I/O, School, Community, Ethics

Question 1

Approximately what percentage of those now entering the labor force are racial/ethnic minorities and women?

45%
55%
65%
75%

Answer 1

D. The changing complexion and feminization of the workforce has become a reality with racial/ethnic minorities and women compromising about 75% of the new entries into the labor force. The diversity index of the United States stands at 49, indicating that nearly half the people selected at random are racially or ethnically different. Racial/ethnic minority students constitute 45% of the population in U.S. public schools; some school systems in California reached 50% in the late 80s. It is estimated Visible Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups (VREG) will constitute a numerical majority sometime between 2030 and 2050.

Question 2

The primary purpose of feedback in the context of organizational development is to:

help clients understand the diagnostic information that has been collected
provide clients with information on the effectiveness of an OD intervention
provide employees with information about their individual performance
provide managers with information on the employee’s concerns

Answer 2

Organization development (OD) is a process used to facilitate organizational change. The phases of OD have been described by Burke as: entry, contracting, diagnosis, feedback, planning change, intervention, and evaluation. The purpose of the feedback phase is to help clients understand the information that the consultant has gathered and diagnosed so the clients can decide what actions to take [W. Burke, 1982, Organization Development: Principles and Practice. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company].

Question 3

Ethics
14. A client suspects that she may have been sexually abused as a child, although she has no conscious recollection of the abuse. She asks her psychologist to use hypnosis to help her retrieve any repressed memories she may have of any abuse. The psychologist should:

agree to use hypnosis only if he or she has obtained adequate training and experience in it’s use.
agree to use hypnosis but take detailed notes in the event of future legal action and avoid asking the client any leading questions.
advise against the use hypnosis, but recommend the use of guided imagery, which may be more admissible in court.
advise the patient that hypnosis may produce false recollections of abuse and is therefore inappropriate.

Answer 3

The Correct Answer is D
In a report titled “Final Conclusions of the American Psychological Association Working Group on Investigation of Memories of Childhood Abuse” [Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 2000, 4 (4), 933-940] the authors acknowledge that “it is possible for memories of abuse that have been forgotten for a long time to be remembered.” However, they recommend that “clients who seek hypnosis as a means of retrieving or confirming their recollections should be advised that it is not an appropriate procedure for this goal because of the serious risk that pseudomemories may be created in trance states and of the related risk due to increased confidence in those memories. Clients should also be informed that the use of hypnosis could jeopardize any future legal actions they might want to take.”

Question 4

School
16. In addition to the Vocabulary subtest, which of the following Wechsler subtests are least susceptible to brain damage and, therefore, useful for assessing premorbid intelligence?

Similarities and Picture Completion
Information and Picture Completion
Block Design and Object Assembly
Information and Arithmetic

Answer 4

Although scores on the Vocabulary, Information, and Picture Completion subtests can be suppressed by certain types of brain injury, they are considered to be most resistant to brain injury and, therefore, the best indicators of premorbid intelligence.

Question 5

I/O
53. Which of the following procedures summarizes and identifies key variables that describe the consequences of HR programs to improve decision making?

utilization review
utility analysis
concurrent review
quality management

Answer 5

The Correct Answer is B
B. Based on the logic that decision making will be improved by using a decision-support framework that explicitly considers the costs and benefits of human resources (HR) decisions, a utility analysis summarizes and identifies key variables that describe the consequences of HR programs. Utility analysis has most frequently been studied as applied to selection procedures although other cost/benefit analyses have been applied to HR interventions such as recruitment, training, performance feedback, promotion, turnover/layoff management and more recently, new policy implementation. Studies have purported to identify, with a high degree of precision, the financial payback to be realized through investments designed to improve employee productivity. Advances in utility analysis application and related research have been limited due to an inability to develop an agreed-upon method to estimate the dollar value of job performance and its standard deviation (SDy). The challenge arises in uniformly evaluating human inputs, actions, and/or the outcomes of those actions as well as the uncertainty of task characteristics, relationships, and levels of task independence across positions and organizations. Utilization Review (a.) is a cost containment procedure involving an evaluation of patients’ use of services to identify any unnecessary or inappropriate use of health care resources. Concurrent review (c.) describes the utilization review conducted during the course of treatment. Quality management (d.) is another name for quality assurance. (See: Boudreau, J.W. & Ramstad, P.M. (2001). Strategic I/O Psychology and Utility Analysis. In W. Borman, R. Klimoski & D. Ilgen (Eds.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons; Latham, G.P., & Whyte, G. (1994). The futility of utility analysis. Personnel Psychology, 47, 31-46. and Boudreau, J.W. (1991). Utility analysis for decisions in human resource management. In M.D. Dunnette & L.M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 621-745). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.)

