Learning & Decision Making

Question 1

Positive reinforcement

Answer 1

Positive outcome follows a desired behavior
Ex: extra credit if you do well on quiz

Question 2

Negative Reinforcement

Answer 2

Unwanted outcome is removed following a desired behavior
Ex: you get less homework if you participate in class discussion

Question 3

Punishment

Answer 3

Unwanted outcome follows an unwanted behavior
Ex: have to bring food if you use your phone in class

Question 4

Extinction

Answer 4

The removal of a consequence following an unwanted behavior
Ex: 10 points off if you don’t submit group project on time

Question 5

Which types of reinforcement are good for managers?

Answer 5

Positive reinforcement, extinction

Question 6

Partial reinforcement

Answer 6

Time/interval based

Question 7

Ratio/behavior based

Answer 7

Fixed/variable ratio schedules

Question 8

Social learning

Answer 8

You learn by watching others and imitating them

Question 9

Goal orientation

Answer 9

Attitudes toward learning and performance that influence how you learn

Question 10

Learning orientation

Answer 10

Building competence is deemed more important than demonstrating competence

Question 11

Performance-prove orientation

Answer 11

Focus on demonstrating their competence so that others think favorable of them

Question 12

Performance-avoid orientation

Answer 12

Focus on demonstrating their competence so that others will not think poorly of them

Question 13

What type of goal orientation is the best for learning? Which is the worst?

Answer 13

Best: learning orientation
Worst: performance-avoid

Question 14

Bounded rationality

Answer 14

Decision makers do not have the ability or resources to process all available info and alternatives to make an optional decision

Question 15

Satisficing

Answer 15

Selection the first acceptable alternative considered

Question 16

Heuristics

Answer 16

Mental shortcut or efficient rule of thumb
- helps make decisions easily
- bias towards inaccurate decisions

Question 17

Bias

Answer 17

Faulty perception

Question 18

Selective perception

Answer 18

Tendency for people to see their environment only as it affects them and as it is consistent with their expectations
- see what you want to see

Question 19

Confirmation bias

Answer 19

Tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories

Question 20

Projection Bias

Answer 20

Tendency to project our own thoughts, attitudes, and motives onto other people

Question 21

Availability bias

Answer 21

Tendency to base our judgements on info that is easier to recall

Question 22

Anchoring and adjustment

Answer 22

The tendency to rely too heavily or anchor on one trait or piece of info when making decisions even when the anchor might be unreliable or irrelevant

Question 23

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 23

Tendency to judge other people’s behaviors as due to internal factors
- fail to consider situational factors
- uneccesary evaluations of employees

Question 24

Self serving bias

Answer 24

Tendency to attribute our own failures to external factors and our own success to internal factors
- leads to ignorance of important external factors

Question 25

Escalation of commitment

Answer 25

Decision to continue to follow a failing course of action
- sunk cost fallacy: escalation of commitment in investment