industrial psychology research paper topics

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Management
• Risks and protective factors for young immigrant language brokers who experience discrimination from Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority March 1, 2024
• The ups and downs of the week: If it’s not Friday, I’m stressed from Journal of Occupational Health Psychology August 5, 2022
• Sticking together: Creating cohesive collectives from Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice April 5, 2022
• Personality-feedback interventions have ambiguous effects on performance from Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science August 18, 2021
• State of progress in diversity and inclusion initiatives across industries and contexts from Consulting Psychology Journal March 22, 2021
• Resisting health mandates: A case of groupthink? from Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice March 10, 2021
• The group dynamics of COVID-19 from Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice November 19, 2020
• You've got to have friends: The spillover of cross-race friendships to diversity training and education from Journal of Applied Psychology October 27, 2020
• Toppled statues and peaceful marches: How do privileged group members react to protests for social equality? from Journal of Personality and Social Psychology July 10, 2020
• Take Five: How Long a Break Do You Really Need? form Journal of Occupational Health Psychology April 17, 2020
• Does It Make Sense to Say That Groups Are Satisfied? Multilevel Measurement Models for Group Collective Constructs from Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice March 26, 2020
• Helping Consumers Understand the Real Costs of Credit Cards from Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied February 3, 2020
• How Do People Perceive Health-Related Risk Ratios? A Risk of 1 in 10 Looms Larger Than 10 in 100 from Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied October 29, 2019
• Telepsychology: Improving Access While Maintaining Alliance from Rehabilitation Psychology September 30, 2019
• Understanding the Hurricane Forecast Cone of Uncertainty: Putting Knowledge to the Test from Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied September 23, 2019
• Effective Coping of Chronic Pain Varies With Psychosocial Resource Profiles from Rehabilitation Psychology September 20, 2019
• Daily Effects Between PTSD and Sleep in World Trade Center Responders from Journal of Occupational Health Psychology September 17, 2019
• Coaching Elite Performers: The Role of Performance Psychology from Consulting Psychology Journal July 26, 2019
• Rehabilitation Psychology Special Issue Showcases Diversity and Social Justice in Disability from Rehabilitation Psychology April 30, 2019
• Mindfulness in the Workplace: Does It Really Work? from Journal of Occupational Health Psychology November 30, 2018
• Psychopaths in the C-Suite? from Journal of Applied Psychology October 15, 2018
• Are Workers Without Paid Sick Leave More Anxious and Depressed? from American Journal of Orthopsychiatry March 29, 2018
• Beyond Goal Setting to Goal Flourishing from Consulting Psychology Journal September 27, 2017
• So You Want to Be a Consultant, Huh? from Consulting Psychology Journal August 25, 2015
• The Best of Intentions from Consulting Psychology Journal July 23, 2014
• The Art of Racing (Deadlines) in the Rain from Journal of Applied Psychology May 28, 2014
• The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall, But the Faster They Get Back Up from Journal of Applied Psychology May 13, 2014

View more journals in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology & Management subject area.

APA Journals Article Spotlight ®

APA Journals Article Spotlight is a free summary of recently published articles in an APA Journal .

Browse Article Spotlight topics

• Basic/Experimental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Core of Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology, School Psychology, and Training
• Forensic Psychology
• Health Psychology and Medicine
• Neuroscience and Cognition
• Social Psychology and Social Processes

Contact APA Publications

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

6.2 Topics in Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Topics in Industrial and Organizational Psychology 1 2

Work occupies a central part of people’s lives around the world. For example, full-time workers in the U.S. work an average of 8.5 hours/day, spending more time working than performing any other life activity except for sleep (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). Work experiences exert a heavy effect on people’s life satisfaction (Erdogan, Bauer, Truxillo, & Mansfield, 2012), and career goals are a central concern of many young adults (e.g., Rogers, Creed, & Glendon, 2008). Indeed, most readers of this chapter are likely in college as a step toward achieving a hoped-for career!

However, the world of work is changing in many ways that present new questions and challenges for workers. For example, advances in technology, including automation, are disrupting major industries and changing or eliminating many jobs (Susskind & Susskind, 2016). Employers are increasingly experimenting with alternative work arrangements, like contract workers in “gig” jobs (e.g., driving for Uber or Lyft), rather than offering full-time work with job security and stable benefits (Friedman, 2014). Despite progress, women, racial and ethnic minorities, religious minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities still struggle to be accepted and successful in many workplaces (Myors et al., 2008). And, around the world, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers continue to search for decent work opportunities that can fulfill their basic needs (Moyce & Schenker, 2018).

Against this backdrop, industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology has an important role to play in improving organizations and promoting the well-being of workers. This chapter first presents a brief overview of I-O and what work in this field entails, and then reviews a series of major areas of research and practice within each half of the field.

I-O psychology is the scientific study of working and the application of psychological principles to workplace issues facing individuals, teams, and organizations. I-O psychologists apply the scientific method to investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals, businesses, and society. As a consequence, I-O psychologists are trained as scientist-practitioners with the ability to both conduct rigorous research and engage in the practical application of scientific knowledge alongside business people.

There are roughly 500 graduate programs in the U.S. that grant master’s and doctoral degrees in I-O psychology. Unlike many areas of psychology that require a doctoral degree practice, a terminal master’s degree is sufficient to pursue many excellent work opportunities in I-O psychology (Michalski, 2017). Moreover, the Department of Labor projects increased demand for I-O psychology into the mid-2020s. Much more information about graduate training and work opportunities is available on the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) website; SIOP is the primary professional body for the field.

Figure 1. SIOP, Division 14 of the American Psychological Association, has over 9,000 members as of January 2018.

Photo source: SIOP, used with permission.

Industrial Psychology

As the name “industrial-organizational” suggests, I-O psychology has often been viewed as a field with two distinct, though related, components. The industrial half of I-O Psychology, which is sometimes referred to as personnel psychology , focuses on the analysis of jobs; recruitment, selection, and training of employees; and evaluation of performance in the workplace. Industrial psychology is a close partner of human resource (HR) management in organizations, with industrial psychologists supplying the technical and legal expertise to create and evaluate the personnel systems that HR managers use on a daily basis. To this end, the major areas of research and practice that fall within industrial psychology include job analysis, recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, and training.

Job Analysis

Before we can hire people, before we can assess their performance, before we can decide on their salaries, before we can train them – before we can do virtually anything to affect a job, we must first understand what a job consists of. What tasks does it include? What skills does the job require? Where does the job fit within the organization? Job analysis helps I-O psychologists answer these questions (Sanchez & Levine, 2012). Because of its importance for making further decisions about jobs, many I-O psychologists begin their consulting work with a job analysis.

