2013 Midterm 1 & 2 Questions Flashcards
(48 cards)
- According to the lecture notes, the reason more people drown at Coney Island when hot dog consumption increases is: (1,1)
A. An intervening variable
B. A false correlation
C. Causation by the hot dogs
D. Causation by drowning
E. The hot dogs had been eaten less than ½ hour before swimming.
A. An intervening variable
2. In the Luthans' model, he shows that effective managers spend the largest portion of their time doing what? (1,2) A. Traditional Management Functions B. Human Resource Management C. Communication D. Networking E. None of these
C. Communication
3. (p. 5) The objective of organizational behavior is to develop a better \_\_\_. (1,3) A. understanding of competitors B. understanding of people at work C. collective processes D. indoctrination system for employees E. fit with the external environment
B. understanding of people at work
- According to your textbook, studies at the Western Electric Hawthorne Plant in the 1930’s showed that “supportive supervision”: (1,4)
A. created record breaking performance
B. proved that ergonomics was the key to high production
C. employees behavior can’t be changed
D. showed that increasing the lighting improved production in the long run
E. nobody knows for certain why production improved—too many factors
E. nobody knows for certain why production improved—too many factors
In class, we discussed the fact that watching people may change the way they work. We called this the “Hawthorne Effect.” However, as your textbook points out on page 8, there were many other factors as well, such as money, fear of unemployment during the Great Depression, managerial discipline and high quality raw materials. Since there was not just one single factor, nobody really knows for sure why production improved. The results of the study were inconclusive, even though at the time the improvements were attributed to “supportive supervision.”
5. Which one of the following is not one of the groups of human traits described in class? (2,1) A. Biographical B. Physical C. Emotional D. Attitudes
C. Emotional
- Janet’s supervisor says to her, “if you are late one more time, you will be fired—no excuses!” This is an example of: (2,3)
A. A supervisor who doesn’t listen
B. A supervisor who uses the medical model
C. A supervisor who has a “Type B” personality
D. A supervisor who should be removed
E. A supervisor who is a behaviorist.
E. A supervisor who is a behaviorist.
- Test reliability means that a test is: (2,4)
A. Always right
B. Measures what it was intended to measure
C. Measures variables that are useful to the user
D. Measures the same way every time
E. Legal to use
D. Measures the same way every time
8. (p. 162) According to research on the stability of attitudes, when is a person least likely to change his or her general attitudes? (2,5) A. Childhood B. Adolescence C. Early adulthood D. Middle adulthood E. Late adulthood
D. Middle adulthood
9. (p. 170) Fulfilling one's needs, attaining important values, and being treated fairly at work are all causes of \_\_\_\_. (2,7) A. job satisfaction B. met expectations C. absenteeism D. turnover E. intelligence
A. job satisfaction
- (p. 139) Intelligence results from a combination of ____. (3,1)
A. innate capacity and environmental influences
B. nature and genetics
C. innate capacity and formal education
D. formal education and life experiences
E. nurture and environmental influences
A. innate capacity and environmental influences
- Early research on personality and body types argued that: (3,2)
A. Personality was determined by body shape
B. Ectomorphs were happy and carefree
C. Phrenology works better than physiognomy
D. Criminals had been raised in a criminal environment
E. Twins studies prove that IQ is inherited.
A. Personality was determined by body shape
12. (p. 133) Regarding the Big Five personality dimensions, a person scoring high on \_\_\_\_\_ is trusting, good natured, cooperative, and soft-hearted. (3,3) A. extraversion B. agreeableness C. conscientiousness D. emotional stability E. openness to experience
B. agreeableness
- In Social Learning Theory, Bandura suggested that our traits are transformed into behavior as a result of: (3,4)
A. our perception of previous life experiences
B. our genetics
C. differences in our backgrounds
D. our emotional stability
E. our openness to experience
A. our perception of previous life experiences
14. Which of the following is NOT one of the theories of conflict we studied in class? (3,8) A. The Psychodynamic Perspective B. Field Theory C. Cognitive Choice Model D. Social Exchange Perspective E. Human Relations Model
C. Cognitive Choice Model
15. (p. 336) The \_\_\_\_\_ model proposes that managers use a four-step sequence when making decision: (1) identify the problem, (2) generate alternative solutions, (3) select a solution, and (4) implement and evaluate the solution. (4,1) A. rational B. normative C. scenario D. garbage can E. contingency
A. rational
16. (p. 349) \_\_\_\_\_ is a capacity for attaining direct knowledge or understanding without the apparent intrusion of rational thought or logical inference. (4,2) A. Escalation of commitment B. Analytical ability C. Decision making D. Intuition E. Creativity
D. Intuition
- The survival exercise showed that: (4,3)
