Deck 10: Decision Making

Question 1

What might team members of a selection committee uncover by discussing their rationales for candidate ratings during the selection process?

A) expectancy errors
B) person-organization fit
C) negligent hiring
D) biases and errors

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What type of error occurs when an applicant who is assessed favourably turns out to be a poor choice?

A) a false negative error
B) a false positive error
C) a leniency error
D) a strictness error

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT related to the statistical composite approach?

A) collecting both judgmental and statistical data
B) combining data statistically
C) combining the ratings or scores in a formula or regression equation
D) combining data in a judgmental manner

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In which approach to collecting and combining applicant information are a number of judgmental ratings made based on the various sources of information?

A) the trait rating approach
B) the profile interpretation
C) the pure statistical approach
D) the judgmental composite

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT required by organizations that select candidates for the organization as opposed to specific jobs?

A) selecting for organizational fit
B) having strong external hiring policies
C) possessing flexible job descriptions
D) hiring to fill dynamic and changing jobs

Question 6

Which of the following does NOT reduce the objectivity of group decisions?

A) group conformity
B) power motives
C) organizational culture
D) information asymmetry

Question 7

What is the simplest way of combining applicant information in the selection process?

A) Add the scores together.
B) Apply weighted averages.
C) Apply moving averages.
D) Separate quantitative and qualitative data.

Question 8

In most general undergraduate university degrees, what is the cut-off that has been established by convention in the last decade?

A) 80 percent
B) 70 percent
C) 60 percent
D) 50 percent

Question 9

In which approach are judgmental data combined statistically?

A) the trait rating approach
B) the profile interpretation
C) the judgmental composite
D) the pure judgment approach

Question 10

Which concept refers to the proportion of applicants for one or more positions who are hired?

A) yield ratio
B) applicant ratio
C) selection ratio
D) employment ratio

Question 11

Which concept refers to the value in terms of increased validity of adding a particular predictor to an existing selection system?

A) referent validity
B) coefficient validity
C) external validity
D) incremental validity

Question 12

What type of theories are personal beliefs that are held about how people or things function, without objective evidence and often without conscious awareness?

A) explicit
B) implicit
C) psychological
D) attribution

Question 13

When employers tend to have a holistic, intuitive decision-making style, what might they require in order to convince them to use statistical approaches in the selection process?

A) changes to HR policy manuals
B) more evidence and training
C) technologically generated data
D) data to be integrated to selection criteria

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a constraint or a competing demand employers must contend with when making selection decisions?

A) time pressures
B) satisficing
C) an oversupply of applicants, causing standards to decrease
D) selecting individuals with adequate information about job requirements

Question 15

Which concept refers to making an acceptable or adequate choice rather than the best or optimal choice?

A) selection bias
B) satisficing
C) sufficiency
D) success rate

Question 16

What best defines an approach to collecting and combining applicant information in which data are collected from objective sources such as tests or biographical inventories, and the decision maker examines these data to form an overall, subjective impression of the applicant's suitability for the job?

A) the pure judgment approach
B) the trait rating approach
C) the profile interpretation
D) the pure statistical approach

Question 17

What is the threshold where those scoring at or above the score will pass, but those scoring below will fail?

A) minimum performance
B) cut-off score
C) pass mark
D) threshold level

Question 18

Which concept refers to an approach in which statistical data are combined in a judgmental manner?

A) the pure statistical approach
B) the profile interpretation
C) the pure judgment approach
D) the judgmental composite

Question 19

Which approach to collecting and combining applicant information involves the decision maker forming an overall impression of the applicant based on gut feelings or implicit theories rather than explicit, objective criteria?

A) the pure judgment approach
B) the trait rating approach
C) the profile interpretation
D) the judgmental composite

Question 20

In which approach are data are combined statistically?

A) the statistical composite
B) the trait rating approach
C) the profile interpretation
D) the pure statistical approach

Question 21

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. Which term defines TS Inc.'s president's selection decision making in which he bases his decision on whether he likes the applicant and how he feels about the applicant?

A) implicit theory decision making
B) intuitive decision making
C) rational decision making
D) logical decision making

Question 22

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. TS Inc. has made costly selection errors in the past when the company underestimated the potential of an aircraft maintenance engineer, resulting in a no-hire decision. The applicant accepted a position with a competing aviation company and the quality of his work led to an industry safety award, resulting in increased contracts for the competing company. What is this error called?

A) a false positive
B) a false negative
C) a positive error
D) a negative error

Question 23

The purpose of selection is to discriminate.

Question 24

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. TS Inc. would like to use an approach to collecting and combining applicant information in which judgmental and statistical data are combined statistically. The applicants' scores would be given and selection decisions would be based on each component, such as the structured interview and test. Which approach is this?

A) the trait rating approach
B) the pure statistical approach
C) the judgmental composite
D) the statistical composite

Question 25

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. TS Inc. is aware that the selection process can be subjective and susceptible to errors. Management is particularly concerned about the aircraft maintenance engineers who have the qualifications but may mistakenly be eliminated. What is this error called?

A) a false positive
B) a false negative
C) a positive error
D) a negative error

Question 26

Implicit theories are personal beliefs that are held about how people or things function, without objective evidence or often without conscious awareness.

Question 27

The following is a decision-making model in which applicants must pass the minimum cut-off for each predictor, in turn, before being assessed on the next predictor. As soon as an applicant fails to meet the cut-off on a given predictor, which of the following will the applicant NOT be assessed with given the remaining predictors?

