Deck 6: Learning and Performance Management

Question 1

In the context of approaches to modify behavior, which of the following can bring about negative behavioral consequences?

A)Extinction
B)Punishment
C)Reinforcement
D)Mentoring

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Aisha, a manager at Zappo Inc., rewards her subordinates for their good performances. Which of the following approaches does she most likely use?

A)Positive reinforcement
B)Observational learning
C)Classical conditioning
D)Respondent conditioning

Answer 2

A

Question 3

_____ is a strategy to cultivate desirable behavior by either bestowing positive consequences or withholding negative ones.

A)Collaboration
B)Extinction
C)Reinforcement
D)Punishment

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In the context of reinforcement theory, _____ are the results that a person finds attractive or pleasurable.

A)theoretical frameworks
B)positive consequences
C)performance appraisals
D)performance assessments

Question 5

_____ is most effective when used in conjunction with the positive reinforcement of desirable behaviors.

A)Extinction
B)Regressive coping
C)Punishment
D)Contingency

Question 6

Classical conditioning has limited applicability to human behavior in organizations because:

A)humans are more amenable to simple cause-and-effect conditioning.
B)behavioral environments in organizations are usually regulated by single stimulus-response manipulations.
C)the human capacity for decision making can override simple conditioning.
D)the behavioral environments in organizations are very amenable to single stimulus-response manipulations.

Question 7

_____ is the process of modifying behavior by following specific behaviors with positive or negative consequences.

A)Operant conditioning
B)Pavlovian conditioning
C)Classical conditioning
D)Forward conditioning

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true of reinforcement theory?

A)It holds that punishment and extinction diminish undesirable behavior.
B)It minimizes the need for performance evaluations.
C)It emphasizes collective performance rather than individual performance.
D)It is the best approach to improve the accuracy and validity of performance evaluation.

Question 9

The behaviorist approach to learning assumes that:

A)punishment and extinction enhance desirable behavior.
B)cognitive activities do not alter individuals' behavior.
C)observable behavior is a function of its consequences.
D)behaviors followed by positive consequences are less likely to recur.

Question 10

_____ is central to the design and administration of organizational reward systems, which are a key factor in attracting and retaining top employees.

A)Equity theory
B)Behaviorist theory
C)Reinforcement theory
D)Goal-setting theory

Question 11

Negative reinforcement occurs when managers _____ after an employee demonstrates a desirable behavior.

A)bestow a positive consequence
B)bestow a negative consequence
C)withhold a positive consequence
D)withhold a negative consequence

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true of learning?

A)It helps improve customer relations.
B)It helps guide and direct motivated behavior.
C)It leads to increased employee engagement.
D)It minimizes the need for performance evaluations.

Question 13

Mike, the CEO of SwifTech, rewards and punishes his employees based on their performance. Which of the following behavior modification approaches does Mike follow?

A)Classical conditioning
B)Observational learning
C)Social learning
D)Operant conditioning

Question 14

_____ involves three types of consequences: financial reinforcement, nonfinancial reinforcement, and social reinforcement to shape behavior in a variety of organizations.

A)Organizational citizenship behavior
B)Task-specific self-efficacy
C)Management by exception
D)Organizational behavior modification

Question 15

Thorndike's law of effect states that:

A)human behavior can be modified by pairing a conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus.
B)human behaviors cannot be altered through external influences.
C)behaviors followed by negative consequences are less likely to recur.
D)undesirable behavior occurs due to stress from work.

Question 16

Ali, a manager at Westfort Inc., deducts the pay of his subordinates when they fail to meet targets due to absence from work. Which of the following approaches does Ali use to discourage undesirable behavior?

A)Reinforcement
B)Punishment
C)Extinction
D)Contingency

Question 17

_____ is the process of modifying behavior by pairing a conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit an unconditioned response.

A)Operant conditioning
B)Classical conditioning
C)Condition monitoring
D)Instrumental conditioning

Question 18

_____ is a strategy to weaken a behavior by attaching no consequences to it.

A)Reinforcement
B)Extinction
C)Punishment
D)Collaboration

Question 19

_____ are the results that a person finds unattractive or aversive.

A)360-degree feedbacks
B)Negative consequences
C)Reinforcements
D)Deficiencies

Question 20

In the context of reinforcement theory, which of the following is an example of a positive consequence?

