Exam 3: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication

A woman observes what she believes is her husband flirting with the waitress at a restaurant where the couple is having dinner.The woman decides to ask her husband what he was doing.The husband claims he only smiled at the waitress.In this case, the wife decided to use which of the following to be clearer on the situation?

Sarah has been a faithful member of your study group all semester.But tonight she not only didn't show up, but she couldn't be reached on her cell phone.You remembered that her father has been seriously ill and inferred that Sarah probably had to rush home to tend to him.Which process of perceptual organization and interpretation did you use in arriving at this conclusion?

Peter noticed that Bill came to class late one day.When he met Bill later at a party, he turned to one of his friends and remarked, "Yeah, Bill's the guy I told you about who comes to class late all the time." The perceptual barrier Peter is exhibiting is

If we assume a person's behavior was caused by an internal factor or personality characteristic, then we attribute his or her behavior to a stimulus.

Which process of perceptual organization and interpretation is being used when we use information we think we know about a person to make assumptions about things we don't know about the person?

List and describe the three stages of the interpersonal perception process.

Maria is sitting in a study area in the library trying to study a lesson in which she really isn't interested.All of a sudden, she smells cologne, which causes her to look up.Which of the following processes is Maria most likely employing?

Rebecca is nervous and fidgets during her job interview with Calder.She is hired anyway, but Calder is surprised when he sees her at work on her first day and she is calm and collected.Calder may be guilty of the perceptual mistake of

Which of the following is an example of direct perception checking?

Explain what the fundamental attribution error is, and give an example of how it might affect a relationship.

Our tendency to put ourselves in situations that reinforce our attitudes, beliefs, values, or behaviors is known as

What is standpoint theory, and how does it explain why people with differing cultural backgrounds have different perceptions of others' behaviors? Give an example.

Dr.Smith, a university professor, finds that one of his colleagues, Dr.Tompkins, is difficult to deal with professionally.However, once you get Dr.Tompkins away from the office, he can be one of the nicest and most caring people you would want to know.Dr.Smith decides that while Dr.Tompkins can be difficult to work with, he is still an admirable man.Which of the processes of perceptual organization and interpretation (impression formation, implicit personality theory, attribution theory, or use of personal constructs)did Dr.Smith most likely employ in arriving at this conclusion?

According to the causal attribution theory, which of the following is NOT a potential cause for a person's actions?

After the first day of classes Hadya has already decided that her economics professor is strict ("He said he doesn't tolerate cell phones"), her art professor is flaky ("She came in late because she couldn't find the room"), and her communications professor is fun ("He sat on the desk and started to learn all of our names").What process has Hadya used in forming her perceptions?

Discuss the difference(s)between the halo effect and the horn effect.

Rex likes Karl, in part, because he thinks Karl is fun, smart, and energetic.When Paul points out to Rex that Karl is a terrible driver, Rex refuses to believe it.Perhaps Rex's perception is clouded by the ________ effect.

When we look for nonverbal cues to help us understand how a person is feeling about something we did, we are engaging in

Explain how stereotypes can help us.

Interpersonal perception is the process by which we decide what people are like and give meaning to their actions.