Deck 17: Psychology at Work

Question 1

The psychological contract is defined as the

A) advent of knowledge work as the major source of employment.
B) sense of mutual obligation between workers and employers.
C) efforts of leaders to motivate workers and increase worker satisfaction.
D) need to optimize worker placement.

Answer 1

sense of mutual obligation between workers and employers.

Question 2

Those who view their work as a necessary but personally unfulfilling way to make money are said to view work as a

A) contract.
B) job.
C) calling.
D) career.

Answer 2

job.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a question you can ask yourself to help you find flow?

A) What activities give me pleasure?
B) What sorts of challenges do I relish?
C) What activities leave me wondering,"When will this be over?"
D) What sorts of tasks do I learn easily?

Answer 3

What activities leave me wondering,"When will this be over?"

Question 4

Developing assessment tools for selecting and placing employees is of most direct relevance to

A) clinical psychology.
B) organizational psychology.
C) human factors psychology.
D) personnel psychology.

Question 5

The main goal of a career counseling science is to

A) match people to vocations with a good person-environment fit.
B) design machines that optimally fit human abilities.
C) determine which leadership style is best for eliciting employee engagement.
D) design training programs for specific knowledge-related jobs.

Question 6

James' grandfather worked on a farm.His father worked in a factory.Most likely James will

A) be a farmer.
B) work in a factory.
C) have a manufacturing job.
D) have a career related to knowledge work.

Question 7

Flow is characterized by a ________ awareness of self and a ________ awareness of the passing of time.

A) heightened;diminished
B) diminished;heightened
C) heightened;heightened
D) diminished;diminished

Question 8

Research has found that ________ actually enhances performance.

A) extrinsic motivation
B) intrinsic motivation
C) monetary rewards
D) satisfaction with income

Question 9

Those who view their work as a career are especially likely to be concerned about opportunities for

A) outsourcing.
B) creating action plans.
C) transformational leadership.
D) increasingly better employment positions.

Question 10

Julia is a highly skilled professional violinist.She often becomes so focused and energized by her challenging practice sessions that they last hours longer than she had planned.Her experience best illustrates the concept of

A) flow.
B) task leadership.
C) human factors psychology.
D) 360-degree feedback.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT an interest identified by the career interest questionnaire located at O*NET?

A) realistic
B) investigative
C) artistic
D) spiritual

Question 12

Andrea views her work as primarily an opportunity to climb the corporate ladder in pursuit of increasingly better positions.Andrea apparently views her work as a

A) calling.
B) job.
C) contract.
D) career.

Question 13

Russell does not like his work but he knows that he has no choice but to go to work.He needs the paycheck each week to pay his monthly bills and save for retirement.He views his work as a

A) job.
B) career.
C) calling.
D) position.

Question 14

Alonso is so absorbed in solving complex engineering problems that he loses track of time as he spends entire weekends working.Alonzo's experience best illustrates the concept of

A) strengths-based leadership.
B) managing by objectives.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) flow.

Question 15

A study that followed 400,000 high school students over time found that their subsequent income success was best predicted by the extent to which their vocations were well-matched to their

A) ability levels.
B) personality traits.
C) physical appearance.
D) personal interests.

Question 16

People report the greatest satisfaction with their work and their lives if they

A) work only part-time.
B) view their work as a calling.
C) are strongly motivated by high wages.
D) are supervised by managers with a directive style.

Question 17

James is an accountant and is extremely conscientious.Based on the concept of the person-environment fit,which of the following is most likely to be true of James and his current job?

A) James is likely to dislike his job.
B) James is currently looking for a new job.
C) James is not likely to earn much money.
D) James is likely to earn a good income as an accountant.

Question 18

Which profession is most directly involved in the application of psychology's principles to optimizing human behavior in the workplace?

A) social psychology
B) personality psychology
C) developmental psychology
D) industrial-organizational psychology

Question 19

Work activities that are specifically suited to your strengths are most likely to be those associated with the experience of

A) flow.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) implementation intentions.
D) external rewards.

Question 20

After studying artists who would spend hour after hour painting or sculpting with focused concentration,Csikszentmihalyi formulated the concept of

A) transformational leadership.
B) strengths-based leadership.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) flow.

Question 21

Personnel psychologists are most likely to be involved in

A) analyzing job content.
B) designing optimum work environments.
C) developing systems technologies.
D) facilitating organizational change.

