Organizational Psychology Exam #1
Questions and Answers
What is organizational psychology? - Answer--Systematic study of behavior and mental
processes at work
Old terms - Answer--Industrial psychology
-I/O psychology
Industrial side of I/O - Answer--Older branch
-Focus on personnel (human resources)
-Management perspective of organizational efficiency
Organizational side of I/O - Answer--Focuses more on individual employees
-Concerned with thinking and well-being of employee
-Rooted in HR perspective
What do psychologists in industry do? - Answer--Help employers achieve their goals
-Help customers achieve their goals
-Help product designers achieve their goals
What do employers want? - Answer--Make money
-Spend less
-Improve morale and efficiency
-Low turnover
etc
Industry vs academics - Answer--Academic psychology: investigates how people work
-Industry: designs systems that take advantage of this knowledge
I/O Research vs typical Psych Research - Answer--Mostly applied
-Own set of variables of little interest to other psychologists (job satisfaction, pay, etc)
-More work field (almost 70%)
-More correlational (experimental=changing a variable to see what happens,
correlational=looking at a relationship)
-Frequent use of simulations
Subspecialties in I/O Psych - Answer--Human Resources (personnel)
-Organizational Behavior
-Ergonomics
-Vocational counseling
-Industrial relations
, Pioneers in the field - Answer--Andrew Ure: first to study human factors in workplace
(1830s). Argued that technology improved working conditions.
-Karl Marx: alienation of workers due to capitalism and automation
-James McKeen Cattel: mental testing
-W.L. Bryan: advocated applied over pure research
-Walter Dill Scott: the first to apply psych to advertising
-Hugo Munsterberg: simulation of trolley car
-Walter Von Dyke Bingham: psych to sales
-Frederick Taylor: scientific management
Principles of Frederick Taylor's scientific management - Answer--Each job should be
analyzed and redesigned in a scientific way
-Employees need to be chosen in a scientific way
-Good, careful training is essential
-Reward high levels of productivity
Time and Motion Studies (Taylor) - Answer--Increased efficiency and a better world for
workers
Army Alpha/Army Beta - Answer--Early large scale personnel screening
Elton Mayo - Answer--Father of the human relations model
-The Hawthorne Studies (if you feel watched/cared for your productivity will go up)
-Another Hawthorne study (punching workers who produced more as well as people
who worked too slow- telling the boss got you punched as well)
Elton Mayo's conclusions - Answer--Ability does not equal performance
-Informed organization affects productivity
-Work-group norms affect productivity
-The workplace is a social system
-The need for recognition, security, and a sense of belonging is very important
Criterion - Answer--A standard by which we judge performance
Job Analysis - Answer--Method for describing jobs and the human attributes needed
Job Evaluation - Answer--Quantitative methods for determining salary
Performance Appraisal - Answer--Evaluating employees' performance at their job
Two basic approaches to Job Analysis - Answer--Job oriented approach (more
traditional, focuses on tasks, tools, etc)
-Person oriented approach (newer approach, typically focuses on KSAOs)
KSAOs - Answer--Knowledge: what a person knows
-Skills: what a person can do
Questions and Answers
What is organizational psychology? - Answer--Systematic study of behavior and mental
processes at work
Old terms - Answer--Industrial psychology
-I/O psychology
Industrial side of I/O - Answer--Older branch
-Focus on personnel (human resources)
-Management perspective of organizational efficiency
Organizational side of I/O - Answer--Focuses more on individual employees
-Concerned with thinking and well-being of employee
-Rooted in HR perspective
What do psychologists in industry do? - Answer--Help employers achieve their goals
-Help customers achieve their goals
-Help product designers achieve their goals
What do employers want? - Answer--Make money
-Spend less
-Improve morale and efficiency
-Low turnover
etc
Industry vs academics - Answer--Academic psychology: investigates how people work
-Industry: designs systems that take advantage of this knowledge
I/O Research vs typical Psych Research - Answer--Mostly applied
-Own set of variables of little interest to other psychologists (job satisfaction, pay, etc)
-More work field (almost 70%)
-More correlational (experimental=changing a variable to see what happens,
correlational=looking at a relationship)
-Frequent use of simulations
Subspecialties in I/O Psych - Answer--Human Resources (personnel)
-Organizational Behavior
-Ergonomics
-Vocational counseling
-Industrial relations
, Pioneers in the field - Answer--Andrew Ure: first to study human factors in workplace
(1830s). Argued that technology improved working conditions.
-Karl Marx: alienation of workers due to capitalism and automation
-James McKeen Cattel: mental testing
-W.L. Bryan: advocated applied over pure research
-Walter Dill Scott: the first to apply psych to advertising
-Hugo Munsterberg: simulation of trolley car
-Walter Von Dyke Bingham: psych to sales
-Frederick Taylor: scientific management
Principles of Frederick Taylor's scientific management - Answer--Each job should be
analyzed and redesigned in a scientific way
-Employees need to be chosen in a scientific way
-Good, careful training is essential
-Reward high levels of productivity
Time and Motion Studies (Taylor) - Answer--Increased efficiency and a better world for
workers
Army Alpha/Army Beta - Answer--Early large scale personnel screening
Elton Mayo - Answer--Father of the human relations model
-The Hawthorne Studies (if you feel watched/cared for your productivity will go up)
-Another Hawthorne study (punching workers who produced more as well as people
who worked too slow- telling the boss got you punched as well)
Elton Mayo's conclusions - Answer--Ability does not equal performance
-Informed organization affects productivity
-Work-group norms affect productivity
-The workplace is a social system
-The need for recognition, security, and a sense of belonging is very important
Criterion - Answer--A standard by which we judge performance
Job Analysis - Answer--Method for describing jobs and the human attributes needed
Job Evaluation - Answer--Quantitative methods for determining salary
Performance Appraisal - Answer--Evaluating employees' performance at their job
Two basic approaches to Job Analysis - Answer--Job oriented approach (more
traditional, focuses on tasks, tools, etc)
-Person oriented approach (newer approach, typically focuses on KSAOs)
KSAOs - Answer--Knowledge: what a person knows
-Skills: what a person can do
