Deck 2: Attraction, Affiliation, and Courtship

Question 1

In one early investigation conducted by Huston (1973), men were shown pictures of women of varying levels of physical attractiveness. Some of the men were told that each woman was available for a date, and some men were given no such reassurance. Men who were guaranteed a date tended to choose _______; the men who were not guaranteed a date selected _______.

A) the most attractive women; less attractive women
B) moderately attractive women; highly attractive women
C) highly attractive women; highly attractive women
D) less attractive women; moderately attractive women

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The mere exposure effect refers to the general finding that the more one is exposed to another person . . .

A) The more one will like the person
B) The less one will like the person
C) The more important one's evaluation of the person will become
D) The less extreme one's evaluation of the person will become

Answer 2

A

Question 3

At a party, Brian notices an attractive woman sitting alone at one of the tables. He approaches her and strikes up a conversation. What nonverbal behavior will be most effective in conveying his romantic interest to her?

A) Winking suggestively and leering at her
B) Moving closer and gazing into her eyes
C) Picking his teeth
D) Flexing his biceps and grimacing with the effort

Answer 3

B

Question 4

When Millie met Caryl for the first time, she liked her. Caryl is in two of Millie's classes this quarter, and Millie now sees her all the time. Which of the following is likely?

A) Millie will like Caryl more as the result of increased familiarity.
B) Millie will like Caryl more as the result of increased responsiveness.
C) Millie will dislike Caryl more as the result of increased familiarity.
D) Millie will grow more neutral in her emotional responses to Caryl as the result of increased familiarity.

Question 5

Eye contact, smiling, and leaning forward are all behaviors that indicate _______.

A) physical attraction
B) responsiveness
C) similarity
D) familiarity

Question 6

Research suggests that people use which of the following nonverbal behaviors to convey romantic attraction or interest to another person in initial encounters?

A) Turning away
B) Frowning
C) Smiling
D) Looking away

Question 7

Scientific research on flirting suggests which of the following conclusions?

A) There are large cross-cultural differences in flirting behavior.
B) Eye contact is used as a flirting behavior only in the U.S.
C) Smiling is among the least common flirting behaviors.
D) Men and women use the same basic nonverbal behaviors to flirt.

Question 8

In one early investigation conducted by Huston (1973), men were shown pictures of women of varying levels of physical attractiveness. Some of the men were told that each woman was available for a date, and some men were given no such assurance. Men who were guaranteed a date tended to choose the most attractive women; the men who were not guaranteed a date selected less attractive women. This finding demonstrated that . . .

A) Comparison level of alternatives plays a role in partner selection
B) Affiliation is dependent on physical attraction
C) Attractiveness is not an essential determinant of affiliation
D) Insecurity plays a role in dating decisions

Question 9

Relationship scientists believe that people pay attention to an individual's responsiveness because it provides important information about _______.

A) the likelihood that he or she will act in a harmful or beneficial way
B) the possibility that the individual possesses similar attributes
C) the potential for interpersonal conflict
D) the likelihood of a future relationship with that individual

Question 10

A person's field of availables is primarily influenced by _______.

A) his or her personal preferences
B) the surrounding physical, virtual, and social environment
C) feelings of attraction
D) his or her own level of responsiveness

Question 11

The concept field of availables refers to _______.

A) the extent of a person's ties to the community
B) the number of sexual partners a person has
C) other people who are available and accessible for interaction
D) the composition of an individual's social network

Question 12

Person A sees Person B studying in the library. Models of affiliation suggest that Person A will be most likely to attempt to initiate an interaction with Person B when
(1) A's attraction to B is high
(2) B's perceived attraction to A is high
(3) A's receptivity to B is high
(4) B's perceived receptivity to A is high

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

Question 13

Which of the following conclusions about familiarity and interpersonal attraction can we draw?

A) Extreme familiarity usually decreases attraction.
B) Repeated exposure to someone does not always increase positive responses to that person.
C) Familiarity always results in attraction.
D) Familiarity is not strongly associated with attraction.

Question 14

Social proximity refers to _______.

A) the physical closeness of two social networks
B) the closeness of two people in virtual space
C) how socially desirable two people are
D) the extent to which two people's social networks overlap

Question 15

Physical proximity may promote attraction between two people through which mechanisms?

A) Social networking
B) Interpersonal repulsion
C) Familiarity and similarity
D) Virtual reality

Question 16

Which one of the following nonverbal behaviors does NOT convey romantic attraction or interest in initial encounters?

