Question 1

Who developed expectancy theory?

Accepted Answer

Victor Vroom developed the expectancy theory, which suggests that motivation is based on an individual's belief that their effort will lead to high performance and that high performance will result in desired outcomes or rewards.

Question 2

Contemporary research on equity theory focuses on ________ justice.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Contemporary research on equity theory focuses on...

Question 3

When people perceive an imbalance in their outcome-input ratio relative to others, ________.

Accepted Answer

When people perceive an imbalance in their outcome-input ratio relative to others, it creates equity tension. This means that they feel a sense of unfairness and injustice, which can lead to negative attitudes and behaviors. This is central to equity theory in organizational behavior.

Question 4

When individuals compare their outcomes and inputs against those of others, the framework is ________.

Accepted Answer

The framework of comparing outcomes and inputs against those of others is called equity theory, which is focused on the idea that people strive for fairness in social exchanges.

Question 5

The view that we can learn through both observation and direct experience is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Social-learning theory posits that we can learn through both observation and direct experience. Reinforcement theory emphasizes the role of rewards and punishments in shaping behavior, while the hierarchy of needs theory and two-factor theory focus on motivation and satisfaction in the workplace. Theory X, on the other hand, holds that employees have little inherent motivation and need to be closely controlled and monitored by management.

Question 6

Which of the following is not a predictable choice when employees perceive an inequity?

Accepted Answer

Acquiring more tenure may not be a predictable choice for employees when they perceive an inequity as it depends on the specific situation and may not always be within their control. The other choices, such as changing inputs, outcomes, or referents, or leaving the field altogether, are predictable choices that employees may make in response to perceived inequities.

Question 7

What theory attempts to measure the strength of one's expectations and predict motivation?

Accepted Answer

Expectancy theory attempts to measure the strength of an individual's expectations and predict their motivation based on their belief that effort will lead to performance, performance will lead to outcomes, and those outcomes will be valuable to them. The theory is based on the idea that individuals are motivated to act in ways that they believe will lead to a desired outcome, and the strength of their motivation is based on their perceived ability to achieve that outcome.

Question 8

In equity theory, individuals assess the ________.

Accepted Answer

In equity theory, individuals assess the outcome-input ratio, which refers to how much they are getting (outcome) compared to how much they are putting in (input). They compare this ratio with the ratio of others who are in similar situations. If they perceive that their ratio is equitable to others, they are satisfied. However, if they perceive that their ratio is inequitable, they may experience feelings of underpayment or overpayment. Thus, they seek to restore equity in their relationships by adjusting their inputs or outcomes or by changing the comparison other. The other options (A, B, C, and E) do not accurately describe what individuals assess in equity theory.

Question 9

Craig is trying to teach his two-year old son to gently caress their cat. Craig softly strokes the animal and every time his son does the same he rewards him with kind words. "Good job!" The child is very attentive during the process and claps his hands when his father praises him. However, as soon as Craig stands up to leave, the boy lunges for the cat and grabs a chunk of hair. Which process of social-learning theory is failing?

Accepted Answer

Retention processes are failing. The child may have been paying attention and receiving positive reinforcement from his father, but he is not retaining the information on how to gently caress the cat when his father is not present.

Question 10

Jessica believes that she received an appropriate salary increase this year but she does not believe that the company's methods for determining salary increases were fair. She believes that there is a problem with the firm's ________ justice.

Accepted Answer

Jessica's belief that the methods for determining salary increases were unfair suggests that there is a problem with the firm's procedural justice, which refers to the fairness of the processes and procedures used to make decisions, such as determining salaries.

Question 11

What would be the predicted result of overpaying a piece-rate worker, according to equity theory?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What would be the predicted result of...

Question 12

Equity theory historically focused on ________ justice.

Accepted Answer

Equity theory is concerned with the fairness of outcomes or distribution of resources. Therefore, it historically focused on distributive justice, which refers to the perceived fairness of the distribution of rewards or outcomes. Procedural justice (A) pertains to the fairness of the processes used to make decisions, interpersonal justice (C) refers to the perceived fairness of interpersonal treatment, organizational justice (D) encompasses both distributive and procedural justice in the context of the organization, and interactional justice (E) refers to the perceived quality of interpersonal treatment received during the process of decision-making.

Question 13

Diane wants her students to actively participate more in class. She has decided to use reinforcement theory to get the results she wants. Which of the following methods is she most likely to use?

Accepted Answer

Diane is using reinforcement theory to increase active participation in her class. One way to do this is to use positive reinforcement, which is adding something desirable to increase behavior. By adding a tally mark beside a student's name each time they contribute, Diane is providing positive reinforcement for their active participation. This should encourage students to participate more often because they will associate the behavior with a positive consequence.

Question 14

Gloria thinks that she is paid less than other workers in her division and feels extremely resentful. She starts taking long breaks and generally wasting time. Her actions were a result of her perceiving what kind of injustice?

Accepted Answer

Gloria's perception of being paid less than other workers falls under distributive justice, which refers to the perceived fairness of the outcome or allocation of resources. Her actions of taking long breaks are a response to her perception of injustice in the distribution of pay.

Question 15

People who perceive that they are victims of interactional injustice tend to blame their immediate supervisor rather than the organization at large. Why is this?

Accepted Answer

The answer of People who perceive that they are victims...

Question 16

Which of the following is not a process involved when determining how a model, such as a parent, influences social-learning?

Accepted Answer

Attentional processes involve paying attention to the model, retention processes involve storing the learned behavior in memory, motor reproduction processes involve physically enacting the learned behavior, and reinforcement processes involve experiencing positive or negative consequences as a result of the behavior. Justification processes are not a process involved in determining how a model influences social-learning.

Question 17

James is a salaried employee whose job is to proofread legal documents. He discovers that he is paid substantially more than his colleagues, even though their jobs and performances are very similar. What is likely to be his reaction to this discovery according to equity theory?

Accepted Answer

According to equity theory, if an employee perceives they are over-rewarded, they may increase their effort to restore equity, leading to an increase in the quantity and/or quality of their work.

Question 18

Which of the following is not true about referent comparisons in equity theory?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is not true...

Question 19

What is the major failure of reinforcement theory in explaining changes in behavior?

Accepted Answer

The major failure of reinforcement theory in explaining changes in behavior is that it does not recognize the effect of feelings, attitudes, and other cognitive variables. Reinforcement theory focuses solely on the external environment and ignores the internal cognitive processes that also influence behavior.

Question 20

Which of the following is not a comparison an employee can use in equity theory?

Accepted Answer

Equity theory involves comparing oneself to others. The comparison categories are self-inside (past experiences), self-outside (other aspects of one's life), other-inside (the individual being compared to), and other-outside (others who are not being directly compared to). "Self-goal" is not a relevant comparison category in equity theory.

Quiz 7: Basic Motivation Concepts