Question 6

I/O
59. Which aspect is not associated with organizational citizenship behavior?

contextual performance
responsibility
altruism
generalized compliance

Answer 6

The Correct Answer is B
B. Organ defined organizational citizenship behavior as discretionary, voluntary behaviors that are not part of an employee’s specified role requirements nor formally rewarded by the organization and in aggregate, contribute to organizational effectiveness by enhancing the “social and psychological context that supports task performance” (Organ 1997: 91). Smith, Organ, and Near (1983) initially identified two distinct OCB dimensions: altruism (b.), defined as behaviors directed toward a specific person such as helping co-workers with work-related tasks and generalized compliance (d.), defined as behaviors representative of what a “good worker” should do, such as arriving on time and not wasting time while at work. Organ (1988) later proposed a five-factor model of OCB which included altruism as previously defined; (2) conscientiousness, previously referred to as generalized compliance by Smith et al. (1983) and representing behaviors that go above and beyond minimal expectations of good workers in areas such as attendance, timeliness, and conservation of resources; (3) sportsmanship, referring to behaviors such as tolerating trivial or minor inconveniences without complaining or initiating a grievance; (4) courtesy, involving anticipatory acts that help someone else prevent a problem such as consulting with others when making decisions that may affect them or providing relevant information in advance; and (5) civic virtue, referring to constructive involvement or participation in the overall organization and may include attending meetings regarding the organization. A number of other OCB dimensions have since been proposed and examined, with estimates ranging from one to seven, however most of the OCB literature relies either on the initial two factors or the five dimensions of Organ’s (1988) taxonomy (LePine et al, 2002). Contextual performance (a.) is work behavior that affects organizational performance less directly than the task-related behavior typically construed as “performance” and is often used synonymously with OCB in recent studies. (See: Smith, C. A., Organ, D. W., & Near, J. P. (1983). Organizational citizenship behavior: Its nature and antecedents. Journal of Applied Psychology, 68: 653-663; Organ, D. W. (1988a). Organizational citizenship behavior: The good soldier syndrome. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books; Organ, D. W. (1997). Organizational citizenship behavior: It’s construct clean-up time. Human Performance, 10: 85-97; LePine, J. A., Erez, A., & Johnson, D. E. (2002). The nature and dimensionality of organizational citizenship behavior: A critical review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87: 52-65.)

Question 7

I/O
82. According to Anne Cleary’s model of test fairness, a job selection test would be considered unfair if

Based on the use of the test, a higher proportion of Caucasians than African-Americans are chosen for the job.
the test has a higher validity coefficient for Caucasians than for African-Americans.
the slope of the test’s regression line is different for African-Americans than for Caucasians.
the content of the test is culturally biased.

Answer 7

The Correct Answer is C
Under the Cleary model, a test is considered unfair if the slope and/or the y-intercept of the regression line is different for one subgroup than for another. The effect of these statistical phenomena is that differences between subgroups on predictor scores would not be reflective of differences between the groups on the criterion. For instance, low scorers in one subgroup might do just as well on the criterion as high scorers in the other subgroup.

