Question 1

Individuals form ____ for behavior by recognizing that the three types of patterns are consensus,consistency,and distinctiveness.

Accepted Answer

The three types of patterns mentioned (consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness) are factors used in making attributions for behavior. Therefore, the answer is attributions (choice D). Perceptions (choice A) and attitudes (choice B) do not directly relate to these patterns, while stereotypes (choice C) and personalities (choice E) are not mentioned in the question stem.

Question 2

Fred is in the Army.He saw a couple major motion pictures that took place in Iraq.They were so inaccurate,he refuses to see another war movie.He now thinks all Hollywood producers are left-wing zealots.Fred is using

Accepted Answer

Fred is generalizing and assuming that all Hollywood producers hold the same political beliefs and create movies with the same level of inaccuracy based on a few examples. This is an example of stereotyping.

Question 3

Stress

Accepted Answer

Stress is an individual's response to a strong stimulus, such as a difficult situation or a challenging task, that requires adaptation or adjustment. It is not just an attitude, as it has physical and psychological effects on the body. It can also impact personality type and lead to burnout, but these are not the defining characteristics of stress.

Question 4

Someone who categorizes people based on a single attribute

Accepted Answer

Categorizing people based on a single attribute, without taking into account other factors, is a form of stereotyping. Stereotyping is a cognitive shortcut that allows for quick decisions without much effort, but it can result in inaccurate assumptions and unfair judgments about individuals.

Question 5

One of the reasons Bernard Madoff got away with his Ponzi scheme for so long is that his investors saw him as a friend and used ____ to disregard questionable behavior.

Accepted Answer

Selective perception is the tendency to selectively interpret what one sees based on their own expectations, interests, and background. Madoff's investors saw him as a trustworthy friend and therefore selectively perceived his actions, disregarding any potential warning signs or red flags.

Question 6

In which stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome will an individual do whatever he or she can to cope with the situation?

Accepted Answer

During the resistance stage of the general adaptation syndrome, the individual tries to cope with the situation and find ways to adapt to it. This stage follows the initial alarm reaction and precedes the exhaustion stage where the body's resources become depleted. During the resistance stage, an individual may use various coping methods to deal with stressors, such as problem-solving, positive thinking, and social support.

Question 7

The final stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome is

Accepted Answer

The final stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome is exhaustion, where the body's resources become depleted due to prolonged exposure to stress. This can lead to a range of physical and psychological symptoms, including fatigue, irritability, and decreased immune function.

Question 8

The manager of Abigail's Fabrics is upset because the workers' lounge looks like a pigsty.She has determined that there is no one individual responsible for the mess,and in fact,she is the only one who is bothered by the trash.She has also determined that her employees keep their cars and their lockers just as slovenly.The attribution she forms about her subordinates is BEST described as

Accepted Answer

The answer of The manager of Abigail's Fabrics is upset...

Question 9

____ is the process of screening out information that we are uncomfortable with or that contradicts our beliefs.

Accepted Answer

Selective perception is the process of filtering out information that goes against our preconceived notions or beliefs, and paying attention to information that supports them. This can happen unconsciously, and can lead to confirmation bias and other cognitive errors. Option A refers to the idea that there is a reality independent of our perceptions, while option B refers to the subjective experience of reality. Option C refers to making assumptions about a whole group of people based on limited information. Option E refers to paying attention to information that is personally relevant to our own situations.

Question 10

The basic framework around which we form attributions is

Accepted Answer

Consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness are the three factors that are used to form attributions according to the covariation principle. Consensus refers to whether other people display the same behavior in a given situation, consistency refers to whether the person displays the same behavior in similar situations, and distinctiveness refers to whether the person displays the same behavior in different situations. These three factors help us determine if a behavior was caused by the person themselves or the situation they were in.

Question 11

When Heather learned that two WWF professional wrestlers had written a children's book,she automatically assumed that it would be too violent for her children to read.Heather is exhibiting

Accepted Answer

Heather is stereotyping by assuming that because the authors are professional wrestlers, the book will be violent. She is making assumptions about a group of people based on their profession, rather than considering the specific content of the book.

