WGU D576 INDUSTRIAL
ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY OA
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026 FULL
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ What is a focus of the organizational component of industrial/organizational
psychology?.
Answer: Finding qualified employees, improving skills through training,
structuring for high performance, determining job competencies.
◍ What guideline should be followed when writing the competencies section
of a job description?.
Answer: Provide information on what is needed to be successful for the job.
◍ What job analysis method focuses on having employees describe the tasks
they perform?.
Answer: Interviewing experts.
◍ What is the focus when determining internal pay equity?.
Answer: Ensuring competitive compensation for employees.
◍ What is the Hawthorne effect?.
Answer: A condition where employees become more productive due to
being studied.
◍ What is a key responsibility of personnel psychologists in I/O psychology?.
Answer: Selecting and promoting employees.
◍ Which husband-and-wife team were among the first scientists to improve
productivity by studying worker motions?.
Answer: Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.
, ◍ What step should a company take to reduce legal liability after a sexual
harassment case?.
Answer: Clearly indicate how to file a complaint or report.
◍ Why is a company liable for damages if a manager is evaluated favorably
for excluding an ethnic group from hiring?.
Answer: This demonstrates hostile environment harassment.
◍ Which U.S. Supreme Court case confirmed that increasing diversity is a
compelling government interest in affirmative action programs?.
Answer: Grutter v. Bollinger (2003).
◍ How are the Civil Rights Acts different from the Fifth and Fourteenth
Amendments regarding discrimination?.
Answer: The Civil Rights Acts do not require proof of discrimination, while
the Amendments do.
◍ How do the legal implications differ for quid pro quo harassment and a
hostile work environment?.
Answer: Quid pro quo harassment can result in personal liability for the
harasser.
◍ How do the reporting requirements differ for quid pro quo harassment and a
hostile work environment?.
Answer: Quid pro quo harassment must be reported to the EEOC, while a
hostile work environment can be addressed internally.
◍ What is a common affirmative action strategy involving targeting
underrepresented groups?.
Answer: Preferential hiring and promotion of minorities.
◍ Why should companies carefully document critical behaviors?.
Answer: It helps determine which performance dimensions should be
chosen.
◍ What is one limitation of the employment-at-will doctrine?.
Answer: Employees cannot be terminated for refusing to violate the law.
ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY OA
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026 FULL
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ What is a focus of the organizational component of industrial/organizational
psychology?.
Answer: Finding qualified employees, improving skills through training,
structuring for high performance, determining job competencies.
◍ What guideline should be followed when writing the competencies section
of a job description?.
Answer: Provide information on what is needed to be successful for the job.
◍ What job analysis method focuses on having employees describe the tasks
they perform?.
Answer: Interviewing experts.
◍ What is the focus when determining internal pay equity?.
Answer: Ensuring competitive compensation for employees.
◍ What is the Hawthorne effect?.
Answer: A condition where employees become more productive due to
being studied.
◍ What is a key responsibility of personnel psychologists in I/O psychology?.
Answer: Selecting and promoting employees.
◍ Which husband-and-wife team were among the first scientists to improve
productivity by studying worker motions?.
Answer: Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.
, ◍ What step should a company take to reduce legal liability after a sexual
harassment case?.
Answer: Clearly indicate how to file a complaint or report.
◍ Why is a company liable for damages if a manager is evaluated favorably
for excluding an ethnic group from hiring?.
Answer: This demonstrates hostile environment harassment.
◍ Which U.S. Supreme Court case confirmed that increasing diversity is a
compelling government interest in affirmative action programs?.
Answer: Grutter v. Bollinger (2003).
◍ How are the Civil Rights Acts different from the Fifth and Fourteenth
Amendments regarding discrimination?.
Answer: The Civil Rights Acts do not require proof of discrimination, while
the Amendments do.
◍ How do the legal implications differ for quid pro quo harassment and a
hostile work environment?.
Answer: Quid pro quo harassment can result in personal liability for the
harasser.
◍ How do the reporting requirements differ for quid pro quo harassment and a
hostile work environment?.
Answer: Quid pro quo harassment must be reported to the EEOC, while a
hostile work environment can be addressed internally.
◍ What is a common affirmative action strategy involving targeting
underrepresented groups?.
Answer: Preferential hiring and promotion of minorities.
◍ Why should companies carefully document critical behaviors?.
Answer: It helps determine which performance dimensions should be
chosen.
◍ What is one limitation of the employment-at-will doctrine?.
Answer: Employees cannot be terminated for refusing to violate the law.
