Industrial Organizational Psychology
Exam 1 with Complete Solutions
How did William James define Psychology? - ANS-the description and
explanation . . .that is, the study of the causes, conditions, and immediate
consequences so far as these can be ascertained, of states of consciousness . . .such
as sensations, desires, emotions, cognitions, reasonings, decision, volitions, and the
like in human beings.
What is a more general definition of psychology? - ANS-The scientific study of thinking
and behavior
What is Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology? - ANS-The application of
psychological principles and methods to the problems and processes of the workplace.
Give the formal definition of I-O Psychology: - ANS-An area of scientific study and
professional practice that addresses psychological concepts and principles in the work
world.
Between 2012-2022 the U.S. department of labor ranked I-O psychology the ______ of
the 20 fastest growing jobs with a projected growth rate of _______%. - ANS-first, 53%
________________ Psychology focuses on human resource processes such as
selection, training and performance appraisal. - ANS-Industrial
_______________ Psychology focuses on both micro-level (employee attitudes,
motivation, well-being) and macro-level (groups/teams, organizational development and
change). - ANS-Organizational
Explain how the "I" and the "O" in I-O Psychology are connected: - ANS-"I" and "O"
topics are intertwined, just as they are in the workplace. Leadership, for example,
influences employee motivation (micro-O) and organizational development (macro-O),
but to develop leaders you need good selection and training tools (I).
Describe the difference between Scientists and Practitioners according to the Scientist-
Practitioner Model: - ANS-As scientists, I-O psychologists learn basic research
techniques and processes, and use those processes to ask and learn about issues that
face organizations. As practitioners, they consider how these questions and research
may be applied to workplace settings.
,Although questionnaires are used often by I-O psychologists what are some potential
problems they pose? - ANS-- The return rate: many people are not willing to complete
them, generally a 50% return rate is considered adequate, but this raises the question
of how representative the 50% that responds is.
- Truthfulness of responses: this is a bigger issue when the questions are perceived as
threatening and sensitive
_____________: a type of research method in which the investigator monitors
employees for the purpose of understanding their behavior and culture. - ANS-
Observation
_____________ _____________ ______________:A class of research methods that
examines existing info from research studies that used primary methods - ANS-
Secondary Research Methods
Since many times a single studies results are inconclusive or have conflicting results, a
___________-__________ standardizes variables and aggregates results of several
studies to yield a more definite conclusion - ANS-Meta-Analysis
It is only appropriate to meta-analyze studies that have the same _______ ___
__________. - ANS-level of analysis
____________ ____ ___________: the unit or level (individuals, teams, organizations,
nations, ect.) that is the object of the researcher's interest and about which the
conclusions are drawn from their research. - ANS-Level of Analysis
________________ ______________: a class of research methods in which the
investigator takes an active role in interacting with the subjects he or she wishes to
study. - ANS-Qualitative Research
__________: a qualitative research method that utilizes field observations to study a
society's culture. - ANS-Ethnography
Define Emic: - ANS-an approach to researching phenomena that emphasizes
knowledge derived from the participants' awareness and understanding of their own
culture.
Define Etic: - ANS-an approach to researching phenomena that emphasizes knowledge
derived from the perspective of a detached objective investigator in understanding a
culture.
_________ ________: an emerging secondary research method in I-O psychology that
looks for patterns of association among the measured items in very large data sets. -
ANS-Data Mining
, Data Mining is also known as "_______ _______"- it is used to do what? - ANS-"Big
Data," Used to reveal patterns of large data sets
What are the three research issues that are distinctive to data mining compared to other
research methods in I-O psychology? - ANS-1. Wide range of possible scale values
2. Uses correlation coefficient, but also other statistical indices not generally used in I-O
3. Not necessarily used to test theories - looking for patterns without theory of what they
should be
_________________ __________________:The scientific study of neural activity as
evidenced in organizational attitudes and behavior. Study of organizational attitudes and
behavior at the physiological level. - ANS-Organizational Neuroscience
What 3 machines were mentioned as helping with organizational neuroscience
investigations? - ANS-- Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): identifies the
structure of the brain
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI): identifies the process of brain activity
Electroencephalography (EEG): records the brain's electrical output
What are the 2 types of step three of the empirical research cycle- measurement of
variables: - ANS-2 Types:
1. Experimental: Independent (controlled or manipulated by the experimenter);
Dependent (the outcome of interest).
2. Non-Experimental: Predictor (the variable score used to anticipate the outcome);
Criterion (the outcome of interest).
____________: an object of study whose measurements can take on 2 or more values.
- ANS-variable
_____________ ______________: objects of study that inherently have numerical
values associated with them (example: weight). - ANS-quantitative variables
____________ ____________: objects of study that do not inherently have numerical
values associated with them, such as gender. - ANS-categorical variables
_________ _________: a variable used to predict or forecast a criterion variable. -
ANS-predictor variable
___________ ________: a variable that is a primary objective of a research study; it is
forecasted by a predictor variable. - ANS-criterion variable
What are the four levels of measurement? - ANS-1. Nominal (categories)
2. Ordinal (rank order)
3. Interval (rank order with equal distances, but no zero point, example-thermometer)
4. Ratio (same as interval with a true zero-point example weight)
Exam 1 with Complete Solutions
How did William James define Psychology? - ANS-the description and
explanation . . .that is, the study of the causes, conditions, and immediate
consequences so far as these can be ascertained, of states of consciousness . . .such
as sensations, desires, emotions, cognitions, reasonings, decision, volitions, and the
like in human beings.
