Exam 3: Perception and Learning: Understanding and Adapting to the Work Environment

Another term for operant conditioning is instrumental conditioning.

Table 3.1 Joe and Mary Jane are observing the new class of management trainees as they enter the training room for their initial orientation. As they watch each person enter, they observe how they are dressed, how they carry themselves when they walk, if they talk to the persons next to them when they sit down, and so forth. Joe notices one man who is casually dressed, who walks with a relaxed stride, and who talks to everyone within reach of his seat. Joe believes this man will be a good 'volunteer' for role plays because he is obviously very outgoing. Joe has watched hundreds of trainees before and everyone who acted this way turned out to be good up in front of everyone else. Mary Jane sees a young woman she interviewed. In the interview she was outgoing, smiled a great deal, and was very expressive. Mary Jane sees her now sitting by herself, having taken a seat away from everyone, arms folded across her chest, with a scowl on her face. Mary Jane thinks that this woman obviously does better in one-on-one settings than she does in large groups. -Refer to Table 3.1. The basis of Joe's belief about the man he noticed is an example of ________ information.

The most common form of impression management technique is:

Area briefings are used to allow a trainee to act out situations he might face working in a foreign country.

When Berry wrecked the company car, his boss immediately assumed that the accident occurred because Berry was careless. He never considered that another driver could have hit the car. This perceptual bias is called:

If we allow our initial judgment of someone to shape our subsequent impressions and behavior, we have made a halo effect error.

When we attribute another's behavior to internal factors more than external factors we are:

Negative reinforcement and punishment are synonyms.

Perceptual biases are:

Managers consider ________ the most severe type of discipline they can impose before firing an employee.

Table 3.1 Joe and Mary Jane are observing the new class of management trainees as they enter the training room for their initial orientation. As they watch each person enter, they observe how they are dressed, how they carry themselves when they walk, if they talk to the persons next to them when they sit down, and so forth. Joe notices one man who is casually dressed, who walks with a relaxed stride, and who talks to everyone within reach of his seat. Joe believes this man will be a good 'volunteer' for role plays because he is obviously very outgoing. Joe has watched hundreds of trainees before and everyone who acted this way turned out to be good up in front of everyone else. Mary Jane sees a young woman she interviewed. In the interview she was outgoing, smiled a great deal, and was very expressive. Mary Jane sees her now sitting by herself, having taken a seat away from everyone, arms folded across her chest, with a scowl on her face. Mary Jane thinks that this woman obviously does better in one-on-one settings than she does in large groups. -Refer to Table 3.1. What type of information are both Joe and Mary Jane missing in order to validate their observations about the two people they saw?

Due to standardizations in organizational performance evaluations, the appraisal process is generally an unbiased, rational procedure.

Table 3.1 Joe and Mary Jane are observing the new class of management trainees as they enter the training room for their initial orientation. As they watch each person enter, they observe how they are dressed, how they carry themselves when they walk, if they talk to the persons next to them when they sit down, and so forth. Joe notices one man who is casually dressed, who walks with a relaxed stride, and who talks to everyone within reach of his seat. Joe believes this man will be a good 'volunteer' for role plays because he is obviously very outgoing. Joe has watched hundreds of trainees before and everyone who acted this way turned out to be good up in front of everyone else. Mary Jane sees a young woman she interviewed. In the interview she was outgoing, smiled a great deal, and was very expressive. Mary Jane sees her now sitting by herself, having taken a seat away from everyone, arms folded across her chest, with a scowl on her face. Mary Jane thinks that this woman obviously does better in one-on-one settings than she does in large groups. -Refer to Table 3.1. The basis of Mary Jane's thinking about the woman she interviewed is an example of basing a judgment on ________ information.

The use of discipline in organizations to eliminate undesirable behavior is:

For someone to learn through the observational learning process, they must not only pay attention to their role model but also remember and use what they learn because they want to.

Table 3.2 William and Malcolm are interviewing high school students for jobs at a newly opened fast food restaurant. William knows his first interviewee; he coached him on the local community softball team. William doesn't expect the interview to go well or to hire the young man because he wasn't very open to advice when he was coached. Malcolm's first candidate is late and runs up disheveled and out of breath. Malcolm assumes the young man had difficulty on his way to the interview and gives him time to calm down and improve his appearance. Several hours into the process William is interviewing his 20th candidate, Jane. When she sits down she drops into her seat, folds her arms, and pinches her lips together. She's wearing a T-shirt with the image and name of a local heavy metal band on it. William prepares himself for a hostile and unfriendly interview but is surprised that after the first couple of questions Jane turns out to be quite polite and friendly. Malcolm's last candidate is friendly, has similar interests to Malcolm and knows several of the people Malcolm knows in the community. Malcolm comments to William as they are picking up their files, "That kid reminds me of me when I was 17." -Refer to Table 3.2. Malcolm is probably making what perceptual bias error with his last job candidate?

When companies are so serious about training that they form their own centers to handle the company's training full-time, they are pursuing:

During the bombing of Kosovo, the news media kept warning against a ground invasion because the Serbians are tough people and make good soldiers. This is an example of a stereotype.

People use stereotypes as mental shortcuts to help them organize their perceptions of others.

Perception has a number of inherent biases in it. Identify and explain them.