Deck 6: Perception and Individual Decision Making

Question 1

Which one of the following is NOT a factor that influences perception?

A)target
B)perceiver
C)situation
D)society

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Time is a factor that affects perception.This factor refers to the situation.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Elements in the surrounding environment influence our perceptions.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Factors in the perceiver that influence perception include:

A)experiences.
B)interests.
C)expectations.
D)all of the above.

Question 5

An individual's expectations have little or no effect on perception.

Question 6

When an individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she sees,that interpretation is heavily influenced by personal characteristics of the individual perceiver.

Question 7

Tim,Luke and Esther are all attending the same training course for their organisation.Tim has previously been on other training courses and has found them to be a waste of time.Luke,on the other hand,is looking forward to the course as he is rather interested in the content of the course.Esther is keen to complete the training course as she expects that it will lead to a promotion. Based on the information,Esther's perception of the training course will most likely be influenced by:

A)motives.
B)interests.
C)experience.
D)expectations.

Question 8

What one perceives can be substantially different from:

A)what is behaviourally important.
B)factors in the perceiver.
C)objective reality.
D)context.

Question 9

Outline the factors that influence perception.

Question 10

A process by which individuals organise and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment is called:

A)outlook.
B)interpretation.
C)environmental analysis.
D)perception.

Question 11

Perception is based only on the context of the situation.

Question 12

Tim,Luke and Esther are all attending the same training course for their organisation.Tim has previously been on other training courses and has found them to be a waste of time.Luke,on the other hand,is looking forward to the course as he is rather interested in the content of the course.Esther is keen to complete the training course as she expects that it will lead to a promotion. Based on the information,Tim's perception of the training course will most likely be influenced by:

A)motives.
B)interests.
C)experience.
D)expectations.

Question 13

Kate is the new recruit of a prestigious accounting firm.On her first day there,she begins to classify her co-workers into different groups based on their role within the firm.Kate finds that this makes it easier for her to understand the relationships between the different people and roles within the firm. This is most accurately defined as:

A)stereotyping.
B)projection.
C)perception.
D)bias.

Question 14

Personal characteristics of the individual perceiver include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)location.
B)personality.
C)expectations.
D)his or her attitudes.

Question 15

The time at which an object or event is seen is an example of the ________ that influences the perceptual process.

A)context
B)target
C)perceiver
D)reality

Question 16

Individuals can be involved in the same situation but perceive that situation very differently.

Question 17

When two people go to a party and have two very different experiences,the factors that operate to shape their dissimilar perceptions reside in the:

A)context of the situation in which the perception is made.
B)target being perceived.
C)timing.
D)perceiver.

Question 18

Tim,Luke and Esther are all attending the same training course for their organisation.Tim has previously been on other training courses and has found them to be a waste of time.Luke,on the other hand,is looking forward to the course as he is rather interested in the content of the course.Esther is keen to complete the training course as she expects that it will lead to a promotion. Based on the information,Luke's perception of the training course will most likely be influenced by:

A)motives.
B)interests.
C)experience.
D)expectations.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT true about our perceptions of a target?

A)Motion,sounds,size and other attributes of a target shape the way we see it.
B)Targets are usually looked at in isolation.
C)The relationship of a target to its background influences perception.
D)Similar things tend to be grouped together.

Question 20

Define the concept of perception and why it is important in the study of OB.

Question 21

When investors bragged about their investing expertise during the stock market rally between 1996 and early 2000,then blamed analysts,brokers and the Federal Reserve when the market imploded in 2000,they were guilty of:

A)fundamental attribution error.
B)consensus.
C)self-serving bias.
D)distinctiveness.

Question 22

Which of the following is an example of externally caused behaviour?

A)An employee was late because he was partying late and then overslept.
B)An employee was promoted because he was intelligent.
C)An employee was fired because he did not possess the necessary skills.
D)An employee was late because of a major accident that tied up traffic.

Question 23

Attribution theory explains why we judge people differently in order to determine the:

A)internal or external causality.
B)self-serving bias.
C)influence of internal factors.
D)person to blame for external factors.

Question 24

________ occurs when a person takes the credit for success but casts blame on others when things go wrong.

A)Self-serving bias
B)Attribution theory
C)Fundamental attribution error
D)Selective behaviour theory

Question 25

Internally caused behaviours are those:

A)that are believed to be under the personal control of the individual.
B)resulting from outside causes.
C)forced upon a person by the situation.
D)resulting from personality traits.

Question 26

The determination of whether an individual's behaviour is externally or internally caused depends on all of the following factors EXCEPT:

A)consistency.
B)consensus.
C)perception.
D)distinctiveness.

Question 27

The more consistent a behaviour,the more the observer is inclined to:

A)attribute it to internal causes.
B)attribute it to external causes.
C)attribute it to consensus.
D)depend on the behaviour.

Question 28

________ is the tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors.

A)Self-serving bias
B)Attribution theory
C)Fundamental attribution error
D)Selective behaviour theory

Question 29

Why do we make judgements about people?

