MHR405 Personality, Learning, and Perception

Personality

Relatively stable set of psychological characteristics that influence interactions with the environment.

Dispositional approach

Assumes individuals possess stable traits that influence their attitudes and behaviors.

Situational approach

Assumes organizational settings and tasks largely determine employee attitudes and behavior.

Interactionist approach

Assumes organizational behavior is a function of both individual dispositions and the situation.

Weak vs. strong situations

Weak situations have loose rules where personality has the strongest effect; strong situations have defined rules minimizing personality impact.

Five-Factor Model dimensions

Extraversion, emotional stability/neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.

Conscientiousness

The strongest predictor of overall job performance across all occupations.

Locus of control

A set of beliefs about whether behavior is controlled mainly by internal or external factors.

Self-monitoring

The extent to which people observe and regulate how they appear and behave in social settings.

Self-esteem

The degree to which a person has a positive self-evaluation.

Learning

When practice or experience leads to a relatively permanent change in behavior potential.

Categories of employee learning

Practical skills, intrapersonal skills, interpersonal skills, and cultural awareness.

Operant learning theory

Learning in which the subject learns to operate on the environment to achieve certain consequences.

Positive reinforcement

The application or addition of a stimulus that increases or maintains the probability of a behavior.

Negative reinforcement

The removal of an undesirable stimulus that increases or maintains the probability of a behavior.

Extinction

The gradual dissipation of behavior following the termination of reinforcement.

Punishment

The application of an aversive stimulus following unwanted behavior to decrease its probability.

Social Cognitive Theory

Emphasizes cognitive processes in regulating behavior through observation, self-efficacy, and self-regulation.

Self-efficacy

Beliefs people have about their ability to successfully perform a specific task.

Organizational Behaviour Modification (O.B. Mod.)

The systematic use of learning principles to influence organizational behavior.

Perception

The process of interpreting sensory messages to provide order and meaning to the environment.

Components of perception

A perceiver, a target being perceived, and a situational context.

Social identity theory

Our sense of self is composed of personal identity (unique traits) and social identity (group memberships).

Primacy and recency effects

Perceptual biases where first impressions or recent cues heavily influence our judgment of others.

Implicit personality theories

Personal theories people have about which personality characteristics go together.

Attribution

The process by which we assign causes or motives to explain people's behavior.

Three attribution cues

Consistency cues, consensus cues, and distinctiveness cues.

Fundamental attribution error

The tendency to overemphasize dispositional explanations for behavior at the expense of situational explanations.

Actor-observer effect

Tendency for actors to attribute their behavior to situational factors, while observers invoke dispositional causes.

Self-serving bias

The tendency to take credit for successful outcomes and deny responsibility for failures.

Workforce DEI

Diversity (employee differences), Equity (fair treatment/access), and Inclusion (feeling welcome and valued).

Signalling theory

Job applicants interpret their recruitment and selection experiences as signals about unknown organizational characteristics.

Morning bias

Appraisal error where employees with late start times receive lower performance ratings due to negative stereotypes.

Halo effect

Rater error where the rating of an individual on one trait colors ratings on other traits.

BARS

Behaviourally anchored rating scale that gives specific behavioral examples of performance levels.

Organization

Social inventions for accomplishing common goals through group effort.

Organizational Behaviour

The attitudes and behaviours of individuals and groups in organizations.

Evidence-Based Management

Making decisions based on the best available scientific evidence from social science and organizational research.

Classical view of management

Advocates a high degree of specialization of labour, intensive coordination, and centralized decision making.

Human relations movement

Advocated more people-oriented and participative styles of management catering to social and psychological needs.

Contingency approach

Recognizes that there is no one best way to manage and that an appropriate style depends on the situation.

Psychological Capital (PsyCap)

An individual's positive psychological state characterized by self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation stems from the task itself; extrinsic motivation stems from the external work environment.

General Cognitive Ability

A person's basic information-processing capacities, mental capacity, and efficiency to learn and process information.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

The ability to understand and manage one's own and others' feelings and emotions across four branches.

Alderfer's ERG Theory

A three-level hierarchical need theory of motivation (existence, relatedness, growth) allowing movement up and down the hierarchy.

McClelland's Theory of Needs

A non-hierarchical need theory focusing on the behavioral consequences of three needs: achievement, affiliation, and power.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

Relates the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness) to motivation.

Expectancy Theory

Process theory stating motivation is determined by outcomes people expect, comprising expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.

Equity Theory

Explains job satisfaction through a comparison of inputs and outcomes relative to a comparison person or group.

Goal Setting Theory

States goals are motivational when they are specific, challenging, backed by commitment, and accompanied by feedback.

Job Characteristics Model

Proposes core job characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback) impact psychological states and outcomes.

Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

Framework of work-related values including power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/femininity, and individualism/collectivism.

Discrepancy Theory

States job satisfaction is a function of the discrepancy between desired job outcomes and perceived obtained outcomes.

Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB)

Voluntary, spontaneous informal behavior that contributes to organizational effectiveness and is not explicitly rewarded.

Types of Organizational Commitment

Affective (based on identification), continuance (based on costs of leaving), and normative commitment (based on obligation).