Q&A Hero

Q: Carl has been spending long nights at the office working with a coworker while his spouse is away on business. He's finding himself increasingly attracted to his coworker. Which of these could explain his attraction? a. equity b. matching c. birds-of-a-feather effect d. mere exposure effect

Q: What is the most difficult maintenance challenge long-distance couples face? a. the reunion b. strong desire to be near each other again c. complications d. anticipation

Q: Sarah and Heather have been dating for almost two years. They have an intimate physical relationship and visit each other's parents on holidays. Recently, they bought a car and signed a lease on a new apartment together. This couple is in what stage? a. circumscribing b. integrating c. bonding d. intensifying

Q: Which of these statements is true of companionate love? a. The longer you are with your partner, the less you feel it. b. It is less desirable than passionate love. c. It is an intense form of liking with emotional investment. d. It is not characteristic of long-term relationships.

Q: Which of these steps is included in Mark Knapp's stages of coming apart? a. circumscribing b. experimenting c. integrating d. bonding

Q: What facet of attraction suggests that people will be drawn to others and will establish relationships with others if they believe the benefits and costs balance each other? a. uncertainty reduction b. equity c. social exchange d. matching

Q: Relationships are most likely to survive sexual infidelity, and cheaters are most likely to be forgiven by their partner, when: a. the cheater is discovered. b. jealousy is acknowledged. c. they confess their betrayals without being asked. d. they discuss the reason for betrayal.

Q: What is the most frequently reported relational maintenance strategy? a. openness b. positivity c. sharing activities d. sharing tasks

Q: When matching occurs, we tend to: a. desire those who are more attractive than us. b. desire those are who less attractive than us. c. desire those who are similar to us in physical attractiveness. d. desire those who complement us.

Q: Roberta's partner, Faith, has just moved out of the country; however, Roberta wants to maintain their relationship. Roberta regularly e-mails and sends instant messages to Faith, indicating that she wants this relationship to continue despite the physical distance between them. What relational maintenance strategy is Roberta using? a. positivity b. openness c. assurances d. sharing tasks

Q: The competing impulses, or tensions, between ourselves and our feelings toward others are known as relational dialectics. a. True b. False

Q: Loving is merely an intense form of liking. a. True b. False Enter the appropriate word(s) to complete the statement.

Q: Henry and Josette have been married for ten years. Their marriage has reached the point where they both feel like they are "going through the motions," and they use communication only when needed to maintain their household. What stage of relational coming apart are they experiencing? a. circumscribing b. stagnating c. avoiding d. terminating

Q: Relational intrusion can include: a. monitoring and controlling. b. bonding. c. betrayal. d. inequity.

Q: Gay and lesbian couples experience falling in love, passion, and commitment differently than do straight couples. a. True b. False

Q: Which of these statements does NOT describe a characteristic of passionate love? a. It is driven by idealization of the partner. b. Neither gender nor age changes its experience. c. It is positively related to relationship duration. d. It is experienced by all cultures.

Q: Which answer is NOT a sign of an abusive partner? a. uses emotionally abusive language b. shifts the blame to you c. isolates you from others d. engages in intrusive behaviors

Q: Which of these statements is NOT true of gender differences in love? a. Women and men experience passionate love similarly. b. Women score higher than men on pragma love. c. There is no difference between women's and men's experience of pragma love. d. Men tend to believe that "there is only one true love for each person."

Q: John and Abigail initially dislike one another. According to the mere exposure effect, they likely will find each other more attractive as they spend more time together. a. True b. False

Q: The decision to maintain a struggling relationship belongs to: a. a relationship expert. b. friends. c. family. d. the romantic couple.

Q: Which of these is NOT a form of relational dialectics? a. openness versus protection b. monogamy versus openness c. autonomy versus connection d. novelty versus predictability

Q: Liking is composed of feelings of affection and respect. a. True b. False

Q: Loving is based upon intimacy, caring, and attachment. a. True b. False

Q: Which of these statements is NOT true about romantic betrayal? a. Betrayal can include sexual infidelity. b. Betrayal can include emotional infidelity. c. Betrayal can include deception. d. Betrayal can be unintentional.

Q: Reciprocal liking suggests that attraction decreases when we perceive that someone is attracted to us. a. True b. False

Q: Small talk is the trivial exchange of unimportant information that wastes a potential partner's time. a. True b. False

Q: Which of these factors is more important for initial attraction than for relational maintenance? a. physical attractiveness b. similarity c. complementary values d. intelligence

Q: According to your text, the birds-of-a-feather effect suggests that a primary source of attraction is perceived similarity to others. a. True b. False

Q: If two people who have been dating a while start referring to each other as "sweet pea," they are probably in the intensifying stage of relationship development. a. True b. False

Q: If your 8-year-old brother tells you he is in love with his teacher, you should treat his disclosure with respect and empathy because: a. love is driven by the idealization of partners. b. neither gender nor age affects how we experience passionate love. c. love is negatively related to relationship duration. d. love is experienced by all cultures.

