18: Applied Psychology

Applied psychology

The use of psychological principles and research methods to solve practical problems

Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology

A field that focuses on the psychology of work and on behavior within organizations

Organizational culture

The blend of customs, beliefs, values, attitudes, and rituals within an organization

Organizational citizenship

Making positive contributions to the success of an organization in ways that go beyond ones job description

Personnel psychology

A branch of industrial/organizational psychology concerned with testing, selection, placement, and promotion of employees

Job analysis

A detailed description of the skills, knowledge, and activities required by a particular job

Critical incidents

Situations that arise in a job with which a competent worker must be able to cope

Biodata

Detailed biographical information about a job applicant

Personal interview

Formal or informal questioning of job applicants to learn their qualifications to gain an impression of their personalities

Vocational interest test

A paper-and-pencil test that assesses a persons interest and matches them to interest found among successful workers in various occupations

Aptitude test

An evaluation that rates a persons potential to learn skills required by various occupations

Assessment center

A program set up within an organization to conduct in-depth evaluations of job candidates

Situational judgement test

Presenting realistic work situations to applicants in order to observe their skills and reactions

In-basket test

A testing procedure that simulates the individual decision-making challenges that executives face

Leaderless group discussion

A test of leadership that simulates group decision-making and problem solving

360° feedback

Evaluation of employee performance, mainly anonymous numerical ratings, collected from different perspectives

Job satisfaction

The degree to which a person is comfortable with or satisfied with his or her work

Job enrichment

Making a job more personally rewarding, interesting, or intrinsically motivating; typically involves increasing worker knowledge

Flextime

A work schedule that allows flexible starting and quitting times

Flexplace (telecommuting)

An approach to flexible work that involves working at a location away from the office, but using a computer to stay connected throughout the workday

Theory X Leadership (scientific management)

An approach to leadership that emphasizes work efficiency

Work efficiency

Maximum output (productivity) at lowest cost

Psychological efficiency

Maintenance of good morale, labor relations, employee satisfaction, and similar aspects of work behavior

Theory Y leadership

A leadership style that emphasizes human relations at work and that views people as industrious, responsible, and interested in challenging work

Transformational leadership

Leadership aimed at transforming employees to exceed expectations and look beyond self-interest to help the organization better compete

Shared leadership (participative management)

A leadership approach that allows employees at all levels to participate in decision-making

Management by objectives

A management technique in which employees are given specific goals to meet in their work

Self-managed team

A work group that has a high degree of freedom with respect to how it achieves its goals

Quality circle

An employee discussion group that makes suggestions for improving quality and solving business problems

Environmental psychology

The formal study of how environments affect behavior

Social environment

An environment defined by a group of people and their activities or interrelationships (such as a parade, revival meeting, or sports event)

Physical environments

Natural settings, such as forests and beaches, as well as environments built by humans, such as buildings, ships, and cities

Behavioral setting

A smaller area within an environment whose use is well defined, such as a bus depot, waiting room, or lounge

Ecological footprint

The amount of land and water area required to replenish the resources that a human population consumes

Crowding

A subjective feeling of being overstimulated by a loss of privacy or by the nearness of others (especially when social contact with them is unavoidable)

Density

The number of people in a given space or, inversely, the amount of space available to each person

Attentional overload

A stressful condition caused when sensory stimulation, information, and social contacts make excessive demands on attention

Noise pollution

Stressful and intrusive noise, usually artificially generated by machinery, but also includes sounds made by animals and humans

Environmental assessment

The measurement and analysis of the effects an environment has on the behavior and perceptions of people within that environment

Architectural psychology

The study of the effects that building have on behavior and the design of buildings using behavioral principles

Social dilemma

A social situation that tends to provide immediate rewards for actions that will have undesired effects in the long run

Tragedy of the commons

A social dilemma in which individuals, each acting in his or her immediate self-interest, overuse a scarce group resource

Social norms marketing

A persuasion technique that seeks to change attitudes by making explicit relevant social norms in order to foster compliance

Personalized normative feedback

A persuasion technique that seeks to change attitudes by comparing feedback about individual performance with relevant social norms in order to foster compliance

Carbon footprint

The volume of greenhouse gases individual consumption adds to the atmosphere

Legal psychology

The study of the psychological and behavioral dimensions of the legal system

Forensic Psychology

The study of clinical aspects of the law

Scientific jury selection

Using social science principles to choose members of a jury

Mock jury

A group that realistically simulates a courtroom jury

Community psychology

A branch of psychology that goes beyond an individual focus and integrates social, cultural, economic, political, environmental, and international influences to promote positive change, health, and empowerment at individual and systemic levels

Sports psychology

The study of the psychological and behavioral dimensions of sports performance

Task analysis

Breaking complex sills into their subparts

Motor skill

A series of actions molded into a smooth and efficient performance

Motor program

A mental plan or model that guides skilled movement

Mental practice

Imagining a skilled performance to aid learning

Peak performance

A performance during which physical, mental, and emotional states are harmonious and optimal

Portfolio

A collection of printed examples of a persons accomplishments and work

e-Portfolio

A digital, rather than hardcopy, collection of printed examples of a persons accomplishments and work