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• Critical Incident Technique (CIT)


  The job analysis method developed by John Flanagan that uses written reports of good and bad employee behavior
• Case law


  The interpretation of a law by a court through a verdict in a trial, setting precedent for subsequent court decisions
• Protected class


  Any group of people for which protective legislation has been passed
• Industrial approach (the "I" in I/O psychology)

  Focuses on determining the competencies needed to perform a job, staffing the organization with employees who have those competencies, and increasing those competencies through training
• Organizational approach (the "O" in I/O psychology)
Creates an organizational structure and culture that will motivate employees to perform well, give them the necessary information to do their jobs, and provide working conditions that are safe and result in an enjoyable and satisfying work/life environment
• Personnel psychology

  The field of study that concentrates on the selection and evaluation of employees
• principles of learning

  used to develop training programs and incentive plans
• Industrial/organizational psychology is a branch of psychology that applies the principles of psychology to the workplace
• 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 social psychology

  used to form work groups and understand employee conflict
• principles of motivation and emotion

  used to motivate and satisfy employees
• I/O psychology relies extensively on research, quantitative methods, and testing techniques
• I/O psychologists act as scientists when they conduct research and as practitioners when they work with actual organizations
• Organizational Psychology

  concerned with the issues of leadership, job satisfaction, employee motivation, organizational communication, conflict management, organizational change, and group processes within an organization.
• Human Factors/Ergonomics


  Psychologists in this area concentrate on workplace design, human machine interaction, ergonomics, and physical fatigue and stress
• Human Factors/Ergonomics psychologists


  • Frequently work with engineers and other technical professionals to make the workplace safer and more efficient
  • Sample activities include designing the optimal way to draw a map, designing the most comfortable chair, and investigating the optimal work schedule
• Psychology itself has been around for only a relatively short time since

  1879
• I/O Psychology


  The field of industrial and organizational psychology
• Walter Dill Scott wrote The Theory of Advertising, in which psychology was first applied to business


  1903
• Hugo Münsterberg wrote Psychology and Industrial Efficiency, which was first published in English in 1913


  1910
• Walter Dill Scott wrote the book Increasing Human Efficiency in Business


  1911
• Pioneers in I/O Psychology

  • Walter Dill Scott
  • Hugo Münsterberg
  • James Cattell
  • Walter Bingham
  • John Watson
  • Marion Bills
  • Lillian Gilbreth
• The term "industrial psychology" was seldom used prior to World War I, instead the common terms were "economic psychology," "business psychology," and "employment psychology"
• I/O psychology made its first big impact during World War I, when psychologists were employed to test recruits and then place them in appropriate positions within the armed forces
• Army Alpha and Army Beta tests


  Tests of mental ability used to assign recruits to officer training or the infantry
• John Watson, a pioneer in behaviorism, served as a major in the U.S. Army in World War I and developed perceptual and motor tests for potential pilots
• I/O psychologists, along with engineers such as Henry Gantt, were responsible for increasing the efficiency with which cargo ships were built, repaired, and loaded
• Thomas A. Edison, though not an I/O psychologist, understood the importance of selecting the right employees and created a 163-item knowledge test that he administered to over 900 applicants in 1920
• Gilbreths


  • Among the first, if not the first, scientists to improve productivity and reduce fatigue by studying the motions used by workers
• I/O psychology greatly expanded its scope

  1930s
• I/O psychology before 1930s


  Involved primarily in personnel issues such as the selection and placement of employees
• I/O psychology in the 1930s


  Psychologists became more involved in the quality of the work environment, as well as the attitudes of employees
• 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 studies


  1. Initially designed to investigate effects of lighting levels, work schedules, wages, temperature, and rest breaks on employee performance

  2. Researchers realized employees changed their behavior and became more productive because they were being studied and received attention from their managers

  3. This condition is now commonly referred to as the Hawthorne effect
• The major contribution of the Hawthorne studies was that it inspired psychologists to increase their focus on human relations in the workplace and to explore the effects of employee attitudes
• Reference check


  The process of confirming the accuracy of information provided by an applicant
• Reference


  The expression of an opinion, either orally or through a written checklist, regarding an applicant's ability, previous performance, work habits, character, or potential for future success
• Letter of recommendation


  A letter expressing an opinion regarding an applicant's ability, previous performance, work habits, character, or potential for future success
• Reasons for using references and recommendations


  • Confirming details on a résumé
  • Checking for discipline problems
  • Discovering new information about the applicant
  • Predicting future performance
• Résumé fraud


  Lying on their résumés about what experience or education they actually have