History and Overview of I/O Psychology

• Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology is being presented
• The focus is on the historical background of I/O psychology

Intended Learning Objectives

• Able to identify major fields of I/O psychology
• Learn about the history of I/O psychology
• Be able to describe I/O psychology and what I/O psychologists do
• Know the admissions requirements for graduate programs in I/O psychology

Historical overview

• Overview of the evolution of industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology in both the United States and abroad
• Dates from the late nineteenth century to its current form as a complex, wide-ranging scientific and applied discipline
• Integrates contextual background with the development of science and practice from a chronological perspective
• The history is partitioned into seven somewhat arbitrary time periods

Industrial Psychology Defined

• Psychology branch concerned with behavior study in work settings
• Application of psychology principles to change work behavior
• The branch of applied psychology is concerned with efficient management of an industrial labor force
• Deals with problems encountered by workers in a mechanized environment
• Addresses people's work-related values, attitudes, and behaviors, and how they are influenced by working conditions
• Combination of "Industrial," referring to the part of social life that provides civilized man with material goals
• "Psychology" as the science of behavior in relation to the environment

Psychology as a Science

• Psychology is the scientific study of thinking and behavior
• Defined as a science because psychologists use rigorous research methods
• Research methods are comparable to other scientific investigation areas
• Psychologists are a diverse group with specialized interests

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

• Branch of psychology applying principles to the workplace
• Enhances dignity, performance, and organizations by advancing science and knowledge of human behavior
• Industrial-organizational psychologists apply psychological theories to explain and enhance workplace human behavior effectiveness
• I/O Psychologists rely on the scientist-practitioner model, acting as scientists when conducting research
• They act as practitioners when working with actual organizations
• I/O Psychologists act as scientist-practitioners when research findings are applied
• I/O Psychologists will only perform organizations with high quality work that enhances its effectiveness

Quotes About Industrial Psychology

• C.S. Myres: The aim is primarily to give the worker more ease at his/her work, not necessarily to obtain greater production or output
• Thomas W. Harrell: can be defined as the study of people as individuals and in groups and of the relationship between individual and group
• Blum and Naylor: The application/extension of psychology to the issues concerning human beings within business and industry contexts
• Tiffin and McCormick: Concerned with studying human behavior in aspects of life related to the production, distribution, and using goods/services
• Guion: The scientific study of the relationship between workers and the world at work, including adjustments to the workplace

I/O versus Business Programs

• I/O Psychology applies psychological principles.
• I/O Psychology focuses on people in the organization, not broader aspects like marketing or cost accounting.
• It relies on research, quantitative methods, and testing techniques.

Areas within Industrial Psychology

• Personal Psychology: concerned with analyzing jobs, recruiting applicants, selecting and training employees, evaluating employee performance, and determining salary levels
• Organizational Psychology: addresses employee motivation, job satisfaction, group processes, leadership, conflict management, and organizational communication
• Human Engineering: focuses on the adjustment of man with machines, including layout of workplace, man-machine adjustment, fatigue and boredom, industrial safety, and stress management

Fields of I/O Psychology

• Selection and Placement: I/O psychologists develop assessment methods for employee selection, placement, and promotion
• Selection and Placement: They study jobs, determine if tests predict job performance, and match employees' skills/interests with appropriate jobs.
• Training and Development: Concerned with identifying employee skills to enhance job performance
• Training and Development: Includes technical skills, managerial programs, and effective teamwork training
• Training and Development: I/O psychologists in this field design ways to assess the success of training/development programs.
• Performance Appraisal: Identifying standards or criteria for determining how well employees are performing their jobs
• Performance Appraisal: Concerned with determining the utility or value of job performance to the organization
• Performance Appraisal: May measure the performance of work teams, units, or the organization itself
• Organization Development: Analyzing organization structure to maximize satisfaction/effectiveness of individuals, work groups, and customers
• Organization Development: This is directed toward facilitating the organizational growth process and behavior in organizations.
• Quality of Worklife: Factors contributing to a healthy and productive workforce
• Quality of Worklife: May involve redesigning jobs for more meaning/satisfaction.
• Ergonomics: Interdisciplinary field that includes I/O psychologists
• Ergonomics: Concerned with designing tools, equipment, and machines compatible with human skills
• Ergonomics: Uses knowledge of physiology, industrial medicine, and perception to design effective work systems.

