Deck 1: Introduction- Communication and Competence

Question 1

Which is not true of communication, according to your text?

A) Communication is a process without beginning or end.
B) Communication results in the creation of social reality.
C) Communication is essentially individualistic and nonsocial.
D) None of the above-each is true.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The box on attempts to teach language to primates concludes that:

A) there is no difference between animal and human communication.
B) it is impossible to teach language-like behavior to primates.
C) while chimps can make simple associations between symbols and objects, they lack the ability to link symbols in complex sentences.
D) chimps can use language to guide their own behavior and to tell each other simple stories, and Washoe even spontaneously developed a language of her own.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The text states that communication is a process. This means:

A) that it is static.
B) that it has no definite beginning or end.
C) that the ability to communicate competently is innate to all living creatures.
D) a and b.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to your text:

A) there is only one correct definition of communication.
B) definitions are relatively unimportant and have very little effect on the way we view the world.
C) every definition is partially right and partially wrong; each lets us see a phenomenon in a slightly different way.
D) a and c

Question 5

Which is one of the implications of the authors' definition of communication?

A) Unless people all see exactly the same reality, there can be no communication.
B) Generally, cultural rules have very little effect on communication.
C) We often allow concepts created through communication to control us.
D) The best way to understand communication is to know the individual psychology of each participant.

Question 6

Which of the following definitions come closest to the main definition of communication offered by the authors of your text?

A) Communication is a process by which people describe an already existing external reality.
B) Communication is the process through which people create social reality.
C) Communication occurs anytime a living organism responds to a stimulus.
D) Communication is the intentional dissemination of information between organisms.

Question 7

When we say that communication is collective, we mean:

A) it is made up of a collection of many different ideas.
B) communication is based on social agreement.
C) communication occurs anytime a living organism responds to a stimulus.
D) communication is the intentional dissemination of information between organisms.

Question 8

According to Meerloo, the word communication means:

A) transmission.
B) to keep hidden or secret.
C) mutual help, exchange, and interaction.
D) to put on a mask.

Question 9

When we say that communication is regulatory, we mean:

A) we are not free to talk in any way we want.
B) we use communication to control our own and others' actions.
C) communication ability develops slowly over time.
D) it is impossible "to step in the same river twice."

Question 10

Which is not one of the characteristics of communication, according to Trenholm and Jensen?

A) Communication is creative.
B) Communication is collective.
C) Communication is regulatory.
D) None of the above; that is, all are characteristics of communication.

Question 11

The ability to communicate in a personally effective and socially appropriate manner is called:

A) competence.
B) Immunity.
C) role-taking.
D) goal-setting.

Question 12

The process of insulting the meat:

A) usually leads to bloodshed and battle among the !Kung.
B) is a way of avoiding potential conflict.
C) is a religious ceremony whereby the !Kung ask their gods for help in hunting.
D) shows how primitive the !Kung are.

Question 13

Orlin is a good communicator because he knows what he wants, can anticipate others' objections, and thinks of effective lines of argument. Which of the following terms best indicates the kind of competence highlighted here?

A) Interpretive competence
B) Goal competence
C) Role competence
D) Message competence

Question 14

Eric is very good at putting on the right face and using the right lines. He knows who other people expect him to be in every social situation. Which of the following terms best sums up this aspect of his competence?

A) Interpretive competence
B) Goal competence
C) Role competence
D) Message competence

Question 15

Jacinta was brought up in the Dominican Republic, and English is not her first language. Occasionally she chooses the wrong words to convey her ideas. Which competence is being addressed here?

A) Interpretive competence
B) Goal competence
C) Role competence
D) Message competence

Question 16

Katia doesn't seem to pay much attention to the context of communication. She has difficulty sizing up people, and she can't identify episodes very easily. Which kind of competence is being addressed here?

A) Interpretive competence
B) Goal competence
C) Role competence
D) Message competence

Question 17

Message competence involves the process of:

A) perceiving.
B) coding.
C) planning.
D) adapting.

Question 18

Interpretive competence involves the process of:

A) perceiving.
B) coding.
C) planning.
D) adapting.

Question 19

Goal competence involves the process of:

A) perceiving.
B) coding.
C) planning.
D) adapting.

Question 20

Any system of signs designed to allow people to exchange meaningful messages is a:

A) process perspective.
B) code.
C) trajectory.
D) model.

Question 21

Goffman's notion of face suggests that:

A) people see only one side of our personality.
B) it is important to maintain an approved social identity.
C) confrontation is the most effective style of communication.
D) face and line should be incongruent to be effective.

Question 22

The example in the book of how the Balinese worship demons is an example of:

A) communicative competence.
B) conflict reduction.
C) the social creation of reality.
D) the fact that communication is a process not a thing.

Question 23

A person who takes a process perspective:

A) is insensitive to the feelings of others.
B) takes a long time to make decisions.
C) observes and monitors communication as it occurs.
D) is incapable of analyzing his/her own behavior.

Question 24

Knowledge that we use unconsciously to guide our behavior is called:

A) implicit.
B) explicit.
C) interpretive.
D) none of the above; knowledge can never be unconscious.

Question 25

All of the following are true of processes except:

A) they are constantly changing.
B) they are static.
C) they have no beginning nor end.
D) they are active.

Question 26

Which of the following is an example of the fact that communication is regulatory?

A) Talking yourself into taking a dare
B) Your friend talking you into taking a dare
C) Convincing yourself that you will past this test
D) Each exemplifies the regulatory aspect of communication

Question 27

Message competence includes:

A) language, behavior, and the nature of the relationship.
B) behavior, language, and form.
C) content and form.
D) verbal and nonverbal.

