Exam review notes

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 6:14 PM

Week 1: Introduction to I/O Psychology

What is I/O Psychology?
• Definition: Application of psychological principles and theories to the workplace.
• Study Focus: How people behave and relate at work and how they perform their jobs.

Two Branches of I/O Psychology:

1. Industrial (Focus on tasks, processes, and outcomes):
○ Job Analysis: Defining tasks and skills required for a job.
○ Training: Improving employees' job performance.
○ Selection: Choosing the right candidates for a job.
○ Performance Appraisal: Assessing employee performance.
2. Organizational (Focus on human behavior, culture, and motivation):
○ Motivation: Factors driving job performance.
○ Work Attitudes: Employee satisfaction and engagement.
○ Leadership: Influence and managing teams.
○ Organizational Structure & Culture: How a company is organized and operates.

Training for I/O Psychologists:

• Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) oversees professional trainin
• Training Focus: Scientist/practitioner model:
○ Scientists: Generate knowledge through research.
○ Practitioners: Apply knowledge in real-world settings.
• Degree Programs: PhD (5-6 years) or Master’s (2 years). PhD requires a dissertation.
• Competencies: The main goal of graduate training is to develop key skills, including:
○ Research methods, statistics, and data analysis.
○ Measurement and assessment.
○ Job analysis and employee classification.
○ Employee training, attitude theory, and work motivation.

What Do I/O Psychologists Do?

• Work Areas:
○ Research & teaching.
○ Selection & recruitment.
ng.
 ○ Employee training, attitude theory, and work motivation.

What Do I/O Psychologists Do?

• Work Areas:
○ Research & teaching.
○ Selection & recruitment.
○ Training & development.
○ Organizational development.
○ Quality of work life, social justice, and prosocial work.
• Career Focus: Most I/O psychologists focus on either research or practice:
○ Scientists: Work in universities, research institutes, or private/public organizations.
○ Practitioners: Work in consulting firms, HR departments, or government roles.

History of I/O Psychology:

1. Pre-WWI:
○ Walter Dill Scott: Gave a talk on the psychology of advertising in 1901, marking the
○ Published The Theory of Advertising (1903).
○ Hugo Munsterberg: Published Psychology and Industrial Efficiency (1913).
2. WWI Through the 1920s:
○ Robert Yerkes (APA President): Developed Alpha and Beta mental ability tests for m
○ First PhD in Industrial Psychology (1921).
○ Strong Vocational Interest Bank for Men: Created the Strong Interest Inventory.
3. 1930s to WWII:
○ Hawthorne Studies: Examined how lighting affected worker productivity at Wester
from tasks to social/psychological conditions of work.
4. WWII to 1960s:
○ Established Army Research Institute (ARI) and Air Force Human Resources Labora
5. 1960s to Mid-1980s: Civil and workers' rights movements influenced job practices.
○ Creation of APA Division of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
6. Mid-1980s to Today: Rapid growth of I/O graduate programs and more focus on cognitiv

Week 2: Science & Research in Psychology

What is Science?
• Science: A method for generating a body of knowledge. Psychology relies on formal, syste
answer questions about behavior.

Goals of Science:
1. Description: What is it? (Defining and observing behavior).
2. Explanation: Why does it happen? (Understanding causes).
3. Prediction: What if? (Anticipating future behavior).
 Resources Laboratory (AFHRL).
5. 1960s to Mid-1980s: Civil and workers' rights movements influenced job
practices.
○ Creation of APA Division of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
6. Mid-1980s to Today: Rapid growth of I/O graduate programs and more focus on
cognitive processes.

Week 2: Science & Research in Psychology

What is Science?
• Science: A method for generating a body of knowledge. Psychology relies on
formal, systematic observation to answer questions about behavior.

Goals of Science:
1. Description: What is it? (Defining and observing behavior).
2. Explanation: Why does it happen? (Understanding causes).
3. Prediction: What if? (Anticipating future behavior).
4. Control: Can we change it? (Manipulating variables to influence outcomes).

What is Theory?
• Theory: A set of interrelated constructs, definitions, and propositions that
explain and predict a phenomenon by specifying relationships among variables.

Basic Terminology & Concepts:

1. Induction: Data → Theory. Observing data to form a theory.
2. Deduction: Theory → Data. Using an existing theory to predict and test data.
3. Causal Inference: Determining if a cause-effect relationship exists between
variables.
○ Variables:
§ Independent Variable (IV): The factor manipulated.
§ Dependent Variable (DV): The factor measured.
§ Extraneous Variables: Uncontrolled factors that could affect results.
4. Control: Ensuring causal inference can be made.
○ Hold extraneous variables constant, manipulate them in the design, or use
statistical control.

