Deck 3: Perception, attribution, and Diversity

Question 1

Perceptual defence is

A)the tendency for the perceptual system to defend the perceiver against unpleasant emotions.
B)the tendency to attribute one's own thoughts and feelings to others.
C)the tendency to generalize about people and ignore variations between individuals.
D)the process by which motives are assigned to explain people's behaviour.
E)the process of interpreting messages of our senses to provide meaning.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The chairperson opened the meeting by saying "I'm sure you all agree with me that ..." What perceptual phenomenon might the speaker be exhibiting?

A)Implicit personality theory
B)Projection
C)Fundamental attribution error
D)Similar-to-me effect
E)Stereotyping

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When researchers studied "weight-based bias," they found that the biases in hiring decisions were lower when the decision makers

A)had never met the candidate face-to-face.
B)had performance-relevant information about the candidate.
C)were not able to pre-screen the performance-relevant information about the candidate.
D)had experienced weight-based bias themselves.
E)were not concerned about their budgets for salaries.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Knowing that a person falls into some social category,we might assume that he or she possesses certain traits,and that everyone in this category possesses these traits.This is an example of

A)reliance on central traits.
B)a situational attribution.
C)projection.
D)a stereotype.
E)consensus cues.

Question 5

The three main components of perception are

A)selectivity,constancy,and primacy.
B)primacy,recency,and projection.
C)perceiver,situation,and target.
D)perceiver,situation,and projection.
E)perceiver,target,and attribution.

Question 6

For many months,Sam performed his job excellently.However,just before his performance evaluation,Sam's boss saw him insult a client.In the performance evaluation,the boss gave Sam a very low rating.What happened?

A)Recency effect
B)Harshness
C)Contrast effect
D)Self-serving bias
E)Primacy effect

Question 7

"Geraldo acts differently from everyone else." The speaker in the statement is invoking a ________ cue.

A)consistency
B)recency
C)distinctiveness
D)consensus
E)situational

Question 8

According to Bruner's model of the perceptual process,when an unfamiliar target is encountered,we are likely to be ________ to target cues.Once the target has been categorized,however,we become ________ selective in our cue search.

A)open; more
B)closed; more
C)open; less
D)closed; less
E)selective; consistent

Question 9

Driving home from an auto repair shop,you find that the repair you just paid for wasn't done properly.Which of the following would increase your tendency to blame the mechanic's error on dispositional factors?

A)You have never had a car repair done right the first time by any mechanic.
B)When you picked up the car,the shop manager said that the mechanic had gone home early because he was injured on the job.
C)This mechanic has done poor repairs on your car twice before.
D)Several friends told you that this mechanic was excellent.
E)You had authorized the mechanic to use reconditioned parts instead of new ones.

Question 10

If primacy is operating within a selection interview,the job candidate would be well advised to

A)get an early appointment to see the interviewer.
B)see the interviewer early in the morning.
C)be sure her good qualities come out early in the interview.
D)engage the interviewer in small talk before getting down to business.
E)ask for a different interviewer.

Question 11

Which of the following statements may indicate projection by the speaker?

A)"I didn't land the contract because the competition was just too good."
B)"I would never assign a woman to that sales territory."
C)"Telling a white lie to clinch a sale is perfectly ethical."
D)"Most of my sales staff think like I think."
E)"I don't steal from the company but I'm sure that others do."

Question 12

If recency is operating within a selection interview,the job candidate would be well advised to

A)see the interviewer late in the day.
B)hold off revealing some good qualities until the end of the interview.
C)try to be the last applicant interviewed.
D)list his or her most recent jobs first on his or her resume.
E)ask for a different interviewer.

Question 13

We may rely on dispositional explanations when making judgments about the behaviour of other people because

A)we are making excuses for our own behaviour.
B)we have a tendency to give others the benefit of the doubt when they offend us.
C)we don't appreciate how their behaviour can vary in other situations.
D)we realize that circumstances beyond their control can cause them to act the way they do.
E)we have a tendency to project our own thoughts and feelings on others.

Question 14

Which of the following statements is indicative of an implicit personality theory on the part of the speaker?

A)"Roger is aggressive."
B)"Accountants are intelligent."
C)"Introverts are honest."
D)"Women make bad managers."
E)"Teenagers drive more recklessly than seniors."

Question 15

My perceptions of people are strongly influenced by how kind they are to others.Which concept explains my reaction?