Question 8

I/O
83. According to Bass, transformational leadership contains four interrelated components. Which of the following is characterized by high moral and ethical standards?

intellectual stimulation
inspirational motivation
individualized consideration
idealized influence

Answer 8

The Correct Answer is D
D. Bass (1985) suggested that transformational leadership contains the interrelated components of idealized or charisma influence (attributed or behavioral), inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. In truly transformational leadership, high morals and ethical standards characterize charismatic or idealized influence. In research by Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Moorman and Fetter (1990), trust was found to be the single most important variable moderating the effects of transformational leadership on the performance, attitudes, and satisfaction of the followers. Inspirational motivation (b.) provides followers with meaning and challenges for engaging in undertakings and shared goals. Intellectual stimulation (a.) helps followers to question assumptions and to generate more creative solutions to problems. Individual consideration (c.) treats each follower as an individual and provides coaching, mentoring and growth opportunities. (See: Bass, B. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: The Free Press. Bass, B. (1998). Transformational leadership: Industry, military, and educational impact. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. and Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Moorman, R. H., & Fetter, R. (1990). Transformational leader behaviors and their effects on followers’ trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Leadership Quarterly, 1, 107––142.)

Question 9

School
113. When a psychologist working out of the Adlerian model serves as a consultant in a school, they:

Work primarily with the school
Identify the areas of inferiority within the system
Primarily educate the parents and teachers through an emphasis on preventive interventions
Reverse roles–having the teachers see themselves as children and the students as parents in the family school system.

Answer 9

The Correct Answer is C
In general, consultants work with the teachers and parents rather than individual students. With the Adlerian model, preventive interventions are emphasized and the consultants educate the parents and teachers. (Dustin and Ehly 1992).

Question 10

I/O
125. The terms “circumscription” and “compromise” are associated with:

Gottfredson
Super
Krumboltz
Meichenbaum

Answer 10

The Correct Answer is A
A. Gottfredson’s (1981; 1996; 2002) theory of circumscription and compromise addresses about how gender and prestige influence and limit career choice. The theory proposes four stages of cognitive development including: orientation to size and power; orientation to sex roles; influence of social class; introspection and perceptiveness and that the expression of occupational aspirations emerges as a process of elimination or is the outcome of the competing processes of circumscription and compromise. Circumscription refers to the progressive elimination of least preferred options or alternatives that occurs as children become increasingly aware of occupational differences in gender or sex-type, prestige, and then field of work. Compromise refers to the expansion of preferences in recognition of and accommodation to external constraints (e.g., level of effort required, accessibility, cost) encountered in implementing preferences. (See: Gottfredson, L. S. (1981). Circumscription and compromise: a developmental theory of occupational aspirations. Journal of Counseling Psychology Monograph, 28(No. 6, November), 545-579.) Gottfredson, L. S. (2002). Gottfredson’s theory of circumscription, compromise, and self creation. In D. Brown (Ed.), Career Choice and Development (4th ed., pp. 85-148). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.) Super’s (b.) theory proposed a five stage model of career development wherein people achieve job satisfaction when they are able to express themselves and develop their self-concept through their work roles. Krumboltz’s (c.) Social Learning Theory of Career Decision Making (SLTCDM) includes four types of influences on making career decisions: genetic characteristics and special abilities; environmental conditions and events; learning experiences; performance standards and values. Social learning influences can be positive or negative factors. Meichenbaum (d.) is associated with cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Question 11

I/O
135. According to a recent meta-analysis on the “big five” traits and job satisfaction, which trait has the strongest relation with overall job satisfaction?

agreeableness
extraversion
conscientiousness
neuroticism

Answer 11

The Correct Answer is D
D. The meta-analysis of 163 studies linking traits from the 5-factor model of personality to overall job satisfaction by Judge, Heller & Mound (2002) found neuroticism was the strongest, most consistent correlate of job satisfaction and also the Big-Five trait most often studied in relation to job satisfaction. Conscientiousness displayed the second strongest correlation followed by extraversion. The estimated true score correlations with job satisfaction include: Neuroticism (-.29), Conscientiousness (.26), Extraversion (.25), Agreeableness (.17), and (.02) for Openness to Experience. The findings support previous reviews that lower neuroticism and higher extraversion are associated with higher job satisfaction. The study also notes Conscientiousness, previously found to have positive effects in terms of job performance, has been overlooked in studies in terms of job satisfaction. (See: Judge, T.A., Heller, D., & Mount, M.K. (2002). Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction. A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol. 87, No. 3, 530-541.)