A) Facing away from the partner
B) Gazing directly at the partner
C) Smiling at the partner
D) Facing toward the partner

Question 17

Holling knows that responsiveness is an important factor in romantic attraction. He recently met Shelly and is hoping to have a relationship with her. During their next conversation, what should Holling do to demonstrate his responsiveness to Shelly and increase the likelihood that she will have a positive response to his overtures?

A) Maintain eye contact, smile, and lean forward when speaking to her
B) Glance away and interrupt her frequently
C) Sit as close as possible and try to kiss her and fondle her breasts
D) Sit back in his chair, stare at her, and shake his head

Question 18

Physical proximity is most accurately viewed as which one of the following?

A) A social condition that facilitates attraction
B) An environmental condition that facilitates interaction
C) A necessary condition for affiliation
D) A necessary condition for interaction

Question 19

Which of the following reasons have been proposed to explain why similarity might result in attraction?

A) Similar others are generally more responsive to us.
B) Similar others tend to be more physically attractive.
C) We assume that similar others will like us.
D) Similarity is socially desirable.

Question 20

One of the first studies to document the impact of physical attractiveness on romantic attraction was the "computer dance" study conducted by Hatfield and colleagues (1966). What did the researchers find?

A) A matching effect such that people preferred partners at their own level of attractiveness
B) A mismatching effect such that highly attractive people preferred much less attractive partners
C) Men preferred highly attractive partners, whereas women preferred moderately attractive partners.
D) Both men and women preferred highly attractive partners.

Question 21

Attitude surveys reveal that both men and women worry about _______ when considering an online romance.

A) deception
B) rejection
C) falling in love
D) their own intentions

Question 22

Fred really likes Wilma and would like to ask her out. At a party one night, he finds himself alone with Wilma. They talk for a while, and then Wilma leaves to rejoin her friends. As he's walking home, Fred thinks to himself, "I'd really like to ask her out, but I'd be so embarrassed if she turned me down. Besides, it's pretty clear that she's not interested in me, otherwise she'd probably have asked me out herself." Fred's thoughts reflect _______.

A) romantic disinterest
B) fear of rejection
C) utter stupidity
D) pluralistic ignorance

Question 23

Four men are hanging out in a local club. Dalia enters the club. She is with some friends, and each man is very attracted to her. Which one of the men do you think has the highest chance of successfully initiating romantic contact with her?

A) Eli, who sits alone by himself and never leaves his seat
B) Frank, who directs frequent brief glances at Dalia and changes his location several times throughout the evening
C) Gerry, who engages in an extended sequence of self-touching behavior
D) Horatio, who stares at Dalia constantly and frequently hugs his male friends

Question 24

Elaine and Jerry are on their first date. Based on your knowledge of research on first-date events, which of the following do you think is most likely?

A) Elaine is expecting a "goodnight kiss," but Jerry is not.
B) Both Elaine and Jerry are anticipating a "goodnight kiss."
C) Neither Elaine or Jerry is expecting a "goodnight kiss."
D) Jerry is expecting a "goodnight kiss," but Elaine is not.

Question 25

Betty really likes Barney and would like to ask him out. At a party one night, she finds herself alone with him. They talk for a while about nothing in particular, and then both rejoin their friends. Later that evening, Betty thinks to herself, "I can't believe I threw myself at him like that. He probably doesn't want to go out with me-I mean, I made my feelings pretty clear. I feel like such a fool." Betty may have fallen prey to _______.

A) pluralistic ignorance
B) signal amplification bias
C) unbelievable ignorance
D) fear of rejection

Question 26

Research on (heterosexual) first dates suggests that . . .

A) Women actually initiate first dates more frequently than men do
B) Women are generally more willing than men to initiate a first date
C) Men and women believe that it is more appropriate for a man than for a woman to initiate a first date
D) People generally believe that men and women should both be responsible for initiating first dates

Question 27

Cross-cultural research on flirting has identified one particular behavior that does not appear to occur very often among U.S. populations. Which one?

A) Touch
B) Smiling
C) Eye contact
D) Eyebrow flash

Question 28

Research on online romance reveals that people _______ in online dating forums.

A) sometimes lie about their personal attributes and their intentions
B) are extremely truthful
C) rarely misrepresent their intentions
D) never lie about their personal characteristics

Question 29

Relationship scientists have discovered several perceptual biases with regard to sexual attraction. In particular, men tend to _______ the extent of their partners' sexual interest, whereas women tend to _______ the extent of their partners' sexual interest.

A) misperceive, accurately judge
B) underestimate, overestimate
C) overestimate, underestimate
D) accurately judge, misperceive

Question 30

Many potential relationships never even have the chance to develop; the two potential partners simply wait for the other to "make the first move," and the relationship never begins. Research suggests that this may happen because people tend to attribute their own inaction to _______ and the other person's inaction to _______.