A)Central tendency
B)Central trait
C)Similar-to-me effect
D)Primacy effect
E)Projection

Question 16

When we explain a behaviour by referring to some internal personality characteristic,we are not offering

A)an inference about the cause of the behaviour.
B)an attribution.
C)a dispositional explanation.
D)a situational explanation.
E)a rational explanation.

Question 17

Which of the following statements most accurately defines "perception"?

A)Perception is reality.
B)Perception is the tendency to attribute one's own thoughts and feelings to others.
C)Perception is the tendency to generalize about people and ignore variations between individuals.
D)Perception is the process by which motives are assigned to explain people's behaviour.
E)Perception is the process of interpreting messages of our senses to provide meaning.

Question 18

"You're just like me.I despise you." Which perceptual tendency might the speaker be revealing?

A)Actor-observer effect
B)Self-serving bias
C)Projection
D)Similar-to-me effect
E)Central Trait

Question 19

Which is a potential example of the fundamental attribution error?

A)John explained his failure to land the big account by saying that the competing firm had a better product.
B)Nancy explained her department's success by describing her boss as brilliant.
C)Tom realized that most of his crew failed to get to work because of the big snowstorm.
D)Rodney defended his boss's embezzlement by pointing out that he was under severe marital stress at the time of the incident.
E)Susan acknowledged that her company's sales growth was largely due to the booming economy.

Question 20

"Kevin acts the same as everyone else." The speaker here is invoking a ________ cue.

A)recency
B)distinctiveness
C)consensus
D)consistency
E)stereotype

Question 21

Research shows that the employment interview

A)is free of perceptual biases.
B)is a totally invalid selection technique.
C)is most effective when the interviewer does not ask personal questions.
D)overweights positive information.
E)is most valid when the interviewer conducts it in an unstructured format.

Question 22

Which is a potential example of the fundamental attribution error?

A)Shawn thought that her secretary was the kindest person she had ever met.
B)Rich figured that the team was late because of congested air traffic over Atlanta.
C)Pam explained that late report by noting that she wasn't familiar with the new software.
D)Cleo mistook the female vice-president for a secretary.
E)Joe attributed the car accident to slippery pavement.

Question 23

Paul met a salesperson for the first time.His first impression was that she was pushy,as were most people in sales that Paul had encountered in the past.According to Bruner's model of the perceptual process,Paul is most likely to

A)seek out cues that contradict his first impression.
B)change his perception as soon as new cues become evident.
C)select cues that confirm his first impression.
D)recategorize the target.
E)form a stereotype about the salesperson.

Question 24

On a construction site,Ray drops a wrench and it almost hits Cecil on the head.If Cecil develops a situational (as opposed to dispositional)explanation of Ray's behaviour he might assume that

A)he was the target of a murder attempt.
B)the wrench was oily and it slipped.
C)Ray is stupid.
D)Ray is a careless person.
E)Ray has a poor aim.

Question 25

A reporter covering a price fixing trial felt that the alleged price fixer was a crook.The alleged price fixer testified that his boss pressured him to engage in illegal activities.The alleged price fixer felt that the reporter's stories about the trial were the product of a vindictive and nasty mind.The price fixer explained his own behaviour ________ and that of the reporter ________.

A)situationally; situationally
B)dispositionally,dispositionally
C)situationally; dispositionally
D)dispositionally; situationally
E)desperately,consistently

Question 26

"I don't really like you very much,and this causes me to overlook a number of your good qualities." This is an example of

A)implicit personality theory.
B)harshness.
C)stereotyping.
D)the halo effect.
E)central tendency.

Question 27

The contrast effect means that the perceiver

A)exaggerates differences among target people.
B)favours target people who are different from herself.
C)compares target people with her own qualities.
D)rejects target people who are different from herself.
E)will generalize about people in a given social category and ignore variations among them.

Question 28

Workforce diversity can be defined in terms of which characteristics?

A)Age
B)Gender
C)Religion
D)Ethnicity
E)All of the above

Question 29

Encouraging teamwork between minority and majority members should

A)reduce workplace stereotypes by requiring different individuals to work with people different than themselves.
B)increase workplace stereotypes by requiring different individuals to work with people different than themselves.
C)maintain workplace stereotypes by requiring different individuals to work with people different than themselves.
D)have no effect on workplace stereotypes.
E)result in increased employee turnover.