A)We tend to stereotype.
B)We make assumptions about their internal state.
C)We judge as a result of justice theories.
D)We engage in organisational behaviour.

Question 30

Whether an individual displays different behaviours in different situations is referred to as:

A)distinctiveness.
B)integrity.
C)continuity.
D)flexibility.

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT true about attribution theory?

A)Behaviour can be attributed to one's heredity.
B)The cause of behaviour may be internal.
C)The cause of behaviour may be external.
D)It tries to attribute causes to specific behaviours.

Question 32

The tendency of an individual to attribute his own successes to internal factors while putting the blame for failures on external factors is:

A)selective perception.
B)self-serving bias.
C)fundamental attribution error.
D)consistency.

Question 33

Shortcuts in judging others include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)self-serving bias.
B)halo effect.
C)stereotyping.
D)projection.

Question 34

The tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behaviour of others is termed:

A)self-serving bias.
B)selective perception.
C)consistency.
D)fundamental attribution error.

Question 35

If everyone who is faced with a similar situation responds in the same way,attribution theory states that the behaviour shows:

A)reliability.
B)consensus.
C)similarity.
D)consistency.

Question 36

Perception varies by culture.Which of the following is a FALSE statement on this issue?

A)Asians are more likely to commit fundamental attribution errors.
B)Asians appear to focus more on the context and environment than the person.
C)Culture affects what we remember.
D)None of the above.

Question 37

Janice is late for work each day by about 10 minutes.This behaviour exhibits:

A)consistency.
B)consensus.
C)reliability.
D)similarity.

Question 38

If a person responds the same way over time,attribution theory states that the behaviour shows:

A)continuity.
B)consistency.
C)distinctiveness.
D)consensus.

Question 39

Jane is difficult to work with.Whenever she is successful,she takes full credit for what has happened,but whenever she is unsuccessful,she attributes her failure to bad luck or to one of her fellow employees.She is guilty of:

A)consensus.
B)fundamental attribution error.
C)self-serving bias.
D)distinctiveness.

Question 40

Your boss never gives you the benefit of the doubt.When you were late this morning,he assumed that you had overslept.He never considered that there might have been a delay on the freeway.He is guilty of:

A)inconsistency.
B)selective perception.
C)fundamental attribution error.
D)self-serving bias.

Question 41

The tendency for individuals to attribute their successes to internal factors while putting the blame for failures on external factors is known as the fundamental attribution error.

Question 42

In attribution theory,consensus refers to whether an individual responds the same way over time.

Question 43

If Andrew inaccurately perceives Lee and the resulting expectations cause Lee to behave in ways consistent with Andrew's original perception,________ has occurred.

A)a self-serving bias
B)the fundamental attribution error
C)a self-fulfilling prophecy
D)stereotyping

Question 44

________ is the tendency to attribute one's own characteristics to other people.

A)Selection
B)Projection
C)Interpretation
D)Stereotyping

Question 45

Another name for self-fulfilling prophecy is:

A)Pygmalion effect.
B)negative reinforcement.
C)projection.
D)self-selecting bias.

Question 46

The more consistent the behaviour,the more the observer is inclined to attribute it to internal causes.

Question 47

Interviewers make perceptual judgments that:

A)are not quickly entrenched.
B)are exceptionally accurate.
C)usually agree with other interviewers.
D)are often inaccurate.

Question 48

In attribution theory,distinctiveness refers to whether an individual displays different behaviours in different situations.

Question 49

________ is the tendency to draw a general impression about an individual based on a single characteristic such as intelligence,sociability or appearance.

A)Prejudice
B)Misjudgment
C)Personal bias
D)The halo effect

Question 50

Giving an attribution an external causation means you assume that the individual is responsible for his or her own behaviour.

Question 51

________ allows us to 'speed-read' others,but not without the risk of drawing an inaccurate picture.

A)Memorisation
B)Periodic listening
C)Mental desensitisation
D)Selective perception

Question 52

When we judge someone on the basis of our perception of the group to which he or she belongs,we are using the shortcut called:

A)grouping.
B)assimilating.
C)stereotyping.
D)categorising.

Question 53

Sayings such as,'Women won't relocate for a promotion','Men aren't interested in child care','Older workers can't learn new skills','Asian immigrants are hardworking and conscientious' and 'Overweight people lack discipline' are examples of which type of judging shortcut?

A)halo effect
B)stereotyping
C)contrast effect
D)projection

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT true concerning interviewers?

A)Interviewers generally draw early impressions that become very quickly entrenched.
B)Their perceptual judgments are often inaccurate.
C)Research shows that people form impressions of others within a tenth of a second.
D)Information elicited early in an interview carries less weight than does information elicited later.
Answer D

Question 55

Because it is impossible for us to assimilate everything we see,we engage in:

A)memorisation.
B)mental desensitisation.
C)selective perception.
D)periodic listening.

Question 56

One of the shortcuts used to judge others involves being influenced by other persons we recently encountered.This is known as:

A)selective perception.
B)prejudice.
C)halo effect.
D)contrast effects.

