Week 1.b - Perceptions, Personality and Emotions

Question 1

The process of organizing and interpreting information is known as..

Answer 1

our Perceptions

Question 2

Is what we perceive the same as objective reality

Answer 2

No, What we perceive can be drastically different than objective reality

Question 3

Are Perceptions easy to change

Answer 3

No.

Question 4

What is Selective Perception

Answer 4

When you form a belief about someone or something and then selectively choose to only acknowledge things that confirm that initial belief and ignore things that go against your bias

Question 5

What is Projection

Answer 5

a DEFENSE MECHANISM people subconsciously employ in order to cope with difficult feelings or emotions. Psychological projection involves projecting undesirable feelings or emotions onto someone else, rather than admitting to or dealing with the unwanted feelings

Question 6

What is the Halo Effect

Answer 6

The halo effect is a type of cognitive bias in which our overall impression of a person influences how we feel and think about his or her character. Essentially, your overall impression of a person (“He is nice!”) impacts your evaluations of that person’s specific traits (“He is also smart!”)

Question 7

What is Attribution Theory

Answer 7

Theory of how we try to understand someone else’s behaviour by attaching feelings, thoughts and beliefs to their behaviour. For example, My coworker didn’t return my email because they were very busy vs. my coworker didn’t see the email because they don’t like me

Question 8

How do you avoid Perception Errors?

Answer 8

• self-reflect and identify your own stereotypes or biases; look closely at situational factors; Evaluate based on objective criteria (i.e. observed behaviours); avoid making rash judgements (take time to think)

Question 9

What is Personality?

Answer 9

Your disposition - the way you form thoughts and respond to your environment … “The dynamic organization of our “psychological systems”- mental processes that determine our unique adjustments to the environment”

Question 10

Can Personality be measured? If so, how?

Answer 10

Yes. Through tests such as the Myers-Briggs Trait Inventory, the Big Five Model and the Dark Triad

Question 11

What is measured in the MBTI?

Answer 11

extroverted /introverted, thinking/feeling, judging/perceiving, sensing/intuitive

Question 12

What aspects of the personality are measured by the Big 5?

Answer 12

Think “OCEAN”

Openness (to new experiences)
Conscientious (i.e. being mindful of others’ time, etc.)
Extroversion / Introversion
Agreeableness (how easygoing and adaptable you are)
Neuroticisim

• The Big 5 is the most commonly used personality assessment
• ranking high in a certain category can be beneficial in some professions - i,e, accountant and neuroticism

Question 13

what are the 3 things in the “DarkTriad”

Answer 13

Narcissism, Machiavellianism, Psychopathy
Narcissism - Self-centredness
Machiavellianism - goal oriented to the extent at which they will do anything to achieve their goal
Psychopathy - Lack of empathy

• Take away: these characteristics can be found in organizations and in Sr. Mgmt positions

Question 14

Other “newer” Personality tests

Answer 14

• Core Self-evaluation
• Self-monitoring
• Proactive Personality

Question 15

Define Emotional Labour and Example

Answer 15

An employee’s expression of organizationally desired emotions during interpersonal transactions at work
- example: server has to be friendly even when customer is rude

Question 16

The conflict between experienced emotions and emotions expressed to conform to display rules is known as

Answer 16

Emotional dissonance

Question 17

A person’s ability to perceive emotions in the self and others is

Answer 17

Emotional Intelligence

Question 18

Emotional Regulation is

Answer 18

Strategies people employ to change their emotions

Important in decision making, it gets better with age

Question 19

Global Implications:

of Perceptions

Answer 19

If people are seeing different things, they might be looking at the world differently e.g. Individualist vs. Collectivist societies (picture example)

Question 20

Global Implications:

of Emotions

Answer 20

Differences across cultures in the way people experience emotions and express them
for example, stoicism / lack of emotion is common in Japan - because of this, Major depression is often seen as having starkly different symptoms (more physiological i.e. back pain, chronic fatigue, nausea) than cases of major depression in a western country