Internal Validity vs. External Validity:

• Internal Validity: Can you confidently say that the IV caused the DV?
• External Validity: Can the results be generalized to other people, settings, or
times?
Internal Validity vs. External Validity:
• Internal Validity: Can you confidently say that the IV caused the DV?
• External Validity: Can the results be generalized to other people, settings, or
times?

Types of Research Designs:

1. Experimental Methods:
○ Lab Experiments: Controlled environments.
○ Field Experiments: Natural settings.
○ Quasi-Experiments: Lacking random assignment (e.g., using pre-existing
groups).
2. Observational Methods:
○ Naturalistic Observation: Observing in a natural environment.
○ Archival Research: Using existing data.
○ Survey Research: Using questionnaires to gather data from a large
sample.

Data Collection Techniques:

1. Naturalistic Observation:
○ Participant Observation: Observer blends in with subjects.
○ Unobtrusive Observation: Observer stays on the sidelines.
2. Case Studies: Detailed examination of individuals or groups (often descriptive,
not hypothesis-testing).
3. Archival Research: Using pre-existing data; efficient but lacks control over data
quality.

Surveys: The most frequently used method in I/O research.

• Pros: Cheap, large samples, anonymous.
• Cons: Low response rates, limited ability to ask questions.

Interviews: More in-depth but time-consuming. Better response rates than surveys.

Measurement Issues:
1. Reliability: Consistency/stability of a measure.
○ Test-Retest Reliability: Stability over time.
○ Interrater Reliability: Consistency among multiple raters.
○ Parallel Forms Reliability: Equivalence between different versions of a
test.
○ Internal Consistency: Relatedness of test items (split-half and inter-item
reliability).
2. Validity: Extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.
○ Construct Validity: Does it measure the right concept?
○ Criterion-Related Validity: Does the test predict outcomes?
 test.
○ Internal Consistency: Relatedness of test items (split-half and inter-item
reliability).
2. Validity: Extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.
○ Construct Validity: Does it measure the right concept?
○ Criterion-Related Validity: Does the test predict outcomes?
§ Predictive Validity: Future performance.
§ Concurrent Validity: Current performance.
Statistics:
• Central Tendency: Mean (average), Median (middle value), Mode (most
frequent).
• Dispersion: Range (lowest to highest), Variance, Standard deviation (how
spread out scores are).
• Correlation Coefficient (r): Measures the strength and direction of the
relationship between two variables.
• Regression: Using one variable to predict another; r² indicates how much
variance is explained by the predictor.

Week 3: Job Analysis

Job Analysis: A tool to define a job by its tasks, duties, and required knowledge/skills
(KSAOs).
Components of Job Analysis:
1. Job Description: What tasks and duties the job involves.
2. Job Specification: What personal characteristics (KSAOs) are needed to perform
the job.

Elements of Job Analysis:

• Task Statements: Describe specific activities involved in a job (e.g., cooking or
cleaning in a restaurant).
• Duties: Larger segments of work that may include multiple tasks (e.g., ensuring
smooth day-to-day operations).
• Job Specification (KSAOs):
○ Knowledge: Information needed to perform a task (e.g., understanding
theories).
○ Skills: Proficiency in performing a task (e.g., writing).
○ Abilities: Fundamental capacities for tasks (e.g., physical strength).
○ Other Characteristics: Personality, motivation, degrees, licenses.

Methods of Job Analysis:

1. Interviews: Talking with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts).
 ○ Abilities: Fundamental capacities for tasks (e.g., physical strength).
○ Other Characteristics: Personality, motivation, degrees, licenses.

Methods of Job Analysis:

1. Interviews: Talking with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts).
2. Observations: Watching employees perform their tasks.
3. Functional Job Analysis (FJA): Breaking down tasks into data, people, and
things.

Task Inventory Approach: Develop a list of tasks and rate them based on importance,
time spent, and difficulty.

Functional Job Analysis (FJA): More detailed, includes ratings on time, complexity,
and importance for data, people, and things.

Job Analysis Questionnaires:

• Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ): 195 items assessing work-related
information.
• Common Metric Questionnaire (CMQ): Similar to PAQ but more detailed,
tapping into 80 job dimensions.

Critical Incidents Technique: SMEs describe examples of good and poor job
performance.

Competency Models:
• Core Competencies: Apply across all jobs in an organization.
• Functional Competencies: Apply within certain departments.
• Job-Specific Competencies: Unique to a particular job.

Week 4: Criterion Measurement

Criteria: Evaluative standards used to assess employee success or failure.

Ultimate Criterion: Theoretical construct encompassing all aspects of job

performance (ideal but impossible to measure completely).

Actual Criterion: The best real-world measure of performance, developed to reflect

the ultimate criterion as closely as possible.

Characteristics of Good Criteria: