Deck 3: Perceiving the Self and Others

Question 1

Which statement about perception is NOT true?

A) We often perceive others accurately, even with minimal information.
B) Our evaluations of others can be more accurate if we have less, rather than more, information.
C) When we form our perception of others, our first impression is always accurate.
D) More information does not necessarily make your perception of someone more accurate.

Answer 1

When we form our perception of others, our first impression is always accurate.

Question 2

Which of the following is the process of making meaning from what we experience in the world around us?

A) Selection
B) Perception
C) Interpretation
D) Organization

Answer 2

Perception

Question 3

Which type of perception do you use when you try to decide if your best friend is angry, based on his behavior?

A) Interpersonal
B) Physiological
C) Psychological
D) Intrapersonal

Answer 3

Interpersonal

Question 4

Arianna has an argument with her boyfriend and storms out of their house. He does not call or text her all morning and Arianna is pretty sure he is ignoring her. In this example, the fact that Arianna notices her boyfriend is not contacting her exemplifies which stage of the perceptual process?

A) Intention
B) Interpretation
C) Organization
D) Selection

Question 5

In class, you notice a classmate smiling at you. In which stage of the perceptual process are you engaged?

A) Selection
B) Interpretation
C) Evaluation
D) Organization

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic that makes a given stimulus more likely to be selected for attention?

A) Repetition
B) Intensity
C) Unexpectedness
D) Weakness

Question 7

The __________________ stage of the perceptual process helps you make sense of information by allowing you to see its similarities to, and differences from, other things you know about.

A) application
B) organization
C) selection
D) interpretation

Question 8

In the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, several main characters, acclaimed and successful scientists, try unsuccessfully to approach attractive women for dates. In the perceptual process, which stage is probably causing the most problems, given that the women see "geeky", unattractive, socially awkward men?

A) Organization
B) Selection
C) Interpretation
D) Application

Question 9

What types of constructs emphasize people's social or professional position?

A) Physical
B) Interaction
C) Role
D) Psychological

Question 10

When Cy meets his best friend's father, he admires his confidence and self-assuredness. Later, when Cy learns that his friend's father is a top attorney with a prominent law firm, he is not surprised. Which construct is Cy relying on when he readily accepts the father's profession as the most appropriate, given his first impression?

A) Role
B) Physical
C) Psychological
D) Interaction

Question 11

Wendy decides the new guy at work, Dale, must be romantically interested in her because Dale brings her coffee every morning. By assigning meaning to Dale's behavior, Wendy is in which stage of perception?

A) Organization
B) Evaluation
C) Selection
D) Interpretation

Question 12

When your best friend does you an unexpected favor, you interpret it as a sincere sign of friendship, but if a coworker does you the same favor, you are more likely to wonder whether he or she has an ulterior motive. This is due to what influencing factor on interpretation?

A) Interaction construct
B) Knowledge of the individual
C) Closeness of the relationship
D) Personal experience

Question 13

Which statement is most accurate with regard to the perceptual process?

A) The perceptual process is linear.
B) The three stages of the perceptual process overlap.
C) The three stages of the perceptual process always follow the same order.
D) The perceptual process follows a specific sequence.

Question 14

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the order in which perceptual stages occur?

A) Personal experience allows us to accurately assign meaning to behavior.
B) Even though perception happens in stages, the stages don't always take place in the same order.
C) The perceptual process is always logical and linear.
D) Selection depends on personal experience, knowledge and the closeness of the relationship.

Question 15

Perry, an American student, and Sun Yi, his girlfriend from Taiwan, are arguing. While Perry expresses himself loudly, Sun Yi tries a less aggressive approach. They both grow more and more frustrated, as Perry thinks Sun Yi won't address the conflict directly and Sun Yi thinks Perry is behaving selfishly. What perceptual influence could be at work in this situation?

A) Primacy
B) Stereotypes
C) Culture
D) Perceptual sets

Question 16

A ________________ is a generalization about a group or category of people that can have a powerful influence on how we perceive other people and their communicative behavior.

A) stereotype
B) perceptual set
C) construct
D) characteristic

Question 17

Identify the concept best represented by the following thought process: (1) He is a man. (2) Men don't know how to express their feelings. (3) Therefore, he must not know how to express his emotions.

A) Construct
B) Interpretation
C) Stereotype
D) Recency

Question 18

The belief that all homeless people are lazy is an example of which perceptual influence?

