Chapter 16 Quiz: Motivation and Goal Pursuit in Courtship
Multiple Choice
1. The behavioral activation system (BAS) is most associated with:
a) Threat sensitivity and withdrawal b) Reward-seeking and approach motivation c) Social norm compliance d) Rejection recovery and resilience
Answer: b
2. According to self-determination theory, which type of motivation in romantic relationships is most consistently associated with higher relationship quality?
a) Controlled motivation driven by approval-seeking b) External motivation driven by social pressure c) Autonomous motivation aligned with one's own values d) Introjected motivation driven by internalized shame
Answer: c
3. A prevention-focused individual in a courtship situation is primarily oriented toward:
a) Maximizing potential gains from the relationship b) Exploring novel relationship possibilities c) Avoiding negative outcomes such as rejection or embarrassment d) Initiating quickly before the opportunity passes
Answer: c
4. "Strategic passivity" in courtship refers to:
a) Waiting for the socially appropriate moment to initiate b) Failing to initiate as a self-protection strategy to avoid definitive rejection c) Using indirect communication to express interest d) Delaying commitment in long-term relationships
Answer: b
5. Brené Brown's work on vulnerability is empirically supported primarily by research from which tradition?
a) Evolutionary psychology b) Attachment theory and behavioral genetics c) Interpersonal process research, self-disclosure reciprocity, and authenticity studies d) Cognitive-behavioral therapy outcome research
Answer: c
6. The Okafor-Reyes Year 2 "dual inhibition" finding refers to:
a) Two distinct behavioral inhibition systems activated in sequence b) The simultaneous co-activation of strong approach AND strong avoidance motivation c) The tendency of both partners to inhibit disclosure in early courtship d) A cross-cultural pattern in which initiation is inhibited by two separate gender norms
Answer: b
7. Which of the following best describes the relationship between digital courtship and approach motivation?
a) Apps eliminate approach anxiety entirely b) The abundance of app options increases the perceived significance of individual connections c) Apps reduce cold-approach costs but generate new avoidance behaviors such as ghosting d) Face-to-face initiation is consistently preferred by both introverts and extraverts
Answer: c
8. When do approach motivation and persistence become ethically problematic?
a) When they exceed three instances of contact b) When the recipient has not clearly stated their feelings c) When the recipient's non-interest has been clearly and unambiguously expressed d) When approach motivation exceeds avoidance motivation by a significant margin
Answer: c
9. Intimacy goals and impression management goals are described in the chapter as:
a) Two complementary aspects of the same relational motivation b) Competing goal frameworks that, when both active, reduce connection quality and increase performance anxiety c) Sequential stages: impression management first, then intimacy d) Equally productive orientations in first-encounter contexts
Answer: b
10. The Okafor-Reyes data found that Western participants attributed non-initiation primarily to _, while non-Western participants often attributed it to _.
a) Cultural scripts; personal fear b) Fear of rejection; strategic social reasoning and relational timing c) Low self-efficacy; social obligation d) Prevention focus; promotion focus
Answer: b
11. Which of the following does the chapter identify as supported by evidence in building approach confidence?
a) "Fake it till you make it" performed confidence b) Global self-esteem elevation c) Exposure and habituation, self-compassion, and shifting from impression management to intimacy goals d) Reducing awareness of approach anxiety through distraction
Answer: c
12. Regulatory focus theory predicts that high cultural uncertainty avoidance will:
a) Strengthen promotion focus and increase initiation rates b) Amplify prevention focus and widen the behavioral gap between promotion- and prevention-focused individuals c) Eliminate the approach-avoidance distinction d) Reduce the gendered initiation gap
Answer: b
Short Answer Questions
13. Explain the difference between autonomous and controlled motivation in romantic contexts. Give one concrete example of each, and explain why autonomous motivation predicts better relationship outcomes. (3–4 sentences)
Sample response: Autonomous motivation means pursuing a relationship because it genuinely aligns with one's own values and desires — for example, asking someone out because you find them genuinely interesting and want to know them better. Controlled motivation means pursuing a relationship because of external pressure or obligation — for example, asking someone out primarily because you feel social pressure to be in a relationship by this stage of life. Autonomous motivation predicts better relationship quality because it supports authentic self-presentation from the outset, reduces the need to maintain a performed self, and orients the person toward genuine connection rather than approval or shame management.
14. The chapter argues that the "mixed signals" justification for persistent courtship is often a misread of a softened refusal. What does this imply about the ethical responsibility of someone who is uncertain whether signals are ambiguous or negative? (3–5 sentences)
Sample response: If recipients frequently use indirect refusals because direct refusal feels dangerous or unkind, then the ethical responsibility of the pursuer is to treat ambiguity as a reason to check in directly — asking clearly and accepting the answer — rather than as permission to continue. A functioning ethical standard cannot require clarity from the recipient when expressing clarity feels risky; it must require the pursuer to seek clarity through direct, non-pressuring communication. The chapter's point is that "I wasn't sure" is frequently not a description of the signal environment but a description of what the pursuer chose to notice — which makes it a choice rather than a confusion. Taking responsibility for that choice is the ethical work.
15. What did the Okafor-Reyes Year 2 qualitative data reveal about vulnerability across cultures — specifically, the finding about "vulnerability as presence" vs. "vulnerability as speech"? What does this finding imply for the standard Western self-disclosure literature? (3–4 sentences)
Sample response: The Year 2 qualitative data found that across cultures, participants identified a moment of vulnerability as key in early courtship, but the form of vulnerability varied dramatically. In Swedish and South Korean samples in particular, participants described vulnerability as demonstrated through sustained presence and repeated return rather than verbal emotional disclosure. This suggests that the Western self-disclosure literature — which operationalizes vulnerability primarily as what you say about yourself — may be missing a behaviorally enacted form of vulnerability that is meaningful in non-verbal and less individualist cultural contexts. The implication is that the empirical basis for vulnerability research needs to be broadened beyond verbal disclosure to encompass other forms of authentic exposure.