Industrial/Organizational Psychology – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing essential terms from Chapters 1–15 of the Industrial/Organizational Psychology lecture series. Use them to review core concepts, theories, and practices in I/O psychology.

Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology

Branch of psychology that applies scientific principles to understand and improve the workplace.

Science–Practitioner Model

Concept that I/O psychologists act as researchers and as practitioners who apply findings to real organizations.

Industrial Approach

Side of I/O focusing on job analysis, selection, training, and performance appraisal (getting the right people in the right jobs).

Organizational Approach

Side of I/O concerned with motivation, leadership, culture, and work-life issues that influence employee performance.

Personnel Psychology

Area dealing with analyzing jobs, recruiting, selecting, training, and evaluating employees.

Organizational Psychology

Area examining leadership, job satisfaction, motivation, communication, and group processes.

Human Factors / Ergonomics

Discipline that designs tools, machines, and work environments to fit human abilities and limitations.

Hawthorne Effect

Increase in productivity that occurs when employees receive attention and believe they are being studied.

Army Alpha & Beta

First large-scale group ability tests used by I/O psychologists to place U.S. soldiers in WWI (Alpha for literate, Beta for illiterate).

Peter Principle

Tendency to promote employees until they reach their level of incompetence.

Job Analysis

Systematic process of describing work activities and KSAOs necessary to perform a job.

Job Description

Two-to-five-page written summary of a job’s tasks, responsibilities, conditions, and evaluation criteria.

Job Context

Section of a job description detailing physical, social, and environmental conditions of the job.

KSAOs

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics required for successful job performance.

Task Statement

Specific sentence describing an action and object (plus how, why, where) used in job analysis.

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

Standardized 194-item job-analysis instrument covering information input, mental processes, work output, relationships, and context.

Critical Incident Technique (CIT)

Job-analysis method collecting examples of especially good or poor job behavior to identify key tasks.

Job Evaluation

Process of determining a job’s relative worth for compensation purposes.

Internal Pay Equity

Fair pay structure achieved by comparing jobs within the same organization on compensable factors.

External Pay Equity

Fairness of pay relative to similar jobs in the external labor market, often assessed with salary surveys.

Comparable Worth

Principle that jobs of equal value to an organization should receive equal pay regardless of gender or race composition.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

U.S. federal agency that enforces laws prohibiting workplace discrimination.

Protected Class

Group legally shielded from employment discrimination (e.g., race, sex, national origin, age 40+, disability).

Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ)

Legally allowable requirement that a job be filled by a person of a certain group because it is essential to the job.

Adverse Impact

When an employment practice disproportionately excludes members of a protected class.

Four-Fifths Rule

EEOC guideline stating adverse impact exists if a group’s selection rate is less than 80 % of the highest group’s rate.

Quid Pro Quo Harassment

Sexual harassment where job benefits are conditioned on submission to sexual advances.

Hostile Environment

Sexual harassment involving unwelcome conduct that unreasonably interferes with work performance.

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

U.S. law granting eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for family or medical reasons.

Affirmative Action

Program of proactive steps to correct past discrimination and promote equal employment opportunity.

Reliability (Testing)

Extent to which a selection measure yields consistent, error-free scores (stability, internal consistency, scorer agreement).

Validity (Testing)

Degree to which evidence supports the inferences drawn from test scores about job performance.

Content Validity

Extent to which test items represent all important facets of the job domain.

Criterion Validity

Statistical relationship between test scores and job-performance measures (concurrent or predictive).

Construct Validity

Evidence that a test truly measures the psychological trait it claims to measure.

Face Validity

Perceived job relatedness of a test by test-takers and administrators; affects acceptance and motivation.

Taylor–Russell Tables

Tables estimating percent of future successful employees when a test with given validity, base rate, and selection ratio is used.

Selection Ratio

Proportion of applicants hired (number hired ÷ number of applicants).

Base Rate

Percentage of current employees considered successful on the job before a new selection test is used.

Banding (Selection)

Grouping of test scores within a standard-error range so candidates inside a band are treated as having equivalent scores.

Realistic Job Preview (RJP)

Recruitment technique giving applicants honest, balanced information about positives and negatives of a job.

Structured Interview

Interview using job-analysis-based questions asked identically of all applicants and scored with a standard key.