A) Generalization
B) Construct
C) Perceptual set
D) Stereotype

Question 19

We have a tendency to remember information that supports our stereotypes and to forget information that doesn't. Which of the following best describes this tendency?

A) Self-serving bias
B) Self-fulfilling prophecy
C) Selective memory bias
D) Fundamental attribution error

Question 20

Our first impressions of someone's communicative behaviors seem to stick in our minds more than second or third impressions because of what principle?

A) Recency
B) Constructs
C) Stereotype
D) Primacy

Question 21

A stand-up comedian's last joke is one of the most important jokes because of which principle?

A) Perceptual effect
B) Recency effect
C) Primary effect
D) Construct effect

Question 22

When giving a speech, you must offer strong opening and closing statements because of what influence on perception?

A) Primacy/Recency
B) Stereotyping
C) Culture
D) Selective memory bias

Question 23

A _________________ is a predisposition to perceive only what we want or expect to perceive.

A) stereotype
B) memory bias
C) perceptual set
D) context

Question 24

Miles sees a friend at the mall he hasn't spoken to in a few years. She is pushing a baby in a stroller. Miles assumes it is a girl because the yellow blanket in the stroller. "She is so beautiful"! When Miles's friend informs him the baby is a boy, Miles says, "Oh, of course. Just look at how strong he is"! Which of the following terms best describes his apparent change in perception with regard to the baby's sex?

A) Bias
B) Stereotype
C) Context
D) Perceptual set

Question 25

When someone undergoes chemotherapy and his or her cancer goes into remission, some individuals in that person's life will believe the remission is an answer to their prayers, whereas others will believe the remission is a natural response to the chemotherapy. Which of the following factors might account for this difference in beliefs about cancer remission?

A) Perceptual set
B) Memory bias
C) Self-serving bias
D) Selection

Question 26

You notice your cousin ignoring her fiancé. When you begin to wonder why she is behaving the ways she is, you are looking for what in relation to her behavior?

A) Context
B) Interpretation
C) Attribution
D) Perceptual set

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT a dimension of attribution?

A) Focus
B) Stability
C) Controllability
D) Locus

Question 28

Which term refers to the location of our behavior, whether within ourselves or outside ourselves?

A) Stability
B) Controllability
C) Locus
D) Context

Question 29

If your professor is late for class and you assign an external attribution ("She must have hit heavy traffic on the way to campus", you think), what are you examining in order to understand the behavior?

A) Reason
B) Locus
C) Cause
D) Explanation

Question 30

If you perceive that your boss is late for your appointment because she has chosen to socialize with other coworkers beforehand, you are making a(n) ____________ attribution.

A) stable
B) external
C) controllable
D) unstable

Question 31

Roommates Meliah and Jean have an argument before going to bed. Meliah is so upset by the conflict she forgets to load the dishwasher, as she has agreed to do every night. Jean is sure Meliah deliberately didn't do the dishes to get back at her. As a result, rather than apologize in the morning as she had planned to do, Jean continues the argument. What has Jean erroneously evaluated in this instance?

A) Stability
B) Controllability
C) Attribution
D) Interpersonal

Question 32

What term refers to our tendency to attribute our successes to stable, internal causes while attributing our failures to unstable, external causes?

A) Attribution
B) Self-serving bias
C) Fundamental attribution error
D) Selfishness

Question 33

If you do really well on a test, you say it's because you were well prepared, but if you do poorly, you say it's because the classroom was too noisy. This is an example of what attribution error?

A) Fundamental attribution
B) External locus
C) Controllability
D) Self-serving bias

Question 34

Nicole's husband forgets their anniversary. She knows he has been distracted by clients at work so she isn't angry. When Nicole's husband brings her flowers the next day, she believes it is because he is a thoughtful husband. This tendency for Nicole to attribute negative behaviors to external factors and positive behaviors to internal factors most likely reflects which attribution error?

A) Self-serving bias
B) Fundamental attribution
C) Locus
D) Stability

Question 35

Which term refers to the tendency to attribute other people's behaviors to internal rather than external causes?

A) Fundamental attribution error
B) Locus
C) Self-serving bias
D) Stability

Question 36

Good communicators bear in mind that others' behaviors are often responses to external forces, thus avoiding what problem?

