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Lecture 11

The document discusses perception and attribution theory. It explains that perception is the process of interpreting sensory input, while attribution explains the causes of behavior. Attribution can be internal, related to personal characteristics, or external, resulting from outside factors. Biases like the fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias can distort attributions. Perception is important in organizations and influences processes like performance evaluation, which are susceptible to subjective judgments and biases.

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37 views

Lecture 11

The document discusses perception and attribution theory. It explains that perception is the process of interpreting sensory input, while attribution explains the causes of behavior. Attribution can be internal, related to personal characteristics, or external, resulting from outside factors. Biases like the fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias can distort attributions. Perception is important in organizations and influences processes like performance evaluation, which are susceptible to subjective judgments and biases.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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Chapter 11

PERCEPTION, ATTITUDES AND PERSONALITY

Perception and attribution are essential for understanding how people behave in
organizations. Perception is the process of interpreting sensory input to make sense
of the world, while attribution explains the cause of behavior. Accurate perceptions
and attributions are necessary for good decision making, fairness, and ethical
behavior. The perceiver's knowledge base is organized into schemas, which can be
functional or dysfunctional. The target's characteristics, social status, and salience
also influence perception. Biases and problems in person perception can lead to
faulty decision making. Attributions are important determinants of behavior in
organizations, and common external attributions include task difficulty and luck or
chance. Organizations can promote accurate perceptions and attributions by
securing top management's commitment to diversity, diversity training, and
education, and by eliminating and preventing both quid pro quo and hostile work
environments.

Attribution Theory
Perception and attribution are essential for understanding human behavior in
organizations. Attribution theory explains how individuals interpret the causes of
behavior, influencing decision-making. Attribution can be internal (related to
personal characteristics) or external (resulting from outside factors). The type of
attribution affects how people respond to behavior.
Perception of people differs from inanimate objects because we attribute intentions
and motives to human actions. Attribution is based on distinctiveness, consensus,
and consistency. Biases like the fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias
can distort attributions.
Cultural differences may impact attribution patterns, as seen in the Korean study.
Overall, accurate attribution is crucial for effective decision-making, and biases
and cultural factors should be considered.

1. What is the main focus of attribution theory?


a. human behavior in organizations
b. causes of behavior
c. Analyzing decision-making processes
d. Investigating biases in perception
Answer: b. Explaining the causes of behavior

2. Which factor influences whether an attribution is internal or external?


a. Distinctiveness
b. Consistency
c. Consensus
d. All of the above

Answer: d. All of the above

2. Which factor in attribution theory refers to whether everyone responds in


the same way to a similar situation?
a. Consistency
b. Consensus
c. Distinctiveness
d. Motivation

Answer: b. Consensus

1. Which component of perception is influenced by the perceiver's schemas,


motivational state, and mood?
a. Target
b. Situation
c. Perceiver
d. Attribution

Answer: c. Perceiver

2. What are common internal attributions in explaining behavior?


a. Luck, chance, and easy tasks
b. Task difficulty and external factors
c. Ability, effort, and personality
d. Distinctiveness, consensus, and consistency

Answer: c. Ability, effort, and personality

Frequently Used Shortcuts in Judging Others


When judging others, people often use shortcuts or biases to quickly form
impressions. Selective perception involves interpreting information based on
personal interests and experiences. The halo effect leads to a positive overall
impression based on a single positive characteristic. Contrast effects influence
evaluations by comparing individuals to others encountered recently. Projection
involves attributing one's own traits to others. Stereotyping occurs when judgments
are based on group membership. These shortcuts can introduce biases and
inaccuracies in how people perceive and judge others, potentially leading to unfair
judgments and misunderstandings.

1. When people selectively interpret what they see based on their interests and
experiences, it is known as:
a. Halo effect
b. Contrast effect
c. Selective perception
d. Stereotyping

Answer: c. Selective perception

2. Which shortcut involves forming a positive overall impression based on a


single positive characteristic?
a. Projection
b. Halo effect
c. Contrast effect
d. Stereotyping

Answer: b. Halo effect

3. When evaluations of a person's characteristics are influenced by


comparisons with others encountered recently, it is called:
a. Selective perception
b. Contrast effect
c. Projection
d. Stereotyping

Answer: b. Contrast effect


4. Judging someone based on the group they belong to is known as:
a. Selective perception
b. Halo effect
c. Projection
d. Stereotyping

Answer: d. Stereotyping

Specific Applications in Organizations

Perceptions have significant implications in various organizational contexts. In


employment interviews, interviewers often make inaccurate judgments, leading to
inconsistent evaluations of candidates. Performance expectations are shaped by
perceptions, as people's expectations tend to influence behavior and outcomes.
Subjective perceptions heavily influence performance evaluations, potentially
resulting in unfair assessments. Similarly, subjective judgments of employee effort
are susceptible to biases. Understanding and managing perceptions is crucial to
ensure fair and objective decision-making in organizations.

1. In which organizational context do interviewers often make inaccurate


judgments?
a. Performance evaluation
b. Employee effort assessment
c. Employment interview
d. Performance expectations

Answer: c. Employment interview

2. What factor influences performance expectations and outcomes?


a. Subjective judgments
b. Employee effort
c. Performance evaluation
d. Interviewer accuracy

Answer: a. Subjective judgments


3. Which aspect of performance evaluation is influenced by subjective
perceptions?
a. Employee effort
b. Performance expectations
c. Employment interview
d. Interviewer accuracy

Answer: b. Performance expectations

4. What is susceptible to biases in assessing employee effort?


a. Subjective perceptions
b. Performance expectations
c. Employment interview
d. Interviewer accuracy

Answer: a. Subjective perceptions

2. Performance appraisals that rely on subjective measures are:


a. Objective and unbiased
b. Judgmental and dependent on perception
c. Based on employee effort assessment
d. Influenced by the halo effect

Answer: b. Judgmental and dependent on perception

3. Which organizational process is susceptible to perceptual distortions and


bias?
a. Employee motivation
b. Performance evaluation
c. Interviewer accuracy
d. Performance expectations

Answer: b. Performance evaluation

Perception and Performance Appraisal


In performance appraisal, organizations often rely on subjective measures due to
the difficulty of finding objective measures at higher organizational levels. Rater
errors, such as leniency, harshness, and central tendency, can lead to inconsistent
evaluations and hinder accurate comparisons between employees. The halo effect
occurs when a general impression of an individual distorts the perception of
specific traits or characteristics. The similar-to-me effect biases evaluators to give
more favorable ratings to people who are similar to them. Misperception, the
misinterpretation of environmental stimuli, can also impact performance appraisal.

1. What is the tendency to assign most ratees to middle-range job


performance categories called?
a) Leniency
b) Harshness
c) Central tendency
d) Halo effect

Answer: c) Central tendency

2. Which bias occurs when the rating of an individual on one trait affects
ratings on other traits?
a) Leniency
b) Harshness
c) Central tendency
d) Halo effect

Answer: d) Halo effect

1. Which bias occurs when a supervisor perceives the job performance of


ratees as especially good?
a) Leniency
b) Harshness
c) Central tendency
d) Halo effect

Answer: a) Leniency

2. The tendency to assign most ratees to middle-range job performance


categories is known as:
a) Leniency
b) Harshness
c) Central tendency
d) Halo effect

Answer: c) Central tendency

1. Which of the following is a potential rater error in performance appraisal?


a) Leniency
b) Consistency
c) Accuracy
d) Objectivity

Answer: a) Leniency

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