Questions & explanations
1. A civil servant consistently shows high self-regard, empathy, and stress tolerance but low adaptability and impulse control. According to Bar-On's model, this profile indicates:
- (a) High overall EQ-i score
- (b) Strength in intrapersonal and interpersonal scales but weakness in adaptability and stress management
- (c) High trait EI according to Petrides
- (d) Low ability EI according to Salovey-Mayer
Answer: (b) Strength in intrapersonal and interpersonal scales but weakness in adaptability and stress management
Bar-On's EQ-i has five composite scales. Self-regard is intrapersonal, empathy is interpersonal, stress tolerance is stress management, adaptability is a separate scale, and impulse control is part of stress management. The profile shows strength in intrapersonal and interpersonal, but weakness in adaptability and stress management (impulse control). Option (a) is false because low adaptability and impulse control lower overall score. (c) is not directly comparable. (d) is irrelevant.
2. Consider the following situation: A person sees a beggar on the street and thinks, 'He is lazy and does not want to work.' This person ignores the possibility that the beggar may have lost his job due to economic downturn or has a disability. This thinking is an example of:
- (a) Confirmation bias
- (b) Halo effect
- (c) Fundamental attribution error
- (d) In-group bias
Answer: (c) Fundamental attribution error
Fundamental attribution error is the tendency to attribute others' behavior to internal, dispositional factors (like laziness) while underestimating situational factors (like economic conditions). This bias can reinforce negative attitudes toward disadvantaged groups. Confirmation bias would involve seeking evidence that confirms a pre-existing belief about beggars. Halo effect is about one trait influencing overall judgment. In-group bias favors one's own group.
3. Political socialisation of a civil servant primarily occurs through:
- (a) Training at LBSNAA and other academies
- (b) Membership in a political party
- (c) Reading newspapers only
- (d) Family background
Answer: (a) Training at LBSNAA and other academies
Political socialisation of civil servants primarily occurs through formal training at institutions like LBSNAA (Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration) and other service academies, which shape constitutional values, democratic norms, and service ethics. While family background is an early source of general political socialization, for civil servants as a professional group, institutional training is the primary channel. Key confirmed as 'a'.
4. In a hiring process, a manager assumes that a candidate from a prestigious university is competent in all areas, even though the candidate's resume shows only average performance in relevant skills. This is an example of which cognitive bias?
- (a) Confirmation bias
- (b) Halo effect
- (c) Fundamental attribution error
- (d) Self-serving bias
Answer: (b) Halo effect
The halo effect occurs when a positive impression in one area (e.g., prestigious university) influences overall judgment (assuming competence in all areas). This bias often operates implicitly. Confirmation bias would involve seeking evidence to confirm an existing belief. Fundamental attribution error is about attributing behavior to personality rather than situation. Self-serving bias is taking credit for success and blaming failure on others.
5. A politician publicly advocates for austerity and reduced government spending, but in private, she uses official funds for lavish personal trips. This scenario best illustrates which concept?
- (a) Cognitive dissonance
- (b) Attitude-behaviour gap
- (c) Balance theory
- (d) Self-perception theory
Answer: (b) Attitude-behaviour gap
The politician's stated attitude (austerity) contradicts her actual behaviour (lavish spending). This is a classic attitude-behaviour gap. Cognitive dissonance would refer to the discomfort she might feel, but the scenario focuses on the inconsistency itself, not the psychological response. Balance theory deals with triadic relationships, and self-perception theory involves inferring attitudes from behaviour.
6. Consider the following statements about empathy in governance:
1. Empathy in governance can lead to better policy outcomes by ensuring that policies are grounded in the real needs of people.
2. Empathy in governance may sometimes conflict with the principle of impartiality, as it can lead to differential treatment.
3. Empathy is a soft skill that has no place in technical decision-making like budgeting.
Which of the statements above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 1 and 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Statement 1 is correct: Empathy helps in understanding ground realities, leading to more effective policies. Statement 2 is correct: Empathy might lead to treating similar cases differently based on emotional appeal, which can conflict with impartiality. Statement 3 is incorrect: Empathy is relevant even in technical decisions like budgeting, as understanding human impact is crucial for resource allocation.
