Deck 16: Critical Thinking and Continuous Learning

Question 1

Learning organizations learn from the experiences of other firms.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Most successful MBA's do not hold MBA's.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

GE's Jack Welch and Intel's Andy Grove have MBA's.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Personal experience can be a source of understanding.

Question 5

A theory is translated into real-world terms by the process of verification.

Question 6

A hypothesis is a set of interrelated concepts.

Question 7

If complete agreement occurs between a hypothesis and the actual findings, we can claim a theory is true.

Question 8

Implicit theories are more likely than explicit theories to meet the characteristics of "good" theories.

Question 9

A theory should be consistent with known facts.

Question 10

A theory should be complex.

Question 11

A measure needs to possess reliability, but validity is merely desirable.

Question 12

To test for temporal precedence, one should compare means between groups.

Question 13

Correlation is a measure of covariation.

Question 14

A correlation of -1.0 means the researcher's hypothesis is in error.

Question 15

If we have established temporal precedence and covariation, we do not need to further establish causality.

Question 16

Eliminating alternative explanations is more difficult in the physical sciences than in the social sciences.

Question 17

A selection threat occurs when groups we selected were not the same initially.

Question 18

A history threat occurs when two groups have different histories prior to the experiment.

Question 19

Random assignment is a viable solution to many faulty research designs.

Question 20

An interaction exists when the relationship between two variables is depending on a third variable.

Question 21

Generalizability has to do with the chances a finding would be replicated in a different setting.

Question 22

Political polling studies take advantage of random selection to improve generalizability.

Question 23

Studies that involve random selection are usually small in scope.

Question 24

In the absence of large-scale studies using random selection, there is no way to establish generalizability.

Question 25

Harvard Business Review is a highly respected scientific journal.

Question 26

The kind of organization that are good at acquiring and creating new information is called__________.

A) modular structure
B) learning organization
C) simple differentiated
D) matrix organization

Question 27

Learning organizations succeed by__________.

A) excluding knowledge from outside
B) experimenting frequently
C) use intuition over the scientific method
D) try to find the "one best way" to deal with problems

Question 28

Learning from personal experience__________.

A) is a reliable method of finding truth
B) may be biased by perception
C) is incompatible with the scientific method
D) inevitably leads to misunderstanding

Question 29

The most common source of knowledge for most people is__________.

A) personal experience
B) education
C) reading intellectual material
D) scientific method

Question 30

All of the following are concepts learning organizations rely on EXCEPT __________.

A) internally generated knowledge
B) the education of the CEO
C) critical thinking
D) external research

Question 31

The degree to which scientific findings are independent of any one person's opinion is called__________.

A) subjectivity
B) personification
C) publicity
D) objectivity

Question 32

If we were to find that one conclusion drawn by a researcher was wrong, it is likely that we would __________ the research.

A) replicate
B) discard
C) overlook
D) question

Question 33

All of the following is purposes of science EXCEPT__________.

A) control
B) prediction
C) explanation
D) all are purposes of science

Question 34

When research seeks to reflect the real world with fidelity, it is pursuing its _____________ purpose.

A) control
B) prediction
C) explanation
D) description

Question 35

Published research that delineates the dimensions of personality is pursuing the ________________ objective of research.

A) control
B) prediction
C) explanation
D) description

Question 36

When research seeks to state what will happen in the future, it is pursuing its ___________ purpose.

A) control
B) prediction
C) explanation
D) description

Question 37

Published research that identifies people who are likely to leave an organization is pursuing the ________________ objective of research.

A) control
B) prediction
C) explanation
D) description

Question 38

When research seeks to help manipulate cause and effect, it is pursuing its ___________ purpose.

A) control
B) prediction
C) explanation
D) description

Question 39

Published research that tells managers what they can manipulate to cause particular results, is pursuing the ________________ objective of research.

A) control
B) prediction
C) explanation
D) description

Question 40

Published research that suggests why events occur is pursuing the ________________ objective of research.

A) control
B) prediction
C) explanation
D) description

Question 41

A set of abstract interrelated ideas that specifies relationships among variables is a__________.

A) data set
B) hypothesis
C) theory
D) concept

Question 42

A specific prediction about relationships between certain conditions is a__________.

A) data set
B) hypothesis
C) theory
D) concept

Question 43

A theory is translated into real-world terms by the process of creating _______________.

A) data
B) research designs
C) hypotheses
D) concept

Question 44

The process of collecting data and comparing hypotheses to results is called__________.

A) theory building
B) verification
C) data mining
D) conceptualizing

Question 45

Formally stated scientific theories are referred to as__________.

A) proven
B) supported
C) explicit
D) implicit

Question 46

All of the following are criterions for judging the worth of theories EXCEPT __________.

A) complexity
B) internal consistency
C) consistency with known facts
D) testable

Question 47

The implicit theory that, "A happy worker is a productive worker," does not meet the criterion of__________.

A) usefulness
B) internal consistency
C) consistency with known facts
D) testable

Question 48

The idea that the measures we use to gather data are free of random errors is called__________.

A) reliability
B) validity
C) standardization
D) scientific acceptability

Question 49

"Reliability" refers to__________.

