Interpersonal Communication
Comprehensive Final
Study Guide
Harris-Jenkinson
The test is worth 100 points composed of 50 True/False and Multiple Choice Questions (2 pts
each). No short answers on this test, which covers the ALL textbook readings and ALL lectures:
Materials needed:
 One scantron (green, #882, half sheet)
 One piece of binder paper (if you come across a question on the multiple choice or true/false
questions where you believe you need to justify your answer)
 One or two sharpened #2 pencils
 Your bright, cheerful, awake and READY smiling face
Please note: Some questions are very straight forward and involve rote memory (e.g., definitions,
lists), while others are application-based (you may be given an example and asked to identify a
concept). Other questions are based upon synthesis (you may not be able to find the exact
answer from lecture or in the textbook, but you should be able to figure out the answer if you
understand the material). Occasionally I use comic strips as the basis for questions. Items noted
below with an asterisk (*) are those requiring short answers.
You should know:
 Accurate definition of interpersonal communication and how it differs from other types of
communication (e.g., impersonal, mediated, public, small group, etc.)
 Principles & misconceptions of communication (can be intentional or unintentional, is
irreversible, etc.)
 Communication apprehension: What differentiates a high and low (and medium) Comm App
 How electronically mediated communication is changing our understanding of conversations
 Emotions: Know what they are, difficulties in labeling, how they are contagious, whether you
should always/never express them and when.
 Self-reflexiveness, self-fulfilling prophecy, social comparison, self-esteem, self concept
 William Shutz’s Interpersonal Needs (Affection, Inclusion, Control): Be able to identify which
need based upon an example.
 Various theories: attribution theory, impression formation, implicit personality theory,
standpoint theory, social exchange theory, relational dialectics (tensions, Leslie Baxter)
 Johari Window (know the quadrants) and connection with self disclosure
 Difference between low-context cultures and high-context cultures.
 Ethnocentrism
 Differences between men and women in communication styles
 Difference between hearing and listening
 Types of listening (pleasurable, evaluative, empathetic, discriminative)
 Reasons we are ineffective listeners
 Strategies for creating a supportive climate (and, by default, defensive climate): Check
Communication Climates
 Stages in the coming together/escalation and coming apart/de-escalation stages (Knapp’s
Staircase and/or Beebe, Beebe & Ivy’s Elevator model).
 Strategies for escalating or maintaining relationships
 Types of love (according to John Alan Lee: storge, eros, ludis, etc.)
 The circumplex model of family interaction (adaptability, cohesion, communication)
 Sapir-Whorf hypothesis – what it is (also known as the Whorfian Hypothesis, Linguistic
Determinism, Linguistic Relativity).
Harris-Jenkinson
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Final Exam Study Guide: Interpersonal Communication
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How words are symbols, and the relationship between the symbols (words) and their
meanings (e.g., arbitrary, conventional, culturally bound)
Word barriers (bypassing, polarization, allness, etc.)
Conflict management: Styles, Benefits, Myths
Types of evaluative feedback (negative, positive, formative)
Challenges/difficulties in interpreting nonverbal behavior (e.g., culture based, ambiguity,
multi-channel)
How verbal and nonverbal messages interact (contradict, substitute, etc.)
Harris-Jenkinson
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Final Exam Study Guide: Interpersonal Communication