Question 22

Human factors psychologists are most likely to be involved in

A) designing training programs to prepare unemployed persons for existing jobs.
B) exploring how machines can be optimally designed to fit human abilities.
C) assessing the impact of supervisors' management styles on business productivity.
D) matching people's strengths with specific job assignments.

Question 23

Dr.Thompson develops interview questions that will effectively predict job applicants' success in specific work positions.Her work best illustrates that of a(n)________ psychologist.

A) personnel
B) organizational
C) human factors
D) clinical

Question 24

Unstructured interviews provide a ________ predictor of on-the-job performance than aptitude tests and a ________ predictor of on-the-job performance than job knowledge tests.

A) better;worse
B) worse;better
C) better;better
D) worse;worse

Question 25

Dr.MacCollum analyzes a job,scripts interview questions,and trains interviewers to ask the same questions,in the same order,to all applicants,rating each applicant on an established scale.Her work best illustrates that of a(n)________ psychologist.

A) personnel
B) organizational
C) human factors
D) clinical

Question 26

________ are rating scales on a worker's characteristics,whereas ________ rate workers on specific job performance behaviors.

A) Graphic rating scales;behavior rating scales
B) Checklists;graphic rating scales
C) Checklists;behavior rating scales
D) Behavior rating scales;checklists

Question 27

Organizational psychologists are most likely to be involved in

A) matching job applicants with specific work assignments.
B) modifying work environments in order to improve employee engagement.
C) contributing to the design of user-friendly industrial machines.
D) designing training programs to prepare unemployed persons for existing jobs.

Question 28

Your friend tells you that she was evaluated at her job today.She said that her supervisor had a form that she used to check specific behaviors,such as arriving to work on time and attending to customer needs.The supervisor was using a ________ to evaluate your friend.

A) checklist
B) graphic rating scale
C) behavior rating scale
D) structured interview

Question 29

Designing aircraft instrument displays so pilots can easily and accurately monitor flight data would be of most direct interest to

A) personnel psychology.
B) organizational psychology.
C) human factors psychology.
D) clinical psychology.

Question 30

If interviewers instantly like a job applicant because of his or her good looks,they may judge the person's complimentary remarks as indicating "polite manners" rather than "manipulative flattery." This best illustrates the impact of ________ on the interpretation of interviewees' responses.

A) transformational leadership
B) interviewers' preconceptions
C) 360-degree feedback
D) strengths-based leadership

Question 31

The psychologist who performed data-driven research that enabled AT&T to identify likely-to-succeed representatives was

A) Mary Tenopyr.
B) Marcus Buckingham.
C) Donald Clifton.
D) Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Question 32

When you rate yourself,your manager,and other colleagues on performance,and then they rate your performance,most likely you have participated in

A) a checklist.
B) a graphic rating scale.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) a behavior rating scale.

Question 33

Your supervisor is evaluating your performance.She is rating your productivity and dependability on a five-point scale,which is referred to as a

A) checklist.
B) graphic rating scale.
C) behavior rating scale.
D) structured interview.

Question 34

When meeting job applicants,employers often discount the influence of varying situations on applicants' behaviors and presume that what they observe applicants do and say reflects the applicants' enduring personality traits.This most clearly contributes to

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) the interviewer illusion.
C) strengths-based leadership.
D) the experience of flow.

Question 35

Mr.Walters has many years of experience as a personnel officer for a large corporation.He does not review most job applicants' reference files because he is confident in his ability to predict their future work performance based on direct face-to-face conversations.Mr.Walters' confidence best illustrates

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) the experience of flow.
C) transformational leadership.
D) the interviewer illusion.

Question 36

To predict effectively the job success of various applicants for a specific work position,psychologists would recommend the development of

A) flow.
B) task leadership.
C) structured interviews.
D) human factors psychology.

Question 37

Overrating one's ability to predict people's futures is called the

A) interviewer illusion.
B) unstructured interview.
C) structured interview.
D) leniency error.

Question 38

You attend a job interview that you have been extremely excited about.The interviewer is asking specific questions from a form and writing down your answers.What kind of interview is this?

A) casual conversation
B) unstructured interview
C) predictive interview
D) structured interview

Question 39

Dr.Davenport studies how work environments influence worker motivation and satisfaction.He is most likely a(n)

A) organizational psychologist.
B) personnel psychologist.
C) human factors psychologist.
D) performance psychologist.

