Review Outline – Exam 1

Psych 376 – Org Psych, Spring 2008 (updated 2/13)

Ch. 1 – Overview of Org Psych

  • History of the Field
  • Models of Org Behavior – know main components of each
  • Autocratic model
  • Scientific Management – time & motion studies (what was done?)
  • Classical Org Theory – what were the main viewpoints here?
  • Links between satisfaction & productivity – how to enhance?
  • Hawthorne Experiments – what were the 2 studies? what was learned from each?
  • Modern Org Theory – what is the focus?
  • Open Systems theory – what does this involve?
  • How did the cognitive revolution influence this theory?
  • Current Trends in Org Behavior
  • Importance of globalization
  • Research on expatriates
  • Diversity management within organizations
  • Tech advances
  • Telecommuting – advantages and disadvantages?
  • Use of more contingent workers
  • Positive psych focus on positive constructs
  • Engagement – what are the key drivers?

Chapter 2 – Justice and Ethics

  • Organizational justice concept – definitions, dimensions of distributive and procedural justices (definitions, examples)
  • What are these types of justice linked to (outcomes?)
  • Newer forms of justice – informational and interpersonal (definitions, examples?)
  • Distributive & procedural justice have an interactive effect – what does it look like/how is it interpreted? (Fig 2.3)
  • Informational & interpersonal justice have an additive effect – what does it look like/how is it interpreted? (Fig 2.4)
  • How can managers enhance justice perceptions?
  • Ethics
  • Attempts to regulate ethical behavior: what are each of these?
  • Federal Sentencing Guidelines
  • Sarbanes-Oxley Act
  • Other alternatives – ethics officers, training programs, hotlines
  • Cross-cultural issues in ethics – different standards in other cultures
  • Ethical relativism – what is this view?
  • Ethical imperialism – what is this view?
  • Individual differences in moral development
  • Kohlberg’s model (see book for 3 levels of moral reasoning)
  • Social responsibility
  • Bidirectional relationship with profit

Chapter 3 – Perception and Learning

  • Perception – 3 stages
  • Selection – internal/external factors in what we select
  • Organization – use of schemas & correspondent inferences; behavior in ‘weak’ situations
  • Evaluation – subjective interpretation
  • Adler’s sources of cultural misinterpretation
  • Attribution process – correspondent inferences
  • Kelley’s model (consensus, consistency, distinctiveness)
  • Internal/external attributions
  • Attribution errors (self-serving bias, fundamental attribution error, halo effect). See book for similar-to-me, selective perception, Pygmalion & Golem effects.
  • DeNisi & Gonzalez (2004) – emphasis on ratees’ perceptions of performance appraisals (2 guidelines are proposed – what kinds of rating systems should be used?)
  • Stereotypes – what are the dangers of relying on these to make inferences?
  • What is stereotype threat and how does it work? Its effects?
  • Example of Johari Window (open, blind, hidden, and unknown areas)
  • Criticisms of this approach?
  • Measuring implicit and explicit attitudes
  • Difficulties with self-reports? Advantages of implicit measures?
  • Learning – operant conditioning v. observational learning
  • Example of Learning Styles Inventory
  • Reinforcement
  • Schedules of reinforcement (contingencies)
  • Negative reinforcement versus punishment – what is the distinction?
  • Typical errors made when using reinforcement – examples?
  • Punishment (progressive, problems w/supervisors not using punishment)
  • Observational learning – via on-the-job training:
  • What are the roles of perception, motivation, and ability?
  • Principles of effective training – what are results related to participation, repetition, transfer of training, & feedback?
  • Salas & Cannon-Bowers (2004) study –
  • 4 phases of effective training:
  • Analyze training needs – importance of supportive environment
  • Develop & design instruction – research on expertise; pre-practice conditions (what is suggested for these?)
  • Implement training
  • Evaluate training
  • E-training (advantages/disadvantages compared to traditional training)

