Question 1

The ________ bias can explain why managers doing performance appraisals give more weight to recent employee behaviors than to behaviors of 6 or 9 months earlier.

Accepted Answer

A)   self-serving
B)   availability
C)   distinction
D)   confirmation
E)   hindsight B

Question 2

People who carefully gather and consider information consistent with the rational decision-making model are more likely to engage in escalation of commitment than those who spend less time thinking about their choices.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

A)   An employee is late to work because he was partying late and overslept.
B)   An employee is late because of a flat tire.
C)   An employee was fired because he violated a company policy.
D)   An employee was promoted because he was hard working.
E)   An employee died from lung cancer after excessive tobacco use. B

Question 4

According to the attribution theory, if a behavior scores ________, we tend to attribute it to internal causes.

Accepted Answer

A)   low on consistency
B)   high on traceability
C)   low on distinctiveness
D)   high on consensus
E)   low on flexibility

Question 5

Discuss some of the errors in perceptual judgment made by interviewers in job interviews.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss some of the errors in perceptual...

Question 6

Loud people are more likely to be noticed in a group than quiet ones. So, too, are extremely attractive or unattractive individuals. Which of the following statements best explains the reason behind this fact?

Accepted Answer

A)   Our perception of reality depends on our past experiences.
B)   Our perception of reality depends on our personality.
C)   The relationship of a target to its background influences our perception of the target.
D)   The time at which we see an object can influence our perception of the object.
E)   Our motives and expectations affect our perception of a target.

Question 7

Vance recently took over the role of director of an academic unit at a large university. While Vance has a Type A personality and is very organized and direct, his predecessor was very Type B and liked to role with the flow. Due to his predecessor's personality, it is likely Vance will experience a long period of difficult change due to which phenomena?

Accepted Answer

A)   utilitarianism
B)   formal regulation
C)   ethics
D)   historical precedent
E)   anchoring bias

Question 8

Ideally, ________ would be an objective process; however, it is largely influenced by one's ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   judging; perceptions
B)   perceiving; decision making
C)   decision making; biases
D)   decision making, perceptions
E)   perceiving; biases

Question 9

What is bounded rationality? How is it related to decision making?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is bounded rationality? How is it...

Question 10

Attribution theory suggests that when we observe an individual's behavior, we attempt to determine whether it was internally or externally caused. That determination, however, depends largely on three factors. Which of the following is one of these three factors?

Accepted Answer

A)   stereotyping
B)   consistency
C)   anchoring
D)   rationality
E)   intuition

Question 11

Janice is late for work each day by about ten minutes. How would the attribution theory describe this behavior?

Accepted Answer

A)   It shows consensus.
B)   It shows similarity.
C)   It shows reliability.
D)   It shows consistency.
E)   It shows distinctiveness.

Question 12

While negotiating salary with your prospective employer, if you suggest an initial target salary of $55,000, your employer will consider $50,000 to $60,000 a reasonable range for negotiation, but if you mention $55,650, your employer is more likely to consider $55,000 to $56,000 the range of likely values for negotiation. In this example your employer is exhibiting the ________ bias.

Accepted Answer

A)   availability
B)   anchoring
C)   hindsight
D)   confirmation
E)   impact

Question 13

Jennifer has already presented two excellent reports. The third report she has just presented is clearly not as good as the first two reports, yet she is given the same high grade as before. What shortcut has the teacher used in this case?

Accepted Answer

A)   the contrast effect
B)   the halo effect
C)   stereotyping
D)   the framing effect
E)   the hindsight bias

Question 14

Meg has exceeded her budget by at least $200 every month for the last three months. After recognizing that this is a problem, she decides to use the rational decision-making model to decide what to do. What should be the next step she should take, if she follows this model?

Accepted Answer

A)   determine what criteria she needs to take into account when making her decision
B)   choose a method to cut her expenses
C)   implement some other method of budgeting
D)   come up with different ways that would either reduce her expenses or increase her income
E)   evaluate different ways that she could use to either reduce her expenses or increase her income

Question 15

Discuss four shortcuts used in judging others.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss four shortcuts used in judging others....

Question 16

Samantha's rating in a job interview is high in contrast to the candidate who was interviewed directly before her, who was rated extremely low. In this case, Samantha's high rating can be partially attributed to the ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   confirmation bias
B)   contrast effect
C)   fundamental attribution error
D)   self-serving bias
E)   bandwagon effect

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true regarding utilitarianism?

Accepted Answer

A)   It protects the interests of the underrepresented and less powerful.
B)   It reduces productivity and efficiency.
C)   It promotes decision making that is consistent with fundamental liberties and privileges, as set forth in documents such as the Bill of Rights.
D)   The utilitarianism view dominates business decision making.
E)   It imposes and enforces rules fairly and impartially.

Question 18

According to the attribution theory, if a behavior scores ________, we tend to attribute it to external causes.

Accepted Answer

A)   low on distinctiveness
B)   high on adaptability
C)   low on consistency
D)   high on stability
E)   low on consensus

Question 19

________ is the process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.

Accepted Answer

A)   Cognitive dissonance
B)   Environmental analysis
C)   Social verification
D)   Emotional labor
E)   Perception

Question 20

The rational decision-making model takes into consideration the fact that all the information pertaining to the problem might not be available to the decision maker.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 6: Perception and Individual Decision Making