Deck 34: Motivation at Work

Question 1

Rating scales used to record the dependability and productivity of workers are most clearly designed to facilitate

A) flow.
B) structured interviews.
C) social leadership.
D) performance appraisal.

Answer 1

performance appraisal.

Question 2

Because Brent believes that his employees are intrinsically motivated to work for reasons beyond money, Brent would be described as a(n) ________ manager.

A) directive
B) social-oriented
C) task-oriented
D) charismatic

Answer 2

social-oriented

Question 3

To increase employee productivity, industrial-organizational psychologists advise managers to

A) adopt a directive leadership style.
B) adopt a democratic leadership style.
C) instill competitiveness in each employee.
D) deal with employees according to their individual motives.

Answer 3

deal with employees according to their individual motives.

Question 4

Munson is conducting his annual appraisal of employees' performance. Which of the following is NOT a type of appraisal method?

A) graphic rating
B) behavior rating
C) checklist
D) unstructured interview

Question 5

Personnel psychology is one of the main subfields of

A) organizational psychology.
B) industrial-organizational psychology.
C) human factors psychology.
D) evolutionary psychology.

Question 6

Those who view their work as a necessary but personally unfulfilling way to make money are said to view work as a

A) contract.
B) job.
C) calling.
D) career.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT an aspect of Murray's definition of achievement motivation?

A) the desire to master skills
B) the desire for control
C) the desire to gain approval
D) the desire to attain a high standard

Question 8

Managers who build teamwork and effectively mediate employee conflicts are said to excel in

A) structured interviews.
B) social leadership.
C) achievement motivation.
D) a directive management style.

Question 9

Dr. Iverson conducts research focusing on how management styles influence worker motivation. Dr. Iverson would most accurately be described as a(n)

A) motivation psychologist.
B) personnel psychologist.
C) organizational psychologist.
D) human factors psychologist.

Question 10

Jack works for a company that requires employees to periodically rate their own performance and to be rated by their managers, other colleagues, and customers. This type of assessment is called

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) multifactorial evaluation.
C) analytical performance review.
D) human resource management.

Question 11

A completely focused state of consciousness resulting from optimal engagement of one's skills is called

A) grit.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) transformational leadership.
D) flow.

Question 12

Achievement motivation refers to

A) a goal-oriented leadership style that builds teamwork.
B) a desire for significant accomplishment.
C) a need to feel that the world is organized and predictable.
D) a focused state of consciousness accompanied by diminished self-awareness.

Question 13

For as long as she has been the plant manager, Juanita has welcomed input from employees and has delegated authority. Bill, in managing his department, takes a more authoritarian, iron-fisted approach. Juanita's style is one of ________ leadership, whereas Bill's is one of ________ leadership.

A) task; social
B) social; task
C) directive; democratic
D) democratic; participative

Question 14

Work is most likely to be satisfying for employees if it is associated with

A) task leadership.
B) the experience of flow.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) unstructured interviews.

Question 15

For each performance review, Professor Donnell is evaluated by her students, colleagues, department chair, and research assistants. This best illustrates

A) homeostasis.
B) the experience of flow.
C) human factors psychology.
D) 360-degree feedback.

Question 16

Human factors psychologists would be most likely to aid in the design of

A) employee weight-reduction programs.
B) management training seminars.
C) user-friendly factory machinery.
D) work-skills assessment tests.

Question 17

Compared with ineffective managers, those who are effective are more likely to

A) use informal, unstructured interviews when selecting new employees.
B) exercise a directive management style for achieving organizational goals.
C) celebrate employee productivity by providing them with recognition and rewards.
D) do all of these things.

Question 18

Which of the following was NOT identified as a contributing factor in the interviewer illusion?

A) The fact that interviews reveal applicants' intentions but not necessarily their habitual behaviors.
B) The tendency of interviewers to think that interview behavior only reflects applicants' enduring traits.
C) The tendency of interviewers to more often follow the successful careers of applicants they hired rather than those who were not hired.
D) The tendency of most interviewers to rely on unstructured rather than structured interviews.

Question 19

The best predictor of on-the-job performance for all but less-skilled jobs is

A) age.
B) general mental ability.
C) motivation.
D) stated intentions.

Question 20

Assessing the impact of different management styles on the motivation and productivity of employees best illustrates the professional concerns of

A) personnel psychology.
B) clinical psychology.
C) organizational psychology.
D) human factors psychology.

Question 21

Andrea views her work as primarily an opportunity to climb the corporate ladder in pursuit of increasingly better positions. Andrea apparently views her work as a

A) calling.
B) job.
C) contract.
D) career.

Question 22

After studying artists who would spend hour after hour painting or sculpting with enormous concentration, Csikszentmihalyi formulated the concept of

A) transformational leadership.
B) strengths-based selection.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) flow.

Question 23

Mr. Walters has many years of experience as a personnel officer for a large corporation. He does not review most job applicants' reference files because he is confident of his ability to predict their future work performance based on his direct face-to-face conversations with them. Mr. Walters' confidence best illustrates

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) the halo error.
C) transformational leadership.
D) the interviewer illusion.