Generally speaking, a job analysis can fall into one of two categories: work-oriented or worker-oriented (Brannick, Levine, Morgeson, & Brannick, 2007). Work-oriented job analysis focuses on the job itself, and involves developing a list of tasks that the job involves. For example, a retail store sales clerk might assist customers in finding merchandise, answer customer questions, use a cash register to take money and make change, bag the merchandise, and thank the customer, among other responsibilities.  If we put this all together, it produces a job description that we can later use to identify training needs and the valuable behaviors that we should reward.

On the other hand, worker-oriented job analysis focuses on identifying the qualities needed by an employee to successfully perform the job in question. Traditionally, I-O psychologists have tried to identify several key characteristics of employees, including their knowledge (things they know), their skills (such as skill at persuading others), and their abilities (more stable traits they possess, like mathematical ability), often referred to as the “KSAs” required to perform the job. Returning to the example of our retail sales clerk, we might find that they need to be friendly, detail-oriented, reliable, and have the ability to learn about the merchandise the store has in stock. This information is crucial to developing a selection system that identifies job applicants with the right qualifications to be successful.

The process of completing a work- or worker-oriented job analysis procedure is actually quite similar. In each case, I-O consultants typically interview current employees and supervisors, or ask them to complete surveys, to gather information about the job. The consultants then use this information to write the task or KSA statements that describe the job.

Recruitment, Selection, & Placement

Once I-O psychologists understand what a job entails, and the requirements that are necessary to do the job, they can use this information to assist an organization in a wide variety of ways. Generally, this information will be used to aid the hiring process in an organization–quality job analysis information can help with this process in a variety of ways.

The hiring process actually begins with recruitment—before people can be hired into an organization, they must first apply for an open position. Recruitment refers to the process of attracting people to submit applications for open positions within an organization. Today, recruitment often takes advantage of technology, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and internet job boards like Indeed.com and Monster.com. In their attempts to recruit people to apply for a job opening, organizations will typically describe the requirements of the position, including educational requirements, and the main tasks and responsibilities associated with the position. Organizations may also attempt to describe aspects of the culture of the organization, such as the feel of the work environment, or the values or mission of the company. An organization that describes itself as “fast-paced” or “competitive” is likely to attract rather different applicants than an organization that advertises “teamwork” and “cooperation.”

Once an organization has recruited an applicant pool, the organization must decide how to assess the applicants, and the formal hiring process begins. The process used to evaluate job candidates and decide which ones to hire is typically referred to as personnel selection .  Personnel selection is one of the oldest topics in I-O psychology, dating back to the very roots of the field at the start of the 20 th century (Farr & Tippins, 2010; Ployhart, Schmitt, & Tippins, 2017). Selection usually involves administering a series of instruments, such as tests or interviews, to job applicants; the instruments are often scored and combined with other information, such as letters of recommendation, to help employers select the best applicant(s). The selection instruments an organization uses are commonly referred to as predictors , and helping organizations develop effective predictors are one of the most common roles that I-O consultants engage in. Common predictors that I-O psychologists help develop include tests of various qualities (such as intelligence, personality and other traits), and interviews (Cascio & Aguinis, 2011).  Determining the right combination of predictors to give applicants for a given job is a central topic for consultants that assist with personnel selection, and involves the consideration of many factors, including cost, time, legality, validity, reliability, practicality, and acceptance in the business world. Selection often occurs in multiple stages. During the initial stage, it is common for applicants to participate in some initial screening assessments to “weed out” unqualified applicants.  Following this, subsequent stages in the selection process attempt to select the optimal candidate from the qualified applicants that remain after screening.

What predictors do the best job of helping organizations choose qualified applicants? One of the most consistent findings in I-O psychology, based on decades of research, is that general mental ability , or intelligence, is the single most effective predictor of job performance in nearly all jobs, and especially complex jobs (Schmidt & Hunter, 2004). One of the reasons this is the case is that general mental ability helps predict a person’s ability to learn new information and skills, a critical component of success in virtually any job.

Beyond general mental ability tests, many other predictors have been found to be effective for predicting employee success as well. Personality tests , such as those measuring the Big 5 traits, have also been found to successfully predict which applicants will make effective employees. In particular, the Big 5 trait conscientiousness has been found to predict performance in a wide variety of jobs. This is not surprising, given that people high in this trait are typically hard-working, reliable, and organized, all traits that should lead to success in most jobs (Barrick, Mount, & Judge, 2001). Additional predictors, such as simulations and work samples, can be used to successfully assess a person’s ability to handle actual job-related tasks in realistic settings (Scott & Reynolds, 2010).

What about interviews? Interviews have long been used by organizations to help make hiring decisions, and they remain one of the most commonly-used predictors in organizations today (Posthuma, Morgeson, & Campion, 2002). Interviews can be written to evaluate a variety of applicant characteristics and qualifications (Landy & Conte, 2010). Research on the effectiveness of interviews is mixed. Most interviews used in organizations tend to be fairly flexible conversations, where the interviewer is free to ask an applicant a wide variety of different questions. Each applicant may be asked different questions, and the questions may not be directly related to the job the applicant is applying for. These interviews are typically known as unstructured interviews , and, despite their prevalence, they are not very effective predictors for evaluating applicants. One reason for this is that the information gained from one applicant’s interview might be quite different from the information gained from another applicant’s interview, thus making it difficult to compare “apples to apples.”

Fortunately, interviews can be improved by making the interview process more structured . Strategies for structuring an interview include deciding on a consistent list of questions that will be asked of all applicants, ensuring that the questions are related to the content of the job, and using a scoring system to evaluate applicants’ responses. Structured interviews that have these features are much more effective at predicting which applicants will be successful in a given job (Huffcutt, Conway, Roth, & Stone, 2001). I-O consultants often help organizations to design and implement structured interviews to improve the organization’s selection process. Unfortunately, many organizations continue to rely on traditional unstructured interviews, which are much more prone to errors and subjective evaluations of job applicants. This divide between the predictors that I-O psychologists know are effective, and the predictors that many organizations utilize, remains an important concern for many I-O psychologists today.

Evaluating and Managing Worker Performance

Once employees are hired and placed into their roles in an organization, it is typically necessary to assess their performance to see how well they are performing in their new role. Evaluating how well employees perform their jobs, and documenting this performance, is important for a variety of reasons. Certainly, performance information is often used to make decisions about whether and when to promote, train, re-assign, or terminate employees; it can also be used for decisions about compensation, bonuses, and other rewards. If an employee’s performance is lacking, the gap between how he or she is performing, compared to the ideal, might be addressed by training (or re-training) the needed knowledge, skills, or abilities. Performance appraisal can also be used to give employees feedback, and help employees learn about their strengths and weaknesses–thus, another goal of performance appraisal is general employee development.

