MSU: COM 225 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
100% CORRECT | NEW UPDATE 2025
Who was Ashley Smith and how is her story related to goal competence? -
ANSWERS Ashley was a girl who was taken hostage but convinced her captor
to let her go and give himself up. Goal competence has to do with how we get
people to agree with our position. She convinced him to let her go.
What is involved in the influence process? - ANSWERS Any act of
communication, intended or not, affecting attitudes and behaviors
What is social influence? - ANSWERS When one's emotions, behaviors, or
opinions are affected by another's, such as peer pressure
What three types of influence behaviors do Sanders and Fitch identify? -
ANSWERS Simple directives: request
Compliance seeking behaviors: hinting, promising
More overt persuasion attempts: heavy handed attempts
Does culture play any role influence behaviors? - ANSWERS Yes, different
persuadables in cultures (topics open for conversation)
What does the film Paper Clips illustrate about goal competence? - ANSWERS
The film is about a teacher in Tennessee who wants to teach his students about
,how important diversity is so he focuses on all the lives that were lost in the
holocaust. One of his students has trouble picturing how many Jews were killed so
the class to collects a paper clip for each life lost. Eventually the community
obtains one of the rail freight cars actually used to transport Jews to the
extermination camps and creates a museum honoring the lost lives in the
holocaust.
What three issues are addressed in influence attempts? - ANSWERS 1.
Instrumental Issues: Focus on achieving a particular goal.
2. Relational Issues: Focus on building a shared understanding with other people.
3. Identity Issue: Confirm or reject other people's self-presentation.
What two kinds of face are defined in this chapter? - ANSWERS Positive- Need
to be liked and appreciated
Negative- Need to be free to make your own decision
How are influence attempts related to face needs? - ANSWERS Influence
attempts can be threatening to others
Ex. Giving someone an invitation: someone may say no and then the person
having the party can be embarrassed.
How should people take face into account when framing requests? - ANSWERS
We believe that in order to be influential, communicators need to be sensitive to
face and be able to role- take, two skills that ask us to step outside ourselves and
take note of the needs of others
What is psychological reactance? - ANSWERS When the receiver responds
defensively and becomes resistant.
, What is symbolic role taking and why is it important for influence? - ANSWERS
Taking on the role of another person to predict how they will react
Values Theory: - ANSWERS people establish their identity and guard their
values
Learning Theory: - ANSWERS people want to achieve rewards and escape
punishment
Consistency Theory: - ANSWERS people want to appear to be stable over time
What are the basic elements of learning theory? - ANSWERS -Actions that are
brought with positive results will be repeated
-Behavior consists of stimulus-response chains that follow one another in a never-
ending series
-Behavior can be changed by manipulating either stimulus or response
What are the major learning theories? - ANSWERS Classical conditioning,
operant conditioning, social learning theory, social exchange theory
Classical conditioning - ANSWERS involves stimulus, a response, and a transfer
of the response to something else (Pavlov)
Operant conditioning - ANSWERS learning based on positive and negative
reinforcement
ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
100% CORRECT | NEW UPDATE 2025
Who was Ashley Smith and how is her story related to goal competence? -
ANSWERS Ashley was a girl who was taken hostage but convinced her captor
to let her go and give himself up. Goal competence has to do with how we get
people to agree with our position. She convinced him to let her go.
What is involved in the influence process? - ANSWERS Any act of
communication, intended or not, affecting attitudes and behaviors
What is social influence? - ANSWERS When one's emotions, behaviors, or
opinions are affected by another's, such as peer pressure
What three types of influence behaviors do Sanders and Fitch identify? -
ANSWERS Simple directives: request
Compliance seeking behaviors: hinting, promising
More overt persuasion attempts: heavy handed attempts
Does culture play any role influence behaviors? - ANSWERS Yes, different
persuadables in cultures (topics open for conversation)
What does the film Paper Clips illustrate about goal competence? - ANSWERS
The film is about a teacher in Tennessee who wants to teach his students about
,how important diversity is so he focuses on all the lives that were lost in the
holocaust. One of his students has trouble picturing how many Jews were killed so
the class to collects a paper clip for each life lost. Eventually the community
obtains one of the rail freight cars actually used to transport Jews to the
extermination camps and creates a museum honoring the lost lives in the
holocaust.
What three issues are addressed in influence attempts? - ANSWERS 1.
Instrumental Issues: Focus on achieving a particular goal.
2. Relational Issues: Focus on building a shared understanding with other people.
3. Identity Issue: Confirm or reject other people's self-presentation.
What two kinds of face are defined in this chapter? - ANSWERS Positive- Need
to be liked and appreciated
Negative- Need to be free to make your own decision
How are influence attempts related to face needs? - ANSWERS Influence
attempts can be threatening to others
Ex. Giving someone an invitation: someone may say no and then the person
having the party can be embarrassed.
How should people take face into account when framing requests? - ANSWERS
We believe that in order to be influential, communicators need to be sensitive to
face and be able to role- take, two skills that ask us to step outside ourselves and
take note of the needs of others
What is psychological reactance? - ANSWERS When the receiver responds
defensively and becomes resistant.
, What is symbolic role taking and why is it important for influence? - ANSWERS
Taking on the role of another person to predict how they will react
Values Theory: - ANSWERS people establish their identity and guard their
values
Learning Theory: - ANSWERS people want to achieve rewards and escape
punishment
Consistency Theory: - ANSWERS people want to appear to be stable over time
What are the basic elements of learning theory? - ANSWERS -Actions that are
brought with positive results will be repeated
-Behavior consists of stimulus-response chains that follow one another in a never-
ending series
-Behavior can be changed by manipulating either stimulus or response
What are the major learning theories? - ANSWERS Classical conditioning,
operant conditioning, social learning theory, social exchange theory
Classical conditioning - ANSWERS involves stimulus, a response, and a transfer
of the response to something else (Pavlov)
Operant conditioning - ANSWERS learning based on positive and negative
reinforcement
