Industrial-Organizational Psychology Test Bank Answers Ch.13

OpenStax Psychology 2e Test Bank – Chapter 13: Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Multiple Choice

1. Several influential early psychologists studied issues that today would be categorized as industrial psychology. These individuals included James Cattell, Hugo Münsterberg, and Walter Dill Scott, who were all students of ________.

A. Frederick Taylor

B. Lillian Gilbreth

C. Wilhelm Wundt

D. Wolfgang Köhler

Text Section: 13.1 What is Industrial and Organizational Psychology?
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

2. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American work spends approximately ________ hours working each week.

A. 20 to 24

B. 28 to 35

C. 42 to 54

D. 55 to 62

Text Section: 13.1 What is Industrial and Organizational Psychology?
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

3. Dr. Smyth conducts research that examines how stress, disease, and disorders can impact individuals in the workplace. She is working in the area of ________ psychology.

A. human wellness factors

B. biopsychosocial

C. occupational health

D. industrial

Text Section: 13.1 What is Industrial and Organizational Psychology?
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

4. Which individual was one of the first psychologists to apply the science of the field to advertising, management, and personnel selection?

A. Hugo Munsterberg

B. Walter Dill Scott

C. Lillian Gilbreath

D. Walter Bingham

Text Section: 13.1 What is Industrial and Organizational Psychology?
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate

5. Which important legislation protected employees against discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin?

A. The Supreme Court Ruling in the case of Griggs v. Duke Power Company

B. The Equal Pay Act

C. The 1964 Civil Rights Act, Title VII

D. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Text Section: 13.1 What is Industrial and Organizational Psychology?
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Difficult

6. Industrial–organizational psychology is a branch of psychology that studies ________.

A. how human behavior and psychology affect work and how they are affected by work

B. how jobs typically performed by women are underpaid compared to jobs typically performed by men

C. how the unemployed are fundamentally different from the employed

D. why American workers tend to be more individualistic than collectivistic in their occupational orientations

Text Section: 13.1 What is Industrial and Organizational Psychology?
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

7. An organizational psychologist studies such topics as ________.

A. an applicant’s qualifications for a job

B. the kind of mentality required to perform a job

C. whether cubicles or an open floor plan are more conducive to productivity

D. worker satisfaction, motivation, and commitment

Text Section: 13.1 What is Industrial and Organizational Psychology?
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate

8. In job specification, what does the acronym KSA stand for?

A. knacks, services, aptitudes

B. know, study, apply

C. knowing, sensing, adapting

D. knowledge, skills, abilities

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Difficult

9. Which term describes a form of informal training in which an experienced employee guides the work of a new employee?

A. interning

B. interviewing

C. managing

D. mentoring

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

10. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is responsible for ________.

A. compiling statistics about the pay gap between women and men

B. enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate in the hiring of employees

C. offering a database of job analyses for various occupations

D. providing a comprehensive list of average salary and projected lifetime earnings for each occupation

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Easy

11. Which concept describes traits that are fundamental to one’s personal identity (e.g., skin color and hair texture) that an employer cannot use to discriminate in hiring job applicants?

A. KSAs

B. adaptive traits

C. immutable characteristic

D. genotypical traits

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Difficult

12. Which choice is the best definition of a performance appraisal?

A. evaluating an employee’s success at carrying out the duties of their job

B. determining and listing tasks associated with a particular job

C. determining and listing worker traits associated with a particular job

D. requiring routine minimum standards for certain occupations

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

13. Diana is assessing applicants for a pilot job at a regional airfield. She wrote the description of the ideal candidate, and now she is reviewing the personality profiles of the applicants to screen those who do not fit the profile. Diana is working in the specialty area of industrial–organizational psychology called ________ psychology.

A. industrial

B. organizational

C. personality

D. worker

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

14. The notion that workers tend to show an increase in performance when they know that they are being observed is called the ________ effect.

