Chapter 11 - Individual Behavior

Question 1

Perception

Answer 1

The process of receiving and interpreting information from the environment.

• The way we form impressions about ourselves, other people and daily life experiences

Question 2

Stereotypes

Answer 2

Assigns attributes commonly associated with a group to an individual.

• Puts people into categories and then use attributes of the category to describe the individual
• A distorting simplification

Question 3

Halo effects

Answer 3

Uses one attribute or characteristic to develop an overall impression of a person or situation.
- Distorting simplification

Question 4

Selective perception

Answer 4

Focuses attention on things consistent with existing beliefs, needs, actions.
- We perceive what fits and screen out the rest
- When people only view things from their POV
- Distorting simplification
Ex. Sales are down. I knew the new product design was flawed

Question 5

Projection

Answer 5

Assigns personal attributes to other individuals.

• Assumes others are just like us and assigns our attributes to them
• “Similiar to me” error
• Distorting simplification

Question 6

Attribution

Answer 6

The process of creating explanations for events.

Question 7

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 7

Overestimates internal factors and underestimates external factors as influences on someone’s behavior.
- Related to the tendency to blame other people when things go wrong whether it’s may be true or not

Question 8

Self-serving bias

Answer 8

Underestimates internal factors and overestimates external factors as influences on someone’s behavior.

• Tendency for people to blame personal failures on external causes rather than accept personal responsibility
• When we take personal credit for successes and blame failures on external factors

Question 9

Impression management

Answer 9

Tries to create desired perceptions in the eyes of others.

- Systematic attempt to influence how others perceive us

Question 10

Personality

Answer 10

The profile of characteristics making a person unique from others.
- This uniqueness has consequences on how we behave and how that behavior is regarded by others

Question 11

List the BIG Five personality traits

Answer 11

1. Extraversion
2. Agreeableness
3. Conscientiousness
4. Emotional stability
5. Openness to experience

Question 12

Extraversion personality

Answer 12

Talkative, comfortable, confident in interpersonal relationships

Introvert is private, withdrawn, reserved

Question 13

Agreeableness personality

Answer 13

Trusting, courteous, helpful, gets along well with others

• Disagreeable person is self serving, skeptical, tough, and creates discomfort

Question 14

Conscientiousness personality

Answer 14

Dependable, organized, focused on getting things done,

Unconscientiousness person is careless, impulsive, and not achievement oriented

Question 15

Emotional stability personality

Answer 15

Secure, calm, steady, self-confident,

Person lacking emotional stability is excitable, anxious, nervous, tense

Question 16

Openness to experience personality

Answer 16

Broad-minded, imaginative, open to new ideas,

Opposite is narrow minded, interested in few things, resists change

Question 17

Locus of control

Answer 17

The extent to which one believes what happens is within one’s control.

Question 18

Authoritarianism

Answer 18

The degree to which a person defers to authority and accepts status differences.

Question 19

Machiavellianism

Answer 19

The degree to which someone uses power manipulatively and is emotionally detached when using power

Question 20

Self-monitoring

Answer 20

The degree to which someone is able to adjust behavior in response to external factors.

Question 21

Stress

Answer 21

State of tension experienced by individuals facing extraordinary demands, constraints, or opportunities.

Question 22

Type A personality

Answer 22

Oriented toward extreme achievement, impatience, and perfectionism.
- Bring stress to themselves

Question 23

Constructive stress

Answer 23

A positive influence on effort, creativity, and diligence in work.
- Energizing and performance enhancing

Question 24

Destructive stress

Answer 24

A negative influence on one’s performance.

• Seems so intense or long lasting that it breaks down a person’s physical and mental systems
• Leads to job burnout
• Flameout
• Workplace rage

Question 25

Job burnout

Answer 25

Physical and mental exhaustion from work stress.

Question 26

Flameout

Answer 26

Occurs when we communicate extreme agitation in interpersonal communication or electronic messages.

Question 27

Attitude

Answer 27

Predisposition to act in a certain way towards people or environmental factors

Question 28

What are the three components of attitude?

Answer 28

Cognition - reflects a belief or attitude
Affect - reflects a specific feeling
Behavior - reflects an intention to behave consistently with the belief or feeling

Question 29

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 29

Discomfort felt when attitude and behavior are inconsistent.

Question 30

Emotions

Answer 30

Strong feelings that are directed at someone or something. Influence behavior
- Short term, and clearly targeted

Question 31

Moods

Answer 31

Generalized positive or negative states of mind that can be persistent influences on one’s behavior.

Question 32

Behavior

Answer 32

Creates a window into what people are thinking and feeling

Question 33

Mood contagion

Answer 33

The spillover of one’s positive or negative moods onto others.