A)Promotion at work
B)Transfer to an undesired location
C)Criticism from a supervisor
D)Disciplinary action

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true of specific and challenging goals?

A)They provide opportunities for feedback about goal progress.
B)They focus attention on exactly what will be accomplished and inspire peak performance.
C)They enhance measurability of utility functions.
D)They use measures like the number of complaints or the frequency of compliments.

Question 22

Which of the following is a validity problem that contributes to inaccuracy in performance measurement?

A)Poorly defined task performance
B)Performance overlooked by the evaluator
C)Disagreement between evaluators about methods
D)Ill health of the person being evaluated

Question 23

Individuals with high self-efficacy believe that they:

A)have the ability to get things done.
B)control what happens to others.
C)bring about negative performance with the use of punishment.
D)can influence others' behavior.

Question 24

In the context of goal-setting programs, which of the following statements is true of the planning component?

A)Interim reviews are conducted by managers and employees and formal performance evaluation.
B)Employees challenge the supervisor's ideas about future development and express their own goals.
C)Effective performance reviews are tailored specifically to the needs of a company.
D)Individuals and departments develop operational and tactical plans to support corporate objectives.

Question 25

_____ is a goal-setting program based on interaction and negotiation between employees and managers.

A)Management by objectives
B)Management by reinforcement
C)Management by exemption
D)Management by learning

Question 26

Which of the following is a source of task-specific self-efficacy?

A)Persuasion from other people
B)Negative consequences
C)Assessment of past emotional capabilities
D)Low self-confidence

Question 27

At Bling Clothing, the managers and employees regularly interact with each other. They carry out negotiations to ensure that the goals of the organization and the goals of the employees are met. The approach followed by Bling Clothing exemplifies _____.

A)management by exception
B)management by reinforcement
C)management by evaluation
D)management by objectives

Question 28

The first step in the performance management process is:

A)rewarding positive performance behaviors.
B)measuring performance.
C)defining performance in behavioral terms.
D)assessing the impact of performance behaviors.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is true of measurable, quantitative goals?

A)They provide opportunities for feedback about goal progress.
B)They focus attention on exactly what will be accomplished and inspire peak performance.
C)They enhance measurability of utility functions.
D)They concentrate on an individual's internal expectancy to perform a specific task effectively.

Question 30

In the context of Albert Bandura's social learning theory, Bandura asserts that learning:

A)is central to the design and administration of organizational reward systems.
B)is the process of modifying behavior by following specific behaviors with positive consequences.
C)increases task motivation while reducing role conflict and ambiguity.
D)occurs when we observe other people and model their behavior.

Question 31

Which of the following is true of goal setting?

A)It reduces task performance.
B)It demotivates employees.
C)It improves role clarity.
D)It causes stress due to confusing expectations.

Question 32

In the context of goal setting, which of the following statements is true of time-bound goals?

A)They provide opportunities for feedback about goal progress.
B)They focus attention on exactly what will be accomplished and inspire peak performance.
C)They enhance measurability.
D)They use measures like the number of complaints or the frequency of compliments.

Question 33

Goal setting reduces:

A)role stress associated with conflicting and confusing expectations.
B)role clarity among employees.
C)employee participation in decision making.
D)communication between managers and employees.

Question 34

_____ is a process of defining, measuring, appraising, providing feedback on, and improving performance.

A)Performance conditioning
B)Performance management
C)Employee development
D)Behavior modification

Question 35

Based on goal-orientation theory, which of the following types of feedback-seeking was positively related to job performance, role clarity, and social integration?

A)Self-positive feedback
B)Self-negative feedback
C)Other-positive feedback
D)Other-negative feedback

Question 36

The _____ component of goal-setting programs consists of organizational and individual goal setting, two essential and interdependent processes.

A)assessment
B)forecasting
C)planning
D)evaluation

Question 37

Mark leads the editorial team in his company. In the second quarter of 2017, his team did not perform very well. However, Mark refrained himself from criticizing them; he congratulated his team members for the timely completion of their projects. In this scenario, the strategy followed by Mark to modify his team member's behavior is _____.

A)punishment
B)extinction
C)reinforcement
D)coaching

Question 38

Which of the following helps increase work motivation and task performance?

A)Providing timely feedback to employees
B)Monitoring employee interaction during work hours
C)Reducing communication between managers and employees
D)Minimizing employee participation in decision making

Question 39

Which of the following best describes intuitors?