Question 28

Scully can tell Mulder is having a bad investigation day just by looking at how he's seated at his desk and is throwing pencils into the ceiling. She is focusing on the stimuli presented to her. This kind of competence is called:

A) interpretive competence.
B) goal competence.
C) self-competence.
D) message competence.

Question 29

Chandler tells Phoebe about this wonderful woman he met at the office. When Phoebe asks, "What did you guys talk about?" Chandler replies, "Well, I was all tongue tied and said, 'Books tomorrow publish will be with me.' And she said, 'Goodbye.'" This exemplifies the kind of problem associated with which kind of competence?

A) Interpretive competence
B) Goal competence
C) Self-competence
D) Message competence

Question 30

The tendency to just pick up your cell phone and take a chance in calling someone without making an appointment to see that person is referred to by the authors as:

A) dial-a-friend.
B) aproximeeting.
C) cell phonistis.
D) cell addiction.
E) misuse of cell phones.

Question 31

At the end of the day, the authors make which claim about the effects of new technologies?

A) New technologies have only rarely been beneficial and improved communication. On the balance there are more problems than benefits.
B) The authors lament the introduction of new technologies.
C) New technologies rarely have a learning curve for people adopting them.
D) On the balance, while there have been problems, communication has been improved by new technologies.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 32

What does Greg Focker do to try to impress Pam's parents?

A) He takes them to Paris.
B) He tries using small social lies to impress her family.
C) He shows them all of his awards from high school and college.
D) He is very quiet and lets her father do all the talking.
E) He doesn't care at all about what they think.

Question 33

According to Frymier, the best predictor of positive classroom outcomes was which of the following?

A) The gender of the professor
B) The gender of the student
C) The time of day of the class
D) The quality of writing skills
E) The student's interaction involvement

Question 34

According to your text, there is only one correct way to define communication.

Question 35

The word communication comes from a word meaning "service."

Question 36

The definition communication is the discriminatory response of an organism to a stimulus is a very narrow definition of communication that limits the boundaries of what can be considered to be communication.

Question 37

Whenever you encounter a definition, it is important to ask, "Is it right or is it wrong?"

Question 38

Communication allows us to act on our world. This fact is an example of the regulatory nature of communication.

Question 39

For Erving Goffman, our identities are only on loan to us from society and can be taken away from us if we don't act worthy of them.

Question 40

According to your text, to understand communication it is important to look at the history and background of each person involved in the relationship rather than to try to look at the relationship itself.

Question 41

The ability to label, organize, and interpret the conditions surrounding an interaction is called interpretive competence.

Question 42

The ability to anticipate the probable consequences of one's communication and choose effective lines of action based on this anticipation is called self-competence.

Question 43

To be role competent, individuals must know when to violate social roles as well as when to accept them.

Question 44

The research on language in higher primates shows that chimpanzees are much less intelligent than we formerly thought and totally incapable of approximating human language.

Question 45

The authors of your text believe that by talking about objects or ideas we often create them.

Question 46

The authors believe that their definition of communication is better than other definitions because it comes closest to expressing what communication really is.

Question 47

The difference between performative competence and process competence is that performative competence refers to the actual production of appropriate communication while process competence refers to the cognitive activity necessary to generate performance.

Question 48

If a person has process competence, he or she will automatically have performative competence.

Question 49

Taking a process perspective toward communication means relying on mindless modes of communication.

Question 50

Communicative chauvinism refers to sexist language in mixed-sex dyads.

Question 51

The notion that everyone thinks and acts as we do is accommodation.

Question 52

Human communication, although studied for over 2,000 years, is not difficult to define.

Question 53

Although many valid ways exist to view the process of communication, one definition continually emerges.

Question 54

The key difference between a thing and a process is that the former is static and unchanging, while the latter is moving and constantly changing.

Question 55

Studies suggest that human communication differs little from that used by other animals.

Question 56

That all languages depend on social agreement for their meaning suggests that communication is collective.

Question 57

Merloo's explanation of communication supports the axiom that communication is collective.

Question 58

Most of our reality is created and sustained through communication, according to Trenholm and Jensen.

Question 59

Since communication is a creative endeavor, cultural context has little impact on interaction.

Question 60

Face, according to Goffman, is an approved social identity.

Question 61

Trenholm and Jensen believe that what is important in interpersonal communication is what people do when they are together, not what each does separately.

Question 62

Communication is typically the product of one person's efforts.

Question 63

Communicative competence is the ability to communicate in a personally effective and socially appropriate manner.

Question 64

Competent communication involves both the internal process of knowing and the external process of performing.

Question 65

Performative competence and process competence occur simultaneously.

Question 66

Self-competence and message competence both refer to the process of adapting.

Question 67

Recognizing that the sentence Her doesn't sing goodly sounds wrong is an example of implicit knowledge.

Question 68

Recognizing that the sentence Her doesn't sing goodly is grammatically inaccurate because of incorrect pronoun and adverb usage is an example of implicit knowledge.

Question 69

The five types of competence are interconnected but not necessarily linear.

Question 70

Content meaning refers to the topic of the message.

Question 71

What does it mean to take a process perspective toward communication, and how is it useful?

Question 72

What are three implications of the author's definition of communication as "the process whereby people collectively create and regulate social reality"?

Question 73

Explain the model of interpersonal competence in Chapter 1 by identifying the five major components and discussing their interdependence.

Question 74

Discuss the concept of "insulting the meat" and its role as ritual.

Question 75

Discuss some of the differences between primate communication and human communication. Comment on Huxley's quote, "For evil, then, as well as for good, words make us the human beings we actually are."

Question 76

Trenholm and Jensen suggest that the first step to becoming a better communicator is understanding the basic process of competence. Explain why you agree or disagree with this suggestion.