Deck 13: Social Information Processing

Question 1

Which of the following theories influenced the development of Social Information Processing Theory?

A) Media Ecology Theory
B) Media Richness Theory
C) Uncertainty Reducation Theory
D) Expectancy Violations Theory

Answer 1

Media Richness Theory

Question 2

Social Information Processing Theory has been critiqued in all of the following areas EXCEPT:

A) utility
B) heurism
C) scope
D) testability

Answer 2

heurism

Question 3

Which of the following is an assumption of Social Information Processing Theory?

A) The online medium is too narrow to allow for relationship development.
B) Computer-mediated communication provides unique opportunities to connect with people.
C) Relationships are stable and unchanging.
D) People experience uncertainty in interpersonal settings and it generates cognitive stress.

Answer 3

Computer-mediated communication provides unique opportunities to connect with people.

Question 4

Elena posts a status update on Facebook celebrating her new job, but she never mentions that she was fired from her previous position, fearing that her friends might think she's unreliable or even a thief. This is an example of:

A) feedback
B) overattribution
C) asynchronous communication
D) impression management

Question 5

Feedback, in which an individual's expectation evokes a response from a target person reaffirming their original prediction, can also be called:

A) overattribution
B) self-fulfilling prophecy
C) channel management
D) impression management

Question 6

Which of the following is an option an online communicator might use to indicate that they are already in a romantic relationship?

A) provide dialogue about their partner
B) display relationship status
C) utilize a picture that displays a partner
D) all of the above

Question 7

Chronemic cues relate to how people perceive, use, or respond to ________.

A) the ideal self
B) time
C) space
D) computer-mediated communication

Question 8

Claire has been chatting with Steve on an online dating site for a few weeks. When she finds out his full name, she Googles him in order to find out if his band is really as successful as he claims. Social Information Processing Theory refers to this behavior as:

A) impression management
B) warranting
C) asynchronous communication
D) cyberstalking

Question 9

The communication tradition to which Social Information Processing Theory is related is:

A) socio-cultural
B) socio-phenomenological
C) socio-psychological
D) socio-semiotic

Question 10

Which of the following components is NOT part of the hyperpersonal perspective?

A) channel management
B) feedback
C) sender
D) nonverbal cues

Question 11

Studies have shown that online relationships may be perceived as more __________ than those developed face-to-face.

A) superficial
B) hostile
C) intimate
D) impersonal

Question 12

The testability of Social Information Processing Theory has been criticized because:

A) warranting research has only examined undesirable social traits.
B) researchers have not tested whether there is a particular receiver behavior that leads to greater online intimacy.
C) the issue of space has never been addressed.
D) channel management has not been sufficiently studied.

Question 13

In a 2009 study that included mock-up Facebook posting, researchers found that self-proclaimed physical attractiveness was found to be ________ believable when others confirmed the claim.

A) less
B) more
C) equally
D) empirically

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT an example of overattribution?

A) a receiver believing a sender has more similarities than differences
B) a receiver comparing the sender to someone else he or she knows
C) a receiver forgetting that the relationship is based upon words
D) a receiver ignoring perceptions that are incomplete or missing altogether

Question 15

CPM relies on the boundary metaphor to make the point that there is a line between being public and being private. When private information is shared, the boundary around it is called a

A) collective boundary
B) personal boundary
C) private boundary
D) disclosure boundary

Question 16

Walther contends the ______ relational affection the other communicator is, the ________ message editing in message composition.

A) less; less
B) more; less
C) less; more
D) more; more

Question 17

Which approach to knowing characterizes the research undertaken with Social Information Processing Theory?

A) positivistic/empirical
B) interpretive/hermeneutic
C) critical
D) phenomenological

Question 18

When Althea sees that Leslie has tweeted a picture of herself with a surfboard, she assumes that Leslie goes surfing regularly. In reality, Leslie liked the design of the surfboard and posed with it, but has never actually been surfing. Althea is engaging in:

A) overattribution.
B) synchronous communication.
C) impression management.
D) creating the "ought" self.

Question 19

Ellison, Heino, & Gibbs (2006) found that online daters present all of the following "selves" EXCEPT

A) ought
B) actual
C) imaginary
D) ideal

Question 20

Relationships developed online require more time to achieve the same level of intimacy as relationships developed face-to-face.

Question 21

One assumption of Social Information Processing Theory is that online communicators are motivated to form favorable impressions of themselves to others.

Question 22

Computer-mediated communication is a process in which people perceive, interpret, and exchange information via large networked telecommunications systems.

Question 23

In synchronous communication, both sender and receiver are online at the same tiem.

Question 24

Media Richness Theory considers the telephone to be a rich medium.

Question 25

Walther has never addressed critics who believe Social Information Processing Theory has too much breadth.

Question 26

Social Information Processing Theory is a positivistic/empirical theory.

Question 27

Social Information Processing Theory was developed as a critique of Communication Privacy Management Theory.

Question 28

Explain the role of impression management in Social Information Processing Theory. How does it manifest in online conversations and relationships?

Question 29

Do you agree with Social Information Processing Theory's belief that online relationships can become just as intimate as those developed face-to-face? Why or why not?

Question 30

Describe Social Presence Theory and Media Richness Theory. How does Social Information Processing Theory function as a critique of these theories?

Question 31

Describe some of the ways in which online communicators adapt to the restrictions of the online medium. How do they compensate with the lack of nonverbal cues?

Question 32

How would you apply Social Information Processing Theory to social media? Choosing a particular form of social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads), formulate a hypothesis or research question based on the theory, and describe your method for investigating it.