A)They are individuals who prefer analysis of data and information.
B)They are individuals who prefer interpersonal involvement.
C)They are individuals who prefer specific, empirical data.
D)They are individuals who prefer theoretical frameworks.

Question 40

Managers can empower employees and help them develop self-efficacy by:

A)avoiding challenging jobs.
B)providing harsh criticisms.
C)rewarding employees' achievements.
D)minimizing their role in decision making.

Question 41

In the context of defining performance, performance appraisal:

A)involves defining and measuring performance.
B)is the result that a person finds attractive or pleasurable.
C)is the process of change in behavior through experience.
D)is the evaluation of a person's performance.

Question 42

In the context of performance management, _____ emphasizes collective performance rather than individual performance and is enhanced by employee involvement programs.

A)management by objectives
B)management by exception
C)organizational citizenship behavior
D)organizational behavior modification

Question 43

In the context of rewarding performance, which of the following is true of the power of earning?

A)It minimizes the value of individual performance.
B)It promotes passive behavior.
C)It promotes active, responsible behavior.
D)It decreases the positive value in the organizational reward system.

Question 44

Which of the following is an advantage of including self-evaluations in 360-degree feedback?

A)They reduce the need for performance training systems.
B)They avoid differences with supervisory evaluations.
C)They enable employees to overlook feedback from superiors.
D)They make evaluation interviews more constructive.

Question 45

In the context of performance appraisal, _____ occurs from inaccurate definition of the expected job performance.

A)deficiency
B)unreliability
C)malfunction
D)invalidity

Question 46

In the context of key characteristics of effective performance appraisal, which of the following defines validity?

A)Staying open to modification based on new information
B)Allowing the person being evaluated to have some input
C)Collecting evaluations from multiple sources and at different times throughout the evaluation period
D)Capturing multiple dimensions of a person's job performance

Question 47

Which of the following is true of team reward systems?

A)They minimize sharing of information among employees.
B)They encourage cooperation within a work team.
C)They encourage competition within a work team.
D)They create a dysfunctional work environment.

Question 48

_____ is a process of self-evaluation and evaluations by a manager, peers, direct reports, and possibly customers.

A)Classical conditioning
B)Problem-focused coping
C)Role negotiation
D)360-degree feedback

Question 49

Susan, a manager at Pacstar Inc., encourages growth among her employees by offering promotions and incentives to high-performing employees. In the context of performance appraisal, Susan is fulfilling her role as a(n)_____.

A)promoter
B)actuator
C)evaluator
D)emancipator

Question 50

In the context of rewarding performance, reward allocation:

A)involves sequential decisions about which people to reward, how to reward them, and when to reward them.
B)brings about negative psychological, emotional, performance, or behavioral consequences, especially when applied too often.
C)provides opportunities for feedback about goal progress.
D)focuses attention on capturing multiple dimensions of a person's job performance.

Question 51

Which of the following is a criticism of self-evaluations in 360-degree feedback?

A)They decrease the commitment to goals.
B)They make the evaluation interviews more defensive.
C)They often conflict with supervisory evaluations.
D)They make the evaluation interviews less constructive.

Question 52

In the context of performance feedback, which of the following is true of 360-degree feedback?

A)It deteriorates the accuracy of performance appraisals.
B)It is based on multiple sources of information.
C)It involves feedback from peers instead of superiors.
D)It fails when the management and performance feedback components are separated.

Question 53

Which of the following is true of passive, compliant employees?

A)They take responsibility for future growth.
B)They express their own goals.
C)They fail to achieve full emotional development.
D)They often disagree with their supervisor's ideas.

Question 54

Which of the following is true of good supervisors?

A)They must not be vulnerable to challenges from subordinates.
B)They must not engage with their subordinates in non-work activities.
C)They must encourage employees to discuss their aspirations.
D)They must identify non-performing employees and report to higher officials.

Question 55

Which of the following is true of performance appraisal?

A)It helps managers to clearly define employees' tasks.
B)It fails to influence promotion and demotion of employees.
C)It provides employees with feedback on their performance.
D)It fails to identify employees' developmental needs.

Question 56

In the context of performance feedback, supervisors should start performance feedback sessions with:

A)critical feedback.
B)some engaging activity.
C)something positive.
D)general and non-specific topics.

