Deck 3: Relationship Development

Question 1

Danny recently disclosed to Sandy a very private piece of information. Which of the following responses should Sandy make if she wants to encourage the growth of their relationship?

A) "What did you say? I wasn't listening."
B) "I completely understand how you must be feeling. Is there anything I can do to help?"
C) "Wow-you really are messed up. Maybe you should see a professional."
D) "That's just weird. Please stop talking about this."

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Tom and Judy have been dating for a long time. They are attracted to each other and feel that they are very compatible in terms of their attitudes and values. Recently, they have begun to think about marriage and how suitable they would be as husband and wife. According to Murstein's stage model, Tom and Judy are in the _______ stage of relationship development.

A) stimulus
B) intimacy
C) value
D) role

Answer 2

D

Question 3

According to intimacy theory, relationship development is a function of which of the following?
(1) The depth of partners' self-disclosure
(2) The partners' level of investment
(3) The breadth of partners' self-disclosure
(4) The partners' level of commitment
(5) The partners' responsiveness

A) 2 and 4
B) 3, 4, and 5
C) 1, 3, and 5
D) 1 and 2

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Sharon and Levar met two months ago at a party and began dating shortly thereafter. While having coffee together yesterday, they each disclosed some unique information about their personal values and beliefs. Reiss's wheel theory of love model would characterize this relationship as being in which stage?

A) The intimacy need fulfillment stage
B) The rapport stage
C) The value stage
D) The self-revelation stage

Question 5

Winona recently met Wyatt. "He is very attractive," Winona says to her friends, "and really polite-such a courteous, kind person. I really like him, and I think he likes me, too." According to Murstein's stage model, Winona is in the _______ stage of relationship development.

A) stimulus
B) intimacy
C) value
D) role

Question 6

According to Reis and colleagues' (1988) intimacy theory, which of the following is the KEY mechanism in creating intimacy and promoting relationship development?

A) Frequency of disclosure
B) Depth of disclosure
C) Attractiveness of the partner
D) Responsiveness of the partner

Question 7

Altman and Taylor's (1973) social penetration theory predicts that as relationships develop, they change in which two dimensions?

A) Depth and frequency of contact
B) Depth and strength of influence
C) Depth and breadth of attraction
D) Depth and breadth of self-disclosure

Question 8

According to filter theory, people evaluate their potential partners initially in terms of _______.

A) similarity on social attributes
B) need complementarity
C) value consensus
D) stimulus information

Question 9

Rewards and costs are an important component of social exchange theories of relationship development. Which one of the following statements about rewards and costs is accurate?

A) Rewards are concrete events, whereas costs are abstract events.
B) Events that were once rewarding may become costly over time.
C) What is rewarding for one person will always be rewarding for another person.
D) People are motivated to minimize rewards and maximize costs.

Question 10

Which of the following statements about process models of relationship progression are accurate?
(1) Relationships develop by passing through a series of separate stages.
(2) Relationships develop gradually over time.
(3) Relationships progress by traveling along a particular developmental path.
(4) Relationship development is produced by changes in interpersonal processes that occur between partners.

A) Statements 1 and 3 are accurate.
B) Statements 2 and 4 are accurate.
C) None of these statements are accurate.
D) All of these statements are accurate.

Question 11

According to filter theory, _______ refers to whether the two partners in a relationship possess compatible traits, behaviors, and interpersonal styles.

A) similarity on social attributes
B) need complementarity
C) value consensus
D) stimulus information

Question 12

The concept of breadth of self-disclosure refers to . . .

A) The number of areas or topics that partners discuss
B) How often partners actually talk
C) The degree of intimacy and detail in partners' disclosures
D) How responsive partners are to each other

Question 13

Murstein's model of relationship development proposes that at the initial "stimulus" stage, an individual is likely to evaluate the potential partner's _______.

A) political attitudes
B) friendship potential
C) physical appearance
D) religious beliefs

Question 14

In Reiss's wheel theory of love, which of the following best describes the mutual dependency stage?