Q: When we maintain a relationship with someone we perceive as similar to ourselves, we: a. are more likely to suffer boredom. b. view predictability as a cost. c. are likely to stay together longer. d. tend to overestimate that similarity.

Q: Which of these is a cause of tension among people using online dating sites? a. posting misleading or false information about physical appearance b. posting misleading or false information about marital status c. posting misleading or false information about age d. All of the options are correct.

Q: Which of these statements is NOT true of sexual infidelity? a. The majority of people would consider divorce if their partner had a sexual affair. b. Women find emotional infidelity more distressing than sexual infidelity. c. Both men and women view emotional infidelity in the same way as sexual infidelity. d. Men find sexual infidelity more distressing than emotional infidelity.

Q: Passionate love is a type of love that is specific to Western culture. a. True b. False

Q: Assuming the beautiful-is-good effect is operating, we are likely to see those who are physically attractive as more competent communicators. a. True b. False

Q: The effect of proximity reduces the likelihood of mixed-race romantic relationships in the United States, since Americans tend to cluster in ethnically homogenous groups. a. True b. False

Q: Once long-distance couples are reunited, relational satisfaction increases while conflict decreases. a. True b. False

Q: According to the textbook, you can like someone without loving him or her, and love someone without liking him or her. a. True b. False

Q: The two most important maintenance strategies in a long-distance romance are: a. discussing future plans and dreams. b. positivity and assurances. c. discussing conflict and disappointments. d. text and instant messaging.

Q: Define and give an example of the five power currencies used in our personal relationships.

Q: How can the serial argument process model be applied to help yield positive conflict outcomes?

Q: Carolyn and Eric have gone out a couple of times. Their conversation is composed primarily of small talk, through which they learn about each other's similarities. Which stage best characterizes their relationship? a. circumscribing b. integrating c. experimenting d. intensifying

Q: Which of these best describes the "pragma" style of love? a. friendly love that is stable and predictable b. practical love that is logical and rational c. forgiving love that is patient and selfless d. romantic love that is sentimental and idealistic

Q: We tend to be attracted to those who are not attracted to us. a. True b. False

Q: The higher divorce rate for interethnic couples is largely attributable to: a. inequity. b. cultural disapproval. c. dissimilarity in cultural values. d. the birds-of-a-feather effect.

Q: Which dialectical tension is illustrated by our simultaneous desires to bond with others and to retain independence? a. autonomy versus connection b. openness versus protection c. novelty versus predictability d. stability versus change

Q: Which of these factors is NOT an important predictor of relational stability and longevity? a. degree to which the partners are "in love" b. equity c. frequency of intimacy d. shared values

Q: When the beautiful-is-good effect occurs, we tend to perceive others as: a. physically appealing. b. competent communicators. c. intelligent. d. All of the options are correct.

Q: Define pseudo-conflict.

Q: Which cause of attraction suggests that Odin and Tina will become romantically attracted to one another simply because they see each other regularly in the gym where they both work out? a. proximity b. similarity c. reciprocal liking d. physical attractiveness

Q: What are two factors that may increase the use of accommodation?

Q: What is a primary concern when relying upon compromise to manage conflict?

Q: How are dirty secrets destructive to relationships?

Q: What is the difference between a symmetrical relationship and a complementary relationship?

Q: What effect does gender have on violence in relationships?

Q: How do gender and culture impact conflict?

Q: What are some ways to reduce the likelihood of violence in your relationship?

Q: Explain why reactivity is poisonous to relationship health.

Q: Briefly explain the serial argument process model.

Q: Explain Dyadic Power Theory.

Q: How can structural improvements be used to manage conflict in our personal relationships?

Q: Identify the five primary conflict styles or approaches.

Q: Define conflict.

Q: What are some strategies for effectively managing conflict online?

Q: Identify strategies one can use to improve conflict-management skills.

Q: What is the likely impact of serial arguments on our personal relationships?

Q: What are four characteristics of most conflicts?

Q: How does the demand-withdraw pattern emerge?

Q: The principle of _______ states that people with moderate power tend to use controlling communication.

Q: _______ is when one pursues one's own goals to the exclusion of others' goals.

Q: Identify and explain the most constructive approach to managing conflict.

Q: The _______ emerges when people stop discussing relationship issues out of fear.

Q: Sometimes one may use _______, in which the conflict is avoided by joking or changing the topic.

Q: The ability to influence or control other people or events is _______.

Q: _______ mark the end of a relationship.

Q: Why is collaboration considered to be the most constructive strategy for managing conflict?

Q: How does kitchen-sinking our relationship partners violate trust?

Q: The _______ states that the course of arguments is determined by individuals' goals, approaches, and perceptions of the conflict.

Q: _______ is a type of conflict resolution in which one person gets his or her way by influencing the other person to abandon goals.

Q: The _______ occurs when one person pursues his or her goals by making demands and the other person withdraws from the encounter.