Industrial-Organizational Psychology Flashcards
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Read the first 6 Industrial-Organizational Psychology flashcards as text
Which term describes the tendency for raters to give all employees ratings clustered near the midpoint of a scale?
Answer: Central tendency error
Central tendency error occurs when raters avoid extreme ratings and assign everyone scores near the middle of the scale, reducing the ability to differentiate performance levels.
Goal-setting theory (Locke & Latham) predicts that the most motivating goals are those that are:
Answer: Specific and challenging (but achievable)
Locke and Latham's goal-setting theory demonstrates that specific, challenging goals consistently produce higher performance than vague or easy goals, provided the goals are accepted and feedback is available.
What is 'workforce diversity training' designed to achieve in organizations?
Answer: Reduce implicit biases and improve inclusion for members of underrepresented groups
Diversity training aims to increase awareness of bias, improve cross-cultural competence, and foster inclusive behaviors to improve outcomes for underrepresented group members.
Which concept describes the psychological contract between employees and employers?
Answer: Employees' beliefs about mutual obligations between themselves and the organization
The psychological contract refers to employees' implicit beliefs about reciprocal obligations — what the employee owes the organization and what the organization owes in return.
What is 'transfer of training' in the context of organizational learning and development?
Answer: The degree to which skills learned in training are applied on the job
Transfer of training is the extent to which trainees effectively apply what they learned in training to their actual job tasks and situations.
Which assessment center technique requires candidates to sort and respond to a simulated set of memos, emails, and tasks as if they are on the job?
Answer: In-basket exercise
The in-basket exercise simulates a manager's incoming work queue, requiring candidates to prioritize and respond to realistic job-related communications and tasks under time pressure.