Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Personnel Psychology
Field of study that concentrates on the selection and evaluation of employees
Organizational Psychology
Investigates the behavior of employees within the context of an organization
Human Factors
Concentrate on the interaction between humans and machines
Hawthorne Effect
Change of behavior due to mere presence of observers
Trade Magazines
Articles usually written by professional writers who have developed expertise in a given field
Field Research
Research conducted in a natural setting
Effect Size
Amount of change caused by an experimental manipulation
Mean Effect Size
Average of the effect sizes for all studies included in the analysis
Difference Score
How many standard deviations separate the mean score for the experimental group from the control group?
Practical Significance
Extent to which the results of a study have actual impact on human behavior
Type A Dilemma
High level of uncertainty as to what is right or wrong; there are both negative and positive consequences to a decision
Type B Dilemma
Rationalizing dilemmas, the difference between right and wrong is much clearer
Worker Mobility
Probability of promotion and job success
Peter Principle
Organizations tend to promote good employees until they reach their highest level of incompetence
Job Classification
Classifying jobs into groups based on similarities and is used to determining pay levels, transfers, and promotions
Job Evaluation
Used to determine the worth of a job
Job Design
Determine the best way for a job to be performed
Job Analysis Interview
Obtaining information about a job by talking to a person performing it
What are the eight sections that a job description should have?
Job Description
Brief Summary
Work Activities
Tools and Equipment Used
Job Context
Work Performance
Compensation Information
Job Competencies
Grade
A cluster of jobs of similar worth
Job Specifications
Dated term that refers to the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform a job
Competencies
Knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics needed to perform a job
Job Crafting
Process in which employees unofficially change their job duties to better fit their interests and skills
SME Conference
Group job analysis interview consisting of subject-matter experts
Ammerman Technique
Job analysis method where group of job experts identifies the objectives and standards to be met by the ideal worker
Observations
Job analyst watches job incumbents perform their jobs
Job Participation
Job analyst actually performs the job being analyzed
Task Inventory
Questionnaire containing list of tasks which the job incumbent rates on a series of scales such as importance and time spent
Task Analysis
Process of identifying the tasks for which employees need to be trained
Knowledge
Body of information needed to perform a task
Skill
Proficiency to perform a learned task
Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)
Contains 194 items organized into six main dimensions: information input, mental processes, work output, relationships with others, job context, and other job-related variables
Job Structure Profile (JSP)
Revised version of the PAQ designed to be used more by the job analyst than by the job incumbent
Job Elements Inventory (JEI)
Another alternative to the PAQ but is easier to read
Functional Job Analysis (FJA)
Rates the extent to which a job incumbent is involved with functions in the categories of data, people, and things
Job Components Inventory (JCI)
Job analysis technique that concentrates on worker requirements for performing a job rather than on specific tasks
AET/ Ergonomic Job Analysis Procedure
Ergonomic job analysis method
Occupational Information Network (ONET)
Job analysis system used by the federal government; jobs can be viewed at four levels:
economic
organizational
occupational
individual
Critical Incident Technique (CIT)
Job analysis method that uses written reports of good and bad employee behavior
Threshold Traits Analysis (TTA)
33-item questionnaire that identifies traits necessary to successfully perform a job
Fleishman Job Analysis Survey (F-JAS)
Jobs are rated on the basis of the abilities needed to perform them
Job Adaptability Inventory (JAI)
Job analysis method that taps the extent to which a job involves eight types of adaptability
What are the eight types of adaptability under JAI?
