Chapter 2

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of physical ability?

 Stamina

 Strength

 Looks

 Dexterity

The relationship between _____ and job performance is likely to be an issue of growing importance during the next decade.

 Gender

 Marital status

 Age

 Tenure

According to your text, which is the most likely explanation for the higher absentee rate for women?

  Women tend to have more illnesses that keep them from work than do men.

 Traditionally, women have had the responsibility of caring for home and family.

 Women tend to be less satisfied with their jobs than men and are consequently absent more often.

 Women generally have jobs for which a temporary replacement can be hired so absences are more permissible.

_____ is the learning concept of reinforcing closer and closer approximations to the desired new behavior.

 Modeling

 Shaping

 Classical conditioning

 Social learning

An example of _____ is when an employee receives a one-week suspension from work and is fined $200 for stealing company property.

 Penalization

 Punishment

 Extinction

 Negative reinforcement

Eliminating any reinforcement that is maintaining an unwanted behavior is called _____.

 Extinction

 Punishment

 Negative reinforcement

 Positive reinforcement

All of the following are TRUE about both positive and negative reinforcement EXCEPT:

 Both positive and negative reinforcement result in learning.

 Both positive and negative reinforcement strengthen a response.

 Both positive and negative reinforcement tend to weaken behavior and decrease it subsequent frequency.

 Both positive and negative reinforcement increase the probability of repetition.

A slot machine is an example of _____ reinforcement.

 Negative

 Intermittent

 Continuous

 Fixed-ratio

For a salesperson who is paid commission, reinforcement occurs on a _____ schedule.

 Variable-ratio

 Variable-interval

 Fixed-interval

 Fixed-ratio

The application of reinforcement concepts to individuals in the work setting is referred to as _____.

 Classical conditioning

 Self-management

 Reengineering

 Behavior modification

Ability is the assessment of an employee's motivation.

 True

 False

An individual's overall abilities are essentially made up of two sets of factors: intelligence and physical abilities.

 True

 False

Personal characteristics that are objective and easily obtained from personnel records (such as age, sex, and marital status) are termed biographical characteristics.

 True

 False

Working mothers are more likely to prefer part-time work, flexible schedules, and telecommuting.

 True

 False

Learning consists of any relatively temporary change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience.

 True

 False

Your supervisor has explained that he will positively reward those who take extra effort to see that their jobs are done well. You should suspect he has read the work of B.F. Skinner.

 True

 False

One method of shaping behavior is called positive reinforcement and refers to a response being followed with something unpleasant.

 True

 False

Both punishment and extinction weaken behavior and tend to reduce its subsequent frequency.

 True

 False

OB Mod has been used by a number of organizations to improve employee productivity; to reduce errors, absenteeism, tardiness, and accident rates; and to improve friendliness towards customers.

 True

 False

Punishing or disciplining employees is very effective in producing long-term change in behavior.

 True

 False

How important is intellectual ability to job performance? How can an employer assess intellectual ability?

 

What is learning? Describe three fundamental theories of learning.