Question 12

Community
155. Overall, the research on methods for reducing teen pregnancy has shown that the best approach is

a school program that focuses on the risks associated with unprotected sex.
a school or clinic program that addresses the consequences of early parenthood and includes teen mothers as speakers.
a clinic program that provides information about contraceptive use.
a clinic program that advocates sexual abstinence.

Answer 12

The Correct Answer is C
In general, clinic programs are more successful in reducing teen pregnancy than school programs. Also, in terms of program content, focusing on contraceptive use and distributing contraceptives seems best.

Question 13

Ethics

163. A college psychology instructor gives a battery of psychological tests to some of his students who volunteered to be participants. Based on these tests, he finds that one of the participants is at risk for emotional disturbance. He talks to this student and suggests counseling. At the same time, he informs the director of the college counseling office who is a friend of his. According to APA ethical principles, the professor acted

unethically, because he revealed this information to a third party.
ethically, because he acted in accord with the student’s welfare.
ethically, because he had responsibilities to the college as well as to the student.
unethically, because he isn’t a clinician.

Answer 13

he Correct Answer is A
Suggesting counseling to the student is ethical and appropriate. However, barring an emergency situation characterized by imminent danger, informing a third party is unethical.

Question 14

I/O
205. Interdependence in the workplace usually takes one of four forms. A network of two-way relationships that tie a collection of people together describes which type of organizational interdependence?

comprehensive
reciprocal
pooled
sequential

Answer 14

The Correct Answer is B
B. Pooled interdependence occurs when individuals have a shared source of resources but little else in common; sequential involves a series or chain of one-way interactions in which individuals rely on those who precede them in the chain; reciprocal is described in the question and comprehensive is the most complex form as everyone involved is reciprocally interdependent on one another. While a greater potential for conflict and the loss of individuals due to turnover becomes more important as the intensity and complexity of interdependence increases from pooled to comprehensive, comprehensive interdependence can stimulate greater flexibility and enable groups to adapt more quickly to environmental changes

Question 15

I/O
Industrial/Organizational Psychology Time Left: 03:13:56

208. The intervention known as organizational transformation typically focuses on

identifying and implementing specific target areas for change.
increasing cohesiveness of the organization’s members.
group processes and dynamics within the organization.
the entire organization’s vision.

Answer 15

The Correct Answer is D
Organizational transformation is a term for an intervention that is one of the strategies in organizational development. Organizational development (OD) refers to a planned, organization-wide effort designed to improve the organization’s effectiveness and targets the organization as a whole rather than an individual unit such as an employee or job. Organizational transformation is a relatively newer method of OD that was developed in response to challenges such as layoffs, mergers, and rapidly changing markets in the corporate world. In organizational transformation, the target of change is the entire organization’s vision of its beliefs, purpose, or mission. It attempts to alter the viewpoints of the organization’s members. For example, it may involve mission statement changes, consciousness raising, and training exercises designed to help employees shift to an entirely new way of doing business, such as a change to a pay-for-performance pay scale or a new emphasis on vertical rather than horizontal markets.

Question 16

I/O
209. Most well-controlled studies of the effect of cultural moderators on the validities of job selection tests indicate that there are

no significant differences in validities between majority and minority groups.
significant differences in validities between majority and minority groups.
significant differences in validities between majority and minority groups on general aptitude tests but not on assessments of motor skills.
significant differences in validities between majority and minority groups on assessments of motor skills but not on tests of general aptitude.

Answer 16

While group differences exist between African-Americans and Caucasians on test performance (that is, while mean scores differ on these various standardized tests), it has not been shown conclusively that the predictive validity coefficients of the tests are differentially moderated by ethnic group membership. In other words, a test is likely to have the same validity coefficient for all subgroups of the same population – even though those subgroups may score differently, on the average, from each other.

Question 17

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

213. Tiedeman and O’Hara emphasize which of the following in the process of career development?

innate drives
interests
aptitude
identity

Answer 17

Show Explanation
The Correct Answer is D
Knowing that Tiedeman and O’Hara based their model on Erikson’s psychosocial theory of identity would have helped you select the correct answer. They proposed that a person develops a vocational identity through a process of differentiation (realizing that a career does not fit with one’s personality) and integration (identifying with a career).