Handling emergencies or crisis situations
Handling work stress
Solving problems creatively
Dealing with uncertain and unpredictable work situations
Learning work tasks, technologies, and procedures
Demonstrating interpersonal adaptability
Demonstrating cultural adaptability
Demonstrating physically oriented adaptability
Personality-Related Position Requirements Form (PPRF)
Job analysis instrument that helps determine the personality requirements for a job
Job Evaluation
Process of determining the monetary worth of a job
Compensable Job Factors
Factors that differentiate the relative worth of jobs
Wage Trend Line
Line that represents the ideal relationship between the number of points that a job has been assigned and the salary range for that job
Salary Surveys
Questionnaire sent to other organizations to see how much they are paying their employees in positions similar to those in the organization
Comparable Worth
Idea that jobs requiring the same level of skill and responsibility should be paid the same regardless of supply and demand
Grievance System
Process in which an employee files a complaint with the organization and a person or committee in the organization makes a decision regarding the complaint
Mediation
Method of resolving conflict in which a neutral third party is asked to help the two parties reach an agreement
Arbitration
A neutral third party is asked to choose which side is correct
Binding Arbitration
Neither party is allowed to appeal the decision of the neutral third party
Nonbinding Arbitration
Either party may appeal the decision of the neutral third party
Case Law
Interpretation of a law by a court through a verdict in a trial, setting precedent for subsequent court decisions
Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ)
Selection requirement that is necessary for the performance of job-related duties and for which there is no substitute
Adverse Impact
Employment practice that results in members of a protected class being negatively affected at a higher rate than members of a majority class
Four-fifths Rule
When the selection ratio for one group is less than 80% of the selection ratio for another group, adverse impact is said to exist
Quid Pro Quo
Type of sexual harassment in which the granting of sexual favors is tied to an employment decision
Hostile Environment
Type of harassment characterized by a pattern of unwanted conduct related to gender that interferes with an individual's work performance
Recruitment
Process of attracting employees to an organization
Noncompetitive Promotions
Involve career progression where employees move to a higher position as they gain experience and knowledge
Competitive Promotions
Several internal applicants compete with one another for a limited number of higher positions
Employee Referrals
Rated as the most effective recruitment method
Job Fair
Several employers are available at one location so that many applicants can obtain information at one time
Cost per Applicant
Amount of money spent on a recruitment campaign divided by number of applicants
Realistic Job Preview (RJP)
Job applicants are told both the positive and negative aspects of the job
Expectation-lowering Procedure (ELP)
Form of RJP that lowers an applicant's expectations about the various aspects of the job
Primacy Effect
The fact that information presented early in an interview carries more weight than information presented later
Contrast Effect
When performance of one applicant affects the perception of the performance of the next applicant
Negative-information Bias
Negative information receives more weight in an employment decision than does positive information
Clarifier
Type of structured interview question that clarifies information on the resume or application
Disqualifier
Type of structured interview question where a wrong answer will disqualify the applicant from further consideration
Skill-level Determiner
Type of question designed to tap an applicant's knowledge or skill
Future-focused Question
Applicants are given a situation and asked how they would handle it
Situational Question
Applicants are presented with a series of situations and asked how they would handle each one
Past-focused Question
Question that taps an applicant's experience
Patterned-behavior Description Interview (PBDI)
Questions focus on behavior in previous jobs
Organizational-fit Questions
Question that taps how well an applicant's personality and values will fit with the organizational culture
Typical-answer Approach
Method of scoring interview answers that compares an applicant's answer with benchmark answers
Benchmark Answers
Standard answers to interview questions, the quality of which has been agreed on by job experts
Key-issues Approach
Method of scoring interview answers that provides points for each part of an answer that matches the scoring key
Averaging versus Adding Model
Model that postulates that our impressions are based more on the average value of each impression than on the sum of the values for each impression
Negligent Reference
Organization's failure to meet its legal duty to supply relevant information to a prospective employer about a former employee's potential for legal trouble
Job Knowledge Test
Test that measures the amount of job-related knowledge an applicant possesses
Ability Tests
Used primarily for occupations in which applicants are not expected to know how to perform the job at the time of hire
Wonderlic Personnel Test
Cognitive ability test that is most commonly used in industry; only 12 minutes necessary to take the test
Siena Reasoning Test
Test that almost eliminated the racial differences in test scores
Work Sample
Applicant performs actual job-related tasks
Assessment Center
Method of selecting employees in which applicants participate in several job-related activities, at least one of which must be a simulation, and are rated by several trained evaluators.
