Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Midterm

Name: __________________________________________ Date: _________________________

I. General Instruction. Read each question carefully. Erasures and/or superimposition is not
allowed.

1. _______ is the systematic acquisition of skills, rules, concepts, or attitudes that result in
improved performance.

a. Training c. Job analysis

b. Motivation d. Stress management

2. Conducting a _______ analysis is the first step in developing an employee training system.

a. organizational c. task
b. demographic d. needs

3. Your text outlines three types of needs analysis. Which of the following is NOT referred to by your
text as a needs analysis?

a. Organizational c. Task
b. Demographic d. Person

4. Which of the following types of needs analysis has the purpose of determining factors that
either facilitate or inhibit training effectiveness?

a. Organizational c. Task
b. Demographic d. Person

5. According to your text, if the results of the organizational analysis indicate that a positive climate for
training exists, the next step is to conduct a ____analysis.

a. climate c. task
b. demographic d. person
6. A task analysis conducted as part of a training needs assessment is made easier if:

a. a person analysis is conducted first

b. job descriptions are available
c. training has previously been conducted
d. trainers are certified
7. An organization decides to send cashiers who have a high incidence of shortages on the job to a
retraining program in order to correct this problem. This practice demonstrates which type of needs
analysis?

a. Organizational analysis c. Choice analysis

b. Person analysis d. Job analysis

8. Which training needs assessment technique is concerned with an individual employee's training
needs?

a. Organizational analysis c. Person analysis

b. Job analysis d. Operations analysis

9. Using _______ are perhaps the easiest method of person analysis.

a. performance appraisal scores c. interviews

b. surveys d. skill and knowledge tests

10. Which of the following types of person analysis methods eliminates the problems of
performance rating errors and is based on the premise that employees know best their own strengths
and weaknesses?

a. Performance appraisal scores c. Skill tests

b. Surveys d. Knowledge tests

11. With the critical incident methods of needs assessment, job dimensions with ______ should be
targeted for future training.

a. many good incidents c. few good incidents

b. many bad incidents d. few bad incidents

12. _______ exercises allow the trainee to work with equipment and in an environment like that found
in the actual job.

a. Case study c. Programmed instruction

b. Simulation d. Critical incident

13. An advantage of holding a training session off-site is:

a. the location can serve as a reward

b. a reduction in training expenses
c. that it is easier to organize the training
d. all of the above are advantages
14. Which of the following is NOT a consideration in selecting an icebreaker for a training program?

a. Goal of the icebreaker c. Nature of the audience

b. Length of the training session d. All three should be considered

15. Programmed instruction is effective because it takes advantage of several important learning
principles. Which of the following is NOT one of the learning principles?

a. Learning is self-paced
b. Trainees are actively involved in learning
c. Information is presented in small units
d. Information is presented in large units

16. Which training method allows trainees to experience working in many or all of the jobs in an
organization, allows for greater flexibility in replacing absent workers, and helps improve job
satisfaction?

a. Role playing c. Job rotation

b. Behavior modeling d. Apprentice training

17. Which training technique assigns a new employee with an experienced employee who is told to
"show the kid the ropes?"

a. Apprenticeship training c. Coaching

b. Job rotation d. Person analysis

18. Having trainees evaluate how much they learned from and enjoyed a training programs taps which
of the following criteria?

a. Employee reactions c. Employee learning

b. Content validity d. Application of training

19. Discussing an employees' strengths and weaknesses on the job is characteristic of _______ to
training.

a. a performance appraisal approach c. a role playing approach

b. a coaching approach d. none of these approaches

20. Practicing a task even after it has been successfully learned refers to:
a. transfer of training c. overlearning
b. massed practice d. distributed practice

21. ______ is the attitude one has toward her job and ______ is the extent to which an employee
identifies with and is involved with an organization.

a. Job satisfaction / cohesiveness

b. Job satisfaction / organizational commitment
c. Organizational commitment / cohesiveness
d. Organizational commitment / job satisfaction