Characteristics of I/O Psychology

• Systematic study of human behavior, particularly regarding collecting information about human behavior at work
• Factors that affect the work of an individual are personal or related to working conditions
• It Is not concerned with administration, solely research
• Information should be implemented, including the personnel administration is responsible for applying such research.
• It is concerned with utilizing information about human behavior to address various industrial problems
• Studies methods of performing manual operations for better utilization of them and minimizing effort through human engineering

Scopes of Industrial Psychology

• Scientific Selection of Workers: Uses tests (systematic interviews, intelligence and psychological tests) for personnel characteristic measurements
• Scientific Selection of Workers: Properly select and place candidates on the job
• Proper Division of Work: Work should be divided according to worker abilities, skills and aptitude so they feel comfortable and satisfied
• Minimizing the Wastage of Human Efforts: Minimize the wastage of human power by identifying psychological factors causing fatigue/accidents
• Minimizing the Wastage of Human Efforts: Gives feasible suggestions to prevent them, alongside using motivation and morale techniques
• Promoting Labor Welfare: Promoting labor welfare by introducing adequate working environment, increasing job satisfaction/efficiency, and higher incentives
• Enhancement of Human Relations: Deals with relations among individuals in an organization and behavior emerging from their relations
• Enhancement of Human Relations: Contributes to leadership techniques, worker participation, and communication
• Developing Industrial Relations: Studies attitudes of employers and employees, helping to develop industrial relationship among workers and management
• Increase Production: Attaining the major objective of getting the best output from the existing resources
• Increase Production: Achieved through proper selection, work distribution, accident prevention, and safety measures

American Psychologist Association, Division of Industrial Psychology

• Seven major areas comprised the content area of industrial psychology in 1959
  • Selection and testing
  • Management development
  • Counseling
  • Employee motivation
  • Human engineering
  • Marketing research
  • Public relations research

History of I/O Psychology: 1900-1920

• 1903: Walter Dill Scott publishes The Theory of Advertising
• 1913: Hugo Munsterberg publishes Psychology and Industrial Efficiency
• 1917: Journal of Applied Psychology is first published

World War I

• Soldiers underwent selection via Army Alpha and Army Beta tests
• John Watson developed tests specifically for pilots
• Henry Gantt improved cargo ship efficiency

History of I/O Psychology: 1920-1940

• 1921: The first Ph.D. in I/O Psychology was awarded to Bruce Moore and Merrill Ream at Carnegie Tech
• 1932: The first I/O textbook was written by Morris Viteles
• 1933: Hawthorne Studies were published
• 1937: American Association for Applied Psychology was established

Key Figures in the History of I/O Psychology

• Walter Dill Scott worked to apply psychological principles to advertising
• Walter Dill Scott published books and essays on industry problem solving, and contributed to the testing movement in WWI
• Hugo Münsterberg is credited for the first I/O psychology textbook, "Psychology and Industrial Efficiency" in 1910
• Hugo Münsterberg was interested in personnel selection and psychological testing
• Walter Bingham started the Division of Applied Psychology
• Walter Bingham headed the Personal Research Federation and directed The Psychological Corporation
• Frank & Lilian Gilbreth developed a time and motion study method, analyzing work motions and time to complete activities via filming details
• Frederick Taylor sought to remove all inefficiency from the manual workplace, working to reduce judgment, and increase productivity in workers
• Elton Mayo created the Human Relations approach and spearheaded the "Hawthorne Studies"
• Elton Mayo emphasized industrial democracy and employee participation to boost motivation and lower resistance

Research in I/O Psychology Definitions

• Research: A formal process by which knowledge is produced and understood
• Generalizability: The extent to which conclusions drawn from one research study spread or apply to a larger population
• Theory: A statement that proposes to explain relationships among phenomena of interest

Requirements of Psychological Research

• Objective observation
• Well-controlled
• Systematic
• Capable of duplication

Methods of Conducting Psychological Researching in Industry

• Experimental method: Investigate one influencing variable while holding the other variables constant
• Naturalistic observation method: observing behavior in the real world
• Survey method: focuses on our attitudes and opinions

Techniques for Psychological Research in the Workplace

• Personal interviews
• Telephone surveys
• Mail surveys