Question 12

Some smokers block out negative information about the health effects of smoking because they do not want to change their behavior.They are using

Accepted Answer

This behavior is an example of selective perception, where the smoker is avoiding or filtering out certain information that doesn't align with their beliefs or behaviors. They are selectively perceiving the information in a way that confirms their pre-existing attitudes and values towards smoking.

Question 13

Which of the following statements BEST describes the general relationship between stress and performance?

Accepted Answer

The relationship between stress and performance is often described by the Yerkes-Dodson Law, which suggests that a moderate level of stress can actually enhance performance up to a certain point, after which too much stress can lead to a decrease in performance. This is best represented by option C, indicating that as stress increases, performance will also increase for a time, until it becomes too much.

Question 14

People want to flee or fight in the ____ stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome.

Accepted Answer

The alarm stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome is characterized by the body’s immediate response to a stressor, which triggers the fight or flight response. This response prepares the body to either confront the stressor or to run away from it. Therefore, the best choice is A for alarm.

Question 15

____ is a set of processes by which individuals become aware of and interpret information about their environment.

Accepted Answer

Perception refers to the way we interpret and organize information from the environment based on our previous experiences, expectations, and biases. It is a complex process that can be influenced by factors such as attention, motivation, culture, and context. Selective attitude is a term used to describe the tendency of individuals to attend to information that is consistent with their beliefs and values, while ignoring or distorting information that is inconsistent. Objective reality refers to the external world as it exists independent of our perceptions and interpretations. Stereotyping is a process of categorizing individuals based on preconceived beliefs about their characteristics and abilities. Perceived reality is a subjective experience of reality that can vary between individuals and can be influenced by their perceptions, emotions, and attitudes.

Question 16

Stress may be defined as

Accepted Answer

Stress is a physical or psychological response to strain, which can be caused by various factors such as work-related demands, personal relationships, financial issues, or health problems. It is the body's way of reacting to a challenging situation and can have both positive and negative effects on a person's well-being. Therefore, option C is the most appropriate definition of stress compared to the other options.

Question 17

At the death of her husband Bronson Ingram,Martha Ingram unexpectedly became the CEO of Ingram Industries,a billion-dollar conglomerate with holdings in the publishing,music,barge,dredging,computer distribution industries,and others.As she took on the duties of Ingram Industries CEO,Martha Ingram was at which stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome?

Accepted Answer

The Alarm stage is the initial reaction to a stressor, where the body recognizes the stress and begins to respond. Martha Ingram unexpectedly becoming CEO would likely trigger this initial stress response.

Question 18

The first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome is

Accepted Answer

The first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) is alarm. This is the body's initial response to a stressor, characterized by the "fight or flight" response and the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. The other stages are resistance, when the body tries to adapt to and cope with the stressor; and exhaustion, where the body's resources become depleted and it is unable to cope with the stressor any longer. Denial and selective perception are not stages of the GAS.

Question 19

Stressors are defined as

Accepted Answer

Stressors are defined as the stimuli (events, situations, circumstances) that cause stress. Option A is incorrect because cognitive dissonance refers to the mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values or ideas at the same time. Option C is incorrect because not all situations that should be avoided can be classified as stressors. Option D is incorrect because stress on the job is just one type of stressor, but there are many others. Option E is incorrect because not everything that decreases performance is a stressor.

Question 20

____ is a mechanism through which we observe behavior and then assign causes to it.

Accepted Answer

Attribution is the process of observing someone's behavior and then assigning a cause to it, whether that be internal (e.g. personality, beliefs, attitudes) or external (e.g. situation, context). This can help us understand why someone acts the way they do and inform our future interactions with them. Stereotyping, perception, selective perception, and attitude formation are all related concepts but they do not specifically refer to the process of assigning causes to behavior.

Quiz 15: Basic Elements of Individual Behavior in Organizations