A) Partners assess the degree to which they feel at ease with and understand each other.
B) Partners disclose varying degrees of information about their values and belief systems.
C) Each partner needs the other partner's cooperation to fulfill certain habits or goals.
D) Partners evaluate whether their interactions satisfy basic intimacy needs for love, sympathy, and support.

Question 15

According to social exchange theories, anything that involves a person's time and effort or that represents lost opportunities is known as a(n) _______.

A) reward
B) barrier
C) cost
D) investment

Question 16

Which of the following statements about stage models of relationship development is NOT accurate?

A) Stage theorists generally agree on the number of stages romantic relationships pass through.
B) Not all relationships progress through the same stages of development.
C) Couples differ in the rate at which they pass through particular developmental stages.
D) Process models appear to more accurately explain relationship progression.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an assumption of social exchange theories of relationship development?

A) Relationships are dynamic, and their degree of equity or inequity will change over time.
B) People are sensitive to rewards and costs in relationships and try to maximize their profits.
C) The more equitable the relationship, the more satisfied are the partners.
D) People are motivated to minimize their own profits and maximize their partners' costs.

Question 18

The concept of depth of self-disclosure refers to . . .

A) The number of areas or topics that partners discuss
B) How often partners actually talk
C) The degree of intimacy and detail in partners' disclosures
D) How responsive partners are to each other

Question 19

According to social exchange models, which of the following equations illustrates an "equitable" relationship?

A) P's investments + costs = O's investments + costs
B) P's outcomes (rewards - costs) = O's outcomes (rewards - costs)
C) P's benefits + contributions = O's benefits + contributions
D) P's rewards/costs = O's rewards/costs

Question 20

Relationship scientists have found a strong positive correlation between self-disclosure and _______.

A) relationship quality
B) openness
C) personal distress
D) relationship conflict

Question 21

_______ is created when a person in an inequitable relationship convinces him or herself that equity actually does exist.

A) Mental distress
B) Psychological equity
C) Actual equity
D) Psychopathology

Question 22

Which of the following couples will experience the highest amount of commitment to their relationship, according to Rusbult's investment model?

A) Michael and Hope, who have low satisfaction, low quality of alternatives, and low investment
B) Melissa and Gary, who experience high satisfaction, low quality of alternatives, and high investment
C) Nancy and Elliot, who have high satisfaction, high quality of alternatives, and high investment
D) Billy and Ellyn, who have low satisfaction, high quality of alternatives, and low investment

Question 23

Research on inequity in romantic relationships reveals that people who are _______ in their relationships tend to experience more distress than people who are _______.

A) under-benefited; over-benefited
B) over-benefited; under-benefited
C) invested; cohesive
D) socially invested; emotionally invested

Question 24

Fary is currently dating Dan. Although she has fairly high expectations about romantic relationships, she has been quite pleasantly surprised by how many unexpected and "extra" benefits she receives from her relationship with Dan. Last week she met Tim, who has made it clear that he is interested in dating her but who does not seem as interesting or attractive as Dan. According to interdependence theory, Fary's relationship with Dan is probably best characterized as _______ and _______.

A) unhappy; stable
B) unhappy; unstable
C) happy; stable
D) happy; unstable

Question 25

According to Levinger's marital cohesiveness model, which of the following factors represents a barrier to relationship termination?

A) The presence of a desirable and available alternative partner
B) One's level of attraction to the current partner
C) The degree to which one's friends and family support the relationship
D) One's degree of similarity to the current partner

Question 26

Jill believes that her relationship with Jack has become inequitable. In particular, she feels guilty because he contributes so much more than she does and receives far fewer benefits. How can Jill restore equity to her relationship with Jack?

A) She can increase her own contributions.
B) She can reduce her own contributions.
C) She can increase Jack's contributions.
D) She can reduce Jack's benefits.

Question 27

A relationship in which the ratio of one partner's benefits to investments is not equal to the ratio of the other partner's benefits to investments would be called _______.

