Deck 5: Performance Appraisal

Question 1

Older workers who have younger managers tend to receive lower ratings according to a 2003 study.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Labor unions support appraisal systems because of their commitment to seniority.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Objective measures of performance appraisal include rating, ranking, and paired comparison.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Viswesvaran, Schmidt, and Ones (2003) found that peer ratings show a lower interrater reliability than do ratings by supervisors.

Question 5

Peer ratings are generally lower than those provided by an employee's supervisor.

Question 6

The BARS and BOS approaches to merit rating attempt to evaluate performance in terms of specific behaviors critical to success or failure on the job.

Question 7

The most frequently used technique for the performance appraisal of managers is assessment by their superiors.

Question 8

The numbers used in the ranking technique tell how much better the best employee is than the worst employee.(F, pp.112-113)

Question 9

The forced-choice technique prevents raters from knowing how favorable the ratings they are giving their employees are.

Question 10

Walker and Smither (1999) found that managers who received unfavorable initial upward feedback tended to improve their job performance more than did those who received favorable upward feedback.

Question 11

Despite the benefits that could be derived from computerized performance monitoring, it is banned under EEOC guidelines.

Question 12

Using 360-degree feedback is less costly than using appraisals from a single source.

Question 13

BARS and BOS are criticized for failing to meet EEOC guidelines concerning validity.

Question 14

I-O psychologists make no distinction between worker and employee.

Question 15

To ensure compliance with EEOC guidelines it is necessary for appraisal systems to focus on personal traits.

Question 16

The paired-comparison technique requires the same amount of time to perform regardless of the number of subordinates being evaluated.(F, pp.115-116)

Question 17

Greguras, Robie, Schicher, and Goff (2003) found that ratings by subordinates were more reliable
when the results were used for administrative purposes rather than developmental purposes.

Question 18

Performance appraisal programs must be both reliable and valid.

Question 19

Written performance narratives are less prone to personal bias than numerical rating procedures.

Question 20

The halo effect is the tendency to judge all aspects of behavior or character on the basis of a single attribute.

Question 21

Student evaluations of professors are an example of a(n) .performance appraisal technique.

A)objective
B)ranking
C)judgmental
D)projective

Question 22

Jawahar (2001) found that low self-monitors tend to give more lenient ratings than do high self- monitors.

Question 23

Davis and Mount (1984) found that providing feedback to raters increased leniency error in subsequent ratings.

Question 24

As a criticism of performance appraisals, employees .

A)prefer seniority rather than assessment
B)prefer not to be told of deficiencies
C)dislike playing the role of judge
D)are accepting of performance appraisals

Question 25

EEOC compliance criteria include which of the following?

A)Well trained supervisors
B)Focus on personality characteristics
C)Discarding of all notes, records, and documentation after six months
D)Union acceptance of selection criteria

Question 26

Our personality can influence the way we judge or evaluate other people.

Question 27

Overall, the performance appraisal process gets a good rating from employees and managers.

Question 28

Performance appraisals generally receive positive ratings from .

A)management
B)labor unions
C)employees
D)none of the above

Question 29

Supervisors high in role conflict tend to give higher than justified performance evaluations.

Question 30

Two methods of impression management are self-promotion and ingratitude.

Question 31

Performance appraisals are useful for doing which of the following?

A)Conducting HR research
B)Validating selection techniques
C)Identifying training requirements
D)All of the above

Question 32

is an objective approach to measuring performance?

A)A rating scale
B)The forced-choice technique
C)Computerized performance monitoring
D)MBO

Question 33

What HR functions are affected by performance appraisals?

A)Emotional security
B)General life satisfaction
C)Pay raises
D)All of the above

Question 34

Inadequate information error is a source of performance appraisal bias that reflects a rater's unwillingness to provide very high or very low ratings.

Question 35

Shore, Cleveland and Goldberg (2003) found that older employees who had younger managers tended to receive lower ratings.This is an example of .

A)racial bias
B)age bias
C)normative influence
D)representative discrimination

Question 36

What should employers do to protect themselves against bias claims?

A)Have all employees sign a "no bias claim clause" as a condition of employment.
B)Base personnel decisions on a well-designed performance review program.
C)Recruit mostly those candidates who have been recommended by current employees.
D)Not use selection tests.

Question 37

Constant bias can be corrected by using a forced distribution

Question 38

Performance appraisal systems may be improved through training programs for raters.

Question 39

EEOC guidelines do not apply to which of the following?

A)Hiring
B)Layoff
C)Early retirement
D)EEOC guidelines apply to all of the above

Question 40

Which are the two approaches to measuring performance?

A)Objective and judgmental
B)Judgmental and qualitative
C)Objective and computer-based
D)Judgmental and narrative

Question 41

Performance rating scales .

