Organizational Behavior, 17e (Robbins)
Chapter 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction
1) ________ refers to evaluative statements or judgments concerning objects, people, or events.
A) Attitude
B) Behavior
C) Appearance
D) Demeanor
E) Performance
2) The statement, “A person who eats meat and then fights for animal rights demonstrates double
standards” is an evaluative statement. Such an opinion constitutes the ________ component of an
attitude.
A) cognitive
B) affective
C) reflective
D) behavioral
E) reactive
3) Which of the following statements represents the cognitive component of attitude?
A) I have decided to inform my supervisor that I will be quitting my job.
B) I intend to work during the weekend to meet the month’s deadline.
C) I feel upset about having to work during Christmas.
D) It is disappointing to know that I did not get a good evaluation.
E) This job is not giving me an opportunity to explore my skills.
4) Abigail Jones is a sales executive at Orbit Bank in Brussels. She is the best performer on her
team and often gets the highest number of corporate accounts for the company. However, she
feels that she does not get sufficient credit for her hard work. During lunch, she says to her
colleague, “I have been getting the largest accounts for the bank for the past eight months. Yet,
my manager never acknowledges the kind of effort I put in to get these accounts.” Which
component of attitude is being demonstrated by Jones?
A) positive component
B) cognitive component
C) affective component
D) behavioral component
E) reflective component
5) Which of the following is an example of the affective component of an attitude?
A) believing that one achieved all objectives of a project
B) relying on the information of a company’s annual report
C) perceiving whistle-blowing as the right thing to do
D) feeling hurt at being unfairly accused of a wrongdoing
E) deciding to fire an employee because of underperformance
6) Johanna Rouse feels disheartened because she was not selected for the campaign exchange
program in Amsterdam. Which component of an attitude does Rouse’s feeling represent?
A) cognitive
B) affective
C) reflective
D) behavioral
E) reactive
7) Janice Hartley works as a writer at a fashion magazine in New York. She was recently asked
by her editor to write an article on “10 must-haves for the autumn season.” Her editor has now
sent back the article saying it is not interesting enough to hold the attention of the reader. Janice
is upset and disappointed about the feedback. Which component of an attitude is represented in
this scenario?
A) positive component
B) cognitive component
C) affective component
D) behavioral component
E) evaluative component
8) Kimberley Mayfield recently evaluated her subordinate’s progress report. She now plans to
inform her about the objectives she did not achieve and how she can perform better. By doing
this, Mayfield will be demonstrating the ________ component of an attitude.
A) cognitive
B) affective
C) reflective
D) behavioral
E) reactive
9) Which of the following statements is an example of the behavioral component of an attitude?
A) I have decided to apply for the position of a campaigner in the climate department.
B) I am thrilled to know that the human resource department is looking for a climate campaigner.
C) The position of a climate campaigner is challenging and interesting.
D) The position of a climate campaigner will allow me to explore my skills as a campaigner.
E) I think the position of a climate campaigner involves extensive travel.
10) Sarah Mayer works as a security officer and is in charge of keeping track of who is in the
office at any given time. She notices that some employees do not sign out of the office when they
go out for meals, which makes it difficult to keep track of attendance of employees. Even though
Mayer has repeatedly asked the employees to sign out, they have not followed her advice. She
now decides to report the issue to her supervisor. Which of the following components of an
attitude is being demonstrated by Mayer?
A) affective
B) behavioral
C) positive
D) cognitive
E) knowledge
11) Attitudes are favorable or unfavorable evaluative statements about objects, people, or events.
12) The three components of an attitude are cognition, affect, and behavior.
13) The affective component of attitude is the emotional, or feeling, segment of an attitude.
14) The cognitive component of an attitude describes an intention to behave in a certain way
toward someone or something.
15) What are the three components of an attitude?
16) Why is it difficult to analyze the three components of an attitude separately? Provide a
workplace example that demonstrates the three components.
17) The theory of cognitive dissonance was proposed by ________.
A) Abraham Maslow
B) Leon Festinger
C) Geert Hofstede
D) Daryl Bem
E) Ivan Petrovich Pavlov
18) Which of the following does cognitive dissonance indicate between two or more attitudes or
between behavior and attitudes?
A) congruity
B) tenacity
C) solidarity
D) consistency
E) incompatibility
19) Any incompatibility between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitudes results
in ________.
A) organizational dissonance
B) cognitive dissonance
C) attitudinal clarification
D) positivity offset
E) affective reactance
20) Julie recently joined a youth center as a counselor who provides support services for teenage
mothers. An important part of her job involves referring pregnant teenagers to abortion clinics,
should they decide to avail of such services. This aspect of her work, however, conflicts with her
religious beliefs. Her manager, Kyle, is aware of this and expects her to submit her resignation at
any time, but Julie continues to carry out her duties in a sincere manner and shows no signs of
quitting her job. Which of the following best explains this situation?
A) Julie allows her professional life to be dictated by her religious ideals.
B) Julie refuses to acknowledge the hard truths of life.
C) Julie has accepted that people have the freedom of choice.
D) Julie is unable to empathize with the teenagers who visit the youth center.
