Unit 5: Communication

Question 1

Interpersonal Gap

Answer 1

occurs when the seder’s intentions differ from the effect on the receiver

Question 2

Nonverbal Behavior

Answer 2

provides information, regulates interaction, and helps to define relationships

Question 3

Display Rules

Answer 3

cultural norms that dictate what emotions are appropriate in particular situations

Question 4

Visual Dominance Ratio (VDR)

Answer 4

compares “look-speak” (the percentage of time a speaker gazes at a listener) to “look-listen”

Question 5

Intimate Zone

Answer 5

extends out from the front of our chests about a foot-and-a-half

Question 6

Personal Zone

Answer 6

ranges from 1 1/2 to 4 feet away from us

Question 7

Social Zone

Answer 7

4 to 12 feet

interactions tend to be more businesslike

Question 8

Public Zone

Answer 8

is used for structured interaction

Question 9

Paralanguage

Answer 9

includes all the variations in a person’s voice other than the actual words he or she uses, such as rhythm, pitch, loudness, and rate

Question 10

Mimicry

Answer 10

occurs during a conversation when the participants adopt similar postures and mannerism, display comparable expressions, and use similar paralanguage

Question 11

Social Penetration Theory

Answer 11

states that relationships develop through systematic changes in communication

Question 12

Interpersonal Process Model of Intimacy

Answer 12

argues that genuine intimacy is likely to develop between two people only when certain conditions have been met

Question 13

Taboo Topics

Answer 13

sensitive matters that may threaten the quality of a relationship

Question 14

Kitchen-Sinking

Answer 14

when people address several topics at once (so that everything but the “kitchen sink” gets dragged into the conversation

Question 15

Off-Beam

Answer 15

wandering from topic to topic so that the conversation never stays on one problem long enough to resolve it

Question 16

Mindreading

Answer 16

occurs when people assume that they understand their partner’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions without asking

Question 17

Interrupt

Answer 17

unhappy partners interrupt each other in negative ways more than contented couples do

Question 18

Yes-Butting

Answer 18

listen poorly by finding something wrong or un-workable with anything their partners say

Question 19

Cross-Complaining

Answer 19

instead of expressing interest in what their partners have to say, they just respond to complaint with one of their own

Question 20

Criticism

Answer 20

attacks a partner’s personality or character instead of identifying a specific behavior that is causing concern

Question 21

Contempt

Answer 21

in form of insults, mockery, or hostile humor

Question 22

Defensiveness

Answer 22

instead of treating the clumsy complaint as legitimate and reasonable, the partners seek to protect themselves from the unreasonable attack by making excuses or by cross-complaining, hurling counterattacks of their own

Question 23

Stonewalling

Answer 23

a partner “clams up” and reacts to the messy situation by withdrawing into a stony silence

Question 24

Belligerence

Answer 24

may occur with one partner aggressively rejecting the other altogether

Question 25

Behavior Description

Answer 25

to identify as plainly and concretely as possible a specific behavior that annoyed us

Question 26

I-Statements

Answer 26

start with "I" and then describe a distinct emotional reaction

Question 27

XYZ Statements

Answer 27

follow the form of "when you do X in situation Y" (a good behavior description) "I feel Z" (an I-statement)

Question 28

Paraphrasing

Answer 28

repeating it in our own words and giving the sender a chance to agree that that's what he or she actually meant

Question 29

Perception Checking

Answer 29

people assess the accuracy of their influences about a partner's feelings by asking the partner for clarification

Question 30

Validation

Answer 30

acknowledges the legitimacy of their opinions and communicates respect for their positions is always a desirable goal in intimate interaction

Question 31

What is an interpersonal gap?

Answer 31

occurs when there is a discrepancy between what the sender intends to say and what the listener thinks they hear

Question 32

What is nonverbal sensitivity?

Answer 32

the sensitivity and accuracy with which couples communicate nonverbally predict how happy their relationship will be when non-verbal exchanges fail, there may be errors in encoding or decoding, or both husbands fault? --> women do better at sending and decoding message

Question 33

How is nonverbal miscommunication associated with relationship dissatisfaction?

Answer 33

due to: the partner's nonverbal skills the partner's efforts

Question 34

What is self-disclosure?

Answer 34

the process of revealing personal information to someone else: a feature of intimate relationships, tend to show reciprocity associated with relationship satisfaction: promotes a level of closeness and trust reciprocity: to get someone to talk about something private you share as well responsiveness: tend to provide appropriate emotional response, excitement or comfort

Question 35

What is the theory of social penetration?

Answer 35

early: very superficial on a narrow range of topics when norm is broken we don't like it, unless in a specific context preoccupied: want to know everything right away

Question 36

What questions and advice do you have for your friend before they meet their online friend?

Answer 36

having someone come with you meeting in a public place

Question 37

How do you think that face-to-face communication will differ from the communication via the internet?

Answer 37

face-to-face need more immediate responsiveness can't hide micro expressions in person

Question 38

What is behavior description?

Answer 38

identifying as plainly and concretely as possible a specific behavior that annoys us

Question 39

What are I-statements?

Answer 39

start with "I" and then describe a distinct emotional reaction

Question 40

What are XYZ statements?

Answer 40

statements follow the form of "when you do X in situation Y" (behavior description), "I feel Z" (I-statement)

Question 41

What should you do when communicating sympathy and concern?

Answer 41

you should mention the person's loss, and say something simple

Question 42

What should you NOT do when communicating sympathy and concern?

Answer 42

try to comfort the person with optimistic projections about the future imply that the loss is not the most tragic, awful thing that has ever happened offer advice about how the person can put their life back together

Question 43

What is paraphrasing a message?

Answer 43

repeating it in our own words and giving the sender a chance to agree that that's what they actually meant

Question 44

What is perception checking?

Answer 44

people assess the accuracy of their inferences about a partner's feelings by asking the partner for clarification

Question 45

What is validation?

Answer 45

acknowledges the legitimacy of their opinions and communicates respect for their positions does not require you to agree with someone

Question 46

What are strategies for limiting provocations?

Answer 46

you may wish to schedule regular meetings at which you and your partner (politely) air your grievances if you find yourself in a pattern of negative affect reciprocity, take a temporary time out to stop the cycle ask for a short break and then return to the issue when you're less aroused