A. Flynn

B. Hawthorne

C. Taylor

D. Munsterberg

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate

15. Which of the following exemplifies an advertisement that would reflect a task-oriented approach to job analysis?

A. driver who can operate a forklift in small spaces, drive a cement-mixer, and handle explosive material

B. experienced part-time nanny who loves energetic children

C. motivated and ambitious person to earn money in the comfort of your own home

D. pet sitter familiar with the feeding habits of reptiles and spiders

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

16. Which of the following exemplifies a worker-oriented approach to job analysis?

A. operates lottery machine, handles cash transactions, works with the public

B. publishes one research article and complete at least one research grant a year

C. works well under pressure and in group situations

D. works with large exotic animals

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

17. According to research, what kind of job interview is most successful at predicting a candidate’s later successful job performance?

A. interviews that involved performance tests

B. structured interviews

C. 360-degree interviews

D. unstructured interviews

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Moderate

18. What is the most common reason for invoking a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) as a defense against an employer accused of discrimination?

A. age

B. race

C. religion

D. sex

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

19. What did the researchers, who identified the Hawthorne effect, see as evidence that employee performance was influenced by something other than the physical work conditions?

A. Any change in a variable, such as lighting levels, led to an improvement in productivity; this was true even when the change was negative, such as a return to poor lighting.

B. Employees who believed they were under observation performed the same as employees who did not believe they were under observation.

C. Employees who knew they were being observed called in sick more often than employees who did not know they were being observed.

D. Managers who told their subordinates they were under observation received more complaints than other managers.

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

20. Which of the following is true regarding the accuracy and reliability of a job analysis?

A. It can depend on the nature of the descriptions and the source for the job analysis.

B. It is hardly ever accurate and reliable.

C. It is most accurate when developed from descriptions by people holding the job.

D. It is usually extremely accurate and reliable.

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Easy

21. Which of the following is not an example of Legislation Prohibiting Employment Discrimination?

A. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

B. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978

C. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

D. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Difficult

22. According to Edwin Locke, job ________ is the state of feeling resulting from appraising one’s job experiences, and a more modern definition includes the extent to which a person enjoys their job.

A. fulfillment

B. gratification

C. happiness

D. satisfaction

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Moderate

23. Isolation, a lack of job security, work overload, harassment, and bullying are all examples of factors that can lead to ________.

A. age discrimination

B. the Hawthorne effect

C. job satisfaction

D. job stress

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Moderate

24. Carlos is a small business owner. Recently, he became the primary caretaker for his aging mother. He works long hours at his business while also making sure that his mother can keep her medical appointments and has company in the evening. This exemplifies ________.

A. theory y management

B. occupational burnout

C. theory x management

D. work–family balance

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

25. Melora has a sick child at home. Her employer allows her to ________ for a week, so she can work from home, set her own hours, and complete most of her work while caring for her child.

A. flexwork

B. telecommute

C. teleconference

D. work-share

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

26. Halima is excellent at organizing events, but she is weak in delivering the opening address. She decides to focus on what she is good at and delegate the opening address to her immediate subordinate who excels in public speaking. Halima is practicing ________.

A. strengths-based management

B. theory X management

C. transactional leadership

D. transformational leadership

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

27. Lucia is optimistic about goal achievement, and she encourages her team to think critically and solve problems. She is also considerate of their needs. What type of leader is Lucia?

A. scientific

B. transactional

C. transformational

D. X–Y

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

28. Hershel is a strict, goal-oriented manager. When his team achieves their daily productivity goals he rewards them with long lunches and bonus pay. When his team falls behind, he extends the work day by an hour and cuts lunch by fifteen minutes. What type of leader is Hershel?

A. behavioral

B. motivational

C. transactional

D. transformational

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

29. Design teams for car manufacturers create new vehicle models. What type of team does this exemplify?

A. creative

B. problem-resolution

C. human factors

D. Theory Y

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

30. A police or FBI SWAT team handling a hostage situation exemplifies a ________ team.

A. creative

B. problem-resolution

C. tactical

D. Theory X

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

31. Dr. Diop is the head of an academic department in a school whose teachers have all been told to teach from home for the next month. She gets them all to have weekly check-ins using web-conferencing software so that they can meet while they’re all at home. This is an example of a ________ team.