Question 40

Scales and checklists on which supervisors indicate the extent to which a worker is productive,follows correct procedures,and attends to customers' needs are designed primarily for the purpose of improving

A) unstructured interviews.
B) social leadership.
C) performance appraisal.
D) a directive style of management.

Question 41

Carlos is so friendly and likable that his job supervisors and co-workers often appraise his work skills and performance more positively than is actually warranted.This best illustrates evaluators' vulnerability to

A) human factors psychology.
B) the interviewer illusion.
C) the experience of flow.
D) halo errors.

Question 42

Employees who put in work time but invest little passion or energy in their work are described as

A) resilient.
B) outsourced.
C) not engaged.
D) actively disengaged.

Question 43

You have a list of things you would like to accomplish,such as earn an A in your psychology class,pass the next psychology exam,complete a bachelor's degree in psychology,and get accepted to a psychology graduate program.What should you focus on first?

A) earning an A in the class
B) passing the next exam
C) earning your degree
D) acceptance into graduate school

Question 44

A specification of when,where,and how to achieve the subgoals necessary for completion of a major task is called a(n)

A) psychological contact.
B) state of flow.
C) action plan.
D) engagement.

Question 45

Jeremy is enthusiastically committed to his work within a company whose customer service goals are aligned with his own personal sense of occupational calling.Jeremy best illustrates

A) strengths-based leadership.
B) transformational leadership.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) employee engagement.

Question 46

Leaders with the ability to motivate people to cooperate toward a common goal are said to demonstrate

A) flow.
B) charisma.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) human factors psychology.

Question 47

The practice of 360-degree feedback is especially likely to involve

A) a democratic management style.
B) the experience of flow.
C) checklists and behavior rating scales.
D) transformational leadership.

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT a way in which Robert Owen demonstrated transformational leadership?

A) He developed a nursery school for children.
B) He created assisted listening technology.
C) He offered Sundays off from work.
D) He provided health care to workers.

Question 49

Satisfied employees' positive moods at work have most clearly been found to enhance

A) a directive leadership style.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) creativity and persistence.
D) strengths-based leadership.

Question 50

Organizational psychologists are most likely to be involved in

A) matching people's strengths with specific job assignments.
B) modifying work environments to improve employee engagement.
C) contributing to the design of user-friendly industrial machines.
D) designing training programs to prepare unemployed persons for existing jobs.

Question 51

A military general is to a ________ style of leadership as a band leader is to ________ style.

A) transformational;task
B) social;task
C) directive;democratic
D) democratic;directive

Question 52

Full and clear communication regarding Kelsey's effectiveness as a customer service manager is enhanced by the performance appraisals she periodically receives from fellow managers,subordinates,customers,and her supervisor.This best illustrates the value of

A) experiencing flow.
B) structured interviews.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) task leadership.

Question 53

You have noticed that everyone at work complains about how the manager evaluates their performance.They repeatedly say that he is unfair and rates them negatively.He may be making

A) halo errors.
B) severity errors.
C) leniency errors.
D) recency errors.

Question 54

Engaged employees are likely to

A) practice human factors psychology.
B) view their work as a job rather than a calling.
C) prefer working for managers with a directive management style.
D) know what is expected of them at their workplace.

Question 55

The on-time completion of major work projects is most clearly facilitated by

A) reducing flow.
B) scripting structured interviews.
C) receiving 360-degree feedback.
D) stating implementation intentions.

Question 56

An individual's ability to motivate and influence others to contribute to their group's success is referred to as

A) positive reinforcement.
B) leadership.
C) participative management.
D) engagement.

Question 57

The end of the calendar year is quickly approaching.What are you likely to do this time of year?

A) get a new job
B) set goals
C) enroll in a new class
D) learn a new skill

Question 58

When performance appraisal is based only on the employee's latest behavior,which may not be indicative of her overall performance,the employer is committing

A) a severity error.
B) a recency error.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) a halo error.

Question 59

Leaders who set target dates for the completion of specific measurable goals best illustrate

A) transformational leadership.
B) managing by objectives.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) the experience of flow.

Question 60

A business setting in which workers have regular opportunities to do what they do best and perceive that they are part of something significant is one that promotes

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) implementation intentions.
C) employee engagement.
D) unstructured interviews.