A) fear of being rejected; lack of romantic interest
B) pluralistic ignorance; individualistic ignorance
C) lack of romantic interest; fear of being rejected
D) attributional bias; pluralistic ignorance

Question 31

The signal amplification bias occurs when . . .

A) We believe others are more romantically interested in us than they actually report
B) Our attempt to hide our fear of rejection interferes with receiving others' romantic signals
C) We feel we are expressing more romantic interest to a potential partner than is actually the case
D) We would like to go out with someone who does not feel the same way about us

Question 32

Research suggests that the essential features and format of first dates have _______ over time.

A) changed moderately around the world
B) changed only in U.S. samples
C) changed dramatically around the world
D) remained largely the same in the U.S.

Question 33

Research suggests that most men and women initiate romantic relationships in order to obtain _______.

A) sex
B) knowledge about dating
C) fun
D) a loving relationship

Question 34

One of the reasons online interactions may facilitate relationship formation is because they _______.

A) increase people's feelings of anonymity
B) increase people's access to undesirable partners
C) reduce people's control over interactions
D) reduce people's reliance on similarity

Question 35

Pluralistic ignorance can sometimes prevent a relationship from starting. Pluralistic ignorance occurs when . . .

A) We believe others are more romantically interested in us than they actually report
B) We attribute our own failure to initiate interaction to fear of rejection and our partner's failure to initiate interaction to disinterest
C) Our own fear of rejection prevents us from initiating a relationship with someone
D) Someone we like does not return our feelings

Question 36

Research on heterosexual first dates suggests that most men prefer women to _______ for a date rather than _______ for a date.

A) wait to be asked; hint
B) hint; ask directly
C) wait to be asked; ask directly
D) ask directly; wait to be asked

Question 37

Leon met Martina in an online chat room. If he wants to convey his romantic attraction to her, which of the following should he do?

A) Use highly formal language-no sense in appearing overly friendly
B) Change the subject frequently and switch topics repeatedly
C) Respond promptly and incorporate emoticons and acronyms into his messages
D) Wait a while before responding to Martina's messages so as not to appear "desperate"

Question 38

One of the problems with using an online dating site to find a compatible mate is that users often evaluate each other's profiles _______.

A) deliberately and carefully
B) thoughtfully and holistically
C) completely and knowledgeably
D) quickly and judgmentally

Question 39

Based on your knowledge of flirting research, which of the following settings is the most likely to elicit flirting behavior from a group of single students?

A) The campus bookstore
B) The university library
C) The local "hang out" bar
D) The college dining hall

Question 40

Gremmie and Piper are in a class together. Piper likes Gremmie and wants to go out with him, and she's pretty certain that he feels the same way about her. According to research on first dates, which approach should Piper take in this situation?

A) She should demand that Gremmie stop playing "hard to get" and insist that he take her out.
B) She should ask Gremmie out or hint to him that she is interested in going on a date.
C) She should passively wait for Gremmie to ask her out.
D) She should enroll in another class with Gremmie and hope he gets the hint and asks her out.

Question 41

Research on pathways to commitment among romantic partners suggests that couples . . .

A) Vary in the amount of time they take to reach commitment
B) Generally follow the same developmental path toward commitment
C) Have difficulty retrospectively reporting on their feelings of commitment
D) Generally increase their levels of commitment at the same steady rate

Question 42

Judy and Roger have been seriously dating for two years. Four weeks ago, they got engaged, and their wedding is planned for this week. If you had to label their courtship path or commitment trajectory, what would you call it?

A) Intermediate
B) Arrested
C) Prolonged
D) Accelerated

Question 43

Several researchers have investigated the ways in which people attempt to intensify their romantic relationships. Which of the following strategies do people NOT commonly use?

A) Threatening the partner
B) Increasing self-disclosure and communication
C) Increasing contact with the partner
D) Seeking support from social network members

Question 44

Research conducted by Surra reveals that couples on a(n) _______ courtship trajectory move smoothly and rapidly to marriage and spend relatively little time dating before becoming engaged.

A) prolapsed
B) accelerated
C) prolonged
D) intermediate

Question 45

Luis and Luisa got engaged two months after they first met. Three years later, they got married. If you had to label their courtship path or commitment trajectory, what would you call it?

A) Just plain weird
B) Prolonged
C) Accelerated
D) Accelerated-arrested

Question 46

Investigations of the early stages of romantic relationships generally reveal that men and women use which of the following strategies to promote or intensify their relationships?

A) Increasing contact with the partner
B) Accepting a request for commitment from the partner
C) Begging the partner
D) Making direct threats to the partner