Question 1

Attribution theory uses three factors to determine if a person's behavior is caused internally or externally. One of these three factors is consensus. It indicates if ________.
A) the person has high propensity to defer to others
B) the individual displays different behaviors in different situations
C) everyone who faces a similar situation responds in the same way
D) the individual responds the same way over time
E) the person scores high on conscientiousness

Accepted Answer

C) If everyone who faces a similar situation responds in the same way, we can say the behavior shows consensus. If consensus for a behavior is high, we tend to consider it as an externally caused behavior.

Question 2

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?
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.

Accepted Answer

C) Characteristics of the target we observe can affect what we perceive. Because we don't look at targets in isolation, the relationship of a target to its background influences our perception of the target.

Question 3

With reference to the attribution theory, which of the following terms indicates the extent to which an individual displays different behaviors in different situations?
A) continuity
B) integrity
C) stability
D) flexibility
E) distinctiveness

Accepted Answer

E) Distinctiveness is one of three determining factors that contribute to attribution theory perceptions. Distinctiveness refers to whether or not an individual displays different behaviors in different situations.

Question 4

Whenever Jane is successful she takes full credit for her success, but whenever she is unsuccessful she attributes her failure to bad luck or blames one of her fellow employees. She is guilty of the ________.
A) fundamental attribution error
B) attribution bias
C) confirmation bias
D) distinction bias
E) self-serving bias

Accepted Answer

E) Individuals and organizations tend to attribute their own successes to internal factors such as ability or effort, and place the blame for failure on external factors such as bad luck or unproductive co-workers. This is called a self-serving bias.

Question 5

________ indicates the tendency of an individual to attribute his own successes to internal factors while putting the blame for failures on external factors.
A) Fundamental attribution error
B) Self-serving bias
C) Distinction bias
D) Selective perception
E) Stereotyping

Accepted Answer

B) Individuals and organizations tend to attribute their own successes to internal factors such as ability or effort, and place the blame for failure on external factors such as bad luck or unproductive co-workers. This is called a self-serving bias.

Question 6

Two people see the same thing at the same time yet interpret it differently. In this situation, factors that operate to shape their dissimilar perceptions reside in the ________.
A) perceivers
B) target
C) timing
D) context
E) situation

Accepted Answer

A) Because the target and the situation are the same, the difference in perception must be in the perceivers themselves. Characteristics that can affect perception include perceiver attitudes, personality, motives, interests, past experiences, and expectations.

Question 7

Your boss never gives you the benefit of the doubt. When you arrived late from lunch, he assumed that you had simply taken too much time. He never considered that the elevators were not working that day and the fact that you had to walk up 10 flights of stairs. Your boss is guilty of ________.
A) a self-serving bias
B) selective perception
C) the fundamental attribution error
D) inconsistency
E) stereotyping

Accepted Answer

C) Your boss has underestimated the influence of external factors and overestimated the influence of internal or personal factors. He is sure that your late arrival is caused by your own efforts, or lack thereof. This is called the fundamental attribution error.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true regarding perception?
A) Our perception of reality is independent of our personality.
B) The context of the situation in which the perception is made has little effect on our perception of reality.
C) Our perception of reality can be different from the objective reality.
D) Our perception of reality is independent of our past experiences.
E) We form a perception of a target by looking at it in isolation.

Accepted Answer

C) Our perception of reality can be different from the objective reality. Our perception of reality is affected by our personality, past experiences and the context of the situation in which the perception is made. We do not look at targets in isolation.

Question 9

According to the attribution theory, if a behavior scores ________, we tend to attribute it to internal causes.
A) low on consistency
B) high on traceability
C) low on distinctiveness
D) high on consensus
E) low on flexibility

Accepted Answer

C) Distinctiveness refers to whether an individual displays different behaviors in different situations. According to the attribution theory, if a behavior scores low on distinctiveness, we tend to attribute it to internal causes. The attribution theory does not take into consideration traceability and flexibility.

Question 10

Which of the following terms best describes the tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behavior of others?
A) fundamental attribution error
B) halo effect
C) selective perception
D) overconfidence
E) randomness error

Accepted Answer

A) Errors and biases distort attributions. When a person makes judgments about the behavior of other people, he tends to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal or personal factors. This is called the fundamental attribution error.

Question 11

According to the attribution theory, if a behavior scores ________, we tend to attribute it to external causes.
A) low on distinctiveness
B) high on adaptability
C) low on consistency
D) high on stability
E) low on consensus

Accepted Answer

C) Consistency indicates if the person responds the same way over time. The less consistent the behavior over time, the more we are inclined to attribute it to external causes.

Question 12

David is of the opinion that people who drive SUVs are dangerous drivers. He often thinks that people driving SUVs are driving rashly, even when other observers can see nothing wrong with the behavior of the SUV drivers. What factor is affecting his perception in this case?
A) his interests
B) his personality
C) his expectations
D) his motives
E) his attitude

Accepted Answer

C) David expects all SUV drivers to be dangerous. His expectations are what color his perception. The example doesn't explain why he expects this, although it could be from a previous bad experience.

