I/o Psychology - Historical Background

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1964 Civil Rights Act - Title VII

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Title VII addressed discrimination in employment, which was becoming a problem due to the disproportionate results (over gender/race) from assessment devices (tests, interviews) used to make employment decisions.

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1978 Uniform Guidelines on Employment Selection Procedures

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* companies were legally mandated to demonstrate that their employment tests did not uniformly discriminate against any minority group
* addressed all devices used to make all types personnel decisions (not just paper-and pencil)

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1990 Americans with Disabilities Act

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* designed to remedy inequities in the workplace

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Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)

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* selection and classification of military personnel
* administered to 300K-400K people each year (120K-140K are selected)

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Over the past 20 years, the primary theoretical basis of I/O psychology has shifted from ______ to _____.

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I/O psychology's focus has shifted from [BEHAVIORISM] to the [COGNITIVE FACTORS] that cause behavior.

[BEHAVIORISM] - concern with the social and environmental factors that shape behavior.

[COGNITIVE FACTORS] - how individuals receive information from their environment, how they process that information, and in turn how they manifest behavior.

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behaviorism

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* concern with the social and environmental factors that shape behavior

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cognitive factors causing behavior

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Concerns how individuals:

* receive information from their environment
* process that information
* manifest behavior via this information

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cross-cultural psychology

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An area of research that examines the degree to which psychological concepts/findings GENERALIZE to people in other cultures and societies.

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Army Beta

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a nonverbal intelligence test developed during WWI by I/O psychologists to assess illiterate recruits

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Frederick Taylor

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One of the founding fathers of I/O psychology:

* believed employees and management could work in tandem
* published The Principles of Scientific Management
* Pig Iron example

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Gilbreth, Frank and Lilian

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* researched time and motion in industrial production
* coined "therbligs" - elements of human motion
* stated "the human being is the most important element in industry"

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Organizational Development

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One of the six fields of I/O Psychology:

* analyze the structure of an organization to maximize satisfaction and effectiveness of individuals, work groups, and customers
* facilitate organizational change/growth

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Taylor's Principles of Scientific Management

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* science over rule of thumb
* scientific selection & training
* cooperation over individualism
* equal division of work

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APA Division #

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I/O Psychology is represented by Division 14 of the APA, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)

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scientist-practitioner model

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Educational framework for I/O psychology, which is based on:

* scientific inquiry
* practical application

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licensing law

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A law regulating BOTH:

* title of psychology
* practice of psychology

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certification law

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A law regulating:

* only the title of psychologist

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licensure

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The process of regulating a professional practice (psychology):

* standards/requirements vary by state

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licensure controversy

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1. Psychology licensure originally developed for health care (I/O psychologists are not health care providers).

2. Uniform national licensing exam has heavy emphasis on non-I/O areas of psychology (clinical and counseling).

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Training and Development

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One of the six fields of I/O Psychology:

* identify skills that need to be enhanced to improve job performance
* formulate, implement, and evaluate effectiveness of training programs

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Selection and Placement

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One of the six fields of I/O Psychology:

* develop assessment methods for the selection, placement, and promotion of employees
* validate test instruments (how well they predict performance)
* analyze job content (how compatible jobs are with individual's skills and interests)

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Performance Appraisal/Measurement

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One of the six fields of I/O Psychology:

* identify criteria or standards for job performance
* measure utility (value) of job performance to the organization

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6 fields of I/O psychology

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* Selection and Placement
* Training and Development
* Performance Appraisal/Measurement
* Organization Development
* Quality of Worklife
* Ergonomics

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Quality of Worklife

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One of the six fields of I/O Psychology:

* concerned with factors that contribute to a healthy, happy, and productive workforce
* redesign jobs to make them more meaningful and satisfying to employees

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Ergonomics

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One of the six fields of I/O Psychology:

* design tools, equipments, and machines that are compatible with human skills

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Sun Tzu recognized the need for:

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* hierarchical organization
* staff planning

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generic management

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Socrates believed that management qualities were generic/universal.

"What makes a good chorus manager makes a good army manager."

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W. L. Bryan

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* conducted research on professional telegraphers and their skill development in sending/receiving Morse code
* emphasized the study of "concrete activities and functions as they appear in everyday life"

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impetus for the emergence of I/O psychology

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The merging of these two forces:

1. The pragmatic (applied interests) nature of some basic psychological research (e.g., Bryan).

2. The desire of industrial engineers to improve efficiency (e.g., Gilbreth).

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Walter Dill Scott

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One of the founding fathers of I/O psychology, studied:

* influence of advertising
* human efficiency

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Hugo Münsterberg

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One of the founding fathers of I/O psychology, he:

* is commonly called The Father of I/O Psychology
* published Psychology and Industrial Efficiency
* studied trolley car operators
* emphasized matching the person with work demands
* emphasized positively influencing employee attitudes

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Army Alpha

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an intelligence test developed during WWI by I/O psychologists for the selection and placement of military personnel

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WWI's role in the emergence of I/O psychology

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* WWI was a strong impetus to psychology's rise to respectability
* applied psychology emerged from WWI as a recognized discipline

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Robert Yerkes

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* President of the APA during WWI
* pushed for psychology as a valuable resource in the war effort

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The Psychological Corporation

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Founded by James Cattell in 1921, its purpose was to:

* advance psychology and promote its usefulness to industry
* provide reference checks on prospective psychologists

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Hawthorne effect

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A positive change in behavior that occurs at the onset of an intervention followed by a gradual decline, often to the original level of the behavior prior to intervention.

* can last from a few days to two years, depending on the situation

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Hawthorne studies - definition

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A series of research studies that refocused the interests of I/O psychologists to how work behavior manifests itself in an organizational context.

* original study: lighting & efficiency
* discovered that factors other than purely technical ones (e.g., lighting) influence productivity

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Hawthorne studies revealed the importance of _______.

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The Hawthorne studies revealed the importance of:
* employee attitudes
* an understanding or sympathetic supervisor
* the need to treat works as people, not merely human capital

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situational stress tests

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* conducted by U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
* assess soldiers' emotional and interpersonal reactions to stress and frustration using 3-person group exercises

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Elton Mayo

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* founder of human relations movement

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human relations movement

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Founded by Elton Mayo, it emphasized...

* individual needs
* informal groups
* social relationships

...as the primary basis for behavior within organizations.