Performance appraisals are often conducted on a recurring schedule—once or twice a year is common. The review itself is typically structured around the employee’s primary tasks and responsibilities, such that the supervisor provides a summary of the employee and their performance. The appraisal will often involve making ratings on numeric scales corresponding with specific aspects of performance, as well as comments and/or illustrative critical incidents to communicate to the employee how well they are performing on each aspect of the job. Critical incidents are specific behaviors the employee has engaged in—they are used to illustrate good or bad performance and often supplement numeric performance ratings. Feedback and critical incidents from other coworkers may be gathered by the supervisor with the goal of basing the performance appraisal on complete information.

One variant of performance appraisal that has become popular in recent years is 360-degree appraisal, which seeks to gather feedback from multiple sources that the person being evaluated interacts with, such as subordinates, peers, supervisors, clients/customers, and others.  Self-appraisal, provided by the employee him- or herself, may also be included. The goal of this process is to provide employees with a more well-rounded sense of how they’re performing.

Numeric performance ratings are a common part of a performance appraisal.  For example, an employee may be rated on dependability on a scale of one to five, with anchors ranging from unacceptable (1), to average (3), to superior (5). Employees are often rated in the context of how other members of their team or work group are performing. Other rating approaches involve making direct comparisons between employees within a unit, such as ranking all employees, or comparing them two at a time and deciding which of the two is the superior performer. When using any numeric rating method, organizations need to be aware of the biases that raters may unknowingly exhibit. One risk is that all raters will not use a rating scale the same way—for instance, some might provide more generous, or harsher, ratings regardless of how the employee is performing. Such errors can lead to biases in the appraisal process, and impact the fairness of a performance appraisal system; fortunately, rater training can help avoid some of these issues.

What kinds of employee performance are typically assessed in organizations? In many cases, the answer to this question is determined by the type of organization the employee works in—effective performance for an employee who makes electric motors in a factory is likely to be very different from an employee who creates apps for your phone. For legal reasons, it is important for an organization to avoid assessing people based on irrelevant characteristics, such as their age, gender, or race. Here again, I-O consultants often help organizations design performance appraisal systems that focus on core aspects of job performance, and avoid evaluating irrelevant characteristics. For many jobs, the main focus of performance appraisal is on task performance —that is, how effectively an employee performs the key requirements of their job. However, many organizations are also concerned with additional behaviors that employees may engage in outside of their job responsibilities. These “extra” behaviors can be positive or negative in nature. Positive behaviors are typically referred to as organizational citizenship behaviors , or OCBs, and may include actions such as bringing donuts or bagels to an early morning meeting, staying late to assist a coworker with a project, or speaking positively about the organization to outsiders. Negative behaviors, often called counterproductive work behaviors , or CWBs, range from fairly minor actions, such as being rude to a coworker from time to time, to more serious, criminal activities such as theft, sabotage, or arson. As you would expect, employees who enjoy their work are more likely to engage in OCBs, while dissatisfied employees are likely to engage in CWBs. Thus, if organizations want to promote OCBs, and prevent CWBs, it is important for them to consider their employees’ thoughts and feelings about their workplace.

Training & Development

Over time, it often becomes necessary for employees to learn new knowledge or skills, to enhance their job performance and keep pace with changes in their occupation. I-O psychology intersects with cognitive psychology and learning theories in the domain of training and development , which focuses on increasing employees’ knowledge, skills, and abilities. Like many other organizational processes, training is, in part, based on job/task/work analysis to determine the elements of a job that a person requires training to do. The training process often begins with a training needs analysis, which is an analysis of the organization, tasks, and person that results in objectives for training (Arthur, Bennett, Edens, & Bell, 2003). Principles of learning and cognition serve as the basis for designing training and development interventions. Basic principles about memory, perception, judgment, and learning include cognitive biases, primacy and recency, interferences, decision-making, and developments. These are relevant to determining how best to convey information about how and when to engage in various work behaviors, and how to assess how well training has accomplished its goals.

What topics do organizations commonly use training for? Some training is motivated by legal considerations, such as diversity and sexual harassment training. With diversity training, employees are typically educated on the benefits of diversity, and provided with suggestions for acting with sensitivity in a diverse workplace. Sexual harassment and discrimination, which are typically prohibited both by law and organizational policies, can also be addressed via training. Employees may be educated on key terms and ideas related to harassment, practice identifying situations in which harassment may occur, and discuss appropriate courses of action for reporting and preventing harassment.

Other types of training are prompted when employers require employees to possess a particular area of knowledge, skill, or ability to meet organizational needs. If an organization wants to avoid training, they may look to hire employees that already have those KSAs that they desire (a selection approach). Alternatively, they may use help current employees develop those KSAs (a training approach). The decision between these approaches is driven by several considerations, including cost, timing, other available resources, and staffing goals. For example, for employers do not wish to increase the size of their workforce, training may be a more attractive option. In addition, the expected trainability of a knowledge, skill, or ability and skill level of current personnel might be taken into account. Consider the likelihood of successfully teaching someone a specific skill, such as typing, using a cash register, or engaging in successful customer service interactions, compared to the more difficult challenge of improving a person’s mathematical abilities or extraversion.

In organizations today, training can occur in a wide variety of formats. Training often occurs with a face-to-face instructor , but many organizations today are relying on remote or distance training, mediated by communication technology, and self-paced training. In addition, employers are generally motivated to understand whether their resources devoted to training are achieving key training objectives. Consequently, many employee trainings are followed, either immediately or after a delay, with some form of evaluation. Some evaluations focus on how much of the training content was understood and retained by the trainee, while others focus on how well that information transfers to on-the-job behaviors, how well the trainee feels about the training process, and what the outcomes for the organization are (Kirkpatrick, 1959). For the individual, training can be considered in terms of impact on career development and advancement in the organization.

Organizational Psychology

The organizational half of I-O Psychology is broadly concerned with the social and psychological context of the workplace. Organizational psychology focuses on many different levels of workplace phenomena, including micro, within-person experiences, like attitudes and emotions; meso, small group dynamics like teamwork and interpersonal discrimination; and macro, organization-wide factors, such as leadership and organizational culture. Overall, organizational psychology helps us understand the experience and consequences of working life in modern organizations. Major areas of study within organizational psychology include employee attitudes, worker health and safety, motivation, and teamwork and leadership.

