I/O Psychology Chapters 1-6 Exam Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key terms, concepts, legal framework, job analysis methods, research designs, and personality dimensions from Chapters 1 through 6 of Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Intervening Variable

A third variable that often accounts for the relationship between two variables in correlational analysis, preventing cause-and-effect inferences.

Affirmative Action Coworker Perception

The perception documented by research that employees hired through affirmative action programs are viewed by coworkers as less competent.

Reference Leniency

A common issue in employment references where ratings are overly positive, primarily because employers fear legal ramifications.

Point-of-Purchase Recruitment

A recruitment method based on marketing principles used to attract customers, such as placing help-wanted signs on pizza boxes or placemats.

Observation Method Limitations

A primary drawback of using observation for job analysis, specifically that the presence of an observer is often obtrusive to workers.

Item Homogeneity

A measure of internal consistency reliability that assesses whether all items on a test measure the same single construct.

The Gilbreths

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, a husband-and-wife engineering team who were early pioneers in studying worker motions to increase productivity and reduce fatigue.

GRE (Graduate Record Examination)

The standardized exam typically required for admission into graduate programs in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychology.

Employment Interview

The most widely used selection tool across organizations for evaluating job candidates.

Job Competency

Another term for Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics (KSAOs) required to perform a job effectively.

Differential Validity

A situation in which a test predicts job performance significantly better for one demographic group (e.g., men) than for another (e.g., women).

Financial Impact (Job Relatedness Exception)

A business outcome that is NOT a legal exception to the requirement that an employment practice must be job-related.

Recruitment

The organizational process of attracting individuals with the right qualifications to apply for open job positions.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A university committee established to review research proposals and ensure the ethical treatment of human research subjects.

Drug Testing Accuracy

A common misconception about drug testing; in reality, drug tests used by employers are highly accurate.

Drug Test Failure Rate Trend

The trend observed in recent years showing a decrease in the overall percentage of job applicants failing workplace drug tests.

Construct Validity Assessment

The process of validating a test by correlating its scores with scores from other established tests measuring similar constructs.

Primacy Effect in Interviews

An interview bias factor where early impressions dominate, explaining why there is no correlation between interview length and final decision outcome.

Projective Tests

Personality assessment tools like the Rorschach Ink Blot Test that are rarely used by I/O psychologists due to high cost, lengthy scoring, and poor reliability/validity.

Unstructured Interview Predictability

The empirical finding that standard unstructured interviews are poor predictors of future job performance.

Job Marketplaces

Websites where current or former employees can post online reviews about working conditions and culture at specific employers.

Civil Rights Act Title VII Exclusions

Key demographic characteristics not protected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, notably marital status.

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Limit

Federal standard requiring pay discrimination complaints to be filed with the EEOC within 180 days of receiving a discriminatory paycheck.

Sexual Harassment (Social Invitations)

Asking a coworker on a date constitutes sexual harassment if the recipient is not interested AND the request is made repeatedly.

Ammerman Technique

A specialized job analysis method that uses expert panel group interviews to establish job objectives and performance standards.

Job Analysis Responsibility

The organizational unit typically tasked with conducting job analyses, which is the human resources department.

Quasi-Experimental Design

Research methodology utilized when true experiments cannot be conducted due to ethical constraints and practical limitations.

Structured Interview

The most effective selection interview format to guarantee interviewers rely strictly on job-relevant information when making decisions.

Expert Panel Job Analysis

A job analysis approach, such as the Ammerman technique, where a panel of experts defines objectives and standards for an ideal employee.

Job Analysis Interview Purpose

The core goal of conducting job analysis interviews, which is to obtain detailed information about the job itself.

Biodata Validity Myth

The false assertion that biodata is a poor predictor of job performance, when in fact biodata is a strong performance predictor.

Unknown Recipient Cover Letter Salutation

The recommended formal greeting to use in a cover letter when the specific recipient's name is unknown: 'Dear Human Resource Director'.

First Step in Biodata Instrument Development

The initial phase of constructing a biodata tool, which requires obtaining detailed information about current employees.

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

A structured job analysis tool consisting of 300 items that can be difficult for respondents to read and comprehend.

Hawthorne Studies Era

The historical decade during which the influential Hawthorne studies were published (the 1930s).

College Student Generalizability Research

Research findings on whether college student subjects behave like real-world employees, which show overall inconsistent results.

Television Advertising in Recruitment

A recruitment channel utilized significantly more by specialized organizations like CarMax and the U.S. Military than by average firms.

Standard Cover Letter Length

The standard structure of a typical, professional employment cover letter, which contains four paragraphs.

Paper-and-Pencil Integrity Tests

Legally acceptable selection tests whose results correlate significantly with self-admissions of theft and organizational inventory loss.

Employer Website Recruitment Limitation

A key limitation of company career websites: although convenient, they are NOT the single most effective recruitment method.

Fourth Amendment

The constitutional amendment that safeguards individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures by government entities.

Experimental Method

The primary research methodology that allows researchers to draw direct cause-and-effect conclusions.

Job Evaluation Focus

The fundamental focus of a job evaluation, which assesses the financial worth of the job itself rather than the individual person performing it.

Age Discrimination Complaint Criteria

Legal prerequisites under ADEA (over age 40, qualified, replaced by younger worker); possessing 10 years of company service is NOT required.

I/O Psychology in the 1980s and 1990s

A period marked by advanced statistical methodologies, sophisticated selection system development, and integration of cognitive psychology principles.

K-R 20 vs. Coefficient Alpha

Measures of internal consistency: Kuder-Richardson 20 (K-R 20) is restricted to dichotomous items, whereas Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha applies to interval and ratio scales.

Case Law

Legal precedent created by written decisions and interpretations issued by judicial courts.

Intentional Recruitment of Underrepresented Groups

An affirmative action strategy involving targeted job advertising in publications with predominantly minority readership.

AET

An ergonomic job analysis questionnaire that is NOT an effective source of information regarding worker competencies.

Restricted Range

When the scores or characteristics of a group are limited to a narrow range, which can make relationships between variables appear weaker than they really are.

Test-Retest Reliability

The consistency of test scores when the same test is given to the same people at two different times.

Graphology

The use or analysis of a person's handwriting to try to assess their personality or characteristics

Realistic Job Preview (RJP)

A recruitment method that gives applicants both positive and negative information about a job so they have a more realistic understanding of it.

Quid Pro Quo

Sexual harassment where employment decisions or benefits are connected to sexual conduct.

Salary Survey

survey that collects information about how much similar jobs are paid at other organizations, often used to help determine competitive pay.

Practical Significance

Whether a research finding or difference has meaningful importance in the real world, rather than just being statistically significant.