A) inequitable
B) equitable
C) dissatisfying
D) stable

Question 28

Levinger's marital cohesiveness model proposes that relationship stability is a function both of _______ and _______.

A) inducements to remain; inducements to leave
B) satisfaction; investment
C) comparison level; comparison level for alternatives
D) commitment; cohesiveness

Question 29

According to Thibaut and Kelley's (1959) interdependence theory, comparison level refers to . . .

A) The extent to which a person is dependent on his or her partner
B) The outcomes a person believes can be obtained from an alternative relationship
C) The outcomes a person is actually receiving from his or her current relationship
D) The outcomes a person expects to receive from his or her relationship

Question 30

"Well, it's not like I ask her to contribute so much to our relationship-it's just in her nature." This statement may reflect an attempt to restore _______.

A) psychological equity
B) actual equity
C) stability
D) social exchange

Question 31

_______ refers to the ways in which a person is connected to his or her partner and bound to the relationship.

A) Interdependence
B) Commitment
C) Satisfaction
D) Investment

Question 32

The following figures represent the ratio of benefits to contributions for the partners in a relationship. According to equity theory, which of the following relationships is inequitable?

Question 33

Andrew is currently involved in four casual dating relationships. In each relationship, he makes 10 contributions and receives 20 benefits. With which of his dating partners does he have the most equitable relationship?

A) Partner A, who makes 10 contributions and receives 30 benefits
B) Partner B, who makes 20 contributions and receives 20 benefits
C) Partner C, who makes 5 contributions and receives 10 benefits
D) Partner D, who makes 15 contributions and receives 5 benefits

Question 34

According to Thibaut and Kelley's (1959) interdependence theory, comparison level for alternatives refers to . . .

A) The extent to which a person is dependent on his or her partner
B) The outcomes a person believes can be obtained from another relationship
C) The outcomes a person is actually receiving from his or her current relationship
D) The outcomes a person expects to receive from his or her relationship

Question 35

"I used to love how mysterious he seemed," a woman confides to her friend. "Now he just seems unresponsive and morose." The woman in this scenario has experienced a(n) _______.

A) relationship benefit
B) commitment crisis
C) fatal attraction
D) inequitable relationship

Question 36

According to Thibaut and Kelley's (1959) interdependence theory, over time, most partners learn how best to coordinate their behaviors in order to achieve mutually satisfying outcomes. This process is called _______.

A) investment
B) compromise
C) transformation of motivation
D) dependence

Question 37

Andrew is currently involved in four casual dating relationships. In each relationship, he makes 10 contributions and receives 20 benefits. Below are the contributions and benefits experienced by his four partners:
Partner A makes 10 contributions and receives 30 benefits
Partner B makes 20 contributions and receives 20 benefits
Partner C makes 5 contributions and receives 10 benefits
Partner D makes 15 contributions and receives 5 benefits
Which partner is the most over-benefited from the relationship with Andrew? Who is the most under-benefited?

A) Partner D; Partner B
B) Partner A; Partner D
C) Partner C; Partner A
D) Partner B; Partner C

Question 38

Fary began to date Dan several months ago. Although she has fairly high expectations about romantic relationships, she has been quite pleasantly surprised by how many unexpected and "extra" benefits she receives from her relationship with Dan. Last week Fary met Tim, who has made it clear that he is interested in dating her but who does not seem as interesting or attractive as Dan. Which one of these figures best illustrates Fary's current romantic situation?

A) CL alt > outcomes > CL
B) CL alt > CL > outcomes
C) CL > outcomes > CL alt
D) outcomes > CL > CL alt

Question 39

Research on romantic relationship rewards and costs reveals that most people view _______ as a particularly important benefit.

A) increased self-esteem
B) companionship
C) security
D) loss of identity

Question 40

The concept of fatal attraction refers to . . .

A) An attraction that is so overpowering that one or both partners end up dying
B) Relational stalking
C) A process in which one person becomes obsessed with another
D) A situation in which a partner's initially appealing attributes later come to be viewed as unpleasant or costly