A. applied

B. problem-resolution

C. tactical

D. virtual

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

32. Managers at S-Mart routinely expect their employees to volunteer hours at the local veteran’s center. The organization supports this practice since it shows commitment, empathy, and compassion, all things that S-Mart endorses as part of its company mission. This represents the ________ aspect of organizational culture.

A. basic assumptions

B. espoused values

C. observable artifacts

D. rituals

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

33. Rosetta is a master electrician. Often, she is the only woman at the construction site. Her male coworkers frequently make sexual comments about her appearance and tape explicit pictures of women up at the worksite. She complains to the site manager, but he tells her to toughen up. What form of sexual harassment does this represent?

A. career

B. hostile environment

C. quid pro quo

D. withholding a reward

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

34. What does research suggest about gender diversity and team productivity?

A. Gender-balanced teams performed better, as measured by sales and profits, than predominantly male teams.

B. Gender-diverse teams are inefficient due to poor communication.

C. Gender diversity has no impact on team productivity.

D. Predominately male teams performed better, as measured by sales and profits, than gender-balanced teams.

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate

35. What has research found to be the primary difference between male and female leadership style?

A. Men are fascist and women are autocratic.

B. Men focus on morale and women focus on achieving goals.

C. Men tend to practice an interpersonal style and women practice a task-oriented style.

D. Women tend to practice an interpersonal style and men practice a task-oriented style.

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Easy

36. Which of the following is a frequent trigger for workplace violence?

A. employees dating supervisors

B. feeling of being treated unfairly, unjustly, or disrespectfully

C. misuse of office equipment

D. unequal male-to-female worker ratio

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

37. Which of the following is a disadvantage of strengths-based management?

A. Employees and managers disagree about manager strengths and weaknesses.

B. Employees are often better than managers, even in areas where managers believe they are strong.

C. Managers are unwilling to admit they have weaknesses.

D. Managers neglect improving their weaknesses and overusing their strengths.

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

38. What is the favored term for human factors psychology in Europe?

A. ergonomics

B. global factors

C. human ecology

D. humanics

Text Section: 13.4 Human Factors Psychology and Workplace Design
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Difficult

39. Ted conducts a study regarding how walking on a treadmill instead of sitting at a desk impacts worker productivity. Ted’s study is within the industrial–organizational specialty area of ________ psychology.

A. health

B. human factors

C. industrial

D. organizational

Text Section: 13.4 Human Factors Psychology and Workplace Design
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

40. What area are human factors psychologists researching when they study what steps people take to successfully wash their hands before performing surgery?

A. attention

B. cognitive engineering

C. cognitive task analysis

D. task analysis

Text Section: 13.4 Human Factors Psychology and Workplace Design
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

Short Answer

41. List and briefly describe the two approaches to conducting a job analysis.

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate

42. Identify two criticisms of Frederick Taylor’s scientific management approach to worker productivity.

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

43. List 2 questions an interviewer may not legally ask you during a job interview.

Answers will vary.

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

44. Discuss 2 issues with using performance evaluations.

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

45. What are the three sources of work–family conflicts?

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Moderate

46. Describe the Theory Y approach to management.

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

47. In Europe, the field of human factors psychology is more commonly referred to as ________.

Text Section: 13.4 Human Factors Psychology and Workplace Design
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

Essay

48. Distinguish between industrial, organizational, and human factors psychology in terms of the main focus and goal of each field.

Answers will vary.

Text Section: 13.1 What is Industrial and Organizational Psychology?
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Moderate

49. What is the 360-degree feedback appraisal and what is it used for?

Text Section: 13.2 Industrial Psychology: Selecting and Evaluating Employees
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

50. Discuss the research on “followership” and identify how different traits of followers can be best responded to with different leadership or management styles.

Answers will vary.

Text Section: 13.3 Organizational Psychology: The Social Dimensions of Work
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult