Hunt - Com 305

Exam #2 Study Guide

(Chapter 6 – 9)

Be able to discuss the following. Your answers will need to be thorough and detailed.

1. Be prepared for either option #1 or option #2 from the "field observation report that wasn’t."

2. Explain what Baxter means by "dialectical moments" in the ongoing flux of relationship life.

3. It is the meaning we assign to acts, not the acts themselves, that leads us to sense when a relationship has entered a new phase. Explain and illustrate how this works.

4. Sunnafrank found that in initial interactions, we may find it more gratifying to talk to others about what we believe and value than to necessarily agree about those beliefs and values. This finding contradicts traditional beliefs about attraction and similarity. Explain and illustrate.

5. Two common complications in early interactions (when we don’t know the other person well) involve a) misinterpretation and b) underestimating the influence of outside factors. Explain and illustrate.

6. Accuracy in your view of a relationship is not a requirement for a sense of intimacy. The relationship you believe you are in, is the one your are in. Explain and illustrate. What does this have to do with your CLalt?

7. Explorational communication ("conversational fishing") is designed to reduce uncertainty and discover a) information and common interests and b) insight into each other’s unique, private self. Discuss this in terms of Altman and Taylor’s social penetration theory (onion).

8. As a result of their research into how the past influences our perceptions of current relationships and our interest in new relationships, Thibaut and Kelley suggest we rely on two standards to assess current relationships (CL & Clalt). An additional factor, relationship quota, also affects decisions about initiating interaction with new people. First, define each these three constructs (CL, Clalt, & relationship quota). Then, explain how each operates to influence our relational decisions. How do these relate to relationship satisfaction and commitment?

9. Discuss Sternberg’s triangular theory of love. How has subsequent research further clarified our understanding of the dimensionality of love?

10. Name and describe the positive and negative characteristics of each of the three primary styles of love.

11. In understanding styles of love, it is important to remember that: 1) your partner’s ways of loving may influence yours, 2) the relevant issue is how styles fit or fail to fit, and 3) systemic influences and individual factors must be considered. Using a current or past relationship as an exemplar, discuss each of these three caveats.

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12. Wood outlines communication processes during committing (Ch. 7) that seem to promote dual perspective and initial relational culture. Describe communication behavior typical of each.

13. Explain and illustrate how each of the processes Wood outlines in everyday rhythms help to keep partners’ lives woven together on a day-to-day basis (relationship maintenance).

14. Develop a thoughtful, cogent argument for or against social exchange theory as a theoretical model of relationship maintenance. In other words, do you think social exchange theory is a good way to explain relational behavior. Why, why not?

15. Develop a thoughtful, cogent argument for or against relational dialectics as a theoretical model of relationship maintenance. In other words, do you think dialectical theory is a good way to explain relational behavior. Why or why not?

16. Wood tells us that we should view "change as constant." Name, describe and give an example of each of the three sources of relationship change outlined in Ch.8.

17. First, name and discuss the significance of each of the "Four Horsemen" described in the video we watched in class (also in Wood). Then, explain which one you think is the most troublesome or damaging to a relationship…why?

18. Benign neglect may be the greatest threat to long-term relationships for busy, over committed partners. Discuss causes and repair strategies.

19. Briefly outline how Wood explains the differences between masculine and feminine standpoints on personal relationships. How might this contribute to misunderstandings? Discuss how we can manage the tensions between these two standpoints in our cross gendered relationships.

20. Wood argues that attributional processes (causal accounts) influence our feelings toward our partners and our relationships. She discusses four dimensions of attributions that contour our experience of a relationship. Explain how each of these dimensions operates.

21. Rusbult’s research indicates there are sex differences in response tendencies during the "dyadic negotiation" phase of relational deterioration. Explain, illustrate.

22. Briefly outline what happens in each step of Duck’s five-phase model of relationship dissolution.

23. Discuss how changes in individuals, relationship structures, and ways of evaluating relationships can influence relationship deterioration.

24. Describe the circular relationship between quantity of communication, quality of communication and tone of communication in the deterioration process.