A) Stability
B) Self-serving bias
C) Fundamental attribution error
D) Controllability

Question 37

Wanda is annoyed because her waiter keeps getting her order wrong and doesn't seem to be listening to her. Wanda informs her companions she will not be leaving a tip for such a lazy, incompetent waiter. Unbeknownst to Wanda, two other waiters have called in sick, leaving her waiter with twice the workload. By not considering external forces to explain the waiter's behavior, what type of error is Wanda making?

A) Locus
B) Fundamental attribution error
C) Self-serving bias
D) Attribution

Question 38

While the ability to perceive others accurately is an important part of communication, so is the ability to accurately perceive

A) intentions.
B) actions.
C) self.
D) facework.

Question 39

Your _______________ is composed of stable ideas about who you are that aren't influenced by moment-to-moment events.

A) perception
B) Johari window
C) stability
D) self-concept

Question 40

If you define yourself as a male, an uncle, and someone who is fun and honest, you are defining different aspects of your

A) locus.
B) organization.
C) identity.
D) self-serving bias.

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT an area of the Johari window?

A) Known
B) Blind
C) Open
D) Unknown

Question 42

If Rebecca chooses not to share her history of childhood abuse with friends, in which area of Rebecca's Johari window would that information be located?

A) Open
B) Blind
C) Unknown
D) Hidden

Question 43

Which area of the Johari window would most likely include characteristics such as your name, sex, academic major, and hobbies?

A) Open
B) Blind
C) Unknown
D) Hidden

Question 44

In 2009, a popular game show aired called The Moment of Truth. On this show, contestants chose to disclose secrets to their friends, family, and viewing audience in order to win money. In other words, the contestants were moving information from the _____________ area of their Johari window to the open area.

A) blind
B) unknown
C) open
D) hidden

Question 45

When the College Board asked almost one million U.S. American high school seniors to rate their ability to get along with others, every single student responded that he or she was "above average". Which of the following statements best reflects the results of this survey?

A) It is often difficult for people to judge themselves objectively or accurately.
B) Many aspects of our self-concept are objective.
C) We define ourselves in many ways.
D) It is important to recognize the many dimensions of self-concept.

Question 46

Some of what we know about ourselves is based on _________ facts, details such as height, weight, and hair color.

A) subjective
B) obvious
C) accurate
D) objective

Question 47

Johanna suffers from depression and has low self-esteem. When she receives a low grade on her informative speech, she believes this to be a reflection of her self-worth. Which statement best illustrates Johanna's experience?

A) The tendency toward self-monitoring ranges along a continuum from high to low.
B) Many aspects of our self-concept are objective.
C) Sometimes our judgments of ourselves are unreasonably negative.
D) We define ourselves in many ways.

Question 48

Someone who is a high _________________ pays attention to how others are reacting to his or her behaviors and has the ability to adjust communication as needed.

A) self-monitor
B) egomaniac
C) competent communicator
D) scholar

Question 49

Tyce doesn't spend a lot of energy worrying about his appearance; he just wears whatever is at hand in the morning. Likewise, he always says what is on his mind, as he isn't concerned with what other people think about him. This is because Tyce is a(n) _________________ self-monitor.

A) high
B) average
C) low
D) honest

Question 50

Lissa hates public speaking. She knows she will not do well in her speech class. As her first speech assignment approaches, Lissa doesn't really work on it, as she believes she won't do well on it anyway. When she receives a "D" on the speech, Lissa tells her father, "See? I told you I wasn't good at this"! Which phenomenon is Lissa likely experiencing?

A) Self-fulfilling prophecy
B) Self-monitoring
C) Self-esteem
D) Self-concept

Question 51

If you experience _________________, it is because your expectations of a situation influence your behavior, thus influencing the outcome.

A) controllability
B) fundamental attribution error
C) self-serving bias
D) self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 52

Which of the following most directly reflects your degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with your self-concept?

A) Childhood
B) Stability
C) Self-esteem
D) Self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 53

Individuals with _________________ self-esteem tend to be more outgoing and communicative, and therefore build stronger relationships with others.

A) high
B) confident
C) low
D) regular

Question 54

Because of an abusive childhood, Luis has low _____________________. He is pessimistic about his abilities at work and school and wishes he were a better person. Luis rarely initiates relationships and has a hard time believing in a partner's expression of love and affection.

A) stability
B) self-concept
C) constructs
D) self-esteem

Question 55

When you wear a suit to an interview and communicate in an articulate, professional manner, what behavioral adjustment are you engaging in?

