Ch. 1

Cards (23)

  • Industrial-Organizational Psychology
    Branch of psychology that applies the principles of psychology to the workplace
  • Purpose of I/O Psychology
    • To enhance the dignity and performance of human beings and the organizations they work in, by advancing the science and knowledge of human behavior
  • I/O Psychology
    • Examines factors that affect the people in an organization as opposed to the broader aspects of running an organization
    • Focuses almost exclusively on issues involving the people in the organization
    • Relies extensively on research, quantitative methods, and testing techniques
    • Use empirical data and statistics rather than intuition to make decisions
  • Science-Practitioner Model
    I/O professionals acts as scientist when they conduct research and as practitioners when they work with actual organizations; applies research findings so that the work they perform with the organizations will be of high quality and enhance an organization's effectiveness
  • Major Fields of I/O Psychology
    • Industrial Approach
    • Organizational Approach
  • Industrial Approach
    • Focuses on determining the competencies needed to perform a job, staffing the organization with employees who have those competencies, and increasing those competencies through trainings
  • Organizational Approach
    • Creates an organizational structure and culture that will motivate employees to perform well, give them the necessary information about their jobs, and provide working conditions that are safe and result in an enjoyable and satisfying work/life environment
  • Areas of Personnel Psychology
    • Analyzing jobs
    • Recruiting applicants
    • Selecting employees
    • Determining salary levels
    • Training employees
    • Evaluating employee performance
  • Personnel Psychology
    • Choose existing tests or create new ones that can be used to select and promote employees
    • Analyzes jobs to obtain a complete picture of what each employee does, often assigning monetary values to each position
    • Construct performance appraisal instruments to evaluate employee performance
    • Examine various methods that can be used to train and develop employees
  • Organizational Psychology
    • Concerned with the issues of leadership, job satisfaction, employee motivation, organizational communication, conflict management, organizational change, and group processes within an organization
    • Conduct surveys of employee attitudes
    • Serving the role of consultant
    • Implement organization-wide programs designed to improve performance
  • Human Factors/Ergonomics
    • Concentrate on workplace design, human-machine interaction, ergonomics, and physical fatigue and stress
    • Frequently works with engineers and other technical professionals to make the workplace safer and more efficient
  • I/O Psychologists employed Army Alpha (for literate) and Army Beta (for illiterate)

    WWI
  • Thomas Edison Created a 163-item knowledge test that he administered over 900 applicants

  • Frank and Lillian Moller Gilbreth
    Improved the productivity and reduce fatigue by studying motions used by workers
  • Hawthorne Studies
    Demonstrated that employee behavior was complex and that the interpersonal interactions between managers and employees played a tremendous role in employee behavior
  • Hawthorne Effect
    Employees changed their behavior and became more productive because they were being studies and received attention from their managers
  • Civil rights legislation; 

    1960s
    used sensitivity trainings and t-groups for managers
  • 1970s
    Increased use of behavior-modification techniques in organization
  • Increased usage of fairly sophisticated statistical techniques and methods of analysis; application of cognitive psychology; increased interest in the effects of work on family life and leisure activities
    1980s and 1990s
  • Diversified demographics; global economy affects the role of I/O Psychology
    2000s
  • Factors that impact I/O Psychology
    • High Unemployment rates
    • Movements toward flexible work schedules
    • Family-friendly work policies
    • Accommodation of an increasing number of employees with child-care and elder-care responsibilities
    • Flatter organizational structures with fewer management levels
    • Population shifts from urban to suburbs
    • Increasing cost of health-care benefits
    • Potential changes in retirement age
  • Educational Requirements and Types of Programs
    • Master's Program
    • Doctoral Programs (Ph.D)
  • Ethical Dilemmas
    Ambiguous situations that require a personal judgment of what is right or wrong because there is no rules, policies, or laws guiding such decisions