Exam 4: Perception Attribution and the Management of Diversity

A ________ is a systematic tendency to use, ignore, or interpret information about a target in a particular way that results in inaccurate perceptions.

Schemas help people do all of the following EXCEPT ________.

Discuss the characteristics of the target that impact perception.

Accurate perceptions are as close as possible to the true or objective nature of the target.

The ________ can predispose managers to mentor certain organizational members.

Salient individuals are often perceived in more extreme terms (positive or negative) than inconspicuous members of a group are perceived.

Accurate perceptions are the prerequisite for good decisions.

The ________ occurs when a manager thinks a subordinate's behavior is due to some innate characteristic rather than to the situation.

John Simmons believed that politics had played a role when he didn't receive a scholarship for graduate school. Fortunately, his good grades had earned him entrance into a prestigious state school. This example illustrates ________.

A perceiver's motivational state does not influence his or her perception of the target.

Stereotyping will occur if others in the organization become biased, simply because they know how a person stands on a predictor of performance.

Define attribution theory and discuss its importance in organizations.

Our past experiences are organized into schemas, abstract knowledge structures that are stored in memory and allow people to organize and interpret information about a given target of perception. Oftentimes, such as in the case of a stereotype, schemas are dysfunctional. Sometimes, however, schemas can be functional. Which of the following is an example of a functional schema?

Diversity training MOST LIKELY includes ________.

________ should NOT affect how a person is perceived by others.

________ is an attempt to control the perceptions or impressions of others.

Compare and contrast internal attributions with external attributions. Explain how these two types of attribution influence the behavior of individuals.

A ________ effect occurs when perceptions of a target are influenced by perceptions of others surrounding the target.

Age-related discrimination complaints have been at all-time highs over the past three to four years. Some indications point to the fact that because older workers tend to have better benefits and receive higher levels of pay, companies can save money by replacing them with younger workers. Based on what you've learned about age discrimination, which of the following do you feel is a case in which age-discrimination is most likely NOT in play?

Which is NOT one of the ways in which managers can guard against faulty decisions due to motivational states?