I/O

• Industrial/organizational psychology is a branch of psychology that applies the principles of psychology to the workplace.
• Doctoral programs involve a series of comprehensive exams that are similar to, but more extensive than, the exams taken in a master’s program.
• A complete list of I/O psychology graduate programs can be found on the text webpage.
• Information on programs is available from the SIOP at www.siop.org.
• The purpose of I/O psychology is to enhance the dignity and performance of human beings, and the organizations they work in, by advancing the science and knowledge of human behavior.
• Principles of learning are used to develop training programs and incentive plans, principles of social psychology are used to form work groups and understand employee conflict, and principles of motivation and emotion are used to motivate and satisfy employees.
• The application of psychological principles is what best distinguishes I/O psychology from related fields typically taught in business colleges.
• Many HRM texts advocate the unstructured interview as an excellent solution for selecting the best employees, but I/O psychologists consider unstructured interviews to be of less value than more suitable alternatives such as psychological tests, behavioral interviews, work samples, biodata, and assessment centers.
• I/O psychology examines factors that affect the people in an organization as opposed to the broader aspects of running an organization such as marketing channels, transportation networks, and cost accounting.
• I/O psychology relies extensively on research, quantitative methods, and testing techniques.
• I/O psychologists are trained to use empirical data and statistics rather than clinical judgment to make decisions.
• I/O psychologists are not clinical psychologists who happen to be in industry, and they do not conduct therapy for workers.
• The s and s brought four major changes to I/O psychology: an increased use of fairly sophisticated statistical techniques and methods of analysis, a new interest in the application of cognitive psychology to industry, an increased interest in the effects of work on family life and leisure activities, and a renewed interest in developing methods to select employees.
• During the s and s, I/O psychologists took a renewed interest in developing methods to select employees due to the courts interpreting the major civil rights acts of the early s in a more lenient manner.
• Examples of selection instruments developed and used during the s and s include cognitive ability tests, personality tests, biodata, and structured interviews.
• Other changes during the s and s that had significant effects on I/O psychology included massive organizational downsizing, greater concern for diversity and gender issues, an aging workforce, increased concern about the effects of stress, and the increased emphasis on such organizational development interventions as total quality management (TQM), reengineering, and employee empowerment.
• In the s, perhaps the greatest influence on I/O psychology is the rapid advances in technology.
• The Hawthorne studies resulted in the increased use of behavior-modification techniques in organizations.
• The Hawthorne studies also inspired HR professionals to develop fair selection techniques, leading to an increased need for I/O psychologists.
• The Hawthorne studies inspired psychologists to increase their focus on human relations in the workplace and to explore the effects of employee attitudes.
• There are psychologists who work for organizations and help employees with such problems as drug and alcohol abuse, but these are counselors rather than I/O psychologists.
• I/O psychologists act as scientists when they conduct research and as practitioners when they work with actual organizations.
• I/O psychologists act as scientist-practitioners when they apply research findings so that the work they perform with organizations will be of high quality and enhance an organization’s effectiveness.
• Scott and Munsterburg are pioneers in the field of I/O psychology.
• In the s, I/O psychology greatly expanded its scope, becoming involved in the quality of the work environment and the attitudes of employees.
• I/O psychology was born in the early s.
• Henry Gantt, a pioneer in I/O psychology, was responsible for increasing the efficiency with which cargo ships were built, repaired, and loaded.
• I/O psychology made its first big impact during World War I by testing recruits and placing them in appropriate positions.
• Thomas A. Edison created a - item knowledge test that he administered to over applicants.
• John Watson, a behaviorist, served as a major in the U.S. Army in World War I and developed perceptual and motor tests for potential pilots.
• Lillian Gilbreth, the more educated of the two, received her Ph.D. from Brown University in and was the first woman to hold such a position at Purdue University.
• James Cattell, Walter Bingham, John Watson, Marion Bills, and Lillian Gilbreth are also pioneers in I/O psychology.
• The term “industrial psychology” was used prior to World War I, but the common terms for the field were “economic psychology,” “business psychology,” and “employment psychology”.
• The Gilbreths, among the first scientists to improve productivity and reduce fatigue by studying the motions used by workers, began their careers as a contractor and developed improvements in bricklaying that reduced the number of motions needed to lay a brick from to ½.
• Prominent psychologists who applied psychology to problems in industry outside the United States included Jules Suter in Switzerland; Bernard Muscio in Australia; Franziska Baumgarten-Tramer, Walter Moede, William Stern, Otto Lipmann, and Emil Kraepelin in Germany; Jean Marie Lahy in France; Edward Webster in Canada; and Cyril Burt, Charles Myers, and Sir Frederick Bartlett in Great Brittan.
• The Hawthorne studies, conducted at the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company in the Chicago area, demonstrated that employee behavior was complex and that the interpersonal interactions between managers and employees played a tremendous role in employee behavior.
• I/O psychology co ntinually increases in popularity because, perhaps more than any other field, professionals in the field can have a positive impact on the lives of other people.
• People spend more time at their jobs than at any other activity in life, thus, it makes sense that people who are happy with and productive at their jobs will lead more fulfilling lives than people unhappy with their jobs.
• I/O psychologists can improve the quality of life by increasing employee effectiveness, which reduces the cost of goods sold by improving product quality.
• Many tests and surveys are administered through computers and the Internet, employers recruit and screen applicants online, employees are being trained using e-learning and distance education, and managers are holding meetings in cyberspace rather than in person.