Question 18

School Psychology/Intelligence Time Left: 03:04:37

224. Which of the following would be most useful to assess the general intelligence of a thirteen-year old with severe hearing impairment?

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children
Hiskey-Nebraska
Halstead-Reitan

Answer 18

The Correct Answer is C
C. The tests listed are alternatives to the Wechsler and Stanford-Binet tests for assessing the general intellectual ability of individuals requiring accommodation. The Hiskey-Nebraska test was created for administration with deaf and hard-of-hearing children between the ages of 3 to 16. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (a.) measures receptive vocabulary, providing a nonverbal estimate of intelligence of any individual who can hear a stimulus word, see the drawings, and communicate a response in some manner. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC-II) (b.) provides an assessment of cognitive ability in children of different backgrounds and with diverse problems, between the ages of 3 to 18, and is based on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll and Luria models. The Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (d.) is a screening assessment for brain damage that measures sensorimotor, perceptual, and language functioning.

Question 19

I/O

Which of the following is true of transformational leaders?

the goals of the organization are redefined to reflect the self-interest of followers
believe that subordinates are persuaded when the organization’s goals are compatible with their self-interests
motivate by encouraging subordinates to transcend self-interest for the greater good of the organization
assent to the self-interest of their followers

Answer 19

The Correct Answer is C
Transformational leaders are change-oriented. They encourage and inspire subordinate acceptance and support for organizational change that is in the best interests of the organization. In contrast, transactional leaders motivate through appealing to the followers’ self-interests and focus more on stability than change.

Question 20

I/O

85. An organization decides to implement changes based on a job characteristics assessment. Which of the following is least likely to be affected?

work quality
motivation
satisfaction
absenteeism

Answer 20

The Correct Answer is A
Studies show when jobs are redesigned according to the job characteristics model there are improvements in satisfaction, absenteeism, turnover, and motivation. Work quality is less likely to be affected.

Question 21

I/O

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

86. Which of the following is not true about members of self-directed work teams?

Each member of a self-directed team has unique, specialized works skills to contribute to the group product.
Members plan the group’s work processes and set the group’s work goals.
Members may be authorized to hire their own replacements.
Members of self-directed work teams tend to be absent more than members of traditional work groups.

Answer 21

Show Explanation
The Correct Answer is A
Self-directed work teams are self-directed; i.e., they determine their own goals, plan their own work processes, and may even hire their own replacements. A distinguishing characteristic of self-directed work teams is that members are generalists (versus specialists), and each member has (or learns) a broad range of skills. A possible downside of self-directed work teams is that they are associated with higher absenteeism than more traditional work groups.

Question 22

Ethics and Professional Practice

152. You have been retained by the court to make a recommendation concerning custody of a 4 year old girl. You have met with the mother on two occasions and also administered some psychological tests. You have completed a phone interview with the father who lives out of state. In reporting to the court, you should

explain that you cannot present any data.
recommend custody go to the parent you have determined is most competent to parent.
present the results of your evaluation but refrain from making a recommendation.
make a recommendation, but note that your evaluation of the father was incomplete.

Answer 22

Show Explanation
The Correct Answer is C
This is another question where it is tempting to do more than you are qualified to do. Answer C is correct; Standard 9.01(b) states that “psychologists provide opinions of the psychological characteristics of individuals only after they have conducted an examination of the individuals adequate to support their statements or conclusions. When, despite reasonable efforts, such an examination is not practical, psychologists document the efforts they made and the result of those efforts, clarify the probable impact of their limited information on the reliability and validity of their opinions, and appropriately limit the nature and extent of their conclusions or recommendations.” A phone conversation is not a psychological evaluation. You may have chosen response D, but it is pertinent to ask yourself the question that if you could not make a complete evaluation why would you make a recommendation.

Question 23

Community Psychology

205. The main principle behind the harm reduction approach is:

prevention is more cost effective than treatment.
inpatient treatment for substance addicted individuals reduces dangerousness.
helping individuals not ready to give up substances lead safer lives.
working towards zero use of substances.