A)are the most frequently used rating technique
B)require supervisors to list their workers in order from highest to lowest
C)require that each worker be compared to every other worker in the work group
D)require supervisors to rate their employees according to a prescribed distribution of ratings

Question 42

For the current performance appraisal cycle, John, a supervisor with Trent, Inc., was presented with groups of descriptive statements and asked to select the one phrase from each group that best described a particular employee.This is an example of the performance appraisal technique.

A)paired-comparison
B)forced-choice
C)forced distribution
D)behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)

Question 43

Multisource feedback .

A)combines evaluations from several sources.
B)is criticized for failing to reduce bias.
C)is less costly than single source appraisals.
D)is an effective objective measure of performance as long as the raters remain anonymous.

Question 44

Which of the following statements is representative of the ranking technique of performance appraisal?

A)It is the most frequently used rating technique
B)Supervisors list their workers in order from highest to lowest
C)It requires that each worker be compared with every other worker in the work group
D)Supervisors rate their employees according to a prescribed distribution of ratings

Question 45

Which of the following is true regarding peer ratings?

A)Peer ratings tend to be higher than ratings by superiors.
B)There is a positive correlation between peer ratings and promotion.
C)Peer ratings have lower interrater reliability than ratings by superiors.
D)All of the above

Question 46

Judgmental performance appraisal methods .

A)are less prone to personal bias than other methods
B)provide for immediate and objective feedback
C)focus on quantity, quality, job experience, and other environmental factors
D)consist of brief essays and numerical rating procedures

Question 47

If 10 workers are to be evaluated using the paired-comparison technique, how many comparisons must be made?

A)45
B)50
C)100
D)none of the above

Question 48

MBO consists of which two phases?

A)Job analysis and performance review
B)Job analysis and goal setting
C)Performance review and peer rating
D)Goal setting and performance review

Question 49

Which of the following statements is most representative of the forced-distribution technique?

A)It is the most frequently used rating technique
B)Supervisors list their workers in order from highest to lowest
C)It requires that each worker be compared with every other worker in the work group
D)Supervisors rate their employees according to a prescribed distribution of ratings

Question 50

is a performance appraisal techniques in which supervisors rate employees according to a prescribed distribution of ratings, similar to grading on a curve.

A)The forced distribution technique
B)BARS
C)BOS
D)The force-choice technique

Question 51

Select the response most applicable to Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS).

A)Employees are evaluated in terms of critical incidents.
B)Appraisers rate critical employee behaviors.
C)BARS are criticized for lack of validity.
D)BARS is more costly to develop than the forced choice technique.

Question 52

An instructor grading on a curve is an example of the performance appraisal technique?

A)paired-comparison
B)forced-choice
C)forced-distribution
D)behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)

Question 53

A critical component of the approach to performance appraisal is that employees and managers mutually agree on goals to be achieved during a specific time period.

A)BARS
B)BOS
C)MBO
D)TBO

Question 54

One of the advantages of computerized monitoring as a means of performance appraisal is that it _.

A)leads to focus on quantity
B)may increase stress
C)reduces rater bias
D)leads to a reduction in stress

Question 55

Select the response most applicable to Management by Objectives (MBO).

A)Appraisers rate the frequency of critical employee behaviors.
B)Appraisers rate critical employee behaviors.
C)MBO involves a mutual agreement between employee and manager.
D)MBO uses peer ratings.

Question 56

Evaluation techniques for managers include which of the following?

A)Assessment centers
B)Peer rating
C)Self-ratings
D)All of the above

Question 57

Select the response most applicable to Behavioral Observation Scales (BOS).

A)Subordinates are rated on the frequency of the critical incidents.
B)BOS compares the performance of each worker with that of every other person in the work group.
C)BOS is an objective measure of performance.
D)BOS is the most frequently used technique of performance appraisal.

Question 58

Mary is rating the job performance of her subordinates by identifying the degree to which they display specific behaviors that are important to success or failure on the job.This is an example of the performance appraisal technique.

A)forced-choice
B)forced distribution
C)behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS)
D)behavioral observation scale (BOS)

Question 59

The statements in each pair of the forced-choice technique _.

A)appear to the rater to have similar desirability characteristics
B)appear to the rater to have dissimilar desirability characteristics
C)appear to the rater to be unreliable
D)appear to the rater to discriminate unfairly

Question 60

Which of the following statements is most representative of the paired comparison technique?

A)It is the most frequently used rating technique
B)Supervisors list their workers in order from highest to lowest
C)It requires that each worker be compared with every other worker in the work group
D)Supervisors rate their employees according to a prescribed distribution of ratings

Question 61

According to Greguras, Robie, Schleicher, and Goff (2003), ratings by subordinates are significantly more reliable if _.