E) Julie does not realize the importance of her work to society.
21) Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument that Sonia is
experiencing cognitive dissonance?
A) She believes that cosmetics help boost women’s self-confidence.
B) She believes that testing products on animals is an unethical practice.
C) She majored in pharmacology as part of her master’s degree program in college.
D) She recently received a positive performance review from her supervisor.
E) She is confounded by the fact that the cosmetic industry rakes in almost $7 billion annually.
22) Which of the following, if true, would weaken the argument that Sonia is experiencing
cognitive dissonance?
A) She believes that beauty is merely a superficial aspect of one’s personality.
B) She does not wear makeup as she is aware of the ingredients that go into making these
products.
C) She recently attended a presentation on the harmful effects of certain chemicals used in
cosmetics.
D) She believes that research and testing are an integral part of providing consumers with safe
products.
E) She feels that this field of work does not allow her to utilize her full potential.
23) Anna Jonas owns a manufacturing firm in Indonesia and strongly believes that it is important
that workers’ rights be respected. However, because of the recent economic meltdown, she makes
the management pay workers a wage which is below ethical standards. In addition, the working
conditions are below standards because of low investment in safety equipment. She knows her
actions are unethical but continues to do so to avoid major losses. Jonas is most likely to be
experiencing ________.
A) cognitive dissonance
B) emotional contagion
C) ethical evasion
D) self-concordance
E) positivity offset
24) Which of the following statements is most likely to be true regarding cognitive dissonance?
A) High dissonance is accompanied by high rewards.
B) People are less inspired to reduce dissonance when it is within their control.
C) People are less likely to reduce dissonance when the behavior is crucial.
D) People are more motivated to reduce dissonance when attitudes are important.
E) The desire to reduce dissonance is not affected by moods and emotions.
25) Joseph Pierce is the managing director of Drake Coal Power Plant in North Yorkshire. He
knows that coal is a major contributor to climate change and has made his research team study
impacts of coal on the environment. After knowing the facts, he faces a high degree of
dissonance between his values and behavior. Which of the following is he most likely to do to
reduce the dissonance between his belief and behavior?
A) get government sanction to build and develop more power plants across the country
B) increase revenue by building power plants in developing and underdeveloped countries
C) reassure the public that there is no correlation between environment and coal production
D) hire more employees to fill positions in new power plant stations
E) provide locals benefits to substantiate for the effects of coal power stations
26) Leon Festinger argued that ________ follow(s) ________.
A) behavior; attitudes
B) emotions; attitude
C) attitudes; behavior
D) thought processes; moods
E) conduct; feelings
27) Kim Anderson works as a campaign manager at an environmental organization in Ottawa. In
the past few months, she has noticed that one team member, Janice Kenneth, has shown a lot of
potential as the next project lead. However, Anderson heard from the grapevine that Kenneth
may be quitting the job. She now needs to know whether she has the intention to lead the
campaign in the next few months, which are crucial months for the campaign. Which of the
following questions would best help Anderson understand Kenneth’s intention toward the
project?
A) How do you like your job on the whole?
B) Do you like the work culture in the organization?
C) Do you see yourself working with us in the next six months?
D) Are you motivated enough to achieve all project milestones?
E) Are you happy with your overall job performance?
28) With reference to cognitive dissonance, in which of the following situations is the attitude-
behavior relationship most likely to be strong?
A) The affective component of the attitude is weak.
B) The behavior is not affected by the cognitive component of the attitude.
C) The attitude does not reflect the person’s fundamental values.
D) The behavior is affected by external factors and is not entirely under the control of the person.
E) The attitude refers to something with which the person has direct experience.
29) Which of the following is true with regard to moderating variables in attitude relationships?
A) Attitudes that our memories can easily access are more likely to predict our behavior.
B) General attitudes tend to predict particular or specific behaviors.
C) Attitudes are less likely to be remembered if frequently expressed or talked about.
D) The relationship between an attitude and a behavior is weaker if an attitude involves a direct
relation to personal experience.
E) Conflicts between attitudes and behavior occur when there are no social pressures.
30) Oversharers can contribute to teamwork when they share personal stories related to
organizational goals, according to a Harvard Business Review article.
31) According to Festinger, people seek consistency between their attitudes and their behaviors.
32) Cognitive dissonance explains the linkage between attitudes and behavior.
33) No individual can completely avoid dissonance.
34) Individuals will be more motivated to reduce dissonance when they believe the dissonance is
due to something they cannot control.
35) If there is an inconsistency between an individual’s attitude on a specific issue and his/her
behavior, there are only two courses of action available—alter the attitude or alter the behavior.
36) Attitudes that our memories can easily access are less likely to predict our behavior.
37) Discrepancies between attitudes and behavior tend to occur when social pressures to behave
in certain ways hold exceptional power, as in most organizations.
38) We have thousands of attitudes, but OB focuses on a very limited number that form positive
or negative evaluations employees hold about their work environments.
39) Describe a workplace example of how people seek consistency among their attitudes and
their behavior by reducing cognitive dissonance. Then, sort your example into the three main
components of attitudes.