Question 24

Work activities that are specifically suited to your strengths are most likely to be those associated with the experience of

A) flow.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) implementation intentions.
D) external rewards.

Question 25

Those who view their work as a career are especially likely to be concerned about opportunities for

A) outsourcing.
B) creating action plans.
C) transformational leadership.
D) increasingly better employment positions.

Question 26

Human factors psychologists are most likely to be involved in

A) designing training programs to prepare unemployed persons for existing jobs.
B) exploring how machines can be optimally designed to fit human abilities.
C) assessing the impact of supervisors' management styles on business productivity.
D) matching people's strengths with specific job assignments.

Question 27

When meeting job applicants, employers often discount the influence of varying situations on applicants' behaviors and presume that what they observe applicants do and say reflects the applicants' enduring personality traits. This most clearly contributes to

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) the interviewer illusion.
C) strengths-based selection systems.
D) the experience of flow.

Question 28

To predict effectively the job success of various applicants for a specific work position, psychologists would recommend the development of

A) set points.
B) task leadership.
C) structured interviews.
D) human factors psychology.

Question 29

Full and clear communication regarding Kelsey's effectiveness as a customer service manager is enhanced by the performance appraisals she periodically receives from fellow managers, subordinates, customers, and her supervisor. This best illustrates the value of

A) experiencing flow.
B) structured interviews.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) task leadership.

Question 30

Julia is a highly skilled professional violinist. She often becomes so focused and energized by her challenging practice sessions that they last hours longer than she had planned. Her experience best illustrates the concept of

A) flow.
B) homeostasis.
C) settling points.
D) a plateau phase.

Question 31

Unstructured interviews provide a ________ predictor of on-the-job performance than aptitude tests and a ________ predictor of on-the-job performance than job knowledge tests.

A) better; worse
B) worse; better
C) better; better
D) worse; worse

Question 32

Scales and checklists on which supervisors indicate the extent to which a worker is productive, follows correct procedures, and attends to customers' needs are designed primarily for the purpose of improving

A) unstructured interviews.
B) social leadership.
C) performance appraisal.
D) a directive style of management.

Question 33

If interviewers instantly like a job applicant because of his or her good looks, they may judge the person's complimentary remarks as indicating "polite manners" rather than "manipulative flattery." This best illustrates the impact of ________ on the interpretation of interviewees' responses.

A) transformational leadership
B) interviewers' preconceptions
C) 360-degree feedback
D) a strengths-based selection system

Question 34

Work is most likely to satisfy the higher-level needs in Maslow's hierarchy for those who

A) work only part-time.
B) view their work as a calling.
C) are strongly motivated by high wages.
D) are supervised by managers with a directive style.

Question 35

Dr. Thompson is involved in scripting interview questions that will effectively predict job applicants' success in specific work positions. Her work best illustrates that of a(n) ________ psychologist.

A) personnel
B) organizational
C) human factors
D) clinical

Question 36

After discovering that their company's best software developers are highly analytical, personnel psychologists focused their employment ads for additional software developers less on applicants' experience and more on their ability to engage in logical problem solving. This best illustrates their commitment to

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) social leadership.
C) structured interviews.
D) a strengths-based selection system.

Question 37

Flow is characterized by a ________ awareness of self and a ________ awareness of the passing of time.

A) heightened; diminished
B) diminished; heightened
C) heightened; heightened
D) diminished; diminished

Question 38

Developing assessment tools for selecting and placing employees is of most direct relevance to

A) clinical psychology.
B) organizational psychology.
C) human factors psychology.
D) personnel psychology.

Question 39

Hiring job applicants who have the qualities best suited for success in the job for which they are applying illustrates

A) social facilitation.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) strengths-based selection.
D) employee engagement.

Question 40

Which profession is most directly involved in the application of psychology's principles to the workplace?

A) social psychology
B) personality psychology
C) developmental psychology
D) industrial-organizational psychology

Question 41

As a business manager, Julie often calls her employees' attention to their occasional mistakes while withholding praise for their many accomplishments. Julie fails to take full advantage of a basic principle of

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) operant conditioning.
C) task leadership.
D) set points.

Question 42

The on-time completion of major work projects is most clearly facilitated by

A) reducing flow.
B) scripting structured interviews.
C) receiving 360-degree feedback.
D) stating implementation intentions.

Question 43

Engaged employees are likely to

A) practice human factors psychology.
B) view their work as a job rather than a calling.
C) prefer working for managers with a directive management style.
D) know what is expected of them at their workplace.

Question 44

Employees who put in work time but invest little passion or energy into their work are described as

A) resilient.
B) outsourced.
C) not engaged.
D) actively disengaged.

Question 45

Managers with a task-leadership style would be most likely to

A) mediate a conflict between two argumentative employees.
B) give employees a high degree of freedom to develop their own work procedures.
C) remind employees of the exact deadlines for the completion of work projects.
D) avoid closely monitoring the productivity of individual employees.