A)the ratings are to be used for administrative purposes
B)the ratings are to be used for developmental purposes
C)the subordinates are paid extra for the evaluation
D)the subordinates must place their name on the evaluation

Question 62

Antonioni and Park (2001) found that pares of peer raters who shared a score on conscientiousness were likely to give each other higher ratings than those pares who shared a conscientiousness score on the other end of the continuum.

A)high; less
B)low; equally
C)high; more
D)low; more

Question 63

Craig and Hannum (2006) found that managers who rated themselves than other managers did were satisfied with the 360 degree feedback approach than managers who rated themselves on the other end of the spectrum.

A)higher; less
B)lower; less
C)higher; more
D)lower; equally

Question 64

Which of the following is related to constant bias?

A)The tendency to judge all aspects of a person's behavior on the basis of a single attribute
B)Errors based on the different standards used by raters
C)A rater evaluates a worker's most recent performance
D)Subordinates are rated even though the supervisor does not know them well

Question 65

Billy Ray Cyprus is impressed that his subordinate, Billy Bob Thrompton, attended his alma mater and tends to award Billy Bob higher ratings than otherwise justified.This is an example of which of the following?

A)Zeigarnic effect
B)Constant bias
C)Most-recent-performance error
D)Halo effect

Question 66

Higher levels of role conflict and any stress associated with it may have which of the following effects?

A)Cause supervisors to deflate performance ratings.
B)Increase supervisor job satisfaction.
C)Cause supervisors to inflate performance ratings.
D)Decrease supervisor turnover.

Question 67

The cognitive variable refers to one person's feelings or emotions toward another person.

A)self-esteem
B)self-monitoring
C)interpersonal affect
D)attitudinal reciprocation

Question 68

A definition of the halo effect would include .

A)errors based on the different standards used by raters
B)raters evaluating a worker's most recent performance
C)the tendency to judge all aspects of a person's behavior on the basis of a single attribute
D)subordinates being rated even though the supervisor does not know them well

Question 69

Most recent performance error is defined as .

A)the tendency to judge all aspects of a person's behavior on the basis of a single attribute
B)errors based on the different standards used by raters
C)a rater evaluates a worker's most recent performance
D)subordinates are rated even though the supervisor does not know them well

Question 70

The primary purpose of the post-appraisal interview is to .

A)decrease antagonism between supervisor and worker
B)increase communication between supervisor and worker
C)solicit worker opinions about company efficiency
D)stimulate employees to improve performance

Question 71

Employees are most likely to be satisfied with post appraisal interviews when .

A)discussions of changes in salary and rank are not linked to the performance appraisal criteria
B)employees are allowed to participate actively in the process
C)the supervisor specifies specific goals to be achieved
D)the interviewer focuses on personal characteristics of the interviewee

Question 72

Research by Harris, Kacmar, Zivnuska and Shaw (2007) indicated that individuals high in were much likely than individuals low in that characteristic to be perceived by their supervisors as not using ingratiation behaviors to curry favor for personal gain.

A)self-esteem; more
B)political skill; more
C)self-esteem; less
D)political skill; less

Question 73

To improve performance appraisals, .

A)validity must be higher than reliability
B)the organization must provide training and feedback
C)supervisors must rely solely on judgmental methods of appraisal
D)the organization should not allow immediate supervisors to perform the evaluation

Question 74

A survey of human resource managers found that about of them were dissatisfied with the performance appraisal system in their organization.

A)25 percent
B)50 percent
C)75 percent
D)90 percent

Question 75

Performance appraisal as conducted in organizations today is largely which may help explain why correlations between ratings and results-oriented job performance criteria are relatively _.

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

Question 76

Smither and Walker (2004) found that managers who received upward feedback from their subordinates were more likely to improve their job performance than those who received upward feedback.

A)positive; negative
B)negative; positive
C)some; no
D)no; some

Question 77

Which of the following is representative of average rating error?

A)a rater is unwilling to assign very high or very low ratings
B)errors based on the different standards used by raters
C)a rater evaluates a workers most recent performance
D)subordinates are rated even though the supervisor does not know them well

Question 78

Inadequate information error is best characterized as _.

A)the tendency to judge all aspects of a person's behavior on the basis of a single attribute
B)errors based on the different standards used by raters
C)a rater evaluates a worker's most recent performance
D)subordinates are rated even though the supervisor does not know them well

Question 79

Which four cognitive variables can influence evaluations of employee performance?

A)intelligence, category structure, beliefs, interpersonal affect
B)personality, beliefs, intelligence, motivation
C)category structures, beliefs, interpersonal affect, attribution
D)interpersonal affect, beliefs, memory, attitude