Deck 5: Developing the Group Climate

Question 1

Competition is

A) eating more hot dogs than anyone else and receiving a trophy for first place.
B) trying to drink more Coca-Cola in one minute in front of a cheering crowd than you've ever done before.
C) scoring the highest you've ever scored on a biology test and receiving an award.
D) All of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Competition is

A) working together on this exam, so your group achieves a perfect score.
B) telling stories about yourself that make you look silly in an effort to be perceived by your peer group as the best teller of silly stories among all group members vying to be the best.
C) achieving a challenging goal never attained previously.
D) trying to lift more weight in front of a cheering crowd than you've ever done before.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A hidden agenda is an example of

A) an evaluative communication pattern.
B) a neutral or indifferent communication pattern.
C) a superiority pattern of communication.
D) a manipulative communication pattern.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

You are a newcomer in a group. During group discussions, members talk a great deal and listen to each other. When you try to contribute, however, you are ignored or given polite silence. Group members are clearly displaying

A) provisionalism.
B) strategic communication.
C) indifference.
D) assertive communication.

Question 5

A group climate is

A) the emotional atmosphere, the enveloping tone that is created by the way we communicate in groups.
B) composed of a single episode that elicits an emotional reaction from group members.
C) almost entirely created by task accomplishment.
D) All of the above

Question 6

Research comparing cooperation and competition within a group shows that, typically

A) competition produces greater achievement and higher performance.
B) competition encourages more productive, cohesive social relationships among group members.
C) cooperation produces greater group cohesiveness.
D) cooperation encourages more lackluster effort from group members.

Question 7

Psychological reactance occurs when

A) someone verbally attacks us and we verbally counterattack.
B) group members change the subject even though you clearly want to continue discussing the topic.
C) group members respond to you the way you communicate with them; praise elicits praise and criticism provokes criticism.
D) the more someone tries to control us, the more we are inclined to resist such efforts, even do what we are told not to do.

Question 8

You are shopping in a department store. A salesperson approaches you and begins to give you a "hard sell" to convince you to buy a very expensive outfit. You find yourself wishing you were in another county rather than listening to this annoying person. The salesperson's communication is an example of which of the following defensive communication patterns?

A) Provisionalism
B) Manipulation
C) Indifference
D) Both a and b

Question 9

Ambushing

A) probes for additional information from a speaker by asking questions.
B) prepares a rebuttal while a speaker is still explaining his or her point.
C) is an example of competitive listening.
D) Both b and c

Question 10

Empathy is

A) feeling exactly the way someone else feels.
B) thinking and feeling what you perceive another person to be thinking and feeling.
C) a form of competitive listening.
D) a form of using the shift response.

Question 11

When group members perceive that they are valued, supported, and treated well, these indicate

A) synergy.
B) a positive group climate.
C) constructive competition.
D) All of the above

Question 12

Listeners who use the shift response usually

A) observe the "one speaker at a time" rule of conversation.
B) turn the attention toward someone else in the group, not to oneself.
C) paraphrase the speaker's message.
D) None of the above

Question 13

Incivility is

A) more likely to occur in virtual groups because of the disinhibition effect than in in-person groups.
B) the commonplace acts of rudeness and disrespect that occur in most groups and organizations.
C) a factor in employees' reducing their effort at work.
D) All of the above

Question 14

During group discussion, a delicate issue comes up about you. Quickly, you attempt to turn attention to another group member. This is an example of

A) a shift response.
B) competitive listening.
C) a support response.
D) None of the above

Question 15

The reason that cooperation typically promotes, and competition dampens, achievement and performance for most groups and individuals include which of the following?

A) Attempting to achieve excellence and trying to beat others are different goals.
B) Resources are used more efficiently in a cooperative group climate.
C) Synergy is more likely to occur in a cooperative group climate.
D) All of the above

Question 16

Which of the following is a typical response to a perceived attack on our self-esteem and self-concept?