Employee Attitudes

I-O psychologists are often concerned with the attitudes employees hold about their work.  Several attitudes have been the focus of extensive research over the past several decades, and the importance of employee attitudes has been demonstrated by their ability to predict whether employees will exert less effort at work, engage in CWBs, or even leave the organization altogether.

Job satisfaction , which refers to an employee’s overall evaluation of their job, is the most fundamental attitude studied in I-O psychology (Judge & Klinger, 2007).  When a worker has positive feelings and thoughts about his or her job, positive outcome are likely. These outcomes include performing their job at a high level, feeling motivated, and being inclined to do extrarole behaviors that are helpful but aren’t explicitly required as part of the job. Job satisfaction is often measured using scales, which include questions with a range of numeric response options with either images or phrases as anchors (e.g., 1 = very dissatisfied to 5 = very satisfied). While job satisfaction can be measured using a single question, a more nuanced understanding of satisfaction can be achieved using multi-item scales that ask the respondent about various aspects of a job (e.g., pay, autonomy, coworkers). Measuring satisfaction in this way can help I-O consultants get a more detailed understanding of which aspects of their jobs employees like and dislike the most.

Another attitude important for understanding work behavior is organizational commitment , or an individual’s psychological attachment to an organization (Meyer & Allen, 1991).  Researchers studying the nature of organizational commitment have identified three types of commitment. Affective commitment reflects an emotional connection an employee may feel with their organization. Employees with high affective commitment may feel as though they are a “part of a family” with their organization. Continuance commitment reflects commitment that is based on a lack of available alternative employment options. Employees with high continuance commitment may stay at their current job because of poor job prospects in their area, or because they lack necessary education or training to make themselves competitive for other job opportunities. Finally, normative commitment is driven by employees’ sense of obligation to their organization. For instance, if a company gives an employee their first job after graduating from college, or has invested resources in an employee in the form or training or development, the employee may feel obligated to stay with the organization to “pay back” these investments. Overall, strong ties have been found between organizational commitment and turnover, or leaving one’s organization.

Employees’ attitudes about an organization may also be based on how fairly they feel they are treated.   Organizational justice theory suggests that employees pay attention to the fairness of how they’re treated in several ways.  The various types and subtypes of justice focus on how outcomes or results are distributed across employees, the fairness of organizational procedures or decision rules, and the nature of interactions among organizational members.  For example, an employee may feel that the process of performance appraisal is fair (procedural justice), but that it did not result in a sufficient pay raise (distributive justice).

What can an organization do to improve their employees’ attitudes? Unfortunately, psychological research on attitudes in general suggests that attitude change is often quite difficult. A basic principle of attitudes is that once an attitude or belief is held, it serves as an anchor around which new information is judged. Thus, once an employee begins to evaluate their workplace negatively, they may seek out and focus on additional information that supports this attitude.

Worker Health & Safety

Occupational health is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the health and safety of people at work, and has become the subject of much research in I-O psychology. Jobs place a variety of demands on workers, and these demands can lead to the experience of stress, which may be followed by various negative outcomes such as effects on the physical and mental health of employees (Beehr, 1995; Jex, 1998; Tetrick & Quick, 2011). Occupational health research examines internal and external sources of occupational stress, as well as ways to decrease worker stress and methods for preventing stress. Evidence suggests that organizations should be concerned with occupational health, as consistent exposure to stressful working conditions can impact not only employees, but also organizational effectiveness: studies have estimated that billions of dollars are lost from the U.S. economy due to occupational stress, based on the assumption that stress plays a role in negative outcomes such as increased medical, legal, and insurance costs, higher rates of absenteeism and turnover, diminished productivity, and increased occupational accidents (e.g., Goldin, 2004).

While I-O psychologists have contributed to the study of occupational stress, the occupational stress literature consists of important contributions from multiple perspectives, including medical (focusing on the contribution of stress in the workplace to employee health and illness), clinical/counseling (which focuses on the impact of stressful working conditions on mental health outcomes such as anxiety and depression), engineering psychology (which focuses on stressors originating from the physical work environment), and organizational psychology . Organizational psychology focuses heavily on cognitive appraisal (the process by which employees perceive the work environment and decide whether it is stressful), as well on sources of stress that are social in nature (e.g., are sourced from interactions with others). Recently, these four approaches have joined into one field known as occupational health psychology (OHP; Barling & Griffiths, 2011). OHP is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on using psychological theories and methodology to enhance health, safety, and well-being for individuals and organizations.

Another focus within the field of OHP is employee safety, usually with regard to preventing accidents and injuries in the workplace. Research has examined workplace safety outcomes in relation with both situational factors in the work environment (e.g., physical hazards such as heat and noise; Jex, Swanson, & Grubb, 2013) and personal factors in the employee (e.g., personality traits; Clarke & Robertson, 2008). Most models of employee safety posit that certain factors influence the experience of accidents and injuries through an effect on the safety performance of the employee (i.e., employees being compliant with safety procedures and notifying others in the organization about safety concerns; Griffin & Neal, 2000). Most studies have found moderate to strong relationships between different types of safety performance and the experience of workplace accidents (Jiang, Yu, Li, & Li, 2010). Moreover, the safety climate of a work unit and/or organization is predictive of safety performance, which has been linked to workplace accidents (Zohar, 2011). Safety climate refers to whether the employees in a company share similar perceptions of policies and procedures regarding workplace safety, such as rules regarding the use of safety equipment. A recent review of the injury and accident prevalence literature suggested that thousands of American workers die each year from injuries sustained in the workplace; however, prevalence rates are far worse in countries that do not have government oversight of labor practices: over two million individuals worldwide die each year as a result of injuries suffered in the work environment (Kaplan & Tetrick, 2011). In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the government agency established to assure safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education, and assistance to US organizations. Most private employers are responsible for ensuring that OSHA standards are met, and employers concerned with worker health and well-being seek to maintain safe working conditions and offer channels for addressing issues as they arise.

Understanding employee motivation –the forces that direct employees’ behaviors at work–has a long history in I-O psychology. The study of motivation in I-O psychology can be traced back to studies by Hugo Munsterberg , who studied motivation issues for employees working at knitting mills (Landy & Conte, 2004). He saw that employees were working 12-hour days, and working 6 days a week.  With some modifications (i.e., having kittens play with balls of yarn on the factory floor), Munsterberg was able to influence the satisfaction and alertness of the employees.

Some of the basic motivational questions that I-O psychologists study include what needs elicit action for individuals, what traits impact the engagement of behaviors, and how the environment (space and individuals) influences the motivation and behaviors of people.  While the study of work motivation is continually evolving, there are several seminal theories that have informed our understanding of motivation.