Question 46

Grit can best be described as

A) transformational leadership.
B) optimizing person-machine interactions.
C) a lowered awareness of self and time.
D) passionate dedication to an ambitious goal.

Question 47

In studies of both secondary school and university students, ________ has been a better predictor of school performance than intelligence scores have been.

A) social leadership
B) self-discipline
C) 360-degree feedback
D) family birth order

Question 48

A specification of when, where, and how to achieve the subgoals necessary for completion of a major task is called a(n)

A) psychological contact.
B) state of flow.
C) action plan.
D) engagement.

Question 49

Carlos is so friendly and likable that his job supervisors and co-workers often appraise his work skills and performance more positively than is actually warranted. This best illustrates evaluators' vulnerability to

A) unit bias.
B) the interviewer illusion.
C) the experience of flow.
D) halo errors.

Question 50

Organizational psychologists are most likely to be involved in

A) matching people's strengths with specific job assignments.
B) modifying work environments to improve employee engagement.
C) contributing to the design of user-friendly industrial machines.
D) designing training programs to prepare unemployed persons for existing jobs.

Question 51

Managers who excel at task leadership typically

A) demonstrate charisma.
B) use a directive style.
C) discourage performance appraisals.
D) use a democratic style.

Question 52

Those who demonstrate grit are especially likely to have a high level of

A) charisma.
B) social leadership.
C) achievement motivation.
D) management training.

Question 53

By praising their employees' positive behaviors, managers often encourage their workers to continue laboring productively. This best illustrates the value of

A) reinforcement.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) a democratic management style.
D) experiencing flow.

Question 54

A business setting in which workers have regular opportunities to do what they do best and perceive that they are part of something significant is one that promotes

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) implementation intentions.
C) employee engagement.
D) unstructured interviews.

Question 55

The practice of 360-degree feedback is especially likely to involve

A) unit bias.
B) the experience of flow.
C) behavior checklists and rating scales.
D) transformational leadership.

Question 56

Jeff, who is 14, engages in rigorous tennis drills or competitive play at least four hours every day because he wants to master the sport and play on one of the best university teams in the country. His goal and behavior best illustrate the concept of

A) set point.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) human factors psychology.
D) achievement motivation.

Question 57

Leaders who set target dates for the completion of specific measurable goals best illustrate

A) transformational leadership.
B) managing by objectives.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) the experience of flow.

Question 58

When researchers monitored the professional accomplishments of more than 1500 highly intelligent individuals, they found that the most successful were more ambitious, energetic, and persistent. This best illustrates the importance of

A) social leadership.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) achievement motivation.
D) leniency errors.

Question 59

In the process of generating humanitarian reforms in a cotton mill in Scotland, Robert Owen demonstrated

A) flow.
B) outsourcing.
C) the bell-shaped curve.
D) transformational leadership.

Question 60

Expecting every full-time university professor to teach the same number of courses and engage in the same amount of research would

A) interfere with the practice of 360-degree feedback.
B) help to promote social leadership.
C) fail to adequately develop the unique strengths of each professor.
D) facilitate the professors' experience of flow.

Question 61

Motivating workers to identify with and commit themselves to a group mission best illustrates

A) a strengths-based selection system.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) a directive management style.
D) transformational leadership.

Question 62

Describe why a high degree of both task leadership and social leadership contribute to an effective management style. Explain why the effectiveness of each style of leadership would depend on the personality traits and cultural background of the employees.

Question 63

Effectively designing physical environments-such as the layout of a kitchen in a way that maximizes safe and efficient meal preparation-is of special interest to

A) personnel psychologists.
B) organizational psychologists.
C) clinical psychologists.
D) human factors psychologists.

Question 64

Leaders with a vision for goals that they clearly communicate in a way that inspires their group to follow them are said to demonstrate

A) grit.
B) charisma.
C) performance appraisal.
D) human factors psychology.

Question 65

An engineer who understands how to design and use a home theater system may find it hard to mentally simulate what it's like not to know how to operate the system. The engineer's difficulty illustrates

A) a voice effect.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) the curse of knowledge.
D) the interviewer illusion.

Question 66

The great person theory of leadership suggested that all great leaders

A) demonstrate a directive style.
B) prefer task leadership.
C) use action plans.
D) share certain traits.

Question 67

Effective managers often demonstrate ________ levels of task leadership and ________ levels of social leadership.

A) high; low
B) low; high
C) low; low
D) high; high

Question 68

If given a chance to express their own opinions during a decision-making process, people will respond more positively to the decision. This illustrates

A) unit bias.
B) a voice effect.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) a strengths-based selection system.

Question 69

Women are more likely than men to exhibit the qualities associated with

A) unit bias.
B) recency errors.
C) transformational leadership.
D) a directive management style.

Question 70

Human factors psychologists would be most likely to aid in the design of

A) computer keyboards.
B) weight-reduction programs.
C) protective clothing.
D) classroom management techniques.