Question 13

Janice is late for work each day by about ten minutes. How would the attribution theory describe this behavior?
A) It shows consensus.
B) It shows similarity.
C) It shows reliability.
D) It shows consistency.
E) It shows distinctiveness.

Accepted Answer

D) Consistency in a person's actions means that the person responds the same way over time to the same situation. An employee who hasn't been from for several months is perceived differently than an employee who is late two or three times a week. Janice demonstrates high consistency in tardiness.

Question 14

________ theory tries to explain the ways in which we judge people differently, depending on the meaning we attribute to a given behavior.
A) ERG
B) Hierarchy of needs
C) Acquired needs
D) Attribution
E) Two factor

Accepted Answer

D) Attribution theory is an attempt to determine whether an individual's behavior is internally or externally caused. We judge people differently, depending on the meaning we attribute to a given behavior. Attribution theory suggests that when we observe an individual's behavior, we attempt to determine whether it was internally or externally caused.

Question 15

Investors bragged about their investing expertise in the stock market rally between 1996 and early 2000. Knowing individuals rely on the self-serving bias to explain failure, which of the following explanations would an investor be most likely to state after the market imploded in 2000?
A) I did not do sufficient research before investing.
B) The analysts did not look at the numbers properly.
C) I really should have seen it coming.
D) My broker advised me to pull out, but I was blind.
E) I really should have diversified my earnings.

Accepted Answer

B) The self-serving bias places the blame for failure on external factors such as bad luck or unproductive co-workers, rather than taking personal responsibility for the failure. Therefore, the investor is likely to blame the analysts for not looking at the numbers properly. In each of the other choices the investor either assumes responsibility for his losses, or does not blame others.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

B) 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. These three factors are (1) distinctiveness, (2) consensus, and (3) consistency.

Question 17

________ is the process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.
A) Cognitive dissonance
B) Environmental analysis
C) Social verification
D) Emotional labor
E) Perception

Accepted Answer

E) Perception is defined as a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment. People's behavior is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself. What we perceive can be substantially different from objective reality.

Question 18

Randy always turns in reports with punctuation errors. The reports of the three other employees on the QA report writing team always produce grammatically clean reports. Randy is about to turn in another report, and his manager has already noticed errors. Randy demonstrates ________. His sloppy reports can be attributed to an ________ cause.
A) low distinctiveness, low consensus, and high consistency; internal
B) high distinctiveness, low consensus, and high consistency; external
C) low distinctiveness, high consensus, and high consistency; internal
D) low distinctiveness, low consensus, and high consistency; external
E) high distinctiveness, high consensus, and high consistency; internal

Accepted Answer

A) Randy's behavior is not different from previous behavior, demonstrating low distinctiveness. His reports are different from the other reports of the team, showing low consensus. His next report is the same as his previous work, showing high consistency of poor work quality. Therefore, Randy's poor work could be perceived as coming from an internal cause, probably his own carelessness and lack of conscientious work ethic.

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

B) Externally caused behavior is what we imagine the situation forced the individual to do. If an employee is late for work, and you attribute his arriving late to an automobile accident or a flat tire, then you are making an external attribution.

Question 20

If a person responds the same way over time, the attribution theory states that the behavior shows ________.
A) distinctiveness
B) consensus
C) consistency
D) continuity
E) stability

Accepted Answer

C) Consistency in a person's actions means that the person responds the same way over time to the same situation.

Quiz 6: Perception and Individual Decision Making

Attribution theory uses three factors to determine if a person's behavior is caused internally or externally. One of these three factors is consensus. It indicates if ________.

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?

With reference to the attribution theory, which of the following terms indicates the extent to which an individual displays different behaviors in different situations?

Whenever Jane is successful she takes full credit for her success, but whenever she is unsuccessful she attributes her failure to bad luck or blames one of her fellow employees. She is guilty of the ________.

________ indicates the tendency of an individual to attribute his own successes to internal factors while putting the blame for failures on external factors.

Two people see the same thing at the same time yet interpret it differently. In this situation, factors that operate to shape their dissimilar perceptions reside in the ________.

Your boss never gives you the benefit of the doubt. When you arrived late from lunch, he assumed that you had simply taken too much time. He never considered that the elevators were not working that day and the fact that you had to walk up 10 flights of stairs. Your boss is guilty of ________.

Which of the following statements is true regarding perception?

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

Which of the following terms best describes the tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behavior of others?

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

David is of the opinion that people who drive SUVs are dangerous drivers. He often thinks that people driving SUVs are driving rashly, even when other observers can see nothing wrong with the behavior of the SUV drivers. What factor is affecting his perception in this case?

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

________ theory tries to explain the ways in which we judge people differently, depending on the meaning we attribute to a given behavior.

Investors bragged about their investing expertise in the stock market rally between 1996 and early 2000. Knowing individuals rely on the self-serving bias to explain failure, which of the following explanations would an investor be most likely to state after the market imploded in 2000?

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?

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

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

If a person responds the same way over time, the attribution theory states that the behavior shows ________.