Listing/Short Answer Questions

1. What are the three major fields of I/O psychology?

a. Personnel Psychology- Psychologists involved in this field
study and practice in such areas as aOpen down nalyzing jobs,
recruiting applicants, selecting employees, determining salary
levels, and evaluating employee performance. They choose
existing tests or create new ones to use in selecting or promoting
employees.
b. Organizational Psychology- Psychologists involved in this
field are concerned with the issues of leadership, job
satisfaction, employee motivation, organizational
communication, conflict management, organizational change,
and group processes within the organization. They often conduct
surveys of employee attitudes to get ideas about what employees
believe are an organization’s strengths and weaknesses. Acting
as consultants.
c. Human Factors/Ergonomics- Psychologists in this field
concentrate on workplace design, human-machine interaction,
ergonomics, physical fatigue and stress. Works with engineers
and other technical professionals to make a safer and more
efficient workplace.

2. What are the three reasons your book listed for why you should be
interested in research?
a. Answering questions and making decisions-research ultimately
saves organizations money.
b. Research and everyday life
c. Common sense is often wrong.

3. Types of graduate programs.

a. Master’s Programs- completion reqs.: 40 hrs of grad coursework,
thesis, internship, comprehensive oral and/or written exam before
graduation.
b. Doctoral Programs- first 2 yrs involve taking wide variety
courses in psychology, thesis, dissertation (broader in scope, longer,
and requires more original and independent effort than thesis), series
 of comprehensive exam (similar but more extensive exams than
master’s program).
4. Four types of periodicals that are likely to encounter in literature
reviews.
a. Journals- consist of articles, written by researchers directly
reporting the result of a study.
b. Trade Magazines – contains articles written by professional
writers who have developed expertise in a given field.
c. magazines- periodicals designed to entertain as well as inform.
Good source of ideas but terrible source to use in support of a
scientific hypothesis. Written by professional writers who do not have
training in the topic and has little expertise in what they are writing
about.
d. bridge publications- designed to “bridge the gap” between
academia and applied world. Usually written by professors about a
topic of interest to practitioners but not as statistically complex as
journals.

5. What information should be in a well-written job description?

a. Job title -an accurate title describes the nature of the job.
b. Brief summary -need only a paragraph in length but should briefly
describe the nature and purpose of the job
c. work activities list the tasks and activities in which the worker is
involved. should be organized into meaningful categories to make the
job description Easy to read and understand.
d. tools and equipment used- includes the list of all the tools and you
keep meant used to perform the work activities in the previous
section.
e. Job context - describe the environment in which the employee
works and should mention stress level, work schedule, physical
demands, level of responsibility, temperature, number of coworkers,
degree of danger, and any other relevant information. It is used to
determine is their ability to perform a job under a particular set of
circumstances.
f. work performance- outline standards of performance. contains
relatively brief description of how an employee's performance is
 evaluated and what work standards are expected of the employee.
g. compensation information - Contains information on the salary
grade, weather the position exempt, and the compensable factors used
to determine salary. the employees actual salary or salary range
should not be listed on the job description.
f. Job competencies - contains what are commonly called job
specifications are competencies. Knowledge, skills, abilities, and
other characteristics (KSAOs) that are necessary to be successful on
the job. qualifications an employee must have to be qualified on the
job.
6. What are the three sampling methods listed in the text?
a. Random sample-
b. convenience sample- randomly assigning subjects to various
experimental condition
c. Random assignment- each subject in a nonrandom sample is
randomly assigned so a particular experimental condition

7. What groups/people are most likely to conduct a job analysis?

-Individual from HR Department
-job incumbents
-supervisors, or
-outside consultants (Interns can be an alternative choice)

8. List and briefly describe the job analysis methods discussed in your
text.
a. Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ)- Contains 194 items
organized into 6 main dimensions: information input, mental
processes, work output, relationships with other persons, job context,
and other job related variables such as work schedule, pay, and
responsibility.
b. Job structure profile JSP - a revised version of the PAQ that
includes item content in style, new items to increase the
discriminatory power of the intellectual and decision-making
dimensions, and an emphasis to having a job analyst rather than the
incumbent.
c. Functional job analysis- quick method that could be used by the
 federal government to analyze and compare thousands of jobs. Jobs
analyzed by FJA are broken down into the percentage of time the
incumbent spends on three functions: data (information and ideas),
people (clients, customers, and coworkers), and things (machines,
tools, and equipment).
9. What are the five key issues in determining the legality of an
affirmative action plan involving preferential hiring or promotion of
minorities?
a. A history of discrimination
b. beneficiaries of the plan
c. Population used to set goals
d. Impact on non-minorities
e. endpoint of the plan

