Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
Chapter 02: Perception, Personality, and Emotions
1) A process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in
order to give meaning to their environment is called
a. selective interpretation.
b. selective analysis.
c. perception.
d. selective outlook.
e. environmental assessment.
2) Yvonne was bothered because many of her co-workers considered her to be lazy. As a
result, she began to neglect her work responsibilities and spent most of her time making
personal phone calls. This is an example of
a. a self-fulfilling prophecy.
b. stereotyping.
c. selective perception.
d. the halo effect.
e. contrasting effects.
3) Peoples’ perceptions are influenced by the perceiver, the target, and the situation. The
perceiver factor comprises
a. attitudes.
b. ethics.
c. peer pressure.
d. priorities.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
e. abilities.
4) Terry is a new salesman who has just been assigned to the northwest branch of his
company. Shortly after his appointment to his new position, sales for his territory jumped
significantly. Terry’s appointment and the increase in sales were not related, but people
tended to see the two occurrences as related. The timing of Terry’s appointment and the
soon-after increase in sales is an example of
a. how a target’s characteristics can affect what is perceived.
b. how personal characteristics of the perceiver influences how events are interpreted.
c. how expectations can distort our perceptions.
d. how past experiences can distort our perceptions.
e. how difficult it is to perceive and interpret what others do.
5) Peoples’ perceptions are influenced by the perceiver, the target, and the situation. The
situation factor comprises
a. attitudes.
b. motives.
c. background.
d. novelty.
e. time.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
Objective: 2-1 What is perception?
6) Angelina is a manager at the largest manufacturing plant in her company’s division.
She is quick to perceive how talented her employees are and formulates her expectations
of them accordingly. If she expects people to perform exceedingly well, she puts more
time and effort into managing them, and gives them ample opportunity to develop their
skills and talents. Angelina finds that such employees do indeed become some of the best
performers. Angelina’s actions are an example of
a. prejudice.
b. stereotyping.
c. the contrast effect.
d. the halo effect.
e. a self-fulfilling prophecy.
7) Kerry was observing one of her underachieving employees, and was trying to decide
whether her behaviour is caused by internal factors or external factors. This is consistent
with ________ theory.
a. attribution
b. selective perception
c. motivational
d. self-fulfilling prophecy
e. fundamental attribution error
8) The three rules used to determine whether or not behaviour is internally or externally
caused are
a. distinctiveness, consensus, and consistency.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
b. selective perception, consensus, and consistency.
c. heredity, environmental factors, and personality.
d. self-serving bias, heredity, and personality.
e. distinctiveness, heredity, and consistency.
9) When a sales manager attributes the poor performance of his or her sales agents to
laziness, rather than to the complexity of the project and the innovative products of the
competitor, the sales manager is engaging in
a. the fundamental attribution error.
b. self-serving bias.
c. selective perception.
d. the halo effect.
e. the contrast effect.
10) Suppose a sales manager is unhappy with the performance of her/his sales people and
attributes this to laziness on their part. Closer scrutiny of the real situation, however,
shows that the sales manager has made a “fundamental attribution error.” This means that
she/he has
a. only considered superficial indicators.
b. inadequately explored the job satisfaction of the sales people.
c. is merely stereotyping employees.
d. underestimated the effects of external factors relative to internal factors.
e. ignored her/his responsibility in the entire process of not holding workers accountable.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
11) Natasha is often late for work. Her manager, Eleanor, always attributes Natasha’s
lateness to Natasha’s laziness and lack of responsibility, and never to unforeseen
circumstances like congested traffic. Natasha thinks Eleanor underestimates the traffic
problem and overestimates any lack of responsibility that Natasha may have. Eleanor is
engaging in
a. the fundamental attribution error.
b. self-serving bias.
c. selective perception.
d. consistency.
e. stereotyping.
12) The most important reason why managers need to know how to measure personality
is that research has shown that personality tests
a. are biased against minorities.
b. can avoid stereotyping.
c. are useful in hiring decisions.
d. can lead to a reduction in perceptual errors
e. screen out people with Machiavellian tendencies.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
13) Joseph is 54 years old and has been looking for work for 16 months. He is sure that
he has been unable to obtain work because younger employees are more appealing to
employers. If true, this is an example of
a. the fundamental attribution error.
b. self-serving bias.
c. selective perception.
d. inconsistency.
e. prejudice.
