Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 14e, Global Edition (Robbins/Judge) Chapter 2 Attitudes 1) Which of the following answer choices is the best
... [Show More] definition of attitude? A) Attitudes indicate how one will react to a given event. B) Attitudes are the yardstick by which one measures ones actions. C) Attitudes are the emotional part of an evaluation of a person, object, or event. D) Attitudes are evaluative statements of what one believes about something or someone. E) Attitudes are a measure of how the worth of an object, person or event is evaluated. Answer: D Explanation: D) Attitudes are defined as evaluative statements, either favorable or unfavorable, about objects, people, or events. Although attitudes can indicate how people will react and behave, this is not the definition encompassing all attitudes. Emotion and evaluation are facets of types of attitudes. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.1 Contrast the three components of an attitude. 2) The emotional or feeling component of a person's attitude is called ________. A) complex understanding B) the cognitive component C) the affective component D) a complex attitude E) the behavior component Answer: C Explanation: C) Affect is the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude and is called the affective component. Description of or belief in the way things are is the cognitive component of attitude. The intention to behave in a certain way toward something describes the behavior component of attitude. Complex understanding and a complex attitude are not components of attitude as defined in OB. Diff: 1 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.1 Contrast the three components of an attitude. 3) Janice is spending the summer working as an intern writing copy for a local firm. Today Janice's senior editor sent back some of Janice's work covered in red ink corrections. Up until now, all of Janice's work had been corrected in green or blue ink. Janice is upset and worried that her senior editor doesn't like her. Which component of an attitude is not represented in the previous scenario? A) the positive component B) the cognitive component C) the affective component D) the negative component E) the behavioral component Answer: E Explanation: E) In the example, Janice does not take action. Therefore, she does not demonstrate the behavioral component of an attitude. Janice believes that her senior editor doesn't like her. This judgment, or evaluation, demonstrates the cognitive component of an attitude. Janice is upset. She has had an emotional reaction to the red ink on her work, which represents the affective component of an attitude. Although an attitude can be positive or negative, these are not considered components of an attitude as defined in OB. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.1 Contrast the three components of an attitude. 4) The belief that "violence is wrong" is an evaluative statement. Such an opinion constitutes the ________ component of an attitude. A) cognitive B) affective C) reflective D) behavioral E) reactive Answer: A Explanation: A) The cognitive component of an attitude is a description of, or belief in the way things are, which is exemplified in the statement "violence is wrong". The affective component of an attitude reveals the emotional reaction, and the behavioral component is how someone behaves toward someone or something. There are no components of attitude called reflective or reactive in OB. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.1 Contrast the three components of an attitude. 5) Which of the following is an example of an affective attitude? A) believing that you did a good job B) the observation that most dogs have four legs C) the opinion that it is never acceptable to steal D) anger at being unfairly accused of a wrongdoing E) the avoidance of a restaurant where one once received bad service Answer: D Explanation: D) Affective attitudes reveal emotion, such as anger. Belief and opinions are examples of cognitive or evaluative attitudes. Observation and avoidance are behaviors and are facets of behavioral attitudes. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.1 Contrast the three components of an attitude. 6) Thad, Jamarcus, and Willy have been working for Davidson International each for three years. While the trio started together as analysts and are all still on the same team, Jamarcus has recently been made a team lead, while Willy and Thad are still in their respective positions, although Willy did receive a small raise after his last performance evaluation. When Thad complained about not getting a raise, he was experiencing which attitude? A) cognitive B) affective C) behavioral D) negative E) dissonance Answer: A Explanation: A) Although his feeling that he was slighted was cognitive, his expression of his feelings is affective. Diff: 1 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Critical Thinking LO: 2.1 Contrast the three components of an attitude. 7) Attitudes are evaluative statements. Answer: TRUE Explanation: Attitudes in OB are defined as evaluative statements or judgments concerning objects, people, or events. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.1 Contrast the three components of an attitude. 8) There are three components of an attitude: cognition, affect, and behavior. Answer: TRUE Explanation: Typically, researchers have assumed that attitudes have three components: cognition, affect, and behavior. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.1 Contrast the three components of an attitude. 9) The intent to act in a certain way is the affective component of an attitude. Answer: FALSE Explanation: The affective component is the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude. An intent to act in a certain way is the behavioral component of an attitude. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.1 Contrast the three components of an attitude. 