In-basket Technique
Assessment center exercise designed to simulate the types of information that come across a manager or employee's desk in order to observe the applicant's responses to such information
Simulation
Exercise designed to place an applicant in a situation that is similar to the one that will be encountered on the job
Leaderless Group Discussions
Applicants meet in small groups and are given a job-related problem to solve or a job-related issue to discuss
Business Games
Designed to simulate the business and marketing activities that take place in an organization
Biodata
Method of selection involving application blanks that contain questions that research has shown will predict job performance
File Approach
Gathering of biodata from employee files rather than by questionnaire
Questionnaire Approach
Obtaining biodata from questionnaires rather than employee files
Criterion Group
Division of employees into groups based on high and low scores on a particular criterion
Vertical Percentage Method
For biodata scoring, the percentage of unsuccessful employees responding in a particular way is subtracted from the percentage of successful employees responding in the same way
Derivation Sample
Group of employees who were used in creating the initial weights for a biodata instrument
Hold-out Sample
Group of employees who are not used in creating the initial weights for biodata but are used to double-check the accuracy of the initial weights
Personality Inventory
Psychological assessment designed to measure various aspect of an applicant's personality
Tests of Normal Personality
Measure the traits exhibited by normal individuals in everyday life
Aberrant Personality Types
Peculiarities that do not necessarily lead to a disorder but may affect daily functioning that deserve further attention
Interest Inventory
Psychological test designed to identify vocational areas in which an individual might be interested
Strong Interest Inventory
Popular interest inventory used to help people choose careers
Vocational Counseling
Process of helping individuals choose and prepare for the most suitable career
Integrity Test
Psychological test designed to predict an applicant's tendency to steal
Overt Integrity Test
Type of honesty test that asks questions about applicants' attituded toward theft and their previous theft history
Personality-based Integrity Test
Type of honesty test that measures personality traits thought to be related to antisocial behavior
Conditional Reasoning Test
Test designed to reduce faking by asking test-takers to select the reason that best explains a statement
Hostile Attribution Bias
Most people have harmful intentions behind their behavior
Potency Bias
It is important to show strength or dominance in social interactions
Retribution Bias
It is important to retaliate when wronged rather than try to maintain a relationship
Victimization Bias
Evil people will victimize less powerful individuals
Social Discounting Bias
Social customs restrict free will and should be ignored
Validity Generalization vs Synthetic Validity
VG-valid test for a job in one location is also valid in another, synthetic-validity for job component is valid for a different job with the same component
Known-group Validity
Difference in two groups of people possessing and not possessing what is being measured
Two most common sources of test information
Nineteenth Mental Measurements Yearbook
Tests in Print VIII
Taylor-Russell Tables
Predicting the percentage of successful employees when a test is used
Three pieces of information needed for Taylor Russell Tables
Criterion validity coefficient
Selection ratio
Base rate
Information needed for Proportion of Correct Decisions
Employee test score
Scores on the criterion
Lawshe Tables
Probability that a particular applicant will be successful
Information needed for Lawshe Tables
Validity coefficient
Base rate
Applicant's test scores
Information needed for the Brogden-Cronbach-Gleser formula
Number of hires per year
Tenure
Test validity
Standard deviation of performance in dollars
Mean standardized predictor score of selected applicants
What is single-group validity and what actions can be taken about it?
Test significantly predicts performance for one group and not others; disregard because it probably occurred by chance or stop using the test
What is differential validity and what actions can be taken about it?
Test is more valid for one group than the other; not to use the test, use with separate regressions for each group.
When does differential validity usually occur?
For occupations dominated by a single sex
Describe top-down selection, its advantages and disadvantages
Most utility
High levels of diverse impacts
Inflexibility in using non-test factors