Industrial-Organizational Psychology Fields

The application of psychological principles to workplace problems, focusing on human behavior in industry.

Addresses human aspects of production, distribution, and consumption in industries.

Grew from applying psychological theories and techniques to workplace issues.

The study of individual differences among people is a key component.

Production of goods or services within an economy.

Improving business outcomes and making work more enjoyable for employees through understanding human behavior.

Applicable to product design, manufacturing, and distribution to enhance business and increase employee satisfaction.

A field of study, though not its own separate field in itself but a part of Industrial psychology, that concerns itself with behaviour in places of employment.

A coordinated group of people working together towards common goals.

A narrower field of psychology that focused on work in industries.

The interpersonal and group dynamics within an organisation.

A specific division within the American Psychological Association (APA) that focuses on industrial and organisational psychology.

An organization is more than the sum of its parts; it's a complex network of individuals and groups.

Organizations have a mental or emotional impact on individuals within them.

A shared purpose driving the organization's activity.

A branch of Industrial/Organizational psychology focused on individual differences in the workplace, including recruiting, selecting, and evaluating personnel.

A field of psychology applied to workplaces, encompassing personnel psychology and organizational behavior.

A method in personnel psychology to study a job and identify its required tasks, duties, and skills.

The process of choosing the best candidates for a job from a pool of applicants.

Assessing an employee's performance against established standards and goals.

The study of individuals and groups in organizations to solve practical managerial issues.

High employee turnover occurs when many employees leave their jobs.

Used to gather info about employee opinions and feelings.

The study of how individuals, groups, and organizational structures influence behavior within organizations, focusing on factors like attitudes, relationships, and performance.

A field concerned with designing work environments and tools that best suit human capabilities and limitations.

Ergonomics aims to create workplaces that promote well-being and improve productivity.

Ergonomics is involved in designing tools and machines that are easy and safe for humans to use.

Ergonomics focuses on creating work environments that reduce physical and mental strain.

By understanding human limitations, ergonomics increases efficiency and workplace safety.

These professionals apply psychological principles to design tools, machines, and work environments that are human-friendly.

While both focus on workplace behaviour, industrial psychology focuses more on individuals, while organisational behaviour examines broader social influences within organizations.

The factor that is manipulated or changed by the researcher to see its effect on another variable.

The factor that is measured or observed to see how it is affected by the independent variable.

This is a research question where the researcher is interested in seeing if there is a difference in job satisfaction between male and female employees. Gender is the independent variable, and job satisfaction is the dependent variable.

This is a research question where the researcher is interested in seeing if employees with high job satisfaction perform better at their jobs compared to those with low job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is the independent variable, and performance is the dependent variable.

The process of using statistical techniques to make sense of the data collected in research.

Data analysis helps researchers to interpret the collected information and draw meaningful conclusions about the relationships between variables.

The extent to which the conclusions of a research study can be applied to a wider population or setting.

The conclusions from a study can lead to new questions and research problems for future investigations.

A type of I/O research that focuses on the natural qualities of a situation, like behavior, setting, and treatment, using methods like observation, the case method, and archival research.

A method used to study overt behaviors in natural settings, often over prolonged periods, to understand things like nonverbal communication in interviews or differences between effective and ineffective managers.

A research method where a specific organization or situation is studied in detail to gain broader insights into organizational functioning or employee reactions to specific events.

When people being observed change their behavior because they know they are being watched, potentially leading to inaccurate observations.

The possibility that the presence of the observer may subtly affect the behavior they are trying to observe, potentially skewing the results.

Observation in I/O psychology can be time-consuming, costly, and require significant energy, limiting its frequent use.

A researcher might use the case method to study employee reactions to the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, gaining insights into organizational responses to major crises.

A research method where data is collected from existing organizational records to understand past events, trends, or decisions.