10) The theory of cognitive dissonance was proposed by ________. A) Maslow B) Festinger C) Hofstede D) Skinner E) Pavlov Answer: B Explanation: B) In the 1960s, Leon Festinger argued that attitudes follow behavior. Festinger argued that any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and that individuals will therefore attempt to reduce it. They will seek a stable state, which is a minimum of dissonance. Maslow, Hofstede, Skinner, and Pavlov all made other contributions to OB. Diff: 1 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 11) "Dissonance" means ________. A) reactance B) constancy C) resistance D) consistency E) inconsistency Answer: E Explanation: E) Cognitive dissonance is defined as any incompatibility, or inconsistency, an individual might perceive between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitudes. Reactance is an emotional reaction to pressure. Constancy and consistency is to continue and not interrupt. Resistance is to avoid. Diff: 1 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 12) Leon Festinger argued that ________ follow(s) ________. A) behavior; job satisfaction B) behavior; attitude C) attitudes; behavior D) attitudes; job satisfaction E) job satisfaction; behavior Answer: C Explanation: C) In the late 1960s, a review of the research challenged the assumed effect of attitudes on behavior. One researcher—Leon Festinger—argued that attitudes follow behavior. Diff: 1 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 13) Any incompatibility between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitudes results in ________. A) organizational dissonance B) cognitive dissonance C) attitudinal clarification D) values clarification E) affective reactance Answer: B Explanation: B) Cognitive dissonance is defined as any incompatibility an individual might perceive between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitudes. Organizational dissonance, attitudinal clarification, values clarification, and affective reactance are not types of attitude or behavior in OB. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 14) Employees who have ________ were found to have improved attitudes once they talked about their experiences with their coworkers. A) simple work tasks B) emotionally-challenging work events C) traumatic personal life events D) sexual harassment experiences E) poor performance reviews Answer: B Explanation: B) The attitudes of employees who had emotionally challenging work events improved after they talked about their experiences with coworkers. Social sharing helped these workers adjust their attitudes to behavioral expectations. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Analytical LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 15) Jo is a courier delivering parcels throughout the metropolitan area. Although she considers herself law abiding, she often breaks the speed limit while making her deliveries. Which of the following statements does not reflect a likely response to the conflict between her attitude and her behavior? A) "It's not a problem that I speed a little bit; it's not much over the limit, and everyone else speeds some." B) "The speed limits are just too low around here; anyone driving at a reasonable speed will break them." C) "This speeding is irresponsible. From now on I am observing the speed limits." D) "I've got to drive fast sometimes, otherwise I will not make all my deliveries and I'll lose clients." E) "It's wrong to break even minor laws, but I'll probably keep speeding anyway." Answer: E Explanation: E) Jo seeing speeding as wrong and not providing a reason to continue does not logically fit into a method of reducing cognitive dissonance. Jo is able to justify her speeding just a little bit and still feel comfortable. Jo justifies her speeding because the limits are too low. Jo's cognitive dissonance is too strong, so she quits speeding. Jo reduces the dissonance by rationalizing her need to speed. Diff: 3 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 16) Sheila works for a manufacturer of Styrofoam trays for school lunches. Last year her son came home from school and told her that the trays she makes go straight to the landfill where they sit for hundreds of years without ever biodegrading. Although this information bothers Sheila, she does not look for another job because she enjoys her very high salary. Which dissonance moderating factor is illustrated by this example? A) Dissonance is reduced because of the sense of control by the individual. B) Dissonance is reduced because of the importance to the individual. C) There is no dissonance moderating factor in the example. D) Dissonance is increased because of the sense of control by the individual. E) High dissonance is tolerated because of a high reward. Answer: E Explanation: E) Sheila tolerates her dislike for this aspect of her job because she is given a high reward in the form of a high salary. Sheila does not feel like she can control what the company does with the trays. Control doesn't increase or reduce the dissonance. Although the information bothers Sheila and she considers it important, she is not able to reduce the dissonance. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 17) Mrs. Jonas believes strongly that it is important that workers' rights be respected, and that one of the more important ways of doing this is to ensure that all workers be properly documented. She is supervising a contracting company that is building a new warehouse for her company. While doing this she discovers that many of the workers employed by the contractor are undocumented aliens working for well below minimum wage. Mrs. Jonas is likely experiencing ________. A) cognitive dissonance B) unresolved anger C) ethical evasion D) uncertainty avoidance E) social pressure Answer: A Explanation: A) Because there is a contradiction in what Mrs. Jonas is feeling and the situation in which she finds herself, she is experiencing cognitive dissonance, any incompatibility an individual might perceive between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitudes. The example doesn't say that Mrs. Jonas is experiencing anger or social pressure. Not knowing what Mrs. Jonas will do, we cannot say whether she will avoid the ethical decisions. