CH. 1 Flashcards
What is I/O Psychology?
The application of psychology to the workplace
How is it different from other branches of psychology?
Unique in that most of psychology is organized around processes, not specific domains
Initial goal of Industrial Psychology
The Early Years (1900-1916)
W. L. Bryan (APA president) suggests that psychologists should study people doing everyday activities (1903)
Industrial engineers try to improve efficiency
Time and motion studies – what’s the “one best way” to get something done
Effect of WWI
World War I (1917-1918)
Robert Yerkes (APA President) advocated the usefulness of psychologists in the war effort
He and others created the Army Alpha and Army Beta Tests to evaluate general intelligence of recruits
Army Beta test was created because 30% of troops were illiterate
Army was skeptical of psychologists approach, but by the end of the war saw the value of the placement tools
Journal of Applied Psychology was created in 1917
Oldest and most representative journal of I/O psychology
Major developments in I/O Psychology throughout the last century
- Frederick W. Taylor (1856-1915)
Mechanical engineer interested in industrial efficiency
“Science over rule of thumb”
Workers could be more productive if they took breaks
Accused of worker exploitation - Hugo Münsterberg (1863-1916)
Wilhelm Wundt’s research assistant!
Built trolley car simulation in laboratory to test all aspects
of operating a trolley
Sided with Germany in WWI, was widely criticized and
ultimately died of stress (some think) - Walter Dill Scott (1869-1955)
Started out with applying psychology to advertising
Instrumental in the application of personnel selection methods in WWI - Lillian Moller Gilbreth (1878-1972)
She and her husband (Frank) worked together and were interested in
Different parts of the efficiency equation
Frank interested in technical aspects of worker efficiency
Lillian interested in human factors of time management
Among the first to recognize the effects of stress and fatigue on workers
Two of her TWELVE children wrote a book about their family
called Cheaper by the Dozen
Between the Wars 1919-1940
Between the Wars (1919-1940)
Applied psychology emerged as a discipline
Psychological consulting firms and research bureaus came into full bloom
Companies could pool money to fund research and gain the benefits from it
Hawthorne-Western Electric Studies/Harvard University Joint Venture
Set out to study the effect of different levels of illumination on efficiency
All levels of lighting (decreased and increased) improved performance
Researchers reasoned that simply being watched by the researchers improved performance
This is called the Hawthorne Effect
Revealed the complexity of human behavior
Effects of WW II
World War II (1941-1945)
Already legitimized in WWI and after, I/O psychologists joined the war effort early
Group ability testing – Army General Classification Test
12 million soldiers classified into military jobs on the basis of this test
Situational stress tests – Office of Strategic Services
Used to assess placement of people into military intelligence units
Detailed in The Assessment of Men, a book describing assessment techniques in WWII
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b4385310;view=1up;seq=9
Development of more employment tests in industry
Government Intervention (1964-1993)- Civil Rights Act (Title VII) – 1964
Civil Rights Act (Title VII) – 1964
Regulation of testing, selection, and other employment decisions to ensure nondiscriminatory practices
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html
Americans with Disabilities Act – 1990
Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities
Civil Rights Act – 1991
Allowed people to take legal action against employers and sue for emotional damage
Family and Medical Leave Act – 1993
Allowed 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family or medical issues
Current goal of I/O psychology: The Information Age (1994-Present)
The Information Age (1994-Present)
Internet accelerates change (information technology)
Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (social media)
Google changed the way we get information
Amazon changed the way we shop
Speed of delivery is of prime importance
The concept of “job” begins to erode
Telecommuting and virtual teams mean work is no longer a physical place
I/O Psychologists Contribute after 9/11
November of 2001, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) created to increase security at airports
I/O Psychologists devised ways to recruit, select, and train 50,000+ TSA agents in one year
Created a day-long interview/assessment
Evaluated 1.8 million applications, tested 340,000 candidates
Needed visual discrimination ability (on X-rays), English proficiency, certain personality characteristics (e.g., integrity, positive work ethic, customer service orientation), physical abilities (lift luggage)
Mandate of I/O Psychology
Increase the fit between workforce and workplace during rapid change
Help workforce balance work-family issues
Frederick W. Taylor (1856-1915)
Mechanical engineer interested in industrial efficiency
“Science over rule of thumb”
Workers could be more productive if they took breaks
Accused of worker exploitation
