Deck 15: Understanding Individual Behaviour

Question 1

The behavioural component of an attitude is made up of the beliefs, opinions, knowledge or information held by a person.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In a short essay, describe what organisational behaviour is and what its goals are.

Answer 2

Organisational behaviour (OB)is concerned more specifically with the actions of people at work. Organisational behaviour focuses on three main areas.First, it looks at individual behaviour.Based predominantly on contributions from psychologists, this area includes such topics as attitudes, personality, perception, learning and motivation.Second, OB is concerned with group behaviour, which includes norms, roles, team building, leadership and conflict.Our knowledge about groups comes basically from the work of sociologists and social psychologists.Finally, OB also looks at organisational aspects, including structure, culture, and human resource policies and practices. The goals of OB are to explain, predict and influence behaviour.A manager's success depends on getting things done through people.To do this, the manager needs to be able to explain why employees engage in some behaviours rather than others, to predict how employees will respond to various actions the manager might take and to influence how employees behave.

Question 3

The term 'attitude' usually refers to the affective component.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT associated with the study of individuals?

A)motivation
B)attitudes
C)learning
D)roles
E)perception

Question 5

Organisational behaviour is primarily concerned with group interactions.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT an example of Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB)?

A)helping others on your work team
B)volunteering for extended job activities
C)avoiding unnecessary conflicts
D)reporting to management of unethical behaviour you have witnessed
E)making constructive statements about your work group and the organisation

Question 7

Deviance is one of the drawbacks of Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB).

Question 8

Two of the goals of organisational behaviour are to ________ and ________ behaviour.

A)understand; counsel
B)categorise; simplify
C)explain; predict
D)understand; control
E)impact; change

Question 9

The six important behaviours typically studied in organisational behaviour are employee productivity, absenteeism, turnover, organisational citizenship behaviour, workplace misbehaviour and ________.

A)creativity
B)individualism
C)risk taking
D)pay satisfaction
E)job satisfaction

Question 10

Organisational behaviour focuses on ________.

A)group behaviour
B)individual behaviour
C)organisational aspects
D)both A and B
E)all of the above

Question 11

Turnover is failure to report to work.

Question 12

The goals of organisational behaviour are to predict, explain and influence behaviour.

Question 13

In a short essay, define six important employee behaviours that managers want to explain, predict and influence.

Question 14

Job involvement is the degree to which an employee identifies with his or her job, actively participates in it and considers his or her job performance to be important to his or her self-worth.

Question 15

Attitudes are evaluative statements concerning objects, people or events.

Question 16

Violence is an example of workplace misbehaviour.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an example of workplace misbehaviour?

A)violence
B)deviance
C)aggression
D)antisocial behaviour
E)turnover

Question 18

Which of the following are major areas on which organisational behaviour focuses?

A)macro-personality traits and micro-personality traits
B)traits and environments
C)individual behaviour and group behaviour
D)managerial behaviour and employee behaviour
E)cognitive and behavioural outcomes

Question 19

Which of the following is associated with the study of individuals?

A)perception
B)roles
C)team building
D)norms
E)conflict

Question 20

When an employee says, 'I make less money at this company than I could earn at another company,' he/she is reflecting the cognitive component of an attitude.

Question 21

In the statement, 'The highway is very busy at 5 pm and is scary to drive on, so I'll wait until 7 pm to go home,' the phrase, 'so I'll wait until 7 pm to go home,' represents which component of an attitude?

A)behavioural
B)affective
C)cognitive
D)judgmental
E)emotive

Question 22

Being satisfied at work results in employees being productive workers.

Question 23

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a person who rates strongly as a 'perceptive' would likely be spontaneous.

Question 24

Cognitive dissonance theory seeks to explain the correlated relationship between the affective, cognitive and behavioural components of attitudes.

Question 25

The satisfaction-OCB correlations are strongest when employees perceive high degrees of fairness in the organisation.

Question 26

________ refers to any inconsistency that an individual might perceive between two or more of his/her attitudes or between his/her behaviour and attitudes.

A)Cognitive dissonance
B)Behavioural inconsistency
C)Affective dissonance
D)Emotive dysfunction
E)Attitude adjustment

Question 27

Which of the following terms is defined as 'an employee's orientation toward the organisation in terms of his/her loyalty, identification and involvement'?

A)job involvement
B)pay satisfaction
C)job satisfaction
D)self-perception
E)organisational commitment

Question 28

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator lacks evidence to support its validity.

Question 29

Usually, the term attitude refers only to the ________ component.

A)judgmental
B)behavioural
C)cognitive
D)emotive
E)affective

Question 30

The cognitive dissonance theory proposed that the desire to reduce dissonance is determined by ________.