Question 57

Flexibility, one of the key characteristics of an effective performance appraisal system, means:

A)capturing multiple dimensions of a person's job performance.
B)staying open to modification based on new information.
C)allowing the person being evaluated to have some input.
D)evaluating fairly against established criteria, regardless of individual differences.

Question 58

In the context of key characteristics of effective performance appraisal, _____ means evaluating fairly against established criteria, regardless of individual differences.

A)validity
B)reliability
C)flexibility
D)equitability

Question 59

The notion of entitlement at work:

A)engenders active, responsible behavior.
B)engenders passive, irresponsible behavior.
C)rests on a direct link between performance and rewards.
D)motivates individuals to behave constructively.

Question 60

Which of the following is true of individual reward systems?

A)They discourage individuals from performing better than their peers.
B)They foster overdependence on co-workers.
C)They discourage creativity and problem-solving skills in individuals.
D)They create competition within a work team.

Question 61

In the context of Harold Kelly's attribution theory, _____ is an informational cue indicating the extent to which peers in the same situation behave in a similar fashion.

A)consistency
B)consensus
C)distinctiveness
D)reinforcement

Question 62

Reward and punishment decisions solely affect the people receiving the consequence.

Question 63

Ben often challenges his manager Smith's ideas about organizational goals and targets. They both have conflicting ideas and perceptions about their company's future. In case of performance problems, Ben and Smith are most likely to _____.

A)accuse all other employees for lack of performance.
B)assume responsibility for performance problems.
C)blame each other for poor performance.
D)agree on a possible solution to the performance problem.

Question 64

In the context of Harold Kelly's attribution theory, _____ is a cue indicating the degree to which an individual behaves the same way in other situations.

A)consistency
B)consensus
C)distinctiveness
D)reinforcement

Question 65

Individual reward systems encourage cooperation, joint efforts, and the sharing of information and expertise.

Question 66

_____ is a work relationship that encourages development and career enhancement for people moving through the career cycle.

A)Conditioning
B)Reinforcement
C)Mentoring
D)Extinction

Question 67

Reward allocation involves sequential decisions about which people to reward, how to reward them, and when to reward them.

Question 68

Punishment is a strategy to cultivate desirable behavior by either bestowing positive consequences or withholding negative ones.

Question 69

In the context of Harold Kelley's attribution theory, _____ is a cue indicating the frequency of behavior over time.

A)consistency
B)consensus
C)distinctiveness
D)uniqueness

Question 70

360-degree feedback is based on a single source of information to improve the accuracy of performance appraisals.

Question 71

Supervisors can play a helpful role in employee problem-solving activities without accepting responsibility for the employees' problems by:

A)requesting managers to transfer employees with problems to their peers.
B)dismissing employees with personal problems.
C)referring the employees to trained professionals.
D)advising employees to take leave from work.

Question 72

Managers play a critical role in helping to establish a direct link between performance and rewards by:

A)minimizing employee participation in decision making.
B)providing employees with assistance toward goal completion.
C)providing feedback exclusively after rewarding employees.
D)minimizing performance evaluation.

Question 73

The planning component of goal-setting programs consists of interim reviews conducted by managers and employees and formal performance evaluation.

Question 74

Because punishment is discomforting to the individual being punished, it can bring about negative psychological, emotional, performance, or behavioral consequences, especially when applied too often.

Question 75

Individual reward systems directly affect individual behavior and encourage competition within a work team.

Question 76

According to Harold Kelley's attribution theory, attributions are formed based on:

A)feedback from coworkers.
B)whether the three informational cues are low or high.
C)objective and accurate opinions provided by managers.
D)openness and trust in the workplace.

Question 77

In the context of Harold Kelley's attribution theory, which of the following is an example of an external attribution?

A)Equipment failure at workplace
B)Dislike for supervisor
C)Lack of motivation
D)Lack of skill

Question 78

Which of the following employees are most likely to engage in individually-focused organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB-Is)?

A)Employees who receive mentoring from their peers
B)Employees who receive mentoring from formally assigned mentors from higher up in the organizational hierarchy.
C)Employees who receive mentoring from their immediate supervisors
D)Employees who receive mentoring from outside trainers.

Question 79

The notion of entitlement at work enhances the power of earning.

Question 80

The 360-degree feedback method provides a well-rounded view of performance from superiors, peers, followers, and customers.