APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY - OCCUPATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY Flashcards
What is occupational psychology?
the study of behaviour in work settings and the application of psychology principles to change work behaviour.
whats the approach to applied occupational psychology?
knowledge + experience = solutions
whats the hisotry of occupational psychology in 1900s?
taylorism - train workers to economical standards
whats the hisotry of occupational psychology in 1915?
HMWC
- worker fatigue, imporved conditions, health
whats the hisotry of occupational psychology in 1921?
NIIP
- brings positive change to commerce
whats the hisotry of occupational psychology in 1922?
1st full time occupational psychologist employed
whats the hawthorne effect?
when the mere act of observation changes an individuals behaviour
What was the aim and focus of the Hawthorne Electrical Plant study (Mayo, 1933)?
to find the optimal lighting for assembling electrical equipment, but it also examined rest periods, working hours, provision of refreshments, wage incentives, and working group size.
whats the key outcome of the hawthorne studies?
producitvity increased regardless of changes, showing that being observed made workers feel valued, which boosted performace.
whats the limitations of the hawhtorne study?
- supervisors changed
- feedback provided performance
- particpants changed mid experiment
What are some common methods of training design?
Lectures/seminars, webinars/online discussion, simulations, role-play, case studies, on-the-job training, coaching, mentoring, and e-learning.
what does behaviourism say about learning ?
Learning is seen as a change in measurable behavior; an example is programmed instruction (step-by-step learning).
what is social learning theory and give examples?
Learning occurs through observing and imitating others; examples include Behaviour Modelling Training and “Sitting by Nellie” (learning by working alongside an experienced person).
What is the Cognitive approach to learning?
learning focuses on thinking, understanding and processing feedback, positive feedback is important to reinforce learing
whats the common approch to evalute training?
training and measure
- sp basically using things like learning, reaction and behaviour to understand the training program and the performance tracking
why isnt the common approach to evalution very good?
- might see the hawthorne effect = people are doing better becasue they know theyre evaluted after
- dont know how much time is taken to imporve performance
- we dont know what peoples performace was like before the training to see if anything has changed
whats the pre-post measures?
measures
training
measures
what should be even better for measuring people in work places ?
a) We should use statistics to analyse the data not just surveys.
b) We should evaluate a group of people who didn’t do the training.
c) We should carry out the evaluation multiple times to see if gets the same results each time
whats the experimental apprach for the evaluating training?
control group
measure
no training
measure
experimental group
measure
training
measure
Which of the below best captures your experiences of motivation at work?
A. I’m well paid, so I work harder
B. I know if I work hard I’ll get rewarded (the company has incentives for hard work)
C. I try to work at my colleagues pace
D. My pay is RUBBISH so I’m in no hurry to get things done
E. What’s the point in working hard – I don’t benefit if I do!
A. I’m well paid, so I work harder
B. I know if I work hard I’ll get rewarded (the company has incentives for hard work)
whats the motivations in the workplace?
goal setting theory
herzbergs two -factor theory
realtional theories
1. equity theory
2. expectancy theory
whats the goal setting theory and who did it ?
LOCKE
- Difficult goals lead to higher performance than easy ones
- Specific goals lead to higher performance than general ones
- Feedback on performance is necessary if difficult specific goals are to
show their benefits
➢Goals must be accepted by employees first!
➢Difficult goals can’t be too difficult
whats the herzbergs two factor theory?
It’s a theory that explains employee motivation through two sets of factors:
Motivators (intrinsic): Cause job satisfaction (e.g., achievement, recognition, meaningful work).
Hygiene Factors (extrinsic): Prevent job dissatisfaction (e.g., salary, work conditions, policies).
Motivators create satisfaction; hygiene factors only reduce dissatisfaction—they don’t motivate by themselves.
what are the hygiene factors in the two factor theory?
elemts that prevent dissatification but doen necessarly increase motivation
- working conditions
- coworker relations
- policies and rules
- superivisor quality
- base wage and salary