A)authority, responsibility and relevance
B)stability, position and power
C)awareness, status and punishments
D)economics, politics and organisational structure
E)importance, influence and rewards

Question 31

In the statement, 'The highway is very busy at 5 pm and is scary to drive on, so I'll wait until 7 pm to go home,' the phrase, 'The highway is very busy,' represents which component of an attitude?

A)cognitive
B)affective
C)judgmental
D)behavioural
E)emotive

Question 32

Which of the following reflects an attitude?

A)I get paid more than my spouse.
B)I work from 8 to 5.
C)The building is tall.
D)Ice cream is cold.
E)The movie was fun.

Question 33

In the statement, 'The highway is very busy at 5 pm and is scary to drive on, so I'll wait until 7 pm to go home,' the word scary represents which component of an attitude?

A)judgmental
B)behavioural
C)affective
D)cognitive
E)emotive

Question 34

The three components that make up an attitude are ________.

A)intention, opinion and environment
B)cognitive, affective and behavioural
C)traits, behavioural and emotional
D)pre-opinion, experience and evaluation
E)knowledge, opinion and individual history

Question 35

Which of the following is true about organisationally committed employees?

A)lower rates of turnover and absenteeism
B)higher rates of voluntary turnover
C)much higher pay levels
D)less risk taking
E)higher rates of cognitive dissonance

Question 36

In a short essay, define attitudes.Next, list and discuss the three components of attitudes.Include an example of a statement that describes each component to support your answer.

Question 37

Which of the following cases contains an element that may lead a politician to correct cognitive dissonance?

A)The politician is a male.
B)The politician has the power to pass legislation to keep the spotted owl from extinction.
C)The politician will get re-elected for ignoring the needs of the spotted owl.
D)The politician grew up in the city.
E)A politician does not really care if the spotted owl lives or becomes extinct.

Question 38

In a short essay, define cognitive dissonance and discuss the three factors that affect how people cope with cognitive dissonance.

Question 39

What does the research evidence suggest about the statement, 'Happy workers are productive workers'?

A)There is no relationship between the two variables.
B)There is a small positive relationship between the two variables.
C)There is strong supportive evidence since the Hawthorne studies.
D)It is true for the manufacturing sector but not the service sector.
E)It's false; instead, productive workers are least happy.

Question 40

A management trainee working for a bank who says, 'Working in this industry is just not who I am as a person,' probably lacks ________.

A)organisational commitment
B)pay satisfaction
C)job satisfaction
D)job involvement
E)self-perceptions

Question 41

In the Big Five Model, all personality dimensions were found to impact job performance in the same way for all organisational roles.

Question 42

A low self-monitoring employee would not adjust well to self-sent signals, but responds well to signals in his/her external environment.

Question 43

The Big Five Model found that employees who score higher in conscientiousness develop higher levels of job knowledge.

Question 44

The MBTI assesses style of making decisions as ________.

A)sensing or intuitive
B)feeling or thinking
C)extrovert or introvert
D)agreeable or disagreeable
E)perceptive or judgmental

Question 45

The first dimension of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which measures your degree of extraversion or introversion, concerns your ________.

A)style of decision making
B)preference for decision making
C)preference for gathering data
D)social interaction
E)internal or external orientation

Question 46

If you are a person who dislikes taking time for precision work, such as completing tax returns, you would probably score high on what aspect of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?

A)intuitive
B)sensing
C)judgmental
D)feeling
E)extrovert

Question 47

People who believe that if they work hard, they will be successful would be described as having an internal locus of control.

Question 48

A person who rates as being high in Machiavellianism would do whatever it takes to accomplish a task.

Question 49

People from Middle Eastern countries believe they can dominate their environment.

Question 50

US workers, more than Iranian workers, would likely have an external locus of control.

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT one of the four dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?

A)agreeableness or disagreeableness
B)feeling or thinking
C)sensing or intuitive
D)perceptive or judgmental
E)extrovert or introvert

Question 52

As a manager, if you prefer to have a harmonious work environment and dislike reprimanding your subordinates, you would probably score high on which of Myers-Briggs indicators?

A)feeling
B)perceptive
C)introvert
D)sensing
E)intuitive

Question 53

According to Holland's Typology, enterprising types tend to be self-confident, ambitious, energetic and domineering.

Question 54

According to Holland's Typology, a realistic personality type might be well suited to be an economist.

Question 55

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assesses preferences for decision making as ________.

A)sensing or intuitive
B)extrovert or introvert
C)feeling or thinking
D)perceptive or judgmental
E)agreeable or disagreeable

Question 56

When we describe someone as shy, aggressive, extroverted or loyal, we are talking about his or her ________.

A)attitude
B)personality
C)emotion
D)behaviour
E)ability

Question 57

According to Holland's typology of personality and sample occupations, farming is considered a conventional job type.