14) Sadir strongly believes that he did not pass the biology test because his teacher
intentionally made the test difficult. This is called
a. the fundamental attribution error.
b. self-serving bias.
c. consistency
d. selective perception.
e. selective judgment.
15) David is difficult to work with. Whenever he is successful, he takes full credit for
what has happened. Whenever he is unsuccessful, he attributes his failure to bad luck or
to one of his colleagues. David is displaying
a. fundamental attribution error.
b. self-serving bias.
c. consensus.
d. distinctiveness.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
e. consistency.
16) Kasha firmly believes she got the job working at the local supermarket because of her
superior interviewing skills. Kasha fails to focus on the fact that she was the only person
who applied for the job. Kasha is using
a. selective memory.
b. a fundamental attribution error.
c. a self-indulgent error.
d. self-serving bias.
e. a self-fulfilling prophecy.
17) You are one of the managers at TRS Co. Joan is a new employee at your place of
work. Using your ability to respond to individual differences between yourself and Joan
a. is likely to result in perceptual errors.
b. is likely to result in fewer perceptual errors.
c. is a shortcut to judge Joan and will likely not be very effective.
d. is only useful if done after time has elapsed, and you can assess some of Joan’s work.
e. is likely to result in more perceptual errors, only initially, because of assumptions.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
18) Ron was having a discussion with one of his colleagues as to whether the rise in the
Canadian dollar was good or bad, and found himself quickly overwhelmed with all of the
various arguments. All he could remember after the discussion was a few of them. Ron
was engaged in
a. selective interpretation.
b. selective perception.
c. a mental memory process.
d. selective listening.
e. memorization.
19) Kyle does not like to work with people of a particular ethnicity even before he has
met them. Kyle is exhibiting
a. selective perception.
b. stereotyping.
c. projection.
d. heredity.
e. prejudice.
20) Your company, Exceptional Business Products, has expanded lately and just recently
hired some 150 new recruits. Your department, where you are the direct sales manager,
has hired approximately 30 of these new recruits. You have had to quickly draw
conclusions about the skill level of new recruits in order to make training decisions. To
do so, you have considered each recruit’s level of sociability. You
a. will misjudge the recruit.
b. are using a personal bias.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
c. are displaying prejudice.
d. are using the halo effect.
e. are projecting on to the new recruits your own assumptions.
21) You are the recruiter for RESEARCH Inc., where your most recent task is to hire an
accountant. Due to the large number of applicants and the fast approaching deadline to
hire someone, you have decided to select and interview candidates who appear to be quiet
and introspective, given the activities listed on their resumé. You are
a. using stereotyping as the basis for your decision.
b. using prejudice as the basis for your decision.
c. using a shortcut that will likely be very effective in judging individual candidates.
d. using self-serving bias.
e. using the contrast effect.
22) You are the recruiter for RESEARCH Inc., where your most recent task is to hire a
research technician. You have set up an interview schedule to interview six applicants.
You notice that in your assessment of the candidates you have been comparing them to
one another. You are finding this to be an extremely long process and are not sure if this
is very effective. You are
a. using stereotyping.
b. using contrast effects.
c. using selective perception.
d. using prejudice.
e. using the halo effect.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
23) Samir is aware that he has some weaknesses, but he typically tries to make himself
feel better by convincing himself that others have the same weaknesses. Samir is engaged
in
a. the halo effect.
b. projection.
c. stereotyping.
d. interpretation.
e. selection.
24) You are the Research Department head and manager for RESEARCH Inc. You have
been interviewing candidates with the HR manager all week, and must now make a
decision about which one of the candidates to hire. You would like to hire the candidate
who graduated from the same university as yourself, has an interest in golfing, just as you
do, and who you believe is trustworthy, just as you are. You are
a. using projection.
b. using the contrast effects.
c. using the halo effect.
d. using stereotyping.
e. using selective perception.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
25) Pierre has a tendency to judge people without even knowing them by making
generalizations about them based on the groups to which they belong. Pierre is engaged
in
a. stereotyping.
b. projection.
c. contrast effect.
d. risk management.
e. the halo effect.