Answer 23

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Question 24

Industrial/Organizational Psychology Time Left: 03:18:57

207. In terms of interviews as selection techniques, which of the following is most consistent with the research?

Panel interviews generally have the highest levels of validity, and they are especially valid when an average (versus consensus) rating is derived.
When interviewers are given biodata information about an interviewee prior to the interview, interviewers give less credence to interview information when the biodata is not supportive of a decision to hire than when the biodata is very supportive of a decision to hire.
Although the research is inconsistent, the best conclusion about interviews is that future-oriented (situational) interviews are more valid than past-oriented (behavior description) interviews regardless of whether the interview is structured or unstructured.
One of the difficulties with interviews, even when they are structured, is that they are highly susceptible to gender biases, especially when the interviewee and the interviewer are of different genders.

Answer 24

Show Explanation
The Correct Answer is B
There is some evidence that interviewers place less importance on interview information when biodata is not very favorable and more importance when it is supportive of a hiring decision. Apparently, a good interview cannot make up for a bad history, but a good history can be supported or canceled out by the results of the interview.

Question 25

Ethics and Professional Practice
11. While attending a staff meeting at a mental health facility where you work, you learn that one of your colleagues, a psychologist, is behaving in an unethical manner toward one of her patients. Despite being advised to do so by several members of the staff, she states that she will not change her behavior. What should you do in this situation?
A Approach the colleague individually and urge her to change her behavior; if she refuses, report her to the appropriate ethics committee.

B Approach the colleague individually and urge her to change her behavior; if she refuses, recommend to the director of the facility that she be fired.

C Report the colleague to the appropriate ethics committee immediately, since she has already stated that she will not change her behavior.

D Announce in the staff meeting that you want to “go on the record” as noting that the psychologist is behaving unethically.

Answer 25

Explanation
The Correct Answer is “A”
The Ethics Code states that you should deal with ethical violations by another psychologist in an informal manner, by bringing it to the attention of the psychologist. A report to an ethics committee should be made when the attempt at informal resolution has failed or if the violation is not amenable to informal resolution. Thus, you should speak to the psychologist privately and report her to an ethics committee if she still refuses to change her behavior. You may have thought that, since the psychologist has already stated her refusal to behave ethically, you should go ahead and report her, without bothering to talk to her. This actually makes sense, but the Ethics Code requires that you attempt an informal attempt at resolution first. A staff meeting is a formal setting, and does not personally give you the opportunity to attempt an informal resolution.

Question 26

Community Psychology
12. Of the following, the highest rate of suicide occurs among
A married persons.

B never-married persons.

C widowed persons.

D divorced persons.

Answer 26

Explanation
The Correct Answer is “D”
Marriage, especially when reinforced with children, appears to lessen the risk of suicide. Among married people, the rate of suicide is about 11 per 100,000. This rate is higher for single, never-married persons (about 22 per 100,000), even higher for widows (24 per 100,000), and higher still for divorced individuals (40 per 100,000).

Question 27

54. To promote recycling in a community,‭ ‬you attempt to establish a collaboration between educators,‭ ‬community leaders,‭ ‬and interested community members.‭ ‬This approach is best described as:normative-reeducative.
    rational-empirical.
    power-coercive.
    reciprocal-deterministic.

Answer 27

This question is referring to Chin and Benne’s (1976) distinction between three strategies for planned change: normative-reeducative, rational-empirical, and power-coercive.

a. CORRECT A key characteristic of the normative-reeducative strategy is its focus on collaboration between individuals representing different disciplines and interests in order to use norms and peer pressure to foster change.
b. Incorrect The rational-empirical strategy utilizes information as the primary change agent.
c. Incorrect The power-coercive strategy utilizes the power and authority of leaders to facilitate change.
d. Incorrect This is not one of the three change strategies identified by Chin and Benne.

Question 28

61. A problem with the‭ “‬critical incident technique‭” ‬is that:it focuses too much on task requirements as opposed to employee attributes.
    it does not provide a very good picture of what is typically required for effective job performance.
    it is susceptible to biases such as the tendency to overestimate what the employee actually accomplishes.
    its items are too general and often do not apply to specific jobs or tasks.

