leave a relationship when our satisfaction is __________ and our comparison level for alternatives is __________.
a. low, high
b. low, low
c. all of the above
d. none of the above
Social Penetration Theory
26. All of the following statements about self disclosure are true EXCEPT
a. nonintimate relationships typically progress to an intimate level without engaging in self disclosure
b. self disclosure can be strategic, which means that disclosures are planned
c. self disclosure can be nonstrategic, which means that disclosures are spontaneous
d. stranger on the train refers to instances in which people reveal information in public places to complete strangers
27. Julianne and Ricardo have reached the point in their relationship at which they openly express their thoughts and feelings with one another. Their communication is viewed as being efficient. Which stage of social penetration describes the current state of their relationship?
a. orientation
b. exploratory affective
c. affective exchange
d. stable exchange
Relational Dialectics Theory
28. Kip has been dating Theresa for less than a month. During a recent date, he discovered that he was uncomfortable because he had revealed a lot of information about his dysfunctional childhood to
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Theresa but had not told her about the time he was arrested for driving under the influence. Which dialectical tension is Kip experiencing?
a. autonomy and connection
b. openness and protection
c. novelty and predictability
d. real and ideal
29. Relational dialectics is grounded in four main assumptions that reflect its contentions about relational life EXCEPT
a. Relationships are linear
b. Contradiction is the fundamental fact of relational life
c. Communication is central to organizing and negotiating relational contradictions
d. Relational life is characterized by change.
30. People share more information about themselves spontaneously in the personal phase of relationship development.
a. True
b. false.
Part II. Symbolic Interaction Theory - Short Essay - at least 250 words (20 points)
Analyze this scene from the movie "You've Got Mail." It takes place in an elevator where Joe Fox (the Tom Hanks character) and his girlfriend (Parker Posey) and two other people get stuck in an elevator:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7eMH8QoMZk
Using the list of seven "assumptions" about Symbolic Interaction Theory describe how this scene in the elevator explains four of them. Hint: Look at nonverbal as well as verbal behaviors.