A) Denying the truth of the attack
B) Counterattacking or striking back at those who diminish us
C) Withdrawing from situations that allow attacks on our self-concept and self-esteem
D) Ignoring such attacks

Question 17

"Cooperation is a process not an outcome." This means that

A) cooperation is a means to achieve group goals, but it won't always achieve those goals.
B) cooperation is defined in terms of group productivity.
C) a group is not cooperative if it doesn't achieve its goal.
D) if a group does not achieve its goal, it is competitive.

Question 18

A "criticism sandwich" is

A) squeezing a group member for negative information on another member.
B) negatively reviewing the quality of food provided at a group meeting.
C) engaging in self-justification for making an error.
D) None of the above

Question 19

The "magic ratio" of positive to negative feedback to enhance group climate optimally is

A) 2-to-1.
B) 5-to-1.
C) 1-to-1.
D) 7-to-1.

Question 20

An effective alternative to criticism is being descriptive in your communication with group members. Being descriptive involves which of the following?

A) Make suggestions but avoid blame.
B) Use I-statements, not You-statements.
C) Eliminate editorial comments.
D) All of the above

Question 21

If members of your group do not exhibit competent communication skills and instead clumsily engage in hurling hurtful criticism your way, you should

A) counterattack to show strength and strong self-esteem.
B) agree with the criticism if factual.
C) seek a solution dispassionately and encourage the same from the criticizer.
D) disagree if the criticism is not factual but avoid being disagreeable.

Question 22

Research on competition and culture shows

A) all cultures are highly competitive.
B) competition is largely a product of cultural norms.
C) hypercompetitiveness flows primarily from individualist cultural values.
D) differences between individualist and collectivist cultures on levels of competitiveness are vast.

Question 23

Competition can be constructive when which of the following conditions is met?

A) When group members are viewed as rivals
B) When there are clear, specific rules that insure fairness
C) When opponents are about equally matched
D) When winning is deemphasized

Question 24

Based on prevailing research, as the emphasis on winning in groups increases,

A) the number of individuals who drop out of the group or team increases.
B) group cohesiveness decreases.
C) achievement and performance for most individuals decreases.
D) liking, support, and acceptance of group members is greater.

Question 25

Competitive patterns of communication in small groups are Me-oriented; thus, they are always incompetent communication.

Question 26

"You act silly and immature during serious discussion on our group project" is a good example of using descriptive language to avoid defensiveness.

Question 27

All cultures are highly competitive because competition comes naturally to humans.

Question 28

Paraphrasing is an example of a competitive listening skill.

Question 29

Provisionalism counteracts the defensive communication pattern called control.

Question 30

The disinhibition effect is the tendency to say in person, face-to-face, what you are hesitant to say during virtual, online communication with others.

Question 31

Competitive interrupting means that group members use the shift response.

Question 32

The status equalization effect is a leveling of role status among group members especially in text-only messaging (e.g., email, cell phone texting, etc.).

Question 33

Psychological reactance can be avoided by using a problem-solving orientation.

Question 34

When offering praise, focus on personal qualities more than on specific behaviors.

Question 35

Intragroup competition can produce intergroup cooperation.

Question 36

A competitive climate typically promotes information hoarding.

Question 37

A shift response is a key competitive listening strategy.

Question 38

It is the norms of a culture that determine its competitiveness, not human nature.

Question 39

Research shows that urgent pleas to "get along and cooperate" are often effective in groups when said with great sincerity by the group's leader.

Question 40

Defensiveness is a reaction to a perceived attack on our self-esteem and self-concept.

Question 41

Probing is a means to short-circuit a type of competitive listening called ambushing.

Question 42

Cooperation is a process not an outcome.

Question 43

Cooperation is individual achievement by another name.

Question 44

Most people are effective multitaskers (e.g., listen during group discussion and text message simultaneously).

Question 45

When providing praise to a group member, praising his or her general personal qualities is more effective than praising specific, laudable behaviors.

Question 46

Research shows that there is no gender difference regarding who gets criticized most often in the workplace.