One of the most well-supported theories of motivation in I-O psychology is goal-setting theory (Locke & Latham, 1990). This theory emphasizes that goals can influence employees in a variety of ways. For instance, goals can influence the direction of actions; Goals can also affect the effort that employees put forth to those actions; In addition to these benefits, goals can increase employee persistence, and motivate them to choose more effective strategies for attaining those goals. Goals that tend to provide the benefits just described tend to share some key characteristics. Specifically, goals that are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART) are typically more effective than goals that lack these qualities (Locke & Latham, 2002).

Despite the popularity of goal-setting theory, several other motivation theories have received attention, and research support, from I-O psychologists. Expectancy theory (Vroom, 1964) suggests that employees are unlikely to be motivated unless they can provide affirmative answers to three questions. The first question involves asking whether employee effort will lead to performance (instrumentality). If an employees feels that working hard will not result in success on the job, they are likely to have low motivation. If an employee decides that their effort will actually result in a sufficient level of performance, they must then evaluate whether their performance is likely to be rewarded or recognized in satisfactory ways (expectancy). In some workplaces, employees may feel that their strong performance goes unrecognized–if this pattern persists over time, they are likely to lose motivation. Finally, the third questions associated with expectancy theory concerns whether an employee values the rewards they are able to receive (valence). If an organization rewards its employees with public “employee of the month” ceremonies, but an employee would prefer a cash reward rather than public recognition, they may find their motivation limited.

The job characteristics theory (Hackman & Oldham, 1976) takes a rather different approach to motivation. This theory suggests that several key features of job themselves can also influence the motivation level of employees. For example, autonomy , or the freedom that employees have to choose how their work is done (or at least certain elements of it) typically has a positive effect on motivation. Doing work that allows employees to use a variety of different skills and abilities (task variety), and performing work that feels important to other peoples’ lives (task significance) can also generate higher levels of motivation. Finally, receiving feedback , such as from supervisors and peers, can improve motivation for many employees.

In many organizations today, work is often conducted in the context of a group or team. Teams are defined as two or more individuals who share one or more common goals, and interact to perform activities that are relevant to the organization. Teams are influenced by a wide variety of social dynamics. As an example, consider Susie who just graduated medical school and has started her intern year in a department that emphasizes teamwork. Her role in the interdisciplinary team is that of the physician, which she feels comfortable doing as she graduated with honors from her university. What she is concerned about is how to function effectively in the team. She personally likes to do things on her own, so she is uncertain how this part of her job will actually go, especially since she knows the intern year is a very stressful one and she knows that two of the other team members have reputations of being really difficult to work with.

Some of the concerns that Susie has are ones that I-O psychologists try to grapple with as consultants and researchers. Many topics that originated in social psychology are relevant to the study of teams. For instance, many people have a tendency to work with less intensity when they are in a group, compared to when they are by themselves, which social psychologists refer to as social loafing (see Latané, Williams, & Harkins, 1979). Managers can help avoid social loafing in their work groups by making sure that each employee knows what they are responsible for.

Management and Leadership

A natural sister topic of teams concerns the individuals tasked with facilitating teams— leaders . While there are many definitions of leadership, the common elements of the definitions are influence and guidance of others towards a goal. Over time, I-O psychologists have studied management and leadership from several different perspectives. In the 1920s and 1930s, early leadership research focused on the trait approach , which centers on the idea that leaders possess certain traits (e.g., ambition, dominance, extroversion, height) that non-leaders do not possess.  However, this approach did not prove to be productive, as research did not show consistent relationships among the traits. Undeterred, I-O psychologists re-focused their attempts to understand leadership by looking for specific behaviors that successful leaders might engage in. Fleishman and Harris (1962) defined leadership using two dimensions, consideration (concern for the individual’s needs) and initiating structure (organizes and defines activities). This approach proved to be more successful, and the legacy of this work can be seen in more modern research on transactional and transformational leadership (Bass, 1985).

I-O psychologists have a unique place as researchers and consultants when informing the greater population as to the practice of leadership. With changing workforce practices, such as the utilization of temporary workers, teleworking, virtual teams, increasing diversity in the workforce and other existing ambiguous boundaries that modern jobs hold, I-O psychologists are prepared to contribute to our understanding of leadership and how we best develop and coach the leaders of today and tomorrow.

A significant portion of I-O research focuses on management and human relations. Douglas McGregor (1960) combined scientific management (a theory of management that analyzes and synthesizes workflows with the main objective of improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity) and human relations into the notion of leadership behavior. His theory lays out two different styles called Theory X and Theory Y. In the  Theory X  approach to management, managers assume that most people dislike work and are not innately self-directed. Theory X managers perceive employees as people who prefer to be led and told which tasks to perform and when. Their employees have to be watched carefully to be sure that they work hard enough to fulfill the organization’s goals. Theory X workplaces will often have employees punch a clock when arriving and leaving the workplace: Tardiness is punished. Supervisors, not employees, determine whether an employee needs to stay late, and even this decision would require someone higher up in the command chain to approve the extra hours. Theory X supervisors will ignore employees’ suggestions for improved efficiency and reprimand employees for speaking out of order. These supervisors blame efficiency failures on individual employees rather than the systems or policies in place. Managerial goals are achieved through a system of punishments and threats rather than enticements and rewards. Managers are suspicious of employees’ motivations and always suspect selfish motivations for their behavior at work (e.g., being paid is their sole motivation for working).

In the  Theory Y  approach, on the other hand, managers assume that most people seek inner satisfaction and fulfillment from their work. Employees function better under leadership that allows them to participate in, and provide input about, setting their personal and work goals. In Theory Y workplaces, employees participate in decisions about prioritizing tasks; they may belong to teams that, once given a goal, decide themselves how it will be accomplished. In such a workplace, employees are able to provide input on matters of efficiency and safety. One example of Theroy Y in action is the policy of Toyota production lines that allows any employee to stop the entire line if a defect or other issue appears, so that the defect can be fixed and its cause remedied (Toyota Motor Manufacturing, 2013). A Theory Y workplace will also meaningfully consult employees on any changes to the work process or management system. In addition, the organization will encourage employees to contribute their own ideas. McGregor (1960) characterized Theory X as the traditional method of management used in the United States. He agued that a Theory Y approach was needed to improve organizational output and the wellbeing of individuals.  Table summarizes how these two management approaches differ.