Question 61

Alex is a company manager who dictates workplace rules and task assignments without giving employees much opportunity to voice their task preferences or workplace concerns.Alex best illustrates

A) strengths-based leadership.
B) transformational leadership.
C) 360-degree feedback.
D) a directive leadership style.

Question 62

As a business manager,Julie often calls her employees' attention to their occasional mistakes while withholding praise for their many accomplishments.Julie fails to take full advantage of a basic principle of

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) operant conditioning.
C) task leadership.
D) human factors psychology.

Question 63

After discovering that their company's best software developers are highly analytical,personnel psychologists focused their employment ads for additional software developers less on applicants' experience and more on their ability to engage in logical problem solving.This best illustrates their commitment to

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) social leadership.
C) structured interviews.
D) strengths-based leadership.

Question 64

A group-oriented manager who mediates conflicts and builds effective teamwork demonstrates

A) 360-degree feedback.
B) the experience of flow.
C) social leadership.
D) a directive management style.

Question 65

Oscar and his co-workers always get to vote on company decisions.Which of the following is NOT associated with this form of participative management?

A) Oscar and his co-workers will be creative at work.
B) Oscar and his co-workers will be committed to their job.
C) Oscar and his co-workers will feel belittled by the company that they work for.
D) Oscar and his co-workers will be pleased with company decisions.

Question 66

Motivating workers to identify with and commit themselves to a group mission best illustrates

A) strengths-based leadership.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) a directive management style.
D) transformational leadership.

Question 67

Managers with a task-leadership style would be most likely to

A) mediate a conflict between two argumentative employees.
B) give employees a high degree of freedom to develop their own work procedures.
C) remind employees of the exact deadlines for the completion of work projects.
D) avoid closely monitoring the productivity of individual employees.

Question 68

You just started a supervisory position at a company.What is one thing that you can do to increase employee engagement,customer satisfaction,and profitability?

A) punish employee deficiencies
B) identify and enhance employee strengths
C) promote employee independence
D) encourage employee privacy

Question 69

Jennifer seems to get along well with her co-workers and frequently goes out on the weekend with one of her friends from work.How will these friendships affect Jennifer at work?

A) She will not get much work done because she is too busy making friends.
B) She will talk too much to her co-workers while at work.
C) She will experience depression at work because she does not have friends outside her workplace.
D) She will be energized at work because she feels that she belongs there.

Question 70

If given a chance to express their own opinions during a decision-making process,people will

A) feel more like they belong.
B) respond more positively to the decision.
C) be more likely to follow orders.
D) decrease productivity.

Question 71

Regardless of culture,research has found that successful leaders

A) punish employee deficiencies.
B) encourage employee privacy.
C) fulfill expectations.
D) promote employee independence.

Question 72

By praising their employees' positive behaviors,managers often encourage their workers to continue laboring productively.This best illustrates the value of

A) positive reinforcement.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) a democratic management style.
D) experiencing flow.

Question 73

Managers who excel at task leadership typically

A) demonstrate charisma.
B) use a directive style.
C) discourage performance appraisals.
D) use a democratic style.

Question 74

Expecting every faculty member at a university to teach the same number of courses and engage in the same amount of research would

A) interfere with the practice of 360-degree feedback.
B) help to promote social leadership.
C) fail to adequately develop the unique strengths of each professor.
D) facilitate the professors' experience of flow.

Question 75

Women are more likely than men to exhibit the qualities associated with

A) a voice effect.
B) recency errors.
C) transformational leadership.
D) a directive management style.

Question 76

Effectively designing physical environments-such as the layout of a kitchen in a way that maximizes safe and efficient meal preparation-is of special interest to

A) personnel psychologists.
B) organizational psychologists.
C) clinical psychologists.
D) human factors psychologists.

Question 77

Effective managers often demonstrate ________ levels of task leadership and ________ levels of social leadership.

A) high;low
B) low;high
C) low;low
D) high;high

Question 78

Amanda aims to be an effective leader and knows that ______ can be energizing to employees.

A) the use of negative punishments
B) helping them feel like they belong
C) a directive leadership style
D) following specific orders

Question 79

As a manager,Juan is good at dividing employees into effective groups for specific projects and at resolving any conflicts that occur.He appears to be high in

A) social leadership.
B) task leadership.
C) participative management.
D) providing positive reinforcement.

Question 80

Hiring job applicants who have the qualities best suited for success in the job for which they are applying illustrates

A) human factors psychology.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) strengths-based leadership.
D) employee engagement.