Deck 6: Nonverbal Communication

Question 1

While talking to a friend at a party, you notice that your romantic partner has just arrived. Eager to greet your partner, you angle your posture away from your friend and toward your partner. That movement

A)is culturally insensitive, especially to members of high-contact cultures.
B)is a form of leave-taking behavior known as left-positioning.
C)incorrectly suggests to your friend that your partner is more important than he or she is.
D)All the answers are correct.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Why do people tend to believe nonverbal messages even when they contradict verbal messages?

A)Nonverbal behaviors are completely involuntary and reflect people's true states.
B)People will only attempt to control their nonverbal behavior when they are lying.
C)It is harder for most people to control their nonverbal communication than their verbal communication.
D)All the answers are correct.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The tendency to assume that attractive people also have other positive qualities is called what?

A)positive prototyping
B)character assumption
C)principle of facial primacy
D)halo effect

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The study of touch behavior is known as

A)haptics.
B)oculesics.
C)proxemics.
D)kinesics.

Question 5

According to Edward T. Hall, the range of which type of distance is approximately 1½ to 4 feet?

A)intimate distance
B)personal distance
C)social distance
D)public distance

Question 6

Vocal behaviors that go along with verbal behaviors to convey meaning are known as

A)fundamental frequency.
B)enunciation.
C)paralanguage.
D)paravocalic devices.

Question 7

When people get excited or aroused, what usually happens to their voice?

A)increased articulation
B)decreased loudness
C)reduced inflection
D)elevated pitch

Question 8

According to the text, the face is used primarily to communicate all of the following EXCEPT

A)identity.
B)emotion.
C)attractiveness.
D)intellect.

Question 9

Which of the following emotional states was NOT identified by Paul Ekman as having a universal facial expression?

A)happiness
B)disgust
C)jealousy
D)surprise

Question 10

Contemporary research suggests that approximately what percentage of meaning is transmitted nonverbally?

A)30-35%
B)45-50%
C)65-70%
D)90-95%

Question 11

Which aspect of facial attractiveness refers to the relative size of facial features, such as the nose or ears?

A)symmetry
B)rhinoplasty
C)proportionality
D)asymmetry

Question 12

Which of the following vocal behaviors is a dimension of nonverbal communication?

A)tone of voice
B)rate of speech
C)loudness
D)all of these

Question 13

Rick's manager, Susan, called him into her office one afternoon to discuss his annual evaluation. As soon as Rick sat down, Susan said, "Rick, your performance is unacceptable and I'm going to have to let you go." After a moment of silence, Susan grinned and winked at Rick, and he knew she was joking. Susan used nonverbal communication to

A)reinforce the interpersonal nature of her message.
B)metacommunicate that she was teasing.
C)convey emotional meaning.
D)give her statement greater impact.

Question 14

Which of the following claims about facial expressions of emotion is FALSE?

A)Extroverts tend to be better than introverts at interpreting nonverbal expressions of emotion.
B)Women are generally better than men at understanding facial displays of emotion.
C)Happiness is the easiest facial expression to decode.
D)Facial expressions are second only to vocal behaviors in their ability to express emotion.

Question 15

When Rachel saw her neighbor Harold in the hallway, he quickly flagged her down and began to speak with her. Throughout their conversation, Harold maintained steady eye contact, spoke very quickly, laughed frequently, and stood closer to Rachel than he usually would. Harold's nonverbal cues indicate that he was

A)nervous or uncomfortable.
B)engaging in deception.
C)excited.
D)content.

Question 16

Which type of gesture has a direct verbal translation?

A)illustrator
B)regulator
C)emblem
D)adaptor

Question 17

Which of the following pairs of nonverbal channels is particularly useful in communicating emotion?

A)facial expression and vocal behaviors
B)eye contact and hand gesturing
C)body movement and eye contact
D)vocal behaviors and body movement

Question 18

Which of the following statements about facial or vocal expressions of emotions is factually incorrect?

A)Infants are unable to respond to pleasant stimuli before they are 12 months old.
B)Facial expressions of basic emotions are fairly consistent across cultures.
C)Disgust, boredom, and grief are typically accompanied by a lower vocal pitch.
D)People tend to speak faster when they are scared.

Question 19

The study of how people use movement is called what?

A)haptics
B)kinesics
C)oculesics
D)proxemics

Question 20

During a phone conversation, you are able to infer something about the speaker's mood and personality by listening to his or her vocal cues. This fact illustrates which of the following claims about nonverbal communication?

A)Nonverbal communication is usually believed over verbal communication.
B)Nonverbal communication is present in most forms of interpersonal communication.
C)Nonverbal communication conveys more meaning than verbal communication.
D)Nonverbal communication metacommunicates.

Question 21

The pupil of the eye contracts when we look at someone we find attractive.

Question 22

The face communicates more information than any other nonverbal channel.