Chapter 4 – Personality and Abilities

  • Interactionist approach to personality & situation
  • Measurement of personality (objective v projective measures)
  • What is the history of personality research within I/O? Changes in viewpoints?
  • Reliability and Validity issues – definitions, examples
  • Big 5 Model
  • What are the 5 dimensions?
  • Links to performance – which is most predictive?
  • How is it used in organizations?
  • What is link between personality & performance (how strong?)
  • Results of the Barrick and Mount (1991) study? Prediction of job performance based on personality versus intelligence?
  • Stability of personality (what is the research evidence?)
  • Faking personality tests (Hogan & Hogan’s arguments versus Levin & Zickar’s – what does each side argue and conclude?)
  • Other personality constructs (besides the Big 5…):
  • Positive and Negative Affect
  • Self-monitoring – links to outcomes?
  • Self-efficacy – definition? How does it develop?
  • Abilities
  • Intellectual (cognitive abilities, practical intelligence)
  • When to focus on measuring ‘g’ and conscientiousness versus matching skills to the job
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Salovey and Mayer’s model – what are their 2 dimensions of EI? what are the 4 resulting groups?
  • How can we assess whether EI is a valid construct?
  • Gardner’s criteria for labeling an ‘intelligence’
  • Law et al. (2004) study – Chinese samples; what were their results? Evidence for EI predicting performance or not?
  • Recent debate over EI – what are Locke’s criticisms?
  • Elfenbein’s (2002) research on ‘nonverbal eavesdropping’ and similarity to emotional intelligence
  • Bing et al (2007) study – application of personality assessment of aggression
  • What is a Conditional Reasoning Test (CRT)?
  • Bing et al’s typology based on congruence between implicit (CRT) and explicit (self-report) aggression measures: manifest aggressives, latent aggressives, prosocials, and overcompensating prosocials.
  • Know the general results of their study – 3 samples gave fairly consistent results:
  • Was there a signif link between implicit & explicit aggression measures?
  • Was there a signif link between implicit measure and aggression?
  • Was there a signif link between explicit measure and aggression?
  • Conclusions and implications for selection?

Chapter 5 – Emotions & Stress

  • Distinction between emotions & moods
  • 4 properties of emotions
  • Links between emotions, moods, job performance
  • History of emotion/mood research in orgs
  • Org Control of Emotions – Ashforth & Humphrey’s model – what are the 4 types of control behaviors and examples of each (refer to the Driver study of organizations’ reactions to Sept 11th for examples…)?
  • Emotional Dissonance and Emotional Labor – what is the distinction between these?
  • Distinction between surface acting & deep acting in emotional labor
  • Stress
  • Primary versus secondary appraisal
  • Lazarus and Folkman’s model (threat v challenge; types of stress reactions)
  • Work-related sources
  • Occupational differences in stress
  • Role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, karoshi
  • Sexual harassment
  • Legal definitions
  • Effects of climates tolerant of harassment?
  • Ethnic harassment – effects of verbal slurs and exclusion? Which group had the worst outcomes?
  • Non-work sources
  • Stressful life events model
  • Daily hassles model
  • Note: this material may change (more material may be added) based on class discussion on Thurs 2/14 (check your notes from class for other concepts to review from that day…):
  • Cross-cultural comparison of stressors – U.S. v India
  • Cottle reading on “Stress & Technology: Working 5 to 9” – what are her main points about the impact of tech? Impact of ‘family-friendly org policies’?
  • Burnout and its characteristics
  • 3 dimensions of burnout; how does the stagelike model work?
  • Coping
  • Lazarus & Folkman’s model – problem v emotion-focused
  • Folkman & Moskovitz’s proposals for new focus on positive affect – what is the benefit of studying this?
  • Other new directions for coping research?
  • Coping differences in Type A/ Type B patterns – what were results from the study of police dispatchers?
  • Stress management:
  • Developing resiliency; other individual-based techniques (see book)
  • 3 major approaches (primary, secondary, tertiary)
  • Kelloway & Day’s Building Healthy Workplaces agenda – what is included?