26) In her quest to expand Northern Beverages, the HR manager acknowledges that she
will need to hire an individual who is highly skilled in business strategy. She knows that
university graduates who also participated extensively in athletics are usually ambitious
and hardworking, compared with university students who did not. If she decides to
interview only university grads who were athletes, she is likely engaging in
a. projection.
b. stereotyping.
c. contrast effect.
d. risk management.
e. the halo effect.
27) SCENARIO 2-1
You are on a team with two individuals who are giving you trouble. The work has been
divided among the three of you and each time your team meets, Janet and Jim disagree
about the progress of the team project. Janet is convinced that Jim’s lack of progress is
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
because he in inherently lazy and not because of some overwhelming problem with the
project itself. The truth seems to be that Janet is not doing her part of the work.
Referring to SCENARIO 2-1, you might attempt to understand Janet and Jim by using
________ theory.a. social relevance
b. attribution
c. optimizing
d. satisficing
e. perception
28) SCENARIO 2-1
You are on a team with two individuals who are giving you trouble. The work has been
divided among the three of you and each time your team meets, Janet and Jim disagree
about the progress of the team project. Janet is convinced that Jim’s lack of progress is
because he in inherently lazy and not because of some overwhelming problem with the
project itself. The truth seems to be that Janet is not doing her part of the work.
Referring to SCENARIO 2-1, Janet seems to be guilty ofa. proximity bias.
b. ethnocentrism.
c. the fundamental attribution error.
d. self-serving bias.
e. selective perception.
29) SCENARIO 2-1
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
You are on a team with two individuals who are giving you trouble. The work has been
divided among the three of you and each time your team meets, Janet and Jim disagree
about the progress of the team project. Janet is convinced that Jim’s lack of progress is
because he in inherently lazy and not because of some overwhelming problem with the
project itself. The truth seems to be that Janet is not doing her part of the work.
Referring to SCENARIO 2-1, Janet may be attributing to Jim some of her own
characteristics. She might be usinga. projection.
b. the halo effect.
c. contrast effect.
d. stereotyping.
e. selective perception.
30) SCENARIO 2-1
You are on a team with two individuals who are giving you trouble. The work has been
divided among the three of you and each time your team meets, Janet and Jim disagree
about the progress of the team project. Janet is convinced that Jim’s lack of progress is
because he in inherently lazy and not because of some overwhelming problem with the
project itself. The truth seems to be that Janet is not doing her part of the work.
Referring to SCENARIO 2-1, you have decided after consultation with some of your
colleagues in another department that the problem between Janet and Jim must be solved.
Somehow Janet must be made aware of the impact of not doing her share of the work. In
coming up with an approach to resolve the situation and maintain as much objectivity as
possible, you must be careful not to engage ina. selective perception and stereotyping.
b. developing a problem solving approach.
c. extensive communication with both Janet and Jim.
d. devising a system whereby accountability can be realized.
e. acting in a leadership capacity.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
Objective: 2-1 What is perception?
31) When instructors were told that one-third of their trainees had poor skills and little
potential, and that two-thirds of their trainees had superior skills and potential, the
instructors got better results from the group of “superior” trainees. This was because the
instructors expected better performance from the “superior” trainees, spent more time
with these trainees, and gave this group of trainees more opportunity to practice what
they were learning. This is an example of
a. the halo effect.
b. a self-fulfilling prophecy.
c. prejudice.
d. self-serving bias.
e. contrast effect.
32) Lilly has observed that when she communicates to her employees that she has great
faith in them when they take on a new project, they rarely let her down. What is this an
example of?
a. contrast effects
b. a self-fulfilling prophesy
c. the halo effect
d. stereotyping
e. projection
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
33) The norms of our friends, family, and social groups are ________ determinants of our
personalities.
a. psychophysical
b. hereditary
c. situational
d. cultural
e. environmental
34) An individual’s personality includes extraversion, thinking, sensing, and judging.
This individual is likely known as
a. an organizer who is realistic, logical, analytical, decisive, and outward focused.
b. a visionary who has a great drive for their own ideas, is very stubborn, and is inward
focused.
c. an innovative, resourceful person who neglects routine assignments and is always
perceiving new information and ideas.
d. an organizer but very inward focused.
e. a visionary but very inward focused.
