Theories of Motivation Flashcards
Expectancy theory (Vroom, 1964) predicts that worker motivation is affected by three beliefs. One of these is “expectancy,” which refers to the belief that:
A. adequate effort leads to successful performance.
B. adequate performance leads to certain outcomes.
C. job outcomes are desirable.
D. job outcomes are equitable.
Answer A is correct. Expectancy theory describes job motivation as the result of three beliefs: (a) the worker’s belief that effort will lead to successful performance (expectancy); (b) the worker’s belief that successful performance will result in certain outcomes (instrumentality); and (c) the worker’s belief about the value of those outcomes (valence).
Which of the following is NOT one of Maslow’s five basic needs?
A. safety
B. meaningfulness
C. esteem
D. physiological
Answer B is correct. Maslow’s need hierarchy theory predicts that people have five basic needs that emerge in a hierarchical order that ranges from most basic to most complex, with behavior being motivated primarily by the lowest unfulfilled need. In order, the five needs are physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization.
Which of the following best describes the prediction of goal-setting theory about the relationship between a supervisee’s participation in goal setting and his or her commitment to goals?
A. A supervisee’s participation in setting goals is always necessary to ensure his/her commitment to goals.
B. A supervisee’s participation in setting goals is likely to affect his/her commitment to goals only when the supervisor has a task-oriented leadership style.
C. A supervisee’s participation in setting goals is not always necessary for his/her commitment to goals but is important when the supervisee is not likely to accept assigned goals.
D. A supervisee’s participation in setting goals is not necessary for his/her commitment to goals unless the supervisee is low in both self-esteem and need for achievement.
Answer C is correct. Goal-setting theory predicts that (a) a supervisee’s acceptance of goals is most important for ensuring that the supervisee will be committed to achieving them and (b) participation in goal-setting is not always necessary for ensuring a supervisee’s acceptance of and commitment to goals but is useful when the supervisee is high in need for achievement or is not likely to accept goals assigned by the supervisor.
Which of the following theories attributes a worker’s job motivation to the worker’s social comparisons?
A. need hierarchy theory
B. equity theory
C. two-factor theory
D. expectancy theory
Answer B is correct. Equity theory (Adams, 1965) attributes a worker’s level of motivation to social comparisons and proposes that workers compare their inputs and outcomes to the inputs and outcomes of workers doing the same or a similar job.
According to Herzberg’s (1966) two-factor theory, if a worker’s job is redesigned so that it provides adequate hygiene (job context) factors, the worker will be:
A. satisfied and motivated.
B. satisfied but not motivated.
C. motivated but dissatisfied.
D. neither satisfied nor motivated.
Answer D is correct. Two-factor theory predicts (a) that hygiene factors (e.g., pay, benefits, working conditions) cause dissatisfaction when they’re inadequate but do not contribute to satisfaction or motivation when they’re adequate and (b) that motivator factors (e.g., opportunities for autonomy, responsibility, and advancement) do not cause dissatisfaction when they’re inadequate but contribute to both satisfaction and motivation when they’re adequate.
