ComS 100A: Survey of Communication Studies
Test 2: Study Guide
Harris-Jenkinson
The test is worth 50 points and consists of a combination of multiple choice and true/false
questions.
The test covers the following textbook readings and lectures:
 Chapters 6 (Conflict/Negotiation), 8 (Relationships), 9 (Interpersonal), 10 (Intercultural),
12 (Small Group) from Human Communication: Principles and Contexts (Tubbs & Moss)
 Lectures: Conflict, Relationships, Communication Climates, Family Communication,
Interpersonal, Intercultural, Small Group
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
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
You should know (be able to identify based upon examples, give an example/definition for a
concept, etc.):
 Types of conflict (pseudoconflict, intrapersonal, ego conflict, simple conflict, intergroup, etc.)
 Conflict myths and benefits
 Stages of conflict (prior conditions, frustration awareness, etc.) and what occurs in each
stage
 Conflict styles (competitive, avoidance, etc.). Know where to plot each style on the styles
matrix, including the win/lose description
 Characteristics of principled negotiation
 Confirming & disconfirming responses
 Gibbs’ communication climates (supportive & defensive, characteristics of each)
 Characteristics of interpersonal communication (uniqueness, irreplaceable, intrinsic rewards,
etc.)
 Differences between low-context and high-context cultures
 Hofsteade’s research on cultural dimensions/cultural values
 Interpersonal attraction (what is it, what are the elements of it, when each type is most
important)
 Models of relational development/dissolution (Knapp, Duck, dialectical theory, etc.)
 Type of power relationships
 Predicted outcome theory
 Relationships of circumstance & choice
 Turning points (reflective, causal)
 Triangular theory of love
 Types of love (ludis, pragma, eros, etc.)
 Johari Window
 Circumplex model of family interaction
 Difference between impersonal and interpersonal communication
Harris-Jenkinson
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Test 2 Study Guide: ComS 100A
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Types of groups (primary, secondary, problem-solving, therapy, etc.)
Advantages and disadvantages of working in groups
Phases of Group Development (Bruce Tuckman’s “–ing” stages)
Group roles (know the three different categories—task, maintenance, selfcentered/disruptive/individualistic) and the specific roles in each category)
Leadership theories
Definitions or descriptions of:
 Interpersonal communication
 Self-disclosure
 Cultural filtering, imperialism, homogeneity, etc. (If it has cultural in front of it, you need to
know it)
 Enculturation, assimilation
 Ethnocentrism, ethnorelativism, xenocentrism
 Phatic communication
 Family
 Groupthink
Harris-Jenkinson
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Test 2 Study Guide: ComS 100A