Question 23

Which of the following nonverbal cues is commonly associated with deception, according to research?

A)decreased smiling
B)increased kinesic behavior
C)increased vocal pitch
D)decreased pupil dilation

Question 24

When you see someone dressed in very tight, dark clothing with spiky hair and eyeliner, you infer that this person is into emo punk rock. Your impression is based on which set of cues?

A)demographic
B)sociocultural
C)socioeconomic
D)psychographic

Question 25

Most Hispanic, southern European, and Middle Eastern cultures are classified as low-contact cultures.

Question 26

Of all the senses, smell is most strongly tied to memory.

Question 27

Most research strongly supports the common notion that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Question 28

Our use of time can send powerful messages about value and power.

Question 29

Voices that have low amounts of inflection are said to be monotone.

Question 30

Arousal is an increase in energy.

Question 31

Your textbook identifies several ways that speakers can use nonverbal communication to increase the persuasiveness of their statements. Which of the following nonverbal behaviors is NOT in line with these prescriptions?

A)speaking softly, slowly, and calmly
B)matching someone else's nonverbal behavior
C)casually touching someone on the arm
D)maintaining eye contact with someone while speaking

Question 32

Effectively interpreting nonverbal communication includes all of the following EXCEPT

A)sensitivity to others' nonverbal messages.
B)trying to decipher the correct meaning of nonverbal behavior.
C)looking past cultural differences to understand the meaning.
D)asking for clarification when necessary.

Question 33

Explain the idea that people believe nonverbal cues over verbal cues when the two conflict. Give a concrete example and indicate why we give preference to nonverbal cues.

Question 34

Which is the term used for textual representations of facial expressions, often used in e-mail messages?

A)textspressions
B)emoticons
C)e-smiles
D)faceprints

Question 35

Children who are regularly touched develop stronger immune systems than those who are not.

Question 36

Choose two of the following forms of gesticulation and describe each, using concrete examples: emblems, illustrators, regulators, affect displays, adaptors.

Question 37

Research shows that olfactic cues play a role in mate selection. Which of the following statements is true?

A)Men prefer women who smell like themselves.
B)Women with more attractive faces smell better to men.
C)Men's facial attractiveness is unrelated to how they smell.
D)All of the statements are false.

Question 38

People tend to be most attracted to others whose natural body odors are different from their own.

Question 39

When nonverbal cues conflict with verbal cues, people usually believe the verbal statements.

Question 40

Which of the following was NOT identified in your textbook as a demographic characteristic?

A)age
B)ethnic background
C)sexual orientation
D)socioeconomic status

Question 41

Why is our sense of touch so important for our physical development and survival? For our emotional development and survival? Your book discusses five major areas in which touch plays a role in human interaction. Briefly comment on the importance of any three of these areas. Be sure to include in your response how people use different touching behaviors to convey these messages.

Question 42

Explain the difference between articulation and pronunciation, and give examples of each.

Question 43

Take a position on the issue of how much teachers and school staff should be allowed to touch children at school. Consider both the benefits of touch as well as the concern that touch can be abusive or sexually inappropriate. Back up your position with examples, and be sure to acknowledge the strengths of the opposing viewpoint.

Question 44

Describe the halo effect and comment on the importance of symmetry and proportionality in facial attractiveness.

Question 45

One cultural cliché about beauty is that it is "only skin deep," meaning that it is only superficial and it doesn't affect people's lives in any meaningful way. Many people have argued that this is a myth and that beauty has many real effects on people's lives. Which idea do you think is more accurate, and why? Be sure to offer reasoned arguments and concrete examples to support your position.

Question 46

Imagine that you are giving advice to a friend who is interested in someone else (that you both know) as a potential romantic partner. Give this friend some guidance about nonverbal behaviors in romantic relationships. Specifically, what behaviors should your friend focus on to determine if the other person is romantically interested in him or her? Likewise, what behaviors should your friend engage in to signal that he or she is romantically interested? What behaviors (if any) should your friend avoid when talking to his or her prospective love interest?

Question 47

Several of the nonverbal channels we've discussed are heavily influenced by culture. Using specific examples when possible, pick at least three different nonverbal channels and highlight how expectations for appropriate nonverbal behavior vary from culture to culture. Next, discuss how these differences are likely to impact interactions. Finally, propose at least two ideas for how people communicating with individuals from other cultures might be able to potentially avoid embarrassing or offensive situations.

Question 48

Discuss at least two different ways that people use space to communicate relationship status.

Question 49

Think about the layout of your home. What do the objects, colors, decorations, and furnishings in your home say about you? In a brief essay, walk through your home and describe important items that "say" something about the image of you they reflect. Make sure to incorporate ideas and concepts about artifacts and space from the class and/or text.

Question 50

Explain the concept of olfactic association. Give 2-3 concrete examples of olfactic associations that you have.