A. Good group decisions are only possible when everyone agrees quickly
B. Members of a decision-making group must high levels of expertise
C. Group decisions are superior to decisions made by individuals
D. Group members’ disagreement is important for good decisions
E. You should try to walk back to the nearest city if your plane crashes in Canada.
D. Group members’ disagreement is important for good decisions
18. In making the hiring decision, the tool that is least effective in selecting candidates who will be successful is: (4,4) A. A job interview B. An IQ test C. References D. Roll playing E. A writing sample
A. A job interview
19. (p. 232) The primary objective of the Hackman and Oldham job characteristics model is to increase \_\_\_\_. (5,3) A. performance quality B. internal motivation C. core job performance D. job satisfaction E. critical psychological states
B. internal motivation
- (p. 215) One characteristic of high achievers is that they ____. (5,4)
A. prefer extremely difficulty
B. prefer situations in which their performance is due to their own efforts
C. desire feedback on their failures but not their successes
D. desire feedback on their successes but not their failures
E. like to compete against people who are much more skilled than they are
B. prefer situations in which their performance is due to their own efforts
21. (p. 225) \_\_\_\_\_ refers to the positive or negative value people place on outcomes. (5,5) A. Instrumentality B. Valence C. Inequity D. Expectancy E. Cognitive dissonance
B. Valence
- When looking at their own pay, most people: (5,6)
A. Overestimate their earning ability
B. Find it the most important motivator
C. Don’t look at the earnings of people in other companies to compare wages
D. See pay as an internal motivator
E. Don’t realize they could make more if they looked for another job.
A. Overestimate their earning ability
- What is the relationship of motivation to productivity? Are highly motivated employees more productive? (5,1)
As we discussed in class, while there is some evidence to support this, overall, the evidence of a direct relationship between motivation and productivity is inconclusive. Some better known theories, such as the work of Maslow, have not been fully supported by research findings. Only “goal setting” appears to be supported by research as a motivator that causes productivity, but this is also dependent on the type of employee and the specific situation. Even though we can’t “prove” that motivated employees are more productive, that does not mean we don’t want to try to motivate them. As managers we have an ethical responsibility to make the workplace as worker friendly as possible, even though we may not have proof that this will increase outputs. In fact, according to Herzberg, our biggest problem may be “demotivating” employees by not providing for their basic needs—although this theory is also not fully supported by research either.
They are lots of studies done on this but all research shows it is inconclusive. When we did the presentation on motivation. My groups was given goal setting. In our topic there was some evidence that showed people who set goals are more productive and in many cases more motivated. that being said it is still not clear. it depended on the person and their situation. So it is still inconclusive to say motivation improves productivity
In one of the group presentations, four kinds of stereotyping were discussed. Name two of these and describe a positive or negative outcome associated with each. (Student Presentation)
The four kinds of stereotyping are:
A. Gender Stereotyping—this can result in discrepancies in pay, reduced opportunities for women and sexual harassment. I can’t think of anything positive, but if you can, it had better not be a stereotype.
B. Disability Stereotyping—this can result in all people with disabilities being lumped together, irrespective of the disability. This results in loss of employment opportunities that fit the needs of the individual, as well as the loss of qualified people to fill jobs. Again, I’m at a loss to find anything positive about this, but you can try.
C. Age Stereotyping—May be called “ageism” or “adultism.” This is the assumption that older (or younger) people are incapable of doing a job because of age. Studies don’t support this, and highly productive people may be passed over for jobs when this is practiced. If you think there are positives to this, remember that your professor is old and I am reading this.
D. Racial Stereotyping—This is the practice of ascribing broad traits to racial or ethnic groups. Wars have been fought over this one, so don’t even try to tell me anything positive about it.