35) The Protestant work ethic is a(n) ________ determinant of our personality.
a. psychophysical
b. hereditary
c. situational
d. cultural
e. environmental
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
36) SCENARIO 2-2
You are a supervisor for a small retail store and have decided to apply the Big Five
Personality Model to try and understand your subordinates and their work habits. You
have determined that Brian is an extravert and Jim is not conscientious.
Referring to SCENARIO 2-2, Brian will likely a. perform well as a salesman because of
his ability to be outgoing.
b. be shy and reserved.
c. be unassertive and not do well as a salesman.
d. be quite comfortable with solitude and individual work.
e. be able to work well under pressure, as long as he is working as an individual and not
as part of a team.
37) SCENARIO 2-2
You are a supervisor for a small retail store and have decided to apply the Big Five
Personality Model to try and understand your subordinates and their work habits. You
have determined that Brian is an extrovert, and Jim is not conscientious.
Referring to SCENARIO 2-2, Jim, who rates low on conscientiousness, would likely a.
be easily distracted.
b. find comfort in the familiar.
c. be nervous, depressed, and insecure.
d. be comfortable with solitude.
e. be achievement oriented.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
38) Emotional stability is a personality dimension that
a. can be both positive and negative.
b. includes imaginativeness.
c. includes artistic sensitivity.
d. includes a measure of intellectualism.
e. can be both disagreeable and empathetic.
39) Leroy has always been the type of person who is open to new experiences in both his
personal and professional life. It wouldn’t be surprising, therefore, to find out that he
a. is more conventional.
b. is easily distracted.
c. would welcome the status quo.
d. is creative, curious, and artistic.
e. prefers being assertive.
40) Conscientiousness seems to be the only Big Five Personality factor that predicts
a. organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB).
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
b. creative thinking.
c. self-motivation.
d. performance across all situations.
e. certain behavioural outcomes.
41) Jose is always on time for his job, documents his work daily, and often assists
colleagues in their work. Jose’s ________ is a measure of his ________.
a. extraversion; cooperativeness
b. conscientiousness; reliability
c. emotional stability; comfort level with others
d. openness to experience; trust of others
e. agreeableness; self-confidence
42) Ahmad is a determined employee who consistently believes that he controls his own
career and destiny. Ahmad is exhibiting
a. a high level of extraversion.
b. a high core self-evaluation.
c. Type A personality.
d. a high propensity for motivation and higher salary.
e. Type B personality.
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
43) Bob views himself as a very capable employee; predictably he
a. tends to be very persistent in his work.
b. tends to have a lower absenteeism rate at work than others.
c. feels extremely grateful for his work.
d. tends to feel more powerless in his job.
e. feels little alienation from his work setting.
44) According to your text, the reason why “internals” have a lower incidence of
absenteeism is because
a. they take responsibility for their own health.
b. they are typically younger people, and therefore suffer fewer health related problems.
c. they are more outgoing and energetic.
d. they tend to be more conscientious.
e. they tend to be more gregarious.
45) Josef has been an employee in your small business for the last two months. You have
noticed that on the three occasions when you confronted Josef on missing equipment he
at first denied it and then admitted to taking the items home. Josef has also told you that
he thought it would be all right with you, even though he did not ask for your permission.
You have also noticed that Josef has lied repeatedly to you about where he was on days
when he was absent. In your latest discussion with Josef, he told you that any action is
ethical, as long as the ends justify the means. Josef seems to have the personality
characteristic known as
Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Fifth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2— Perception, Personality, and Emotions
a. proactiveness.
b. Machiavellianism.
c. initiative taking.
d. risk-taking.
e. competitiveness.
46) Some personality attributes are likely interrelated. Therefore, it would be reasonable
to expect individuals with high Machiavellianism scores to also be
a. internals.
b. externals.
c. low self-monitors.
d. Type B people.
e. risk-avoiders.
47) Tommy is the type of individual who is pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and
believes the ends can justify means in all that he does. He is exhibiting
a. a self-fulfilling prophesy.
b. Machiavellianism.
c. projection.
d. prejudice.
e. stereotyping.