A) the internal consistency of a theory
B) the quality of a sample
C) proper analysis of data
D) measures that are free of random error

Question 50

The idea that a measure should reflect was it was meant to assess is called__________.

A) reliability
B) validity
C) standardization
D) scientific acceptability

Question 51

"Validity" refers to__________.

A) the internal consistency of a theory
B) the quality of a sample
C) proper analysis of data
D) measuring what we mean to assess

Question 52

The idea that a particular measure can predict a real result is called__________.

A) criterion-related validity
B) content validity
C) reliability
D) construct validity

Question 53

"Criterion-related validity" refers to__________.

A) whether an expert believes a measure's content reflects what it is supposed to
B) the ability of a measure to predict a real result
C) lack of random error in a measure
D) internal consistency of a measure

Question 54

"Content validity" refers to__________.

A) whether an expert believes a measure's content reflects what it is supposed to
B) the ability of a measure to predict a real result
C) lack of random error in a measure
D) internal consistency of a measure

Question 55

The idea that, according to experts, the content of a measure reflects the theoretical concept being tapped is__________.

A) criterion-related validity
B) content validity
C) reliability
D) construct validity

Question 56

The idea that everyone who uses a particular measure of a concept in the same way is called__________.

A) reliability
B) validity
C) standardization
D) scientific acceptability

Question 57

"Standardization" refers to__________.

A) the degree to which the results of one study can tell us about other settings, times, or samples
B) the similarity in how different people use the same measure
C) the ability of a measure to assess the intended concept
D) the lack of random error in a measure

Question 58

__________ is necessary for validity, but it is not always sufficient for proving it.

A) objectivity
B) reliability
C) standardization
D) an implicit theory

Question 59

All of the following are advantages of standardization EXCEPT __________.

A) efficiency
B) objectivity
C) communication
D) reliability

Question 60

All of the following are criterions for inferring cause EXCEPT __________.

A) covariation
B) intuition
C) correlation
D) temporal precedence

Question 61

The first step in establishing a cause-and-effect relationship is demonstrating __________, which simply means that the cause must precede the effect in time.

A) correlation
B) covariation
C) temporal precedence
D) temporal coincidence

Question 62

The idea that to infer causality, the event we think is a cause should be related to the event we think is an effects, is called__________.

A) covariation
B) temporal precedence
C) coincidence
D) validity

Question 63

The test for covariation when comparing two groups is__________.

A) test of mean differences
B) correlation coefficient
C) validity coefficient
D) regression coefficient

Question 64

One measure of covariation is__________.

A) validity
B) reliability
C) correlation
D) interaction

Question 65

A correlation of -1.0 means:

A) there is no significant relationship between two variables
B) the researcher has made an error in the calculation
C) a perfect negative relationship exists between the variables
D) none of the above

Question 66

A correlation of 0 means__________.

A) there is no significant relationship between two variables
B) the researcher has made an error in the calculation
C) a perfect negative relationship exists between the variables
D) none of the above

Question 67

If a researcher is assessing the covariation between workers' levels of commitment and their time with the organization, he/she would be likely to calculate the__________.

A) correlation coefficient
B) validity coefficient
C) test between means
D) mode and median

Question 68

The idea that to infer causality, we have to show that no other factor might have caused the effect, is called__________.

A) covariation
B) temporal precedence
C) validity
D) elimination of alternative explanations

Question 69

Which of the following is a faulty research design?

A) one group before-after
B) two groups before-after
C) two groups after only with randomization
D) all of the above are faulty research designs

Question 70

Which of the following is an improved research design?

A) one group before-after
B) after only with unequal groups
C) two group before-after
D) all of the above are improved research designs

Question 71

If the sample group is __________ prior to the study, we can be fairly confident that it will be homogeneous.

A) standardized
B) validated
C) randomized
D) measured

Question 72

One alternative to randomization for making sure that comparison groups are equitable is __________.

A) homogenization
B) equitabilization
C) matching subjects
D) pre-design group allocation

Question 73

The extent to which results obtained in one sample-setting-time configuration can be repeated in a different study is called__________.

A) reliability
B) validity
C) generalizability
D) standardization

Question 74

"Generalization" refers to__________.

A) the degree to which the results of one study can tell us about other settings, times, or samples
B) the similarity in how different people use the same measure
C) the ability of a measure to assess the intended concept
D) the lack of random error in a measure

Question 75

To understand the generalizability of a research study, one should know all but one of these factors. Which one?

A) setting
B) sample
C) time
D) author

Question 76

To facilitate generalizability, researchers should__________.

A) use laboratory settings
B) limit sample characteristics
C) use random samples
D) use settings in real organizations

Question 77

In addition to large studies using random samples, generalizability can be facilitated by__________.

A) many small samples from the same setting
B) varied settings with limited samples
C) many small studies with different samples, settings and times
D) a few medium-sized studies with different settings over time

Question 78

Which of the following is NOT a major scientific journal in the field of management?

A) Harvard Business Review
B) Academy of Management Journal
C) Journal of Vocational Behavior
D) Human Relations

Question 79

Which of the following is a scientific journal that publishes theory and research about management?

A) Harvard Business Review
B) Fortune
C) Human Relations
D) Sloan Management Review

Question 80

Does personal experience provide a valid basis for knowledge? Why or why not?