7. Heider's balance theory deals with consistency in which type of structure?
- (a) A dyadic relationship between two people
- (b) A triadic relationship involving a person, another person, and an object or idea
- (c) A group of four or more people
- (d) A person's internal beliefs only
Answer: (b) A triadic relationship involving a person, another person, and an object or idea
Heider's balance theory focuses on triadic relationships (three elements: P-O-X). It states that people prefer balanced states where the relationships among the three elements are consistent. For example, if you like a friend (P-O positive) and your friend likes a movie (O-X positive), you should also like the movie (P-X positive) to achieve balance. Imbalance causes tension and motivates change.
8. In a classic experiment, participants who were paid only $1 to lie about a boring task later rated the task as more enjoyable than those paid $20. This finding supports which theory?
- (a) Balance theory
- (b) Cognitive dissonance theory
- (c) Self-perception theory
- (d) Social learning theory
Answer: (b) Cognitive dissonance theory
This is the Festinger-Carlsmith experiment (1959). Participants paid $1 experienced dissonance because they had insufficient justification for lying, so they changed their attitude to match the lie (the task became enjoyable). Those paid $20 had sufficient external justification, so they experienced less dissonance and did not change their attitude. This supports cognitive dissonance theory.
9. Which of the following best describes the relationship between Bar-On's EQ-i and Petrides' trait EI?
- (a) They are identical models with different names
- (b) Both are mixed models combining ability and personality
- (c) Bar-On's EQ-i is a mixed model, while Petrides' model is a trait-based model
- (d) Petrides' model is a subset of Bar-On's model
Answer: (c) Bar-On's EQ-i is a mixed model, while Petrides' model is a trait-based model
Both are trait-based (self-report) models. Bar-On's EQ-i includes general mood as a separate composite, while Petrides' trait EI does not have a separate mood factor but includes well-being. Bar-On's model is considered 'mixed' because it includes some cognitive elements, but it is primarily trait. Petrides' model is strictly trait. They are not identical, and Petrides' is not a subset.
10. Consider the following statements about the use of emotional intelligence in disaster management:
1. EI helps disaster managers to quickly assess the emotional state of affected communities and tailor communication accordingly.
2. EI is less useful in the immediate response phase because emotions are high and rational decision-making is impaired.
3. EI can aid in preventing burnout among relief workers by promoting self-care and team support.
Which of the statements above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 1 and 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only
Statement 1 is correct: EI helps in understanding the emotional state of victims, enabling effective communication and reducing panic. Statement 2 is incorrect: EI is crucial in the immediate response phase to manage emotions and make rational decisions under stress. Statement 3 is correct: EI helps relief workers recognize signs of stress and support each other, preventing burnout.
11. A person who smokes knows that smoking causes cancer. To reduce dissonance, he might think 'Many smokers live long lives.' This is an example of which dissonance reduction strategy?
- (a) Changing behaviour
- (b) Adding consonant cognitions
- (c) Reducing importance
- (d) Denial
Answer: (b) Adding consonant cognitions
The person adds a new cognition ('many smokers live long') that is consonant with smoking (it supports the behaviour). This reduces the dissonance between 'I smoke' and 'smoking causes cancer' by providing a reason to downplay the risk. Changing behaviour would be quitting; reducing importance would be 'health is not that important'; denial would be 'smoking doesn't cause cancer'.
12. Consider the following statements about the attitude-behaviour relationship:
1. Strong attitudes are more likely to predict behaviour than weak attitudes.
2. Attitudes formed through direct experience are better predictors of behaviour than those formed indirectly.
3. The specificity of the attitude and behaviour must match for prediction to be accurate.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three statements are correct. Strong attitudes are more stable and guide behaviour. Direct experience makes attitudes more accessible and certain. The principle of compatibility states that to predict a specific behaviour, the attitude measure must be equally specific (e.g., attitude toward recycling predicts recycling behaviour better than general environmental attitude).