Situational Interview

Structured interview asking candidates what they would do in hypothetical job scenarios (future-focused).

Behavioral Interview

Structured interview asking candidates to describe past job behaviors relevant to key competencies (past-focused).

Clarifier Question

Interview item designed to fill gaps or verify facts on an applicant’s résumé or application.

Skill-Level Determiner

Interview question or prompt that directly assesses an applicant’s level of expertise in a required skill.

Work Sample Test

Selection test requiring applicants to perform tasks actually done on the job to assess competence.

Assessment Center

Multi-method, multi-rater selection process using simulations such as in-baskets, role plays, and group exercises.

Biodata

Biographical information questionnaire using past life, education, and work experiences to predict job success.

Cognitive Ability Test

Assessment measuring mental capabilities such as reasoning, memory, verbal and quantitative skills.

Personality-Based Integrity Test

Assessment predicting counterproductive behaviors by measuring traits like conscientiousness and socialization.

Work Preference Inventory

Scale that distinguishes individuals’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations toward work.

Goal-Setting Theory

Motivation theory stating that specific, challenging goals and feedback lead to higher performance.

Expectancy Theory

Motivation model proposing that effort depends on expectancy, instrumentality, and valence of outcomes.

Equity Theory

Idea that employees compare their input-outcome ratios to others and adjust behavior to restore fairness.

Organizational Justice

Overall perception of workplace fairness, encompassing distributive, procedural, and interactional justice.

Job Satisfaction

Positive attitude or emotional state resulting from appraisal of one’s job and job experiences.

Organizational Commitment

Extent to which an employee identifies with, is involved in, and intends to remain in an organization.

Job Enrichment

Redesigning work to add autonomy, variety, and responsibility, increasing motivation and satisfaction.

Social Facilitation

Improved individual performance on easy tasks when the person is in the presence of others.

Social Loafing

Tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working collectively than when working alone.

Groupthink

Faulty decision making that occurs when cohesive group members suppress dissent and strive for unanimity.

Self-Managed Work Team

Group of employees with authority to manage themselves, plan work, and make decisions traditionally made by supervisors.

Mediation

Neutral third party helps disputants reach a voluntary, mutually acceptable resolution.

Arbitration

Neutral third party hears both sides of a dispute and imposes a binding decision.

Change Agent

Individual who champions, manages, or implements organizational change initiatives.

Organizational Culture

Shared values, beliefs, rituals, and norms that influence how employees think, feel, and behave at work.

Empowerment

Process of giving employees authority, resources, and information to make decisions affecting their work.

Flextime

Scheduling system allowing employees to choose work hours within limits of core and bandwidth periods.

Telecommuting

Working away from the traditional office, often from home, using computers and telecommunications.

Downsizing

Intentional reduction of workforce and other costs to improve efficiency or respond to economic pressures.

Stress

Psychological and physical reaction to demands that exceed a person’s resources; stressors cause strains.

Eustress

Positive, energizing form of stress that enhances motivation and performance.

Distress

Harmful form of stress leading to anxiety, burnout, and performance decrements.

Role Ambiguity

Stressful condition in which job duties and performance expectations are unclear.

Burnout

State of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment due to chronic stress.

Hygiene Factors

Job-context elements (pay, policies, conditions) whose absence causes dissatisfaction but whose presence does not motivate.

Motivators (Two-Factor Theory)

Job-content factors (achievement, responsibility, growth) that truly increase job satisfaction and motivation.

Path–Goal Theory

Leadership model stating leaders should adopt styles (directive, supportive, participative, achievement) that fit subordinate needs and task.

Leader–Member Exchange (LMX)

Theory focusing on quality of relationships (in-group vs out-group) between a leader and each subordinate.

Transactional Leadership

Leadership based on exchanges; uses contingent rewards and corrective actions to manage performance.

Transformational Leadership

Leadership that inspires followers through vision, charisma, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration.

Team Cohesiveness

Degree to which team members are attracted to the team and motivated to stay part of it.

Task-Oriented Role

Group behavior aimed at accomplishing work goals, such as initiating ideas or seeking information.

Person-Oriented Role

Group behavior focused on maintaining relationships, such as encouraging participation and harmonizing.

Punctuated Equilibrium Model

Theory stating teams make initial plans, experience a midpoint transition with major changes, then finish work rapidly.