10. What are the four common reasons for affirmative action plans?
a. Involuntary: government regulation
b. Involuntary: court order
c. voluntary: consent decree
d. voluntary: desire to be a good citizen
11. What are the three major affirmative action strategies?
a. Monitoring hiring and promotion statistics
b. intentional recruitment of minority applicants
c. identification and removal of employment practices working
against minority applicants and employees
d. preferential hiring and promotion of minorities

12. What are the two types of sexual harassment?

a. Quid pro quo- the granting of sexual favors is tied to such
employment decisions as promotions and salary increases.
b. hostile environment- sexual harassment course when in wanted
pattern of conduct related to gender unreasonably interferes with an
individual's work performance.
13. What are the federally protected classes? 
- A federally protected class is any group of individuals specifically
protected by federal law such as: age over 40 (age discrimination
 in employment act), disability (Americans with Disabilities act,
vocational rehabilitation act of 1973), race, national region,
religion (Civil Rights Act of 1964 , 1991 ), Sex (Civil Rights Act
of 1964 and 1991, equal pay act of 1963), pregnancy (pregnancy
Discrimination Act), Vietnam Veterans (Vietnam-era veterans
readjustment act of 1974)

14. What employment practices are most subject to invasion of privacy

issues?
a. Drug testing
b. office and locker searches
c. psychological test
d. electronic surveillance
15. What are the problems associated with using references to predict
performance?
-Leniency
-Knowledge of the applicant
-reliability

16. What are the three main reasons for leniency in references?
-Applicants choose their own references
-Confidentially concerns
-Fear of legal ramifications

17. What are the common types of psychological tests used in

employee selection?
-Minnesota will they plastic personality inventory
-projective test
-objective test

18. What are the Big 5 personality dimensions? 

-openness to experience (bright, inquisitive)
-contentiousness (reliable, dependable)
-extraversion (outgoing, friendly)
-agreeableness (works well with others, a team player)
-neuroticism/emotional stability (not anxious, tense)
19. What are the three major aptitude categories?
20. What are five common assessment center exercises?
a. the in-basket technique
b. simulations
c. Work samples
d. Leaderless group discussion
e. Business games

21. What are the four standards to use when considering biodata items?
-The item must deal with events under a person's control
-the item must be job related
-the answer to the item must be verifiable
-the item must not invade an applicant's privacy

22. What are the four types of newspaper recruitment advertisements?

-Respond by calling
-apply in person ads
-send resume ads
-blind box

23. What are the eight reasons for lack of unstructured interview
validity?
-poor intuitive ability
-lack of job relatedness
-primacy effects
-Contrast effects
-negative information Bias
-interviewer -interviewee similarity
-Interviewee appearance
-nonverbal cues

24. What are the six types of structured interview questions?

-Clarifier
-disqualifier
-skill-level determiner
-past-focused behaviors
-future-focused behaviors
 -Organizational fit

25. What are the three methods for scoring structured interview
questions?
a. Right/Wrong Approach
b. Typical-Answer approach
c. Key-Issues approach

26. What are the three characteristics of effective resumes?

a. the resume must be attractive and easy to read.
b. the resume cannot contain typing, spelling, grammatical, or factual
mistakes.
c. the resume should make the applicant look as qualified as possible-
without lying.

27. What are the seven psychological principles used in the

psychological resume?
a.
28. What are the three types of resumes discussed in the text? 
a. functional
b. chronological
c. Psychological

29.  What are the three main ways of determining test reliability and
what type of stability does each method tap?

a. Test-retest reliability/ temporal stability- The scores from first

administration of the test are correlated with scores from the second
to determine whether they are similar. the scores are stable across
time and not highly susceptible to such random daily conditions such
as illness, fatigue, stress, or uncomfortable testing conditions.
b. alternate-form reliability/form stability- the scores of two forms are
correlated to determine whether they are similar.
c. Internal reliability/item stability- the extent to which similar items
are answered in similar ways…..

