Industrial and Organizational Psychology Lecture Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes covering Industrial-Organizational Psychology concepts, research methods, criteria, job analysis, and predictors.

IO Psychology

A sub-discipline of psychology concerned with applying psychological concepts, principles, theory, and research to the work world.

Scientist-Practitioner Model

A model describing how scientific principles and findings can provide the basis for professional practice in real-life work settings.

Spillover Theory

A theory stating that what happens to individuals in one domain can spill over and affect them in another domain.

Theory

A statement that proposes to explain relationships among phenomena.

Inductive Method

A research approach where researchers start with data and then reach a theory.

Deductive Method

A research approach where a researcher first forms a theory and then tests the theory by collecting data.

Internal Validity

The degree to which relationships among variables in a study are accurate.

External Validity

The degree to which the relationship among variables in a study is generalizable or accurate in other settings.

True Experiment

A primary research method that involves independent variables, dependent variables, random assignment, and manipulation.

Quasi-Experiment

A primary research method similar to a true experiment, but which does NOT involve random assignment.

Non-Experiment

A primary research method that involves no manipulation or assignment of participants.

Meta-Analysis

A secondary research method using a statistical procedure that combines the results of many individual, independently conducted empirical studies into a single result or outcome.

Data Mining

A secondary research method that looks for patterns among measured items in very large data sets, also known as 'big data'.

Distinction Between Predictor/Criterion and IV/DV

Predictor/criterion applies to prediction, whereas IV/DV applies to experiments.

Quantitative Variables

Objects in a study that have a numerical value associated with them.

Categorical Variables

Objects in a study that do not have a numerical value associated with them.

Independent Variable (IV)

A variable that is manipulated to influence the dependent variable.

Dependent Variable (DV)

A variable that is influenced by the independent variable.

Predictor Variables

Variables used to predict a criterion variable.

Criterion Variables

Variables that are the primary object of a research study and are forecasted by a predictor variable.

Correlation

A statistical technique that shows how strongly a pair of variables are related.

Criteria

Standards used to help make evaluative judgements.

Conceptual Criterion

A theoretical standard that researchers seek to understand.

Actual Criterion

Operational or actual standards that researchers measure or assess.

Criterion Deficiency

The part of the conceptual criterion that is not measured by the actual criterion.

Criterion Relevance

The degree of overlap or similarity between the actual criterion and the conceptual criterion.

Criterion Contamination

The part of the actual criterion that is unrelated to the conceptual criterion.

Job Analysis (Work Analysis)

A formal procedure by which the content of work is defined in terms of activities performed and attributes needed to perform the work.

Subject Matter Expert (SME)

A person knowledgeable about the job who can serve as a qualified information source, such as job incumbents, managers, or coworkers.

Objective Performance Criteria

A set of factors used to assess job performance that are relatively objective or factual in character.

Subjective Performance Criteria

A set of factors used to assess job performance that are the product of someone's subjective rating of these factors.

Task

Basic units of work that are directed toward meeting specific work objectives.

Position

A set of tasks performed by a single employee.

Job

A set of similar positions in an organization.

Task-Oriented Procedures

Work analytic procedures that seek to understand work by examining tasks performed, usually in terms of what is accomplished.

Functional Job Analysis

A method of work analysis that describes the content of jobs in terms of people, data, and things.

Worker-Oriented Procedures

Work analytic procedures that seek to understand work by examining human attributes (KSAOs) needed to perform it successfully.

KSAOs

Knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics needed to perform work.

Linkage Analysis

A technique that establishes the connection between the tasks performed and the human attributes needed to perform them.

Competency Modeling

An informal approach applied to a broad range of jobs in group settings to identify competencies that align with an organization's vision.

Predictor

Any variable used to forecast a criterion, often expressed through a correlation coefficient $r$.

Reliability

Refers to consistency, stability, or equivalence of a measure.

Test-Retest Reliability

Reliability assessed across time by measuring something at two different points in time and comparing the scores.

Equivalent-Form Reliability

Reliability assessed across forms by developing two forms of a test to measure the same construct and giving both to the same group of people.

Internal-Consistency Reliability

The extent to which items on a test are similar and correlate with each other, typically targeting the $.70$-$.80$ range.

Inter-Rater Reliability

The degree of agreement among the assessments provided by two or more raters.

Validity

The accuracy of a measure, evaluating how appropriate a test is for drawing inferences about a certain criterion.

Construct Validity

The degree to which a test measures what it claims to be measuring.

Convergent Validity

The degree to which test scores correlate with other measures that test similar constructs.

Divergent Validity

The degree to which test scores do not correlate with measures that are not related to the construct.

Content Validity

The degree to which a test appropriately covers the content of the concept it is measuring.

Criterion-Related Validity

The degree to which a test predicts the criterion it is designed to predict.

Concurrent Criterion-Related Validity

Validity established by giving current employees a predictor test and correlating their scores with current job performance.

Predictive Criterion-Related Validity

Validity established by giving applicants a predictor test and evaluating how well those scores predict future criterion performance after a period of time.

Face Validity

The extent to which a test looks like it measures what it is supposed to measure.

Big 5 Theory of Personality (OCEAN)

A taxonomy of five personality dimensions: Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (Emotional stability).

Structured Interview

An interview method where questions are consistent across candidates and scored using a standard rubric.

Integrity Tests

A type of test designed to assess a candidate's honesty or character to identify individuals likely to engage in dishonest behavior at work.

Work Samples

A personnel selection test in which the candidate demonstrates proficiency on a task representative of work performance on the job.

Assessment Centers

A method of assessing job candidates via a series of structured, group-oriented exercises evaluated by raters.

Biodata

Measures of key aspects of an individual's life experiences intended to predict job applicants' future performance in organizations.