What is a more general definition of psychology? - ANS-The scientific study of thinking
and behavior
What is Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology? - ANS-The application of
psychological principles and methods to the problems and processes of the workplace.
Give the formal definition of I-O Psychology: - ANS-An area of scientific study and
professional practice that addresses psychological concepts and principles in the work
world.
Between 2012-2022 the U.S. department of labor ranked I-O psychology the ______ of
the 20 fastest growing jobs with a projected growth rate of _______%. - ANS-first, 53%
________________ Psychology focuses on human resource processes such as
selection, training and performance appraisal. - ANS-Industrial
_______________ Psychology focuses on both micro-level (employee attitudes,
motivation, well-being) and macro-level (groups/teams, organizational development and
change). - ANS-Organizational
Explain how the "I" and the "O" in I-O Psychology are connected: - ANS-"I" and "O"
topics are intertwined, just as they are in the workplace. Leadership, for example,
influences employee motivation (micro-O) and organizational development (macro-O),
but to develop leaders you need good selection and training tools (I).
Describe the difference between Scientists and Practitioners according to the Scientist-
Practitioner Model: - ANS-As scientists, I-O psychologists learn basic research
techniques and processes, and use those processes to ask and learn about issues that
face organizations. As practitioners, they consider how these questions and research
may be applied to workplace settings.
,Although questionnaires are used often by I-O psychologists what are some potential
problems they pose? - ANS-- The return rate: many people are not willing to complete
them, generally a 50% return rate is considered adequate, but this raises the question
of how representative the 50% that responds is.
- Truthfulness of responses: this is a bigger issue when the questions are perceived as
threatening and sensitive
_____________: a type of research method in which the investigator monitors
employees for the purpose of understanding their behavior and culture. - ANS-
Observation
_____________ _____________ ______________:A class of research methods that
examines existing info from research studies that used primary methods - ANS-
Secondary Research Methods
Since many times a single studies results are inconclusive or have conflicting results, a
___________-__________ standardizes variables and aggregates results of several
studies to yield a more definite conclusion - ANS-Meta-Analysis
It is only appropriate to meta-analyze studies that have the same _______ ___
__________. - ANS-level of analysis
____________ ____ ___________: the unit or level (individuals, teams, organizations,
nations, ect.) that is the object of the researcher's interest and about which the
conclusions are drawn from their research. - ANS-Level of Analysis
________________ ______________: a class of research methods in which the
investigator takes an active role in interacting with the subjects he or she wishes to
study. - ANS-Qualitative Research
__________: a qualitative research method that utilizes field observations to study a
society's culture. - ANS-Ethnography
Define Emic: - ANS-an approach to researching phenomena that emphasizes
knowledge derived from the participants' awareness and understanding of their own
culture.
Define Etic: - ANS-an approach to researching phenomena that emphasizes knowledge
derived from the perspective of a detached objective investigator in understanding a
culture.
_________ ________: an emerging secondary research method in I-O psychology that
looks for patterns of association among the measured items in very large data sets. -
ANS-Data Mining
, Data Mining is also known as "_______ _______"- it is used to do what? - ANS-"Big
Data," Used to reveal patterns of large data sets
What are the three research issues that are distinctive to data mining compared to other
research methods in I-O psychology? - ANS-1. Wide range of possible scale values
2. Uses correlation coefficient, but also other statistical indices not generally used in I-O
3. Not necessarily used to test theories - looking for patterns without theory of what they
should be
_________________ __________________:The scientific study of neural activity as
evidenced in organizational attitudes and behavior. Study of organizational attitudes and
behavior at the physiological level. - ANS-Organizational Neuroscience
What 3 machines were mentioned as helping with organizational neuroscience
investigations? - ANS-- Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): identifies the
structure of the brain
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI): identifies the process of brain activity
Electroencephalography (EEG): records the brain's electrical output
What are the 2 types of step three of the empirical research cycle- measurement of
variables: - ANS-2 Types:
1. Experimental: Independent (controlled or manipulated by the experimenter);
Dependent (the outcome of interest).
2. Non-Experimental: Predictor (the variable score used to anticipate the outcome);
Criterion (the outcome of interest).
____________: an object of study whose measurements can take on 2 or more values.
- ANS-variable
_____________ ______________: objects of study that inherently have numerical
values associated with them (example: weight). - ANS-quantitative variables
____________ ____________: objects of study that do not inherently have numerical
values associated with them, such as gender. - ANS-categorical variables
_________ _________: a variable used to predict or forecast a criterion variable. -
ANS-predictor variable
___________ ________: a variable that is a primary objective of a research study; it is
forecasted by a predictor variable. - ANS-criterion variable
What are the four levels of measurement? - ANS-1. Nominal (categories)
2. Ordinal (rank order)
3. Interval (rank order with equal distances, but no zero point, example-thermometer)
4. Ratio (same as interval with a true zero-point example weight)
