Alvin, a sales representative for a company making industrial solvents, lost a major customer last month. Until then, Alvin's year has been about average in the level of sales. Early in the year, Alvin brought in two new customers of about the size of the customer he lost last month. Alvin's supervisor gives Alvin an unsatisfactory rating in his annual performance appraisal. It is likely that Alvin's supervisor has committed the _______________ error.
A)contrast
B)strictness
C)recency
D)primacy

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The recency error occurs when a supervisor focuses solely on recent events instead of the overall performance of an employee. In this case, Alvin's supervisor is likely only considering the loss of the major customer and ignoring the fact that Alvin brought in two new customers earlier in the year. The contrast error occurs when a supervisor compares an employee's performance to that of their peers instead of evaluating them based on their own merits. The strictness error occurs when a supervisor consistently rates employees lower than they deserve. The primacy error occurs when a supervisor forms an early impression of an employee and allows it to influence their evaluation of the employee's later performance.

Alvin, a Sales Representative for a Company Making Industrial Solvents