Another management style was described by Donald Clifton, who focused his research on how an organization can best use an individual’s strengths, an approach he called strengths-based management . He and his colleagues interviewed 8,000 managers and concluded that it is important to focus on a person’s strengths, not their weaknesses. A strength is a particular enduring talent possessed by an individual that allows her to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in tasks involving that talent. Clifton argued that our strengths provide the greatest opportunity for growth (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001). An example of a strength is public speaking or the ability to plan a successful event. The strengths-based approach is very popular although its effect on organization performance is not well-studied. However, Kaiser & Overfield (2011) found that managers often neglected improving their weaknesses and overused their strengths, both of which interfered with performance.

Leadership is an important element of management. Leadership styles have been of major interest within I-O research, and researchers have proposed numerous theories of leadership. Bass (1985) popularized and developed the concepts of transactional leadership versus transformational leadership styles. In  transactional leadership , the focus is on supervision and organizational goals, which are achieved through a system of rewards and punishments (i.e., transactions). Transactional leaders maintain the status quo: They are managers. This is in contrast to the transformational leader. People who have  transformational leadership  possess four attributes to varying degrees: They are charismatic (highly liked role models), inspirational (optimistic about goal attainment), intellectually stimulating (encourage critical thinking and problem solving), and considerate (Bass, Avolio, & Atwater, 1996).

As women increasingly take on leadership roles in corporations, questions have arisen as to whether there are differences in leadership styles between men and women (Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & van Engen, 2003). Eagly & Johnson (1990) conducted a meta-analysis to examine gender and leadership style. They found, to a slight but significant degree, that women tend to practice an interpersonal style of leadership (i.e., she focuses on the morale and welfare of the employees) and men practice a task-oriented style (i.e., he focuses on accomplishing tasks). However, the differences were less pronounced when one looked only at organizational studies and excluded laboratory experiments or surveys that did not involve actual organizational leaders. Larger gender-related differences were observed when leadership style was categorized as democratic or autocratic, and these differences were consistent across all types of studies. The authors suggest that similarities between the genders in leadership styles are attributable to genders needing to conform the organization’s culture; additionally, they propose that gender-related differences reflect inherent differences in the strengths each gender brings to bear on leadership practice. In another meta-analysis of leadership style, Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & van Engen (2003) found that women tended to exhibit the characteristics of transformational leaders, while men were more likely to be transactional leaders. However, the differences are not absolute; for example, women were found to use methods of reward for performance more often than men, which is a component of transactional leadership. The differences they found were relatively small. As Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & van Engen (2003) point out, research shows that transformational leadership approaches are more effective than transactional approaches, although individual leaders typically exhibit elements of both approaches.

Work-Family Balance

Many people juggle the demands of work life with the demands of their home life, whether it be caring for children or taking care of an elderly parent; this is known as  work-family balance . We might commonly think about work interfering with family, but it is also the case that family responsibilities may conflict with work obligations (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000). Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) first identified three sources of work–family conflicts:

• time devoted to work makes it difficult to fulfill requirements of family, or vice versa,
• strain from participation in work makes it difficult to fulfill requirements of family, or vice versa, and
• specific behaviors required by work make it difficult to fulfill the requirements of family, or vice versa.

Women often have greater responsibility for family demands, including home care, child care, and caring for aging parents, yet men in the United States are increasingly assuming a greater share of domestic responsibilities. However, research has documented that women report greater levels of stress from work–family conflict (Gyllensten & Palmer, 2005).

There are many ways to decrease work–family conflict and improve people’s job satisfaction (Posig & Kickul, 2004). These include support in the home, which can take various forms: emotional (listening), practical (help with chores). Workplace support can include understanding supervisors, flextime, leave with pay, and telecommuting. Flextime usually involves a requirement of core hours spent in the workplace around which the employee may schedule his arrival and departure from work to meet family demands.  Telecommuting  involves employees working at home and setting their own hours, which allows them to work during different parts of the day, and to spend part of the day with their family. Recall that Yahoo! had a policy of allowing employees to telecommute and then rescinded the policy. There are also organizations that have onsite daycare centers, and some companies even have onsite fitness centers and health clinics. In a study of the effectiveness of different coping methods, Lapierre & Allen (2006) found practical support from home more important than emotional support. They also found that immediate-supervisor support for a worker significantly reduced work–family conflict through such mechanisms as allowing an employee the flexibility needed to fulfill family obligations. In contrast, flextime did not help with coping and telecommuting actually made things worse, perhaps reflecting the fact that being at home intensifies the conflict between work and family because with the employee in the home, the demands of family are more evident.

Posig & Kickul (2004) identify exemplar corporations with policies designed to reduce work–family conflict. Examples include IBM’s policy of three years of job-guaranteed leave after the birth of a child, Lucent Technologies offer of one year’s childbirth leave at half pay, and SC Johnson’s program of concierge services for daytime errands.

Link to Learning:  Glassdoor  is a website that posts job satisfaction reviews for different careers and organizations. Use this site to research possible careers and/or organizations that interest you.

Organizational Culture

Each company and organization has an organizational culture.  Organizational culture  encompasses the values, visions, hierarchies, norms, and interactions among its employees. It is how an organization is run, how it operates, and how it makes decisions—the industry in which the organization participates may have an influence. Different departments within one company can develop their own subculture within the organization’s culture. Ostroff, Kinicki, and Tamkins (2003) identify three layers in organizational culture: observable artifacts, espoused values, and basic assumptions. Observable artifacts are the symbols, language (jargon, slang, and humor), narratives (stories and legends), and practices (rituals) that represent the underlying cultural assumptions. Espoused values are concepts or beliefs that the management or the entire organization endorses. They are the rules that allow employees to know which actions they should take in different situations and which information they should adhere to. These basic assumptions generally are unobservable and unquestioned. Researchers have developed survey instruments to measure organizational culture.

With the workforce being a global marketplace, your company may have a supplier in Korea and another in Honduras and have employees in the United States, China, and South Africa. You may have coworkers of different religious, ethnic, or racial backgrounds than yourself. Your coworkers may be from different places around the globe. Many workplaces offer diversity training to help everyone involved bridge and understand cultural differences.  Diversity training  educates participants about cultural differences with the goal of improving teamwork. There is always the potential for prejudice between members of two groups, but the evidence suggests that simply working together, particularly if the conditions of work are set carefully that such prejudice can be reduced or eliminated. Pettigrew and Tropp (2006) conducted a meta-analysis to examine the question of whether contact between groups reduced prejudice between those groups. They found that there was a moderate but significant effect. They also found that, as previously theorized, the effect was enhanced when the two groups met under conditions in which they have equal standing, common goals, cooperation between the groups, and especially support on the part of the institution or authorities for the contact.