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 18) Mrs. Jonas believes strongly that it is important that workers' rights be respected, and that one of the more important ways of doing this is to ensure that all workers be properly documented. She is supervising a contracting company that is building a new warehouse for her company. While doing this she discovers that many of the workers employed by the contractor are undocumented aliens working for well below minimum wage. Mrs. Jonas can be expected to relieve the discomfort she is experiencing by doing the following except ________. A) deciding this issue is unimportant B) rationalizing that it is not her problem since she is not the contractor C) attempting to stop the contractor using undocumented workers D) coming to accept that using undocumented workers does not harm workers' rights E) terminating the contract as it is against her attitude Answer: E Explanation: E) Research has generally concluded that people do seek consistency among their attitudes and between their attitudes and their behavior. They either alter the attitudes or the behavior, or they develop a rationalization for the discrepancy. Each of these answers is an example of how Mrs. Jonas either alters her attitude or behavior. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 19) Mrs. Jonas believes strongly that it is important that workers' rights be respected, and that one of the more important ways of doing this is to ensure that all workers be properly documented. She is supervising a contracting company that is building a new warehouse for her company. While doing this she discovers that many of the workers employed by the contractor are undocumented aliens working for well below minimum wage. In this situation Mrs. Jonas has a(n) ________ that is in conflict with a(n) ________. A) behavior; behavior B) attitude; attitude C) social need; social interest D) social need; social need E) attitude; behavior Answer: E Explanation: E) The belief in workers' rights represents Mrs. Jonas' attitude, which comes into direct conflict with her behavior of contracting illegal workers. Her behavior is not conflicting with another behavior, nor are two attitudes conflicting represented in this example. Social need and interest are not a part of the attitude equation. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 20) Festinger proposed that the desire to reduce dissonance is determined by three moderating factors including the ________. A) values of the elements creating the dissonance B) degree of influence the individual believes he or she has over the elements C) degree of positive affect the person has toward the behavior D) fact that values and attitudes will vary over the short term E) awareness that dissonance exists Answer: B Explanation: B) Festinger proposed that the desire to reduce dissonance depends on moderating factors, including the importance of the elements creating it, the degree of influence we believe we have over it, and the rewards of dissonance. Festinger does not mention the values of the elements or the degree of positive affect toward the behavior. Values and attitudes will vary, but don't reduce dissonance. Awareness of dissonance doesn't mean that dissonance will be reduced. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 21) Cameron loves her job as a data programmer, but her coworker Blake, is very challenging. Blake often loses his temper over aspects of shared projects that neither of them can control. When discussing projects in Cameron's work station, Blake plays with her office supplies, rearranges her desk, and leaves snack and food crumbs. Worst of all, Blake always takes the portion of a project that is the easiest, leaving Cameron to work harder and longer hours. Which of the following is not an effective method for handling Cameron's problems with Blake? A) Cameron should invite Blake to lunch and directly confront him with her feelings. B) Cameron should invite Blake to coffee to clarify if there are any misunderstandings. C) Cameron should simply ignore Blake and his behavior. D) Cameron should make a point of going to Blake's work station and leaving a mess. E) Cameron should ask a manager to help divide the work load for the next project. Answer: D Explanation: D) Although tempting, retaliation will only escalate the situation. Cameron should not engage in Blake's petty behavior by messing up his work station. A direct and conciliatory approach is the first step to try, as well as seeing the problem from the other person's point of view. If unable to solve the problem, the next best thing to do is to ignore it. Involving management is a last resort, but can be done if there is a positive solution in mind, such as evenly dividing the work. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 22) Your friend Leslyn has been driving a Mustang for the past few years and is very vocal about how much she likes her car. Unfortunately, she was recently in an accident and has now purchased a brand new Challenger. Now she talks about how much she likes the Challenger and has started to criticize Mustangs! Which statement would best describe what you should say to Leslyn the next time she talks about cars? A) Leslyn, I liked your Mustang but your Challenger is great too! B) Leslyn, I am sorry about your car. Why did you not get another Mustang? C) Leslyn, I am sorry about your car Mustang. It was a great car but your Challenger is great too! D) Leslyn, I am sorry about your Mustang but do you need to be so negative toward it now? E) Leslyn, your negativity is driving us all nuts! Answer: C Explanation: C) Leslyn is experiencing cognitive dissonance and needs help resolving her feelings about the old car in relation to the new car. By complimenting both cars, you are aiding her in resolving her feelings which allows her to embrace both vehicles. Diff: 3 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Analytical LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 23) Which of the following is not a moderating variable of the attitude-behavior relationship? A) direct experience B) correspondence to behavior C) power D) accessibility E) importance Answer: C Explanation: C) The most powerful moderators of the attitudes relationship are the importance of the attitude, its correspondence to behavior, its accessibility, the presence of social pressures, and whether a person has direct experience with the attitude. