Hfhfghfghfghfghfhfd

University of Phoenix Material

Industrial/Organizational Psychology Worksheet

The purpose of this assignment is to examine the fundamental concepts of the field of industrial/organizational psychology. Using the textbook, the University Library, the Internet, and/or other resources, answer the following questions. Your responses to each question will vary but overall should be 700- to 1,050-words in length.

1. Describe the evolution of the field of industrial/organizational psychology.

I/O psychology has only been in existence for about the last century. It was primarily an outgrowth of the Industrial Revolution. When factories and assembly lines began coming into existence, the people who ran the factories wanted to try to get as much money as possible out of their workers. The first I-O psychologists weren’t as interested in employees being satisfied and happy as they were about making sure that the jobs were designed to be as efficient and streamlined as possible. A landmark study of this time period involved a study to make trolley operators be as productive as possible, and another involved how best to design a coal shovel to increase production.

World War 1 and 2 boosted I/O psychology as psychologists developed tests designed to assess mental ability for more appropriate personnel placement. Used by the Army, this was "the first large-scale application of psychological testing to place individuals in jobs" (Spector, 2008, p. 12). World War II continued to stimulate the work of I/O psychology in military applications, and included the new aspect of maintaining the morale of military personnel. After the war, I/O psychologists were called upon to address expansion problems specifically related to productivity and motivation (Kanfer, 2005). Today the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology represents the field whose integrative approach accommodates the individual and the social fabric of organizations, and enhances the...