Answer 28

The “critical incident technique” is a method of job analysis, and its results are often used to develop performance appraisal measures.

a. Incorrect This is the opposite of what is true. One criticism of the critical incident technique is that it often focuses too much on employee traits rather than on the characteristics or requirements of the job.
b. CORRECT The critical incidents identified using the critical incident technique are behaviors that are crucial to job performance (i.e., extreme behaviors) and often do not reflect what people typically do.
c. Incorrect This doesn’t really make sense in the context of the critical incident technique.
d. Incorrect By definition, critical incidents are specific job behaviors, so this response is incorrect.

Question 29

62. If a‭ “‬process consultant‭” ‬is hired by a school district to help it resolve on-going problems between school board members,‭ ‬the administrative staff,‭ ‬and the teachers,‭ ‬the consultant is most likely to:conduct formal interviews to pinpoint problem areas and then conduct training to rectify identified problems.
    help board members,‭ ‬staff,‭ ‬and teachers identify and modify the ways in which their behaviors are inconsistent with their goals.
    act as a mediator or arbitrator between the board members,‭ ‬staff,‭ ‬and teachers.
    conduct a survey to identify discrepancies between how board members,‭ ‬staff,‭ ‬and teachers view their roles and the school district’’s goals.

Answer 29

Not surprisingly, process consultants focus on “processes.”

a. Incorrect Process consultation involves a less structured approach to identifying and resolving consultee problems than the approach described in this answer and focuses on helping employees identify and resolve their own work-related problems.
b. CORRECT Process consultants focus on processes (interactions) between people and how these processes interfere with the achievement of their goals.
c. Incorrect This is not the role that process consultants adopt.

Question 30

65. In the context of expectancy‭ (‬VIE‭) ‬theory,‭ ‬instrumentality refers to an employee’s:belief that successful performance will lead to certain rewards.
    belief that high effort will lead to successful performance.
    commitment to work-related goals.
    willingness to accept responsibility.

Answer 30

Expectancy theory predicts that employee motivation is a function of three factors: expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.

a. CORRECT In the context of expectancy theory, instrumentality refers to an employee’s beliefs about the link between performance and outcomes.
b. Incorrect This describes an employee’s expectancy beliefs.
c. Incorrect This does not describe instrumentality.
d. Incorrect This does not describe instrumentality.

Question 31

69. The Leaderless Group Discussion is used in organizations to:train and evaluate managerial-level employees.
    mediate conflicts between managers and subordinates.
    improve communication between members of newly formed teams.
    diagnose the cause of communication problems in established work groups.

Answer 31

The Leaderless Group Discussion is a simulation technique that presents four to eight participants with problems that they must solve in a prespecified period of time.
a. CORRECT When using this technique, each participant has an opportunity to assume the leader role. This allows each participant to demonstrate his/her leadership (managerial) skills.

Question 32

72. An important implication of Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership is that:the most effective leaders allow workers to participate in goal-setting.
    managers must alter their behaviors to fit the demands of the situation.
    an effective manager may become ineffective if the situation changes in certain ways.
    to be effective,‭ ‬managers must be aware that different factors act as‭ “‬satisfiers‭” ‬for different employees.

Answer 32

Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership proposes that a worker’s performance depends on the interaction between the leader’s leadership style (high LPC versus low LPC) and the favorableness of the situation, which refers to the extent to which the leader has influence, the tasks are structured, and the leader is in a position to reward employees for good performance.

a. Incorrect This is not a prediction of Fiedler’s contingency theory.
b. Incorrect Fiedler believed that a leader’s style is stable and cannot, therefore, be changed even when the situation changes.
c. CORRECT Fiedler believed that different leadership styles are more effective in different situations. Specifically, he believed that low LPC leaders are most effective in very favorable and unfavorable situations, while high LPC leaders are most effective in moderately favorable situations. Therefore, if the situation changes in terms of favorableness, an effective leader can actually become ineffective (and vice versa).

Question 33

74. A process consultant is most likely to focus on which of the following‭?group norms and communication patterns
    technological change
    selection and other employment procedures
    worker motivation and satisfaction

Answer 33

Process consultation is a type of OD intervention that focuses on helping members of a work group understand the processes that are undermining their interactions with one another.
a. CORRECT Process consultants observe group members in action and help them identify and rectify problems, especially those related to group norms and communication patterns