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 24) Thad, Jamarcus, and Willy have been working for Davidson International each for three years. While the trio started together as analysts and are all still on the same team, Jamarcus has recently been made a team lead while Willy and Thad are still in their respective positions although Willy did receive a small raise after his last performance evaluation. Willy was happy to receive the raise but felt guilty that Thad did not also get a raise. Which best describes Willy's feelings? A) cognitive dissonance B) affective behavior C) job satisfaction D) workplace deviance E) organizational citizenship Answer: A Explanation: A) While he is happy for what he has received, Willy feels badly for his teammate. He has two different feelings toward the same situation which is causing his dissonance. Diff: 1 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Critical Thinking LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 25) According to Festinger, people seek consistency among their attitudes and their behaviors. Answer: TRUE Explanation: Festinger argued that any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and that individuals will, therefore, attempt to reduce it. They will seek a stable state, which is a minimum of dissonance. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 26) Rewards can offset dissonance. Answer: TRUE Explanation: High rewards accompanying high dissonance tend to reduce the tension inherent in the dissonance. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 27) The more specific the attitude and the more specific the behavior, the stronger the link between the two. Answer: TRUE Explanation: Specific attitudes tend to predict specific behaviors, whereas general attitudes tend to best predict general behaviors. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 28) Describe how attitude can shape behavior. Answer: Specific attitudes tend to predict specific behaviors, whereas general attitudes tend to best predict general behaviors. Attitudes that our memories can easily access are more likely to predict our behavior. Attitudes you frequently express are attitudes you are more likely to remember. So the more you talk about your attitude on a subject, the more likely you are to remember it, and the more likely it is to shape your behavior. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 29) Discuss cognitive dissonance theory. How do individuals seek consistency among their attitudes, and between their attitudes and their behavior? Answer: Cognitive dissonance refers to any incompatibility an individual might perceive between two or more attitudes, or between behavior and attitudes. Festinger argued that any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable, and that individuals will attempt to reduce the dissonance and, hence, the discomfort. They will seek a stable state, in which there is a minimum of dissonance. Research has generally concluded that people seek consistency among their attitudes, and between their attitudes and their behavior. They do this by altering either the attitudes or the behavior, or by developing a rationalization for the discrepancy. They can deny that any clear causation between the attitude and the behavior has been established. They can brainwash themselves by continually articulating the benefits of the attitude or the behavior. They can acknowledge the negative consequences of the attitude or behavior, but rationalize it. They can accept the research evidence and begin actively working to better the conditions. Or they can quit the attitude or the behavior because the dissonance is too great. Diff: 2 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 30) James is a scientist for a local manufacturer that employs a large percentage of the small town where he lives. Until recently James has loved his job. However, it has been discovered that the company is releasing small amounts of toxins into the local river. James is extremely bothered by this information. Based on what you know about James, describe the cognitive dissonance that he is experiencing, and two ways that James might alter his behavior or attitude to reduce the dissonance. Answer: As a scientist James is horrified by his company's pollution. The dissonance he feels is the contradiction between a sense of loyalty and love for his job, versus an anger at the company's infractions. To reduce the dissonance James could rationalize that all companies pollute a little bit, and that it is worth the sacrifice because his company provides jobs for the whole community. James could accept certain excuses and evidence that the company provides, such as that the pollution is tiny and moves down-river, not really affecting his community. James can ignore the dissonance because he values his job as a scientist in a community with few jobs. Diff: 3 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Application LO: 2.2 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 31) What refers to a positive feeling about a job, resulting from an evaluation of its characteristics? A) job satisfaction B) job involvement C) job stability D) organizational commitment E) social investment Answer: A Explanation: A) When people speak of employee attitudes, they usually mean job satisfaction, which describes a positive feeling about a job, resulting from an evaluation of its characteristics. A person with a high level of job satisfaction holds positive feelings about his or her job, while a person with a low level holds negative feelings. Diff: 1 AACSB: Analytical Thinking Quest. Category: Concept LO: 2.3 Compare the major job attitudes. [Show Less]