22. Andrew has been working with Surrette Manufacturing for 29 years and has one year left to be
eligible for full retirement benefits. He has a house three minutes from work and his children all live
close by. Andrew would most likely be high in:

a. affective commitment c. normative commitment

b. continuance commitment d. volitional commitment

23. Sara was out of work for 9 months before being hired by Midwest Medical Supplies. Midwest has
treated Sara well, gave her a raise during a time in which the company was losing money, and sent her
to several expensive training programs to help her career. Sara has been offered a job at a competitor
that would increase her salary by $10,000. Though accepting the new job would seem to be an easy
decision to make, Sara feels she should remain with Midwest. Her commitment to Midwest is a good
example of:

a. affective commitment c. normative commitment

b. continuance commitment d. volitional commitment

24. People prone to be satisfied with their jobs have:

a. an external locus of control

b. low self-efficacy
c. high self-esteem
d. all three of these characteristics

25. Two employees are performing the same job and are required to meet the same standards;
however, one employee makes $2 per hour more for the job. According to which theory will the lower
paid employee be unsatisfied because he feels he is being treated unfairly in comparison to his
coworker? Equity Theory

26. With _______ employees are given more tasks to do at one time, whereas _____ means that an
employee performs the same number of tasks at one particular time and then moves on to other tasks
for a specified time.
 a. job enlargement / job rotation c. job enlargement / job enrichment
b. job rotation / job enlargement d. job enrichment / job rotation

27. Which of the following is the biggest reason that employees miss work?

a. Illness c. Personal needs

b. Stress d. Family issues

28. You would like to hire employees who will not miss work. Your best bet would be to hire applicants
who score high on the personality dimension of:

a. conscientiousness c. agreeableness
b. extroversion d. neuroticism

29. Realistic job previews might reduce turnover that is caused by:

a. unavoidable reasons c. escape

b. unmet expectations d. unmet needs

30. Andrea conducted interviews of employees who quit their jobs with her company. She found that
the biggest reason employees were leaving is that they couldn’t handle the stress associated with
conflicts with other employees. To reduce future turnover, Andrea should develop:

a. a mediation program c. a test of person-organization fit

b. a realistic job preview d. more opportunities for advancement

31. According to two-factor theory, ____ is an example of a hygiene factor?

a. Growth c. responsibility

b. Control d. pay

32. An employee’s supervisor places full confidence in the employee and believes that the employee can
handle a fairly difficult task. This boosts employee’s self-esteem which I turn increases her performance.
This phenomena is known as:

a. Consistency c. The Golem Effect

b. The Pygmalion Effect d. Socially influenced self-esteem

33. Bob hates his work but will work hard if the supervisor is around to punish employees who are not
working. Bob is probably ____________ motivation.

a. high in extrinsic c. low in both extrinsic and intrinsic

b. high intrinsic d. high in both extrinsic and instrinsic

34. Brian assigns tasks that are challenging yet achievable and specifically tells employees what he
expects from them. It sounds like Brian believes in:

a. providing feedback c. intrinsic motivation theiry

b. the Pygmalion effect d. goal setting theory

35. Amarah is motivated by jobs in which connect with others, whereas Jasper is motivated by desire to
be above than the others. Amarah has a high need for _______ and Bob has a high need for _______.

a. affiliation/power c. achievement/affiliation

b. affiliation/achievement d. achievement/power

36. Which need theory has three levels of needs and allows individual to skip levels?

a. Maslow’s theory c. Two-factor theory

b. ERG theory d. McClelland’s Needs Theory

37. Imee has been working with the RUA Corporation for 10 years. She is a single mother of three kids
and the benefits of the company includes educational assistance for all employees’ dependents. Despite
bad working condition and long hours of work, Imee decides to stay. She is most likely be high in:

a. affective commitment c. normative commitment

b. continuance commitment d. volitional commitment