Question 57

Internally caused behaviours are those that are believed to be under the personal control of the individual.

Question 58

Most interviewers' decisions change very little after the first ________ minutes of the interview.

A)12-15
B)1-2
C)30-40
D)4-5

Question 59

Attribution theory looks at the internal or external causes of behaviour.

Question 60

Which of the following is a FALSE statement about performance evaluation?

A)Subjective measures may be affected by judging shortcuts.
B)Performance ratings are not influenced by the evaluator.
C)They are often subjective; however,this can be problematic.
D)An employee's future is closely tied to performance evaluations.

Question 61

The teacher was told that her students have been selected for her class because they are the most intelligent in their grade.She finds that these students consistently perform above average work.This may be an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 62

Another name for the self-serving bias is the Pygmalion effect.

Question 63

Selective perception occurs because it is impossible for us to assimilate everything we see.

Question 64

You are on a team with two individuals who are difficult.The work has been divided among the three of you and each time your team meets,Janet and Jim disagree about the progress of the team project.Janet is convinced that Jim's lack of progress is because he is inherently lazy and not because of some overwhelming problem with the project itself.The truth seems to be that Janet is not doing her part of the work. You might attempt to understand Janet and Jim by using ________ theory.

A)attribution
B)social relevance
C)satisfying
D)optimising

Question 65

Since attribution theory was developed largely based on experiments
with US and Western European workers,one should use caution in making attribution theory predictions in non-Western societies,especially in countries with strong collectivist traditions.

Question 66

An individual's place in the interview schedule may affect the interviewer's evaluation of the applicant.This example illustrates the halo effect.

Question 67

Jenna has just transferred into a new department within her organisation.She notices that her new manager has,on several occasions,arrived late at meetings.However,her new co-workers tell her that he is generally very punctual. Jenna then notices that her manager is also late when conducting interviews with job applicants.This extra information suggests that there is:

A)high distinctiveness.
B)low distinctiveness.
C)high consensus.
D)high consistency.

Question 68

Interviewers can make perceptual judgments that are often inaccurate during an employment interview.

Question 69

When a manager expects only minimal performance from his workers,there is the possibility that the workers will meet those low expectations.This is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 70

The judgment of the evaluator plays an important role in subjective criteria used to do performance evaluations.

Question 71

You are on a team with two individuals who are difficult.The work has been divided among the three of you and each time your team meets,Janet and Jim disagree about the progress of the team project.Janet is convinced that Jim's lack of progress is because he is inherently lazy and not because of some overwhelming problem with the project itself. Assuming that Jim's explanation about his lack of progress is correct,how might you explain Janet's assessment of Jim's behaviour?

A)stereotyping
B)fundamental attribution error
C)contrast effect
D)the halo effect

Question 72

Asians are less likely to commit the fundamental attribution error.

Question 73

The students in your class are presenting their oral presentations in front of the entire class.You have heard that there are several frequently used shortcuts to judging others and are wondering if any of these are being used by your teacher. The teacher thinks that Jennifer is a very nice girl.Her report,however,was only average,yet the teacher gave her a good grade.Why might this be the case?

A)The teacher has stereotyped Jennifer.
B)The contrast effect is distorting the teacher's perception.
C)The halo effect is operating.
D)All of the above.

Question 74

The self-serving bias explains why a sales manager is prone to attribute the poor performance of her sales agents to laziness rather than to the innovative product line introduced by a competitor.

Question 75

Jenna has just transferred into a new department within her organisation.She notices that her new manager has,on several occasions,arrived late at meetings.However,her new co-workers tell her that he is generally very punctual. In this case there is:

A)high distinctiveness.
B)high consensus.
C)low consistency.
D)self-serving bias.

Question 76

Negative information exposed early in an interview tends to be more heavily weighted than if the same information were conveyed later.

Question 77

You are on a team with two individuals who are difficult.The work has been divided among the three of you and each time your team meets,Janet and Jim disagree about the progress of the team project.Janet is convinced that Jim's lack of progress is because he is inherently lazy and not because of some overwhelming problem with the project itself. Janet seems to be guilty of:

A)self-serving bias.
B)the fundamental attribution error.
C)ethnocentrism.
D)proximity bias.

Question 78

The students in your class are presenting their oral presentations in front of the entire class.You have heard that there are several frequently used shortcuts to judging others and are wondering if any of these are being used by your teacher. Allison has just completed her presentation and has done a really good job.You are afraid to go next because the ________ effect may operate and you will be perceived less favourably than if your presentation is on another day.

A)halo
B)projection
C)contrast
D)stereotyping

Question 79

Selective perception allows us to 'speed-read' others.

Question 80

The students in your class are presenting their oral presentations in front of the entire class.You have heard that there are several frequently used shortcuts to judging others and are wondering if any of these are being used by your teacher. You have heard that the teacher believes that males perform better in oral presentations than females.This is an example of:

A)stereotyping.
B)contrast effect.
C)projection.
D)halo effect.