One well-recognized negative aspect of organizational culture is a culture of  harassment , including sexual harassment. Most organizations of any size have developed sexual harassment policies that define sexual harassment (or harassment in general) and the procedures the organization has set in place to prevent and address it when it does occur. Thus, in most jobs you have held, you were probably made aware of the company’s sexual harassment policy and procedures, and may have received training related to the policy. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (n.d.) provides the following description of  sexual harassment :

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. (par. 2)

One form of sexual harassment is called quid pro quo. Quid pro quo means you give something to get something, and it refers to a situation in which organizational rewards are offered in exchange for sexual favors. Quid pro quo harassment is often between an employee and a person with greater power in the organization. For example, a supervisor might request an action, such as a kiss or a touch, in exchange for a promotion, a positive performance review, or a pay raise. Another form of sexual harassment is the threat of withholding a reward if a sexual request is refused. Hostile environment sexual harassment is another type of workplace harassment. In this situation, an employee experiences conditions in the workplace that are considered hostile or intimidating. For example, a work environment that allows offensive language or jokes or displays sexually explicit images. Isolated occurrences of these events do not constitute harassment, but a pattern of repeated occurrences does. In addition to violating organizational policies against sexual harassment, these forms of harassment are illegal.

Harassment does not have to be sexual; it may be related to any of the protected classes in the statutes regulated by the EEOC: race, national origin, religion, or age.

Violence in the Workplace

In the summer of August 1986, a part-time postal worker with a troubled work history walked into the Edmond, Oklahoma, post office and shot and killed 15 people, including himself. From his action, the term “going postal” was coined, describing a troubled employee who engages in extreme violence.

Workplace violence is one aspect of workplace safety that I-O psychologists study.  Workplace violence  is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening, disruptive behavior that occurs at the workplace. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, 2014).

There are different targets of workplace violence: a person could commit violence against coworkers, supervisors, or property. Warning signs often precede such actions: intimidating behavior, threats, sabotaging equipment, or radical changes in a coworker’s behavior. Often there is intimidation and then escalation that leads to even further escalation. It is important for employees to involve their immediate supervisor if they ever feel intimidated or unsafe.

Murder is the second leading cause of death in the workplace. It is also the primary cause of death for women in the workplace. Every year there are nearly two million workers who are physically assaulted or threatened with assault. Many are murdered in domestic violence situations by boyfriends or husbands who chose the woman’s workplace to commit their crimes.

There are many risk factors for workplace violence that can be committed by leaders, employees, and even customers. A significant risk factor is the feeling of being treated unfairly, unjustly, or disrespectfully, and may become more serious when combined with other individual factors like personality and history, environmental stressors, and lack of community. In a research experiment, Greenberg (1993) examined the reactions of students who were given pay for a task. In one group, the students were given extensive explanations for the pay rate. In the second group, the students were given a curt uninformative explanation. The students were made to believe the supervisor would not know how much money the student withdrew for payment. The rate of stealing (taking more pay than they were told they deserved) was higher in the group who had been given the limited explanation. This is a demonstration of the importance of procedural justice in organizations. Procedural justice  refers to the fairness of the processes by which outcomes are determined in conflicts with or among employees.

In another study by Greenberg & Barling (1999), they found a history of aggression and amount of alcohol consumed to be accurate predictors of workplace violence against a coworker. Aggression against a supervisor was predicted if a worker felt unfairly treated or untrusted. Job security and alcohol consumption predicted aggression against a subordinate. To understand and predict workplace violence, Greenberg & Barling (1999) emphasize the importance of considering the employee target of aggression or violence and characteristics of both the workplace characteristics and the aggressive or violent person.

As you can see, I-O psychologists are concerned with a wide variety of topics related to the performance and well-being of both employees and their organizations. Some topics, such as recruitment, selection, and performance appraisal, have been important from the start, while others, such as worker attitudes, stress, and motivation, have increased in importance in recent years. Today, while it is still possible to make a distinction between “I” and “O” topics within this field, there is greater recognition that these areas represent two sides of the same coin, and that both sides can have a substantial influence on one another. As work continues to become more complex and subject to global and technological pressures, I-O psychologists will become increasingly important for helping both workers and organizations weather these changes.

Arthur Jr, W., Bennett Jr, W., Edens, P. S., & Bell, S. T. (2003). Effectiveness of training in organizations: A meta-analysis of design and evaluation features. Journal of Applied psychology, 88 , 234-245.

Barling, J., & Griffiths, A. (2011). A history of occupational health psychology. In J. C. Quick & L.E. Tetrick (Eds.), Handbook of occupational health psychology (2nd ed., pp. 21–34). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Barrick, M. R., Mount, M. K., & Judge, T. A. (2001). Personality and performance at the beginning of the new millennium: What do we know and where do we go next? International Journal of Selection and Assessment , 9 , 9–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2389.00160

Bass, B. M. (1975). Leadership and performance beyond expectations . New York: Free Press

Beehr, T. A. (1995). Psychological stress in the workplace . London, England: Routledge.

Brannick, M. T., Levine, E. L., Morgeson, F. P., & Brannick, M. T. (2007). Job and work analysis: methods, research, and applications for human resource management (2nd ed). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016). American time use survey: 2016 results . Obtained from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/atus.pdf .

Cascio, W. F., & Aguinis, H. (2011). Applied psychology in human resource management (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Clarke, S., & Roberston, I. (2008). An examination of the role of personality in work accidents using meta-analysis. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57 (1), 94–108.

Erdogan, B., Bauer, T. N., Truxillo, D. M., & Mansfield, L. R. (2012). Whistle while you work: A review of the life satisfaction literature. Journal of Management , 38 , 1038-1083.

Farr, J. L., & Tippins, N. T. (2010). Handbook of employee selection: An introduction and overview. In Handbook of employee selection (pp. 1–6). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Fleishman, E. A., & Harris, E. F. (1962). Patterns of leadership behavior related to employee grievances and turnover. Personnel Psychology , 15 , 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1962.tb01845.x

Friedman, G. (2014). Workers without employers: Shadow corporations and the rise of the gig economy. Review of Keynesian Economics , 2 , 171-188.

Goldin, R. (2004). Counting the costs of stress . STATS.org. Retrieved from https://workplacepsychology.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/counting-the-costs-of-stress.pdf

Griffin, M. A., & Neal, A. (2000). Perceptions of safety at work: A framework for linking safety climate to safety performance, knowledge, and motivation. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5 (3), 347–358.

Hackman, J. R. & Oldham, G. R. 1976. Motivation through the design of work. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16 , 250-279.

Huffcutt, A. I., Conway, J. M., Roth, P. L., & Stone, N. J. (2001). Identification and meta-analytic assessment of psychological constructs measured in employment interviews. Journal of Applied Psychology , 86 , 897–913.