A) Self-fulfilling prophecy
B) Fundamental attribution error
C) Self-serving bias
D) Identity management

Question 56

Ann has a date after work. She rushes home, changing out of her business suit into jeans and a nice shirt. She puts on heavier make-up and makes sure to put on perfume, something she never does for work. Ann is engaging in what communication behavior?

A) Self-serving bias
B) Identity management
C) Self-fulfilling prophecy
D) Organization

Question 57

Psychologist Dan McAdams has suggested that everyone develops a ____________, a way of presenting ourselves to others that is based on our self-concept but that is also influenced by other people.

A) life story
B) identity
C) face
D) image

Question 58

In the film, The Mask, bank teller Stanley Ipkiss (played by Jim Carrey) tries to be friendly and outgoing, but others, including his own friends, treat him with disrespect and scorn, as they clearly do not accept the image of himself that he portrays. This is because

A) Stanley manages multiple identities.
B) impression management is complex.
C) Stanley tries to project an image that accurately reflects his self-concept.
D) impression management is collaborative.

Question 59

In your circle of friends, you are known as a friend, but in your place of employment, you are known as an employee. Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes this concept?

A) Impression management is collaborative.
B) We manage multiple identities.
C) Impression management is complex.
D) We try to project an image that accurately reflects our self-concept.

Question 60

Patrick has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Although his condition is in its early stages, Patrick notices he completes tasks at a much slower pace at work than he used to. Patrick is having trouble deciding if he will reveal his medical condition to his supervisor, as he doesn't want it to change his boss's perception of him. Like many others with "invisible" medical conditions, Patrick is trying to

A) manage multiple identities.
B) lie about how he is.
C) be someone who he is not.
D) avoid impression management.

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT among the reasons why someone who is HIV-positive would choose to keep the condition to him- or herself?

A) Fear of rejection
B) Privacy
C) Self-blame
D) Disbelief

Question 62

Lola has two e-mail addresses, one for school and another for her personal use. She also enjoys going to a virtual gaming web site, where her user name is Xena. Lola is _________________________ online.

A) projecting one image about herself to multiple users
B) identifying herself in a cohesive way
C) managing multiple identities
D) avoiding impression management

Question 63

Research shows that when people ask others for favors, they often create narratives that help them maintain their image while still being persuasive because

A) we manage multiple identities.
B) image management is complex.
C) we like to tell stories about our self-concept.
D) our self-esteem informs everything we do.

Question 64

Rashid has been asked to be the best man at his brother's wedding. Unfortunately, the wedding is in another state, and in order to arrive on time, Rashid would need to miss his final exam for his algebra class. Rashid meets with the professor and explains the situation. He knows he must appear dedicated to class while at the same time asking to be allowed to finish the course early. Rashid's narrative reflects the concept that

A) we like to tell others stories.
B) we manage multiple identities.
C) our self-esteem informs at the narratives we tell.
D) image management is complex.

Question 65

Sociologist Erving Goffman coined what term to describe the behaviors we use to project our desired public image to others?

A) Impression management
B) Context
C) Facework
D) Identity

Question 66

Margaret is angry that her mother insists on doing everything for her, even though she began college a few months ago. Her mother makes her doctors' appointments for her, tells her when her car needs to be taken in for maintenance, and even insists on going shopping with Margaret for new clothes. Her mother must also see all of Margaret's grades and feedback from her professors. Margaret is having which face need imposed upon?

A) Autonomy
B) Competence
C) Fellowship
D) Relational

Question 67

Your desire to avoid an embarrassing situation is related to your ___________ face.

A) fellowship
B) competence
C) relational
D) autonomy

Question 68

When Stefan's mother hands him a rejection letter from the college he had been dreaming of going to for four years, Stefan shrugs and says that he didn't really want to go to that college anyway. He says he had already decided to go to his second-choice school, which had accepted him a week earlier. Stefan is most likely employing a defense mechanism, because he views the rejection letter as a

A) face-threatening act.
B) face need.
C) face-saving act.
D) threat to his self-esteem.

Question 69

Individuals with certain disabilities may perceive threats to their __________________ face if they are unable to do activities that others can do, such as driving a car.

A) fellowship
B) relational
C) competence
D) autonomy

Question 70

Each of us is constantly _______________ our public image, hoping others will perceive us the way we want them to.

A) changing
B) finding
C) managing
D) hiding behind