Question 30

The actor-observer effect suggests that

A)actors and observers tend to view the actor's behaviour in an identical way.
B)actors tend to make dispositional attributions about their own behaviour.
C)actors and observers tend to view the actor's behaviour in a different way.
D)observers tend to make situational attributions about the actor's behaviour.
E)actors tend to take credit for successful outcomes and blame failures on observers.

Question 31

Common workplace stereotypes include stereotypes based on

A)age.
B)gender.
C)ethnicity.
D)race.
E)all of the above.

Question 32

"Karen acts differently from everyone else,but Byron acts the same as everyone else." The speaker here is invoking a ________ cue to describe Karen's behaviour and a ________ cue to describe Byron's behaviour.

A)distinctiveness; consensus
B)distinctiveness; consistency
C)consensus; consistency
D)consensus; consensus
E)consistency; consistency

Question 33

The professor who gives all C's to his class is committing

A)halo.
B)central tendency.
C)self-serving bias.
D)central trait bias.
E)harshness.

Question 34

Gender stereotypes are least likely to have a negative impact on women

A)when their performance is being evaluated by their boss.
B)when they are applying for a job.
C)when they are seeking a promotion.
D)when a rater or evaluator has little information about their qualifications.
E)when they ask to attend a professional development conference.

Question 35

The self-serving bias

A)may involve providing excuses for one's own behaviour.
B)suggests that we will provide dispositional reasons for our failures.
C)suggests that we will provide situational reasons for our successes.
D)may lead one to provide phony compliments when things go well for others.
E)may lead one to attribute their own thoughts and feelings to others.

Question 36

Heloise was happy that the systems manager was fired.She incorrectly assumed that everyone else in the company was also happy.What perceptual tendency is at work here?

A)Fundamental attribution error
B)Similar-to-me effect
C)Projection
D)Occupational stereotyping
E)Consensus cues

Question 37

According to Bruner's model of perception,we are most open to cues about a target

A)when the target is first encountered.
B)when the target has been categorized.
C)when the target is very familiar to us.
D)when we already have a lot of information about the target.
E)once the categorization has been strengthened.

Question 38

The perception that a person might be judged on the basis of stereotype and that their behaviour or performance will confirm the stereotype is known as a

A)preconception phenomenon.
B)coloured lens bias.
C)peer group sifting.
D)stereotype threat.
E)monotype bias.

Question 39

Bob resigns from a job that most of his friends consider to be a very good job.Which of the following is a dispositional attribution of the reason for Bob's resignation?

A)Bob found a super job somewhere else.
B)Bob is irresponsible and doesn't know a good thing when he sees it.
C)Bob was forced to move to another city where medical care for his ill daughter is available.
D)The job that he resigned from was actually very bad.
E)The job that he resigned from was scheduled to be eliminated in an upcoming restructuring.

Question 40

Samantha engages in a low consensus behaviour.What other combination of cues will ensure that an observer makes a dispositional attribution about the behaviour?

A)The behaviour is also low in distinctiveness and low in consistency.
B)The behaviour is also low in distinctiveness and high in consistency.
C)The behaviour is also high in distinctiveness and low in consistency.
D)The behaviour is also high in distinctiveness and high in consistency.
E)The behaviour is also low in distinctiveness and high in contrast.

Question 41

Women have made the most significant progress moving into senior management and executive positions in the

A)paper and forest products industry.
B)financial services industry.
C)steel production industry.
D)motor vehicles industry.
E)general manufacturing.

Question 42

When we invoke ________,we tend not to perceive differences between people.

A)projection
B)the halo effect
C)a stereotype
D)the recency effect
E)consistency cues

Question 43

Joan was poorly treated in an employment interview and perceived the organization as lacking respect for its employees.What is this an example of?

A)Contrast effects
B)Halo effect
C)Signalling theory
D)Social identity theory
E)Fundamental attribution error

Question 44

When we invoke ________,we tend not to perceive different qualities within people.

A)the primacy effect
B)projection
C)the recency effect
D)the halo effect
E)consensus cues

Question 45

What is considered to be a critical factor when judging the best workplaces in Canada?

A)Organizational support
B)Supervisor support
C)Diversity
D)Trust
E)Fairness

Question 46

A manager is completing performance evaluations of his employees.Unwittingly,he allows his perceptions of their attendance to colour his ratings of many specific characteristics,including their quality and quantity of work.Thus,those with poor attendance invariably get poor ratings.What's happened?

A)Knowledge-of-predictor bias
B)Harshness
C)Halo effect
D)Contrast effects
E)Similar-to-me effect

Question 47

Among various selection procedures,which ones are perceived most favourably?