Question 58

According to the textbook, an individual's ________ is the unique combination of the psychological traits used to describe that person.

A)perception
B)personality
C)behaviour
D)morality
E)attitude

Question 59

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator categorises preference for gathering data as ________.

A)extrovert or introvert
B)feeling or thinking
C)agreeable or disagreeable
D)sensing or intuitive
E)perceptive or judgmental

Question 60

Employees with high self-esteem tend to be more satisfied with their jobs than those with low self-esteem.

Question 61

Which of the following is true about high risk takers?

A)There is a different relationship between risk taking and accuracy for men and women.
B)They make slower decisions than low risk takers but have a lower level of accuracy.
C)They make slower decisions than low risk takers and have a higher level of accuracy.
D)They make quicker decisions than low risk takers but have about the same level of accuracy.
E)They make quicker decisions than low risk takers but have a lower level of accuracy.

Question 62

A person who believes that 'the ends justify the means' would describe a person who has a high level of what personality trait?

A)Machiavellianism
B)self-perception
C)self-confidence
D)self-monitoring
E)locus of control

Question 63

The Big Five Model of personality includes all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)emotional stability
B)social interaction
C)agreeableness
D)extroversion
E)conscientiousness

Question 64

Which of the following is NOT one of Holland's personality types?

A)realistic
B)artistic
C)social
D)extroverted
E)investigative

Question 65

________ is the degree to which people believe they are masters of their own fate.

A)Self-esteem
B)Self-monitoring
C)Locus of control
D)Machiavellianism
E)Risk taking

Question 66

A person who can adapt and adjust behaviour to external factors would describe which of the following personality traits?

A)high risk-taking
B)high self-monitoring
C)low self-esteem
D)low authoritarianism
E)internal locus of control

Question 67

In the Myers-Briggs assessment, if you are a good planner, you would probably score high on which scale?

A)extrovert
B)judgmental
C)thinking
D)intuitive
E)perceptive

Question 68

Which of the following is true about people with high self-esteem?

A)They are susceptible to external influence.
B)They have low expectations for success but are happy with themselves.
C)They take fewer risks than others.
D)They choose more unconventional jobs.
E)They change jobs more often.

Question 69

________ is a measure of the degree to which people are pragmatic, maintain emotional distance and believe that ends can justify means.

A)Machiavellianism
B)Risk taking
C)Self-esteem
D)Self-monitoring
E)Locus of control

Question 70

________ is a personality trait that measures an individual's ability to adjust his or her behaviour to external situational factors.

A)Risk taking
B)Machiavellianism
C)Locus of control
D)Self-monitoring
E)Self-esteem

Question 71

A person who rates high on Holland's social scale would probably find a good match with which of the following jobs?

A)painter
B)farmer
C)economist
D)teacher
E)bank teller

Question 72

According to the textbook, a(n)________ locus of control is one in which people believe that they control their own destiny.

A)superficial
B)internal
C)imaginary
D)external
E)diagonal

Question 73

Employees who have a high external locus of control exhibit all but which of the following?

A)more alienated from their work setting
B)less involved in their jobs
C)blame co-workers for their poor performance
D)more satisfaction with their jobs
E)blame their bosses for poor performance

Question 74

If your boss could be described as flexible, adaptable and tolerant, he/she would probably score high on which Myers-Briggs indicator?

A)intuitive
B)feeling
C)perceptive
D)sensing
E)extrovert

Question 75

A manager who takes very little time to make a decision probably could be described by what personality trait?

A)external locus of control
B)high self-esteem
C)high risk taking
D)low self-monitoring
E)high authoritarianism

Question 76

Which of the following is true concerning personality types and national cultures?

A)You would find many people with an internal locus of control in Australia, the United States and New Zealand.
B)The United States and Australia rate high in power distance.
C)North Americans, Australians and New Zealanders believe life is essentially predetermined.
D)There is no relationship between nationality type and cultures.
E)Middle Eastern countries believe they can dominate their environment.

Question 77

Results of a study of the Big Five Model include ________.

A)introversion predicted performance in managerial positions
B)calm workers perform better than nervous ones
C)conscientiousness predicted job performance
D)emotional security was positively related to job performance
E)openness to experience was unimportant in predicting training competency

Question 78

Which psychologist is associated with a well-documented personality-job fit theory?

A)Holland
B)Skinner
C)Adams
D)Bandura
E)Volker

Question 79

The degree to which someone is calm, enthusiastic and secure (positive)or tense, nervous, depressed and insecure (negative)is described as which of the following Big Five personality traits?

A)extraversion
B)openness to experience
C)conscientiousness
D)agreeableness
E)emotional stability

Question 80

A biologist would be a good occupational match for what personality type?

A)realistic
B)investigative
C)artistic
D)social
E)enterprising