Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Practice Exam

Which aspect of cognitive maps reflects how behaviors shape communication?

1. Input and output representation

2. Space and time dimensions

3. Flexibility and rigidity variance

4. Emotional attachment mapping

The correct answer is: Input and output representation

The aspect of cognitive maps that reflects how behaviors shape communication is related to the representation of input and output. Cognitive maps are mental representations of physical or social environments that help individuals navigate and understand their surroundings. In this context, the input represents the information received from the environment (such as social cues or behavioral patterns), and the output encompasses the behaviors or actions taken in response to that information. When considering communication specifically, the way individuals receive input—through observations, verbal cues, and non-verbal expressions—directly influences how they construct their cognitive maps. This construction helps shape subsequent behaviors in communication. For instance, if a person recognizes that a certain tone of voice or body language consistently leads to positive interactions (an input), their output in future interactions may adjust to mirror those successful behaviors. On the other hand, the other aspects mentioned do not primarily focus on the interplay between behaviors and communication. While space and time dimensions might relate to the temporal and contextual aspects of interactions, and flexibility and rigidity variance could describe different approaches people take in their responses, they do not specifically illustrate how behaviors inform communication styles. Emotional attachment mapping, meanwhile, pertains more to the psychological aspects of relationships rather than the direct communication of behaviors and their representation. Thus, input and output