40) Discuss the cognitive dissonance theory. How do individuals seek consistency among their
attitudes, and between their attitudes and their behavior?
41) Jonathan is a scientist for a local manufacturer that employs a large percentage of the small
town where he lives. Until recently, Jonathan loved his job. However, it has been discovered that
the company is releasing small amounts of toxins into the local river. Jonathan is extremely
bothered by this information. Based on what you know about Jonathan, describe the cognitive
dissonance that he is experiencing and two ways that Jonathan can alter his behavior or attitude
to reduce the dissonance.
42) Which of the following is most likely to be related to reduced absences and lower resignation
rates?
A) high job involvement
B) high cognitive dissonance
C) low psychological empowerment
D) low organizational commitment
E) high emotional contagion
43) ________ refers to a positive feeling about one’s job resulting from an evaluation of its
characteristics.
A) Job satisfaction
B) Job design
C) Positivity offset
D) Constructive dismissal
E) Picketing
44) Which of the following statements represents a person’s job attitude?
A) I enjoy my work because it offers me challenges and helps me hone my networking skills.
B) I believe my work has a direct impact on the processes of the organization.
C) I believe my work performance indicates my caliber and potential.
D) I agree with the organization about its commitment to the environment.
E) I believe in the organization’s objectives about supporting the underprivileged.
45) Which of the following actions best represents Kelly’s high job involvement?
A) Kelly always complains about her work to her colleagues.
B) Kelly actively takes part in team activities and proactively takes up additional job
responsibilities.
C) Kelly shares the organization’s vision of supporting renewable energy.
D) Kelly dislikes the unethical practices followed by her employer.
E) Kelly wants to continue working for the organization because many of her college friends are
working there.
46) High levels of both job involvement and psychological empowerment are positively related
to ________.
A) withdrawal behavior
B) positivity offset
C) organizational citizenship
D) emotional contagion
E) cognitive dissonance
47) Employees’ beliefs in the degree to which they influence their work environment, their
competence, the meaningfulness of their jobs, and their perceived autonomy is termed as
________.
A) psychological empowerment
B) organizational dissent
C) organizational commitment
D) employee engagement
E) secondary action
48) The degree to which a person identifies with his or her job, actively participates in it, and
considers his or her performance as being important to self-worth is referred to as ________.
A) emotional contagion
B) job involvement
C) job stability
D) emotional dissonance
E) direct action
49) In her work in the publishing industry, Vera Loranzo seeks out new authors who she
considers promising. In the past two years, she has found a number of new writers whose work
she thought was exceptional and immersed herself in the task of helping them shape their
manuscripts for submission to her managers for publishing. Although she was extremely proud
of the results, none of the authors she worked with were chosen for publication. After learning
about her management’s decision, she is extremely frustrated and is beginning to resent the job
she does. However, she knows there is nothing she can do and continues working because of the
good perks and salary benefits the job offers. How can Loranzo’s job attitude be best described?
A) low job involvement
B) low job satisfaction
C) high psychological empowerment
D) high positivity offset
E) low emotional contagion
50) Ben has been working as a process executive at an accounting firm for the past two years. A
hard worker, his work is of good quality and he often puts in extra hours at the office to ensure
his schedules are on track. Noticing his efforts, the management offers him a 20 percent hike.
Two months later, Ben submits his resignation and soon joins a startup organization, at a senior
position. Which of the following best explains this situation?
A) Ben felt the hike was unwarranted.
B) Ben, though highly skilled, lacked ambition.
C) Ben was motivated by the prospect of extrinsic rewards.
D) Ben found his work to be routine and monotonous.
E) Ben was gunning for a position at the competing firm all along.
51) Which of the following questions best helps understand an employee’s organizational
commitment?
A) Do you feel you have a good working relationship with team members?
B) Do you feel the organization will take care of you and your family in times of need?
C) Do you enjoy your work even in the face of challenges?
D) Does the organization provide valuable feedback to help you increase productivity?
E) Do you believe in the organization’s objective on sustainable work practices?
52) Organizational commitment is defined as ________.
A) the degree to which employees identify with the organization they work for and its goals
B) the state of discord caused by opposition of values between people working together
C) the degree to which an employee’s sense of cognitive dissonance is related to his/her job
D) the employee’s degree of disagreement or differential opinions about organizational practices
E) the degree to which employees believe their work impacts their organization significantly
53) The human resource department of Healthy Eating, a chain of health food stores, recently
conducted a survey to analyze employee commitment. Which of the following statements is most
likely to indicate a high degree of organizational commitment?
A) I am a great believer in the importance of a healthy diet and this is why I am glad to be
working for a company that is trying to make simple, healthy food available to all.
B) I enjoy working for Healthy Eating because of the growth prospects that it offers and the wide
range of responsibilities each one of us has.
C) Even though I only work in the production department, it’s good to know that my feedback
gets considered during our interactive in-house sessions.
D) The challenging nature of the work and the thoughtful and generous way the firm treats its
staff has made Healthy Eating the best place I have ever worked in.
E) My company offers me good perks and benefits.