Introduction Flashcards
What is psychology?
The science of human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
What is industrial psychology?
A study of the relationship between a worker and his or her job
3 key questions related to industrial psychology
- What is the job?
- Who should we hire for the job?
- How do we assess traits and abilities?
What is organizational psychology?
The study of how organizations influence workers, and how they operate in groups
2 key questions related to organizational psychology
- Are groups the sum of their individuals? If so, what systematic differences can we expect?
- How can we negotiate better with others?
Difference between IO psychology and OBHR
IO Psychology:
-> Generally more focused on the individual’s internal world
-> More emphasis on research, especially psychometrics and experimental methods (Generally quantitative)
OBHR:
-> More focused on the organization’s interests, strategies, and practices
-> Greater acceptance of qualitative research and business case studies
Purpose of theories
Helps you to summarize complexities into key factors and predict how they work
A good theory is…
- Generalizable
-> But not necessarily to everyone - Well-backed by evidence
-> But not all theories are equal - Useful and applicable
-> But some theories are designed for specific situations
3 important validities
- Construct validity
- Internal validity
- External validity
What is construct validity?
- The extent that a test purely measures what it claims to measure
- The degree of a psychological state is correspondingly reflected in a quantitative measure
More on construct validity
Usually the main concern in IO psychology
What is internal validity?
The extent to which a causal conclusion is warranted, which is determined by the extent that a study is free from confounds
More on internal validity
Field studies often have poor internal validity, but the use of experiments is increasing
What is external validity?
The extent that the conclusions of a study are generalizable beyond the sample or context of the study
More on external validity
Usually acceptable as many studies are conducted with actual workers
The 2 common but wrong approaches to selection
- Which type of employees are the highest performers
- What assessments can I use to find the highest performers
The starting point for almost any selection inquiry is…
What is the job
Definition of job analysis
A systematic and purposeful collection of work-related job information to develop:
1. Job description
2. Employee specification
What is job-oriented job analysis?
Job analysis on the job description
What is person-oriented job analysis?
Job analysis on employee specification
What aspects are included in the job description?
- Work activities
- Tools and equipments
- Context of the work environment
What aspects are included in the employee specification?
Requirements of personnel performing the job, in other words, the KSAOs
What are KSAOs?
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, or Other traits
Knowledge
Factual understanding
Skills
Learned/learnable behaviors
Abilities
Physical/mental capacities
Other traits
Personality, values, styles
5 different data collection methods of job analysis (can be used in combination)
- Participation
- Interviews
- Observation
- Surveys
- Existing data
Pros and cons of Participation
Pro:
Contextualized & detailed
Cons:
Requires extensive training
Pros and cons of interview
Pro:
Diverse perspectives
Con:
Not contextualized
Pros and cons of observation
Pro:
Objective & contextualized
Con:
Causes behavior to change
Pros and cons of surveys
Pro:
Efficient to analyze
Diverse perspectives
Cons:
Not contextualized
Requires in-depth knowledge to design surveys
The main product of job-oriented job analysis
Task statements
Task statements should include…
- The action the worker is to perform
- Expected result of action
Task statements may also clarify the involvement of…
- Data
-> Upon what instructions? - People
-> Interacting with whom? - Things
-> Using what tools or aids?