30. What are the five methods for determining test validity?
 a. content validity
b. Criterion validity
c. Construct validity

31. What components are used in the Taylor-Russell Tables?

a. coefficient
b. base rate
c. selection ratio

32. What are the three (two) types of criterion validity?

a. concurrent validity
b. predictive validity
c
33. What are three important aspects in determining the fairness of a
test?
a. finding out whether the test will result in Adverse impact.
b. determine whether the test has single-group validity (predict
performance of one group but not others)
c. differential validity- a test is valid for two groups but more valid
for one than the others.

34. What are the components of the Brogden-Cronbach-Gleser utility

formula?

35. What are the three four approaches to making a hiring decision?
a. unadjusted top-down selection- applicants are rank-ordered based
on their test scores.
b. rule of three- top three scorers are given to the person making the
hiring decision.
c. passing scores- a mean to reduce adverse impact and increase
flexibility.

36. What are four behavior-focused appraisal systems?

37. What are three employee comparison methods?
38. In recalling employee performance, what do we typically
remember?
39. What are the common errors that occur with performance ratings?
40. What are the three main distribution errors in performance ratings?
41. In a non-employment-at-will state, what are the three legal reasons
for terminating an employee?
42. If an employee is to be terminated for violation of a company rule,
what five things will the courts look at?
43. What are the three major methods for determining training needs?
44. What are five methods of person analysis?
45. What are five training methods that involve sample job
performance?
46. What are the three learning principles used in programmed
instruction?
47. For modeling to be effective, the observer must:
48. What three factors affect the effectiveness of incentives?
49. What are the five criteria used to evaluate training success?
50. What are the four grapevine patterns?
51. What are the three types of grapevine employees?
52. What are the four communication zones?
53. What are the six common reactions to communication overload?
54. What are the six listening styles?
55. What are the four commonly used readability indexes?
56. What factors determine readability?
57. What are the three types of self-esteem?
58. What are three ways to increase self-esteem?
59. What are the three characteristics of properly set goals?
60. What are the individual incentive plans?
61. What are the organizational incentive plans?
62. What are the three components to expectancy theory?
63. Taking the entire chapter into consideration, what are the key
elements in motivating employees?
64. What works behaviors is job satisfaction correlated with?
65. What are the four factors that make up a person’s core evaluation
66. What causes employees to be satisfied with their jobs?
67. What are three ways to increase growth and challenge in a job?
68. What are five scales used to measure job satisfaction?
69. What are some strategies for increasing attendance?
70. What are the four characteristics related to leader emergence?
71. According to Hogan, what are the three reasons leaders are not
 successful?
72. According to Fiedler, what factors determine the favorability of a
situation?
73. According to IMPACT theory, what are the six leadership styles
and their corresponding climates?
74. According to IMPACT theory, what are the four strategies for
becoming an effective leader?
75. According to path-goal theory, what are the four leadership styles?
76. According to French and Raven, what are the major types of
power?
77. What are the four factors that define a group?
78. What factors affect group performance?
79. What factors affect group cohesiveness?
80. What are the four stages in team development?
81. What are the major reasons for conflict?
82. What are the common reactions to conflict?
83. What are the two types of stress? 
84. What are the seven types of stress personalities?
85. What are three job characteristics associated with stress?
86. What are the organizational characteristics associated with stress?
87. What are some factors that can affect our predisposition to stress?
88. What factors determine how noise will affect employee
performance and satisfaction?
89. What are the two ways that the body tries to maintain an ideal
temperature?
90. What are the four components to effective temperature?
91. What is the profile for the typical berserker?
92. What are three ways to reduce workplace violence?
93. Name and briefly describe the three types of sacred-cow hunts.
94. What are the five stages in employee acceptance of change?
95. Name and describe the five types of people involved with change.
96. Name and briefly describe the five decision-making strategies in
the Vroom-Yetton Model.
97. What are five strategies an organization can use to reduce the need
for downsizing?
98. What are the alternative work schedules discussed in your text? 
99. Name and briefly describe the three common flexible working
schedules.