Summary Psychology in the workplace Chapter 3

MODULE 3.1 An Introduction to Individual Differences

Some background

differences among individuals detracted from the precise results Wundt sought, but to one of his
students, they represented a fascinating discovery.
James McKeen Cattell (1860–1944) began measuring and charting the differences among people
using “psychological” variables
 developed the concept of a mental test as a way of charting these differences.
 Because the subject matter of this research was differences, the study of differences
became known as differential psychology

Galton
was gathering information that would support his cousin Charles Darwin’s radical theory of
evolution. In earlier years, Galton had measured inherited characteristics like height, weight,
reach, and hair color.

Cattell
 returned to America and used this test to measure the intelligence of incoming college
students. He believed that he could use the resulting scores to help students choose
curricula and to predict who would successfully complete college.
 developed methods of measuring mental ability, placing it on a scale or metric (Standard
of measurement; a scale)
 As a result, the actual measurement of abilities became known as psychometrics
Practice of measuring a characteristic such as mental ability, placing it on a scale or metric

3 pioneers of differential psychology were primarily interested in the mental abilities of “normal”
people
 Alfred Binet was measuring mental abilities of French schoolchildren.
 Lewis Terman was conducting similar studies in California with a translation of Binet’s test.
 Hugo Munsterberg was measuring the abilities of trolley drivers in order to predict the
likelihood of accidents.

World War I in 1917, the leading industrial psychologists of the time persuaded the army to use an
intelligence test to screen recruits and determine who should attend officers’ candidate school

The post-war years of selection tests
In the postwar years, intelligence tests were adapted for use in selecting individuals for jobs with
government and industry. By 1932, measuring the differences in intelligence among individuals in
order to predict things like accidents and productivity was a well-established practice

the hunt for new “abilities” continues even in the 21st century two such abilities (emotional
intelligence and situational judgment)


Differential Psychology, Psychometrics, and I-O Psychology

The experimental psychologist
usually designs an experiment that will show how all people are alike in their response to a
stimulus and looks outside the individual to the stimulus as a way to explain behavior.

In contrast, the differential psychologist
is person‐centeredcentered, looking for qualities or characteristics within the person that will help us
understand that person’s behavior. In the past, I ‐centeredO psychology, particularly the applied aspect of

, it, depended on these differences to predict things like job success, job satisfaction, and
counterproductive work behavior. I‐centeredO psychology still makes great use of the individual
differences approach, but it also considers factors like organizational practices, team
characteristics, physical work and work environment design, and even broad cultural influences

The marriage of psychometrics and differential psychology
 The differential psychologistidentified what should be measured,
 and the psychometricianset about measuring it.
 As we saw from the work of Cattell and his contemporaries, the attribute most often
measured—and considered most important—was some form of intelligence, or
cognitive ability. People use cognitive abilities to acquire knowledge, solve problems, and
apply reason to situations.
 Consequently, many studies were conducted to show that an individual’s general
intellectual capacity was closely associated with that individual’s occupational and
vocational success.
 The pioneers in theories of intelligence referred to this attribute as “g,” an abbreviation
for general mental ability. Today’s psychologists still use that term, and we will use it in
this book. We have just introduced three terms—“intelligence,” “cognitive ability,” and
“mental ability”—in rapid succession. These all refer to general mental ability, and for the
present discussion, you may consider them interchangeable. Later in this chapter we will
explore the distinction between these general abilities versus specific mental processes
such as memory and perception.


Identifying Individual Differences

how I‐centeredO psychologists explore individual differences today as opposed to 25 years ago
 In the past, we concentrated on only one shaft—intelligence.
 Today we are sinking many more shafts, as well as deeper ones (e.g., specific mental
abilities such as memory, specific aspects of personality such as emotional stability, and
potentially new abilities such as emotional intelligence). Before, we were content to stop
at a more superficial level (“intelligence” or “personality”).
 Today our explorations are broader and deeper, and we can reach more meaningful
conclusions because the reliability and validity of our measuring devices are better.

distinguish among the differential psychologist, the psychometrician, and the applied I ‐centeredO
psychologist as drilling metaphor
 The differential psychologist examines the psychological landscape and identifies areas for
drilling.
 The psychometrician actually sinks the shaft.
 The applied I‐centeredO psychologist uses what comes out of that shaft—in this case not oil, water,
or gold, but valuable predictors of performance

Varieties of Individual Differences
-What is the ge-ocentric model?
g-ocentric modelTendency to understand and predict the behavior of workers simply by
examining “g.”
-5 areas in which work psychologists consider individual differences in addition to cognitive ability?
1. Physical abilitiesBodily powers such as muscular strength, flexibility, and stamina
2. PersonalityAn individual’s behavioral and emotional characteristics, generally found to
be stable over time and in a variety of circumstances; an individual’s habitual way of
responding.
3. InterestsPreferences or likings for broad ranges of activities.

, 4. KnowledgeA collection of specific and interrelated facts and information about a
particular topical area.
5. EmotionAn effect or feeling, often experienced and displayed in reaction to an event or
thought and accompanied by physiological changes in various systems of the body.
The performance of most jobs requires multiple abilities


MODULE 3.2 Human Attributes

Abilities

3 broad concepts in which ability taxonomy of Fleischmann can be divided into?
Taxonomy a comprehensive list of Fleischmann about 52 abilities. An orderly, scientific system
of classification
 cognitive
 physical
 perceptual‐centeredmotor abilities

the abilities Fleishman identified cover quite an impressive variety—and they do not cover
personality, affect, or interest!
 AffectThe conscious, subjective aspect of emotion

Fleishman’s taxonomy of abilities can be used for many different applied purposes
 effective way to analyze the most important abilities in various occupations
 It can also be used to determine training needs, recruiting needs, and even work design.
 Fleishman’s ability list contributed to the development of a comprehensive expert
computer system called O*NET that connects human abilities with job demands.




Cognitive Abilities

Difference between intelligence and IQ
 IQ is a historical term that stood for intelligence quotient and refers to the way early
intelligence test scores were calculated. The term no longer has scientific meaning,
although it is still often used by the general public.
 Intelligence can be defined as the ability to learn and adapt to an environment
how is intelligence as g defined?
“Intelligence is a very general mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to
reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn
from experience”
  when we refer to someone as intelligent, we imply that he or she would be good at a
range of activities that require learning and adaptation

Is “g”important at work? = Yes
 job complexity = ↑ predictive value of general intelligence tests