Download COM 252: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication

COM 252: Introduction to Interpersonal
Communication
Study Guide for Comprehensive Exam
Chapter 1 – Myths and Models
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What is the meaning of a dyadic communication and interpersonal communication?
Why do we need to communicate?
What is Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how do we move up the hierarchy?
Recognize and know the functions of each of the elements of the transactional model of
communication.
What is the main requirement to be considered a competent communicator?
What are the myths and misconceptions about communication and why are they false?
What are the benefits of CMC (specifically e-mail) in building relationships?
What is self-monitoring and does everybody have the same ability to self-monitor?
What is metacommunication?
Chapter 2 – The Self
1. What makes up our self-concept? What role does reflected appraisal and social comparison
play?
2. What is impression management? Perceived self? Presenting self?
3. Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) explains how we react when we meet someone new. What
are the principles of URT and what do they explain about how we meet people?
4. What can you do to be more self-confident when meeting new people?
5. What do we know about how long first impression last?
6. What is a self-fulfilling prophecy and how does it work?
Chapter 3 - Perception
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According to Zimbardo’s Prison Study, what affects our perceptions of ourselves and others?
What does the poem about the six blind men and the elephant illustrate?
Know the steps for perception checking.
What is the difference between empathy and sympathy?
What does punctuation have to do with our perceptions of others and events?
Chapter 4 - Emotions
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What are the guidelines for expressing emotions?
What is the best advice for when to share feelings and when not to?
What makes up an effective statement of feelings?
Know what each of the fallacies mean and be able to recognize examples of each.
Chapter 5 - Language
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What is the difference between an abstract and concrete phrase, or word?
Why do you not want to use terms like “always” or “never” when describing someone’s behavior?
What is the denotative vs. the connotative meaning of a word?
Be able to rewrite or recognize effective “I language” phrases.
If you are a competent communicator and use language well, will that ensure that you never have
conflicts or difficulties with others?
6. What is powerless language? What are the different types and why is it ineffective to use them?
7. What is stereotyping and how do we do it with language?
8. Know the difference between statements of fact and statements of inference. Why is it so
important to distinguish between the two?
Chapter 6 – Nonverbals
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What are the types of gestures, or body movements, and what are some examples of each?
Do nonverbal messages operate independently from verbal messages?
What are the distances for intimate, personal, social and public space?
What does Expectancy Violations Theory say about how we feel when someone does more or
less than we expect them to when it comes to nonverbal communication?
Language and nonverbal communication are closely related. Two aspects of language are
actually nonverbal in nature. What is paralanguage? What are disfluencies?
What does “Nonverbal communication is ambiguous” mean?
What nonverbal signs can you use to determine what someone’s status is?
According to many researchers, how much of what we communicate may come from our
nonverbal signs?
What is kinesics? Proxemics? Chronemics? Haptics?
Chapter 7 – Listening
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How much time do we spend listening compared to other communication activities?
Why do we have a difficulty focusing and listening only to the other person who is speaking?
What are the poor listening habits and what are some examples of each?
Practice paraphrasing what you have heard from others. What is paraphrasing, when do you use
it and what are the guidelines for effective paraphrasing?
5. What are the response styles (specifically the five from the assessment you took) and when do
you use each?
6. What are the five stages of listening?
Chapter 8 – Communication and Relational Dynamics
1. Why do we form relationships?
2. What are the ten stages of relationship development in Knapp’s model and what does each stage
mean?
3. What are dialectic tensions? Be able to recognize.
4. What are content and relational messages?
5. What are the three elements that attract us to others according to Attraction Theory?
Chapter 9 – Intimacy and Distance
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What is intimacy? What are the dimensions?
What is self-disclosure?
What are the degrees of self-disclosure?
What does Social Exchange Theory say? What does comparison level and comparison level for
alternatives mean?
What does Social Penetration Theory say?
What is the Johari Window model and what do each of the panes mean?
What are the guidelines for appropriate self-disclosure?
What are the risks of self-disclosure?
How do you know when something is a self-disclosure and when it is merely conversation?
What are the alternatives to self-disclosure?
Chapter 10 – Communication Climates
1. What are the three Relationship Dialectics and how is each exhibited in relationships? Are
relationship dialectics only seen in new relationships?
2. What is a communication climate?
3. What are the levels of message confirmation?
4. What are Gibb’s Supportive and Defensive Communication Behaviors and how do they help
create communication climate?
5. What are the disconfirming responses and what are some examples of each?
6. What creates communication climate between people? (Hint: it has to do with how we think the
other feels about us)
7. How can you effectively handle criticism?
8. How is assertiveness different than nonassertiveness and aggression?
9. What are the positive and negative face needs? How do we try to meet these needs with positive
and negative politeness?
10. What is a Face Threatening Act?
Chapter 11 - Conflict
1. What is the definition of conflict and what creates conflict between individuals?
2. What is the difference between conflicts over relationship and conflicts over content? Which of
these do most conflicts involve?
3. Is conflict healthy or unhealthy in a relationship?
4. What is the difference between compromise (lose-lose) and collaboration (win-win)?
5. What are the two nonassertive methods of dealing with conflict?
6. What are the steps to effectively dealing with conflict?
7. Does having more control over another person create less conflict? Why or why not?
8. What are the “crazymaking” habits that people use when engaged in conflict?