A) multiple regression
B) multiple cut-offs model
C) multiple hurdle
D) multiple criteria

Question 28

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. There are several constraints and competing demands when making selection decisions. Which is NOT a constraint for TS Inc.?

A) time pressures
B) satisficing
C) statistical data
D) organizational policies

Question 29

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. In the past, TS Inc. used subjective sources such as unstructured interviews to collect applicant information. What is this approach called?

A) profile interpretations
B) pure judgment
C) profile judgmental
D) judgmental composite

Question 30

What is the concept that refers to grouping applicants based on ranges of scores?

A) banding
B) profiling
C) matching
D) categorizing

Question 31

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. TS Inc. would like to use a decision-making model in which applicants' scores on each predictor (i.e., tests, interviews, reference checks) are weighted and summed to yield a total score (i.e., predicted job performance). What is this model called?

A) multiple regression
B) multiple cut-offs model
C) multiple hurdle
D) profile matching

Question 32

According to the textbook, which of the following is NOT a predictor score for a sales applicant?

A) cognitive ability test
B) introversion scale
C) structured interview
D) reference check

Question 33

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. TS inc. has often selected the first applicant who met the minimum qualifications. What is this constraint?

A) applicant knowledge, skills, abilities and other attributes
B) satisficing
C) implicit hiring
D) judgmental procedure

Question 34

How are implicit theories defined?

A) They are theories about how certain behaviours, mannerisms, or personality characteristics go together without objective evidence.
B) They are theories about how certain behaviours, mannerisms, or personality characteristics go together with objective evidence.
C) They are theories about how certain behaviours, mannerisms, or personality characteristics go together with conscious awareness.
D) They are theories about how certain behaviours, mannerisms, or personality characteristics differentiate between applicants.

Question 35

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. TS Inc. wants the relationship between the actual number of people hired and the number who applied for a position to yield 0.8. What is this proportion of applicants called?

A) the applicant ratio
B) the standard deviation
C) the selection ratio
D) the selection pool

Question 36

The belief that unswerving eye contact reveals honesty, directness, and confidence is an example of an implicit theory.

Question 37

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. Why would TS Inc. management be concerned about false positive errors?

A) They would not be concerned because the high-performing applicants were not screened out.
B) These could result in litigation and loss of employees' competitive skills.
C) They would not be concerned because the low-performing applicants were screened out.
D) Individuals who had the qualifications were mistakenly eliminated.

Question 38

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. Which of the following statistical and judgmental approaches to collect and combine applicant information would TS Inc. NOT choose to use?

A) behaviour rating approach
B) trait rating approach
C) pure statistical approach
D) judgmental composite

Question 39

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. The president commented on one applicant as being honest and confident as revealed by his unswerving eye contact. What is this an example of?

A) implicit theory
B) reflection behaviour
C) false negative error
D) true positive

Question 40

Scenario 10-1
For four months you have been employed as the part-time HRM for TS Inc., a small Canadian aviation company. In the past, recruitment and selection rested on the shoulders of the president and, like most small companies, TS Inc. used employee referrals and an informal interview processes in selecting employees. Since you have been hired, you have guided management through several stages of the recruitment and selection process to hire an aircraft maintenance engineer. TS Inc. has used proper selection methods such as screening, testing, and structured interviews but is not sure about how to integrate the data from these various sources. In the past, the president relied on his gut feeling about applicants and made poor hiring decisions.
Refer to Scenario 10-1. Currently, TS Inc. is using objective sources such as test scores to collect applicant information. What is this approach?

A) statistical
B) subjective
C) biased
D) judgmental

Question 41

Describe three selection decision-making models. What are the advantages of each?

Question 42

What are some of the constraints facing managers during the selection process?

Question 43

In the multiple cut-off model, applicants are rejected if their scores on any of the predictors fall below the cut-off scores.

Question 44

What are some of the advantages of group decision making in selection?

Question 45

Why do most employers resist using statistical decision-making approaches?

Question 46

Many employers believe they have a knack for making good selection decisions. Comment, defining the impact of implicit theories on the selection process.

Question 47

What are two common types of errors made in selection decision making?

Question 48

In banding, employers may select within bands on the basis of secondary criteria such as education, experience, or professional conduct. Minority status can be used only as a tie-breaker among individuals with the same scores.

Question 49

Cut-off scores ensure that applicants meet some minimum level of ability or qualification to be considered for a job.

Question 50

Describe one of the statistical or judgmental approaches used for the collection and combination of information.

Question 51

Top-down selection is the proportion of applicants for one or more positions who are hired.

Question 52

In the multiple hurdle model, applicants must pass the minimum cut-off for each predictor, in turn, before being assessed on the next predictor.

Question 53

Employers welcome statistical approaches to selection decision making and use them widely.

Question 54

Banding involves ranking applicants on the basis of their total scores and selecting from the top down until the desired number of candidates has been selected.

Question 55

A false negative error occurs when an applicant who is rejected would have been a good choice.

Question 56

An approach in which data are combined statistically is referred to as a judgmental composite.

Question 57

A false negative error occurs when an applicant who is assessed positively turns out to be a poor choice.

Question 58

In the profile matching model, current employees who are poor performers are assessed on several predictors.

Question 59

Surveys indicate that in most organizations one individual makes selection decisions.

Question 60

Describe one of the major challenges facing HR professionals with respect to recruitment and selection.

Question 61

Describe some of the major challenges facing HR professionals with respect to decision making in the recruitment and selection process.

Question 62

Refer to an organization and job position you are familiar with. Describe the elements you would use in making a final selection decision.