Quiz — Chapter 18: Romantic Relationships and Intimacy

25 questions. Multiple choice unless otherwise noted. Answer key at the end.

1. According to Sternberg's triangular theory, which combination of components constitutes "companionate love"?

a) High intimacy, high passion, low commitment b) High intimacy, low passion, high commitment c) Low intimacy, high passion, high commitment d) High intimacy, high passion, high commitment

2. Which of the following love styles (Lee) is most consistently associated with anxious attachment and lower relationship satisfaction?

a) Storge b) Pragma c) Mania d) Agape

3. The mere exposure effect predicts that:

a) Physical attractiveness is the primary driver of long-term relationship satisfaction b) Familiarity with a stimulus increases positive evaluation of that stimulus c) People are most attracted to those who are different from themselves d) Attraction is primarily driven by reciprocal liking

4. Festinger, Schachter, and Back's classic housing complex study is most closely associated with which attraction principle?

a) Similarity-attraction hypothesis b) Halo effect c) Propinquity effect d) Matching hypothesis

5. The halo effect in the context of attraction refers to:

a) The tendency to become more attracted to someone as you get to know them b) The positive evaluation spillover from physical attractiveness to other personal qualities c) The bias toward partners who are similar in worldview and values d) The tendency to idealize partners in long-distance relationships

6. The similarity-attraction hypothesis is best supported by which research finding?

a) Opposites attract in long-term studies of couple stability b) Similarity in attitudes and values is consistently associated with attraction and relationship satisfaction c) Physical similarity is the strongest predictor of relationship longevity d) Complementarity in need predicts attraction more strongly than similarity in personality

7. Altman and Taylor's social penetration theory uses the metaphor of an onion to describe:

a) The layers of self-protection that prevent intimacy b) The gradual, reciprocal movement from surface to deeper disclosure in relationships c) The stages of relationship dissolution d) The matching process by which partners select each other

8. In Rusbult's investment model, commitment is predicted by:

a) Satisfaction only b) Satisfaction minus investment c) Satisfaction plus investment minus quality of alternatives d) Investment plus quality of alternatives

9. Which of the following best explains why people sometimes remain in low-satisfaction relationships according to the investment model?

a) High alternatives make staying more rational b) High investment raises the perceived cost of leaving c) Low satisfaction is associated with low commitment regardless of investment d) Passion overrides commitment-relevant calculations

10. Rusbult's concept of "transformation of motivation" describes:

a) The shift from passionate to companionate love over time b) The process by which commitment is initially formed c) The movement from acting on self-interest to acting on relational interest d) The change in communication patterns that accompanies relationship maturation

11. Passionate love is neurologically associated with:

a) Oxytocin and vasopressin systems associated with contentment b) Dopaminergic reward circuits associated with craving and motivation c) Serotonin systems associated with emotional stability d) Cortisol systems associated with stress regulation

12. According to self-expansion theory (Aron), passion in long-term relationships is best maintained by:

a) Romantic surprise gestures and gifts b) Reducing conflict and increasing agreement c) Shared novel and challenging experiences that produce personal growth d) Increasing physical proximity and time together

13. Esther Perel's research on desire in long-term relationships emphasizes:

a) The importance of complete transparency and merger b) That desire requires some degree of maintained separateness and otherness c) That physical attraction is the primary driver of sustained desire d) That passion naturally resurges after periods of low intensity

14. Harry Reis and Phillip Shaver's intimacy model describes intimacy as a process requiring:

a) Physical proximity and shared practical experience b) Disclosure followed by responsive reception (understanding, validation, care) c) Compatible attachment styles in both partners d) Long duration of shared history

15. The "vulnerability paradox" refers to:

a) The paradox that vulnerable people feel less safe in relationships b) The finding that experiences most dangerous to share often produce the deepest intimacy when shared c) The tendency to become less vulnerable as a relationship matures d) The paradox that intimacy requires distance as well as closeness

16. Gottman's concept of Love Maps refers to:

a) The cognitive schema a person holds about what love should feel like b) Detailed, current knowledge of a partner's internal world — stressors, dreams, fears, preferences c) The patterns of bidding and receiving in a couple's daily interactions d) The shared narratives and rituals that constitute a couple's culture

17. In Gottman's research, the most predictive single behavior for relationship dissolution is:

a) Criticism b) Defensiveness c) Stonewalling d) Contempt

18. Positive sentiment override describes:

a) The tendency to suppress negative emotions during conflict b) The charitable interpretation of ambiguous partner behavior in high-quality relationships c) The phenomenon of forgetting negative relationship events over time d) The tendency to be optimistic about a relationship's future despite current difficulties

19. Research on long-distance relationships (LDRs) consistently finds that:

a) LDRs are on average less satisfying than geographically close relationships b) LDR quality primarily depends on the frequency of digital contact c) LDR outcomes are not significantly worse than close-proximity relationships on average d) LDRs fail because they lack physical intimacy

20. The primary predictor of long-distance relationship outcomes, according to the research discussed in the chapter, is:

a) Frequency of communication b) Physical attractiveness compatibility c) Expectation of future proximity (having a clear plan to close the distance) d) Relationship length before the distance began

21. In Knapp's staircase model, the "differentiating" stage of coming apart is characterized by:

a) Formal termination of the relationship b) Physical and emotional distancing c) Increasing emphasis on individual differences; "I" replacing "we" d) Communication becoming limited in scope and depth

22. Duck's grave-dressing phase refers to:

a) The grief process following a relationship ending b) The construction of a narrative about the ended relationship that is livable and allows moving forward c) The final confrontation before termination d) The formal social announcement of a relationship ending

23. Which research finding most clearly describes what distinguishes couples who stay together from those who divorce in Gottman's longitudinal studies?

a) Couples who stayed together reported higher initial physical attraction b) Couples who stayed together had fewer conflicts c) Couples who stayed together turned toward each other's bids for connection approximately 86% of the time d) Couples who stayed together were more similar in personality

24. The matching hypothesis in attraction research predicts that:

a) People are most attracted to partners whose strengths complement their weaknesses b) Similarity in values is more important than similarity in attractiveness c) People tend to pair with others of similar levels of perceived attractiveness d) Partners who are both highly attractive report lower satisfaction due to competition

25. According to the chapter, which is the most accurate statement about conflict in healthy long-term relationships?

a) Healthy relationships have minimal conflict b) Conflict style (frequent vs. rare) is the primary determinant of relationship health c) The capacity to repair after conflict is a stronger predictor of relationship health than conflict style d) Conflict frequency correlates negatively with relationship satisfaction in all studies

Answer Key