A)Employment interviews and personality tests
B)Personality tests and honesty tests
C)Employment interviews and work samples
D)Personality tests and work samples
E)Work samples and honesty tests

Question 48

Trust perceptions towards management are based on perceptions of

A)ability,benevolence,and support.
B)ability,honesty,and support.
C)ability,fairness,and support.
D)benevolence,integrity,and support.
E)ability,benevolence,and integrity.

Question 49

Employment interviewers tend to

A)have an easy perceptual task.
B)underweight positive information about the applicant.
C)underweight negative information about the applicant.
D)predict applicant success better with an unstructured interview than with a guided interview.
E)avoid making comparisons between the current candidate and those previously interviewed.

Question 50

According to social identity theory,our sense of self is composed of a

A)personal identity and relational identity.
B)personal identity and social identity.
C)social identity and relational identity.
D)self identity and social identity.
E)social identity and normative identity.

Question 51

Interviews are more likely to be structured when

A)the interviewer has a great deal of experience interviewing.
B)the interviewer has worked for the same company for many years.
C)the interviewer focuses on selection rather than recruitment.
D)the interviewer focuses on recruitment rather than selection.
E)the interviewer focuses on recruitment and selection.

Question 52

"He does it everywhere,he does it all the time,and no one else does it." Which cue combination is the speaker invoking?

A)High consensus,high consistency,high distinctiveness
B)Low consensus,high consistency,low distinctiveness
C)Low consensus,low consistency,high distinctiveness
D)High consensus,low consistency,low distinctiveness
E)Low consensus,low consistency,low distinctiveness

Question 53

Prototypes refer to

A)members of a social category who best represent the attributes of that category.
B)our unique personal characteristics,such as our interests,abilities,and traits.
C)our perception that we belong to various social groups,such as our gender,nationality,and so on.
D)the most typical attributes embodied by members that belong to a social category.
E)social categories that we use to categorize people such as gender,religion,and so on.

Question 54

"He does it everywhere,he does it all the time,and no one else does it." Which attribution is the speaker likely to make?

A)Dispositional
B)Situational
C)Self-serving
D)Temporary situation
E)Actor-observer effect

Question 55

The Devious Employment Agency uses a trick to get companies to hire its candidates.If it only has a marginal candidate,it sends over two real duds before sending over this marginal person.Which perceptual reaction is the Devious manager relying on to get the marginal candidate hired?

A)Contrast effect
B)Halo effect
C)Leniency
D)Central trait
E)Actor-observer effect

Question 56

Subjective performance measures are called "subjective" because

A)all performance measures are subjective.
B)they are a product of the perceptions of an observer.
C)it is impossible to measure performance objectively.
D)bosses and employees frequently disagree on the ratings.
E)they focus attention directly on the interview subject.

Question 57

Which of the following factors contribute to perceived organizational support?

A)Supervisor support,job security,recognition,and job conditions
B)Fairness,rewards,pay,and job security
C)Fairness,rewards,pay,and job conditions
D)Supervisor support,fairness,rewards,and job conditions
E)Supervisor support,fairness,rewards,and opportunities for advancement

Question 58

What organization has been recognized for its efforts in attracting and hiring older workers?

A)Shell Canada Ltd.
B)Federal Express Canada Ltd.
C)Walmart Canada
D)Boeing Canada
E)American Express

Question 59

If a manager wants to improve employees' trust perceptions towards management,one thing he or she might do is

A)adhere to and behave according to a set of values that employees find acceptable.
B)enhance employees' competence and skills.
C)improve rewards and job conditions.
D)avoid making rater errors when evaluating performance.
E)all of the above.

Question 60

Ellen is an employment interviewer.One day she interviews three job applicants and rates the third applicant very negatively.If the contrast effect is responsible for this negative rating,we can be sure that the first two applicants were

A)perceived as totally unqualified for the job.
B)seen by Ellen to be very different from herself.
C)seen by Ellen to be very similar to herself.
D)perceived as well qualified for the job.
E)given unstructured interviews.

Question 61

The contrast effect is the tendency for interviewers to select candidates who are very different from themselves.

Question 62

If there is a single concept that serves as a barrier to valuing diversity,it is

A)discrimination.
B)the stereotype.
C)stereotype threat.
D)the halo effect.
E)similar-to-me effect.

Question 63

Which of the following has been found to be associated with business-unit performance?

