Official study guide for exam 1

Question 1

What are the reasons why you should understand research and statistics?

Answer 1

1. answering questions and making decisions
2. we encounter research everyday
3. common sense is often wrong

Question 2

Psychologists in which area concentrate on workplace design, man-machine interaction, and physical fatigue?

Answer 2

human factors/ergonomics

Question 3

I/O psychologists who are involved in which area study and practice in such areas as employee selection, job analysis, and job evaluation?

Answer 3

personnel psychology

Question 4

conducting a literature review means what?

Answer 4

1. written sources (journals, books)
2. electronic sources (PsychINFO, Infotrac)
3. the internet
   finding similar previous research; seeing if similar research has been done

Question 5

Researchers at IBM think that employees who get to choose their own working hours will be more satisfied than those who do not. To test this idea, IBM employees at the Dallas facility are told that they can choose their own hours. Six months later, the satisfaction level of employees in the Dallas facility is compared to employees in the Knoxville facility. The employees in the Knoxville facility are considered what?

Answer 5

control group

Question 6

Which research method is used even though it lacks the criteria or characteristics of experiments; this research method is used instead if the experimental method due to what type concerns?

Answer 6

quasi experiment; used when experiments are not practical or when manipulating a variable may not be ethical

Question 7

A sample in which every member of the relevant population has an equal chance of being chosen to participate in the study is referred to as what; other possible causes that can often explain the relationship between two other variables are referred to as what?

Answer 7

random; extraneous/intervening variables

Question 8

A researcher finds a strong correlation between job satisfaction and performance. What can he conclude from this correlation?

Answer 8

satisfaction and performance are related

Question 9

Job analysis can serve as a foundation for what?

Answer 9

selecting employees, training employees, and evaluating employee performance
all of the above

Question 10

Which practical use and importance of a job analysis allows for an analysis to be done at the organizational level?

Answer 10

organizational analysis

Question 11

What are the methods of conducting a job analysis?

Answer 11

1. identify the tasks performed
2. write tasks statements
3. rate tasks statements
4. determine essential KSAOs
5. Select tests to tap KSAOs

Question 12

What important piece of information that is obtained from a job analysis enables professionals to categorize jobs into groups based on similarities in requirements and duties?

Answer 12

job classification

Question 13

What type of information from a job analysis can be used to determine worker mobility?

Answer 13

personpower planning

Question 14

The first step in conducting a job analysis is what?

Answer 14

identify tasks performed

Question 15

What is a body of information needed to perform a task known as?

Answer 15

knowledge

Question 16

What is the proficiency to perform a learned task known as?

Answer 16

skill

Question 17

What are the required elements to a task statement?

Answer 17

action and object

Question 18

If a law is passed at the federal level, states may pass laws that do what to the rights granted in the federal law, states may not pass laws that will do what to the rights granted in the federal law.

Answer 18

expand, diminish

Question 19

A judicial interpretation of a law is important because it establishes a precedent for future cases; the judicial interpretation of a law is referred to as what?

Answer 19

case law

Question 20

In the 1989 case of Walker v. Secretary of the Treasury, a district court found that a darker skinned black illegally fired a lighter skinned black employee. What protected class was at issue in this case?

Answer 20

color

Question 21

In determining if an employment decision is legal, the first question to ask is does the employment practice directly refer to a member of a federally protected class? What are the different federally protected classes?

Answer 21

race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, pregnant females, qualified veterans

Question 22

What are the important factors/criteria in filing a complaint of age discrimination?

Answer 22

over the age of 40, has been discharged or demoted, was performing the job adequately at the time of discharge or demotion, has been replaced by a younger worker, even if over 40

Question 23

What are the exceptions to the requirement of determining that an employment practice is exempted or job related?

Answer 23

exemptions: Bona fide seniority system, veteran’s preference rights, national security
job related: BFOQ, valid testing procedure

Question 24

Asking a coworker out on a date is sexual harassment if what criteria are met?

Answer 24

if the coworker continually engages in conduct; if it is unwanted, is negative to the “reasonable person”, affects a term, condition, or privilege of employment

Question 25

Allowing employees to do what removes the right of the organization to search the lockers?

Answer 25

place their own locks on lockers

Question 26

I/O Psychology is a branch of psychology that does or entails what in the workplace?

Answer 26

applies the principles of psychology

Question 27

The variable that we expect to change as a result of our manipulation is called what?

Answer 27

dependent variable

Question 28

What is an educated prediction or well thought-out suggestions or ideas about the answer to a research question called?

Answer 28

hypotheses

Question 29

Psychologists involved in which area study leadership, job satisfaction, and employee motivation?

Answer 29

organizational psychology

Question 30

With respect to validity considerations; field research gains in what, while laboratory research gains in what?

Answer 30

field research gains in external validity(generalizability)

and lab research gains in internal validity(control)

Question 31

Which of the research methods can determine a cause and effect relationship?

Answer 31

experiment

Question 32

Which research method would I be using if I am going through my employee files to determine what type of person makes the best employee?

Answer 32

archival research method

Question 33

What aspect of the correlation coefficient indicates magnitude/ strength? Please be able to select the correlation coefficient that represents the strongest correlation.

Answer 33

number= magnitude and strength

0.00 to +/- 1.00

Question 34

The gathering, analyzing, and structuring of information about a job’s components, characteristics, and requirements is a process called what?

Answer 34

job analysis

Question 35

What term is associated with the process of determining the work activities and requirements, and what term is associated with the brief written summary of the tasks and job requirements?

Answer 35

job analysis and job descriptions

Question 36

A job analysis can be conducted by whom?

Answer 36

internal department
internal task force
supervisors
employees
consultants
interns/class projects

Question 37

What step follows after task statements have been written?

Answer 37

rate tasks statements

Question 38

What type of information from a job analysis can be used to determine the worth of a job?

Answer 38

job evaluation

Question 39

Which decision(s) must be made in preparation for a job analysis?

Answer 39

1. who will conduct the job analysis
2. which employees should participate
3. what type of information should be gathered

Question 40

The personal factors and tangible factors deemed necessary to perform tasks are known as what?

Answer 40

other characteristics

Question 41

A basic capacity for performing a wide range of different tasks, acquiring a knowledge, or developing a skill is known as what?

Answer 41

ability

Question 42

Research shows which scales are necessary to rate task statements?

Answer 42

frequency and importance

Question 43

The first step in the legal process is for some legislative body to do what?

Answer 43

pass a law

Question 44

When the courts make a decision, the decision becomes what?

Answer 44

case law

Question 45

Based on the Civil Rights Acts of 1866, 1964, and 1991 as well as the 14th Amendment, it is illegal to discriminate against a person based on race. According to Congress, what are the protected races?

Answer 45

african american
asian american
white
native american

Question 46

It is illegal to use an individual’s religion in an employment decision unless the nature of the job involves what?

Answer 46

religion, bfoq

Question 47

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) forbids an employer from discriminating against an individual over what age?

Answer 47

40

Question 48

If a job can only be performed by a person in a particular class, the requirement is considered a what?

Answer 48

bona fide occupational qualification

Question 49

In a quid pro quo case of sexual harassment, how many sexual advance(s) must have been made?

Answer 49

one

Question 50

Organizations have affirmative action plans for what reasons?

Answer 50

involuntary: government regulation, court order
voluntary: consent decree and desire to be a good citizen