A)Diversity president
B)Diversity culture
C)Diversity team
D)Diversity climate
E)Diversity policy

Question 64

After writing an exam,Yani told everybody that he studied really hard and spent a great deal of time preparing for the exam.However,when the exam grades were posted the following week,Yani did not talk about how he studied but instead told everybody that the exam was not fair and was poorly graded.What is this an example of?

A)The fundamental attribution error
B)The actor-observer effect
C)The self-serving bias
D)Perceptual defence
E)Contrast effects

Question 65

A training method to improve rating accuracy in performance appraisals is known as

A)behaviourally anchored training.
B)rater accuracy training.
C)frame-of-reference training.
D)rater error training.
E)performance evaluation training.

Question 66

The tendency for actors to attribute their behaviour to situational factors can be overcome by

A)the fundamental attribution error.
B)the actor-observer effect.
C)the self-serving bias.
D)perceptual defence.
E)contrast effects.

Question 67

Orli is absent a lot,her co-workers are also absent a lot,but she was almost never absent in her previous job.What kind of attribution is her manager likely to make?

A)Disposition
B)Situation
C)Temporary situation
D)Temporary disposition
E)It depends on other factors.

Question 68

Other things equal,high consensus behaviour on the part of an employee will lead a manager to make a dispositional attribution about the behaviour.

Question 69

Rita inaccurately attributed Tommy's failure to show up at work to car problems.This is a potential example of the fundamental attribution error.

Question 70

Projection is the tendency to act differently from the way we feel; to put on a false face,so to speak.

Question 71

Which of the following best represents the notion that social identities are relational and comparative?

A)Medical students are perceived as doctors by patients in the hospital but as children by their parents.
B)Medical students are perceived as doctors by patients in the hospital but as students by their professors in the classroom.
C)Medical students are perceived as doctors by patients in the hospital but as students by themselves.
D)Medical students are perceived as students by patients in the hospital and as students by their professors in the classroom.
E)Medical students are perceived as students by patients in the hospital before they graduate,but as doctors by the same patients after they have graduated.

Question 72

A rating scale that gives very specific examples of good,average,and poor performance is known as a

A)behaviourally specific rating scale.
B)behaviourally diverse rating scale.
C)behaviourally based rating scale.
D)behaviourally anchored rating scale.
E)behaviourally oriented rating scale.

Question 73

The fact that people will explain the very same behaviour differently on the basis of events that happened after the behaviour occurred is suggested by

A)the fundamental attribution error.
B)the actor-observer effect.
C)the self-serving bias.
D)perceptual defence.
E)contrast effects.

Question 74

Nicole believes that her presentation was very good even though she overheard some of her friends say that it was the worst in the class.What is this an example of?

A)Projection
B)Perceptual defence
C)Self-serving bias
D)Actor-observer effect
E)Fundamental attribution error

Question 75

After writing an exam,Yani told everybody that he did not study very hard and spent the weekend partying and playing video games.However,when the exam grades were posted the following week,Yani told everybody that he never studied so hard for an exam in his life and he described himself as brilliant.What is this an example of?

A)The fundamental attribution error
B)The actor-observer effect
C)The self-serving bias
D)Perceptual defence
E)Contrast effects

Question 76

Employment interviews that focus on selection are more valid than those that focus on recruitment.

Question 77

Taylor is seldom absent,her co-workers are seldom absent,and she was seldom absent in her previous job.What kind of attribution is her manager likely to make?

A)Disposition
B)Situation
C)Temporary situation
D)Temporary disposition
E)It depends on other factors.

Question 78

ACME Insurance Company wants to improve employee perceptions of organizational support.They hired a new director of human resources to implement supportive human resource practices.What practices are likely to be most effective for developing more positive perceptions of organizational support?

A)Participation in decision making and opportunities for advancement
B)Participation in decision making and opportunities for training
C)A fair reward and recognition system and better compensation
D)Participation in decision making and opportunities for growth and development
E)A fair reward and recognition system,and opportunities for advancement

Question 79

Gloria is absent a lot,her co-workers are seldom absent,and she was absent a lot in her previous job.What kind of attribution is her manager likely to make?

A)Disposition
B)Situation
C)Temporary situation
D)Temporary disposition
E)It depends on other factors.

Question 80

What aspects of a perceiver can affect his or her perceptions of a target?

A)Experience,cognitions,and needs
B)Experience,cognitions,and emotions
C)Experience,needs,and values
D)Experience,needs,and beliefs
E)Experience,needs,and emotions