Jex, S. M. (1998). Stress and job performance: Theory, research, and implications for managerial practice . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Jex, S. M., Swanson, N., & Grubb, P. (2013). Healthy workplaces. In N. W. Schmidt, S. Highhouse, & I. Weiner (Eds.), Handbook of psychology, industrial and organizational psychology (2nd ed., pp. 615–642). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Jiang, L., Yu, G., Li, Y., & Li, F. (2010). Perceived colleagues’ safety knowledge/behavior and safety performance: Safety climate as a moderator in a multilevel study. Accident Analysis And Prevention, 42 (5), 1468–1476.

Kaplan, S., & Tetrick, L. E. (2011). Workplace safety and accidents: An industrial and organizational psychology perspective. In S. Zedeck (Ed.), APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Vol 1: Building and developing the organization (pp. 455–472). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1959). Techniques for evaluation training programs. Journal of the American Society of Training Directors, 13 , 21-26.

Landy, F. J., & Conte, J. M. (2004). Work in the 21st century . Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Landy, F. J., & Conte, J. M. (2010). Work in the 21st century: an introduction to industrial and organizational psychology (3rd ed.). Malden, Mass: Wiley-Blackwell.

Latané, B., Williams, K., & Harkins, S. (1979). Many hands make light the work: The causes and consequences of social loafing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37 , 822-832.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting & task performance . Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist , 57 , 705–717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705

Michalski, D.S. (2017). Master’s careers in psychology. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2017/01/masters-careers.aspx

Moyce, S. C., & Schenker, M. (2018). Migrant workers and their occupational health and safety. Annual Review of Public Health , 39 , 351-365.

Myors, B., Lievens, F., Schollaert, E., Van Hoye, G., Cronshaw, S. F., Mladinic, A., … & Schuler, H. (2008). International perspectives on the legal environment for selection. Industrial and Organizational Psychology , 1 , 206-246.

Ployhart, R. E., Schmitt, N., & Tippins, N. T. (2017). Solving the supreme problem: 100 years of selection and recruitment at the Journal of Applied Psychology . Journal of Applied Psychology, 102 , 291-304.

Posthuma, R. A., Morgeson, F. P., & Campion, M. A. (2002). Beyond employment interview validity: A comprehensive narrative review of recent research and trends over time. Personnel Psychology , 55 , 1–81.

Rogers, M. E., Creed, P. A., & Glendon, A. I. (2008). The role of personality in adolescent career planning and exploration: A social cognitive perspective. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73 , 132-142.

Sanchez, J. I., & Levine, E. L. (2012). The Rise and Fall of Job Analysis and the Future of Work Analysis. Annual Review of Psychology , 63 , 397–425. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100401

Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. (2004). General mental ability in the world of work: Occupational attainment and job performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 86 , 162–173. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.86.1.162

Scott, J. C., & Reynolds, D. H. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of workplace assessment: Evidence-based practices for selecting and developing organizational talent (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Susskind, R., & Susskind, D. (2016). The future of the professions: How technology will transform the work of human experts. New York: Oxford University Press.

Tetrick, L. E., & Quick, J. C. (2011). Overview of occupational health psychology: Public health in occupational settings. Handbook of occupational health psychology , 3–20.

Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and motivation . New York: Wiley

Zohar, D. (2011). Safety climate: Conceptual and measurement issues. In J. Quick, L. E. Tetrick (Eds.),

Handbook of occupational health psychology (2nd ed., pp. 141–164). Washington, DC:

American Psychological Association.

Introduction to Psychology as a Social Science Copyright © by The Introduction To Psychology As A Social Science Teaching and Learning Group is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

•   [email protected]

Psychology Research Guide

I/o industrial or organizational psychology.

I/O, Industrial, Organizational or Industrial-Organizational Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior in organizations and work situations. I/O Psychologists study individual, group, and organizational behavior and use this knowledge to improve workplace problems. Before you explore the database below to find evidence for your project, you may find it helpful to learn more about this area of psychology. The following resources can help you narrow your topic, learn about the language used to describe psychology topics, and get you up to speed on the major advancements in this field.

• Potential Topics: APA Spotlight Articles I/O Psychology This link opens in a new window
• Learn more about Industrial and Organizational Psychology on the American Psychological Association's website

I/O Psychology Databases

Research in I/O psychology utilizes core psychology resources, as well as resources in business, human resources, and sociology. You may find it helpful to search the following databases for your I/o topics or research questions, in addition to the core resources listed on the home page.

I/O Psychology Subject Headings

You may find it helpful to take advantage of predefined subjects or subject headings in Shapiro Databases. These subjects are applied to articles and books by expert catalogers to help you find materials on your topic.

• Learn more about Subject Searching

Consider using databases to perform subject searches, or incorporating words from applicable subjects into your keyword searches. Here are some I/O subjects to consider:

• Industrial & Organizational Psychology
• Management & Management Training
• Occupational Interests & Guidance
• Organizational Behavior
• Personnel Attitudes & Job Satisfaction
• Personnel Evaluation & Job Performance
• Personnel Management & Selection & Training
• Professional Education & Training
• Working Conditions & Industrial Safety

I/O Example Search

Not sure what you want to research exactly, but want to get a feel for the resources available? Try the following search in any of the databases listed above:

(Industrial OR Organizational OR I/O) AND Psych*

There isn't just one accepted word for this area of psychology, so we use OR boolean operators to tell the database any of the listed terms are relevant to our search. We use parenthesis to organize our search, and we stem or truncate the word psychology with the asterisk to tell the database that any ending of the word, as long as the letters psych are at the beginning of the word, will do. This way, the word psychological and other related terms will also be included.

• Learn more about Boolean Operators/Boolean Searching

I/O Psychology Organization Websites

• Alliance for Organizational Psychology This link opens in a new window Founded in 1991, EAWOP is an open network of I/O psychology groups. Their website includes publications and resources.
• Harvard Business Review Blog - Psychology This link opens in a new window Current articles from the HBR Blog on psychology in business.
• Occupational Information Network (O*NET) This link opens in a new window O*NET is a regularly updated database of occupational characteristics and worker requirements information across the U.S. economy. It describes occupations in terms of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required as well as how the work is performed in terms of tasks, work activities, and other descriptors. It is made available by the United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.
• Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology (SIOP) This link opens in a new window Membership organization for I-O psychologists. SIOP is a division of the American Psychological Association and an organizational affiliate of the Association for Psychological Science.
• SIOP-SHRM White Papers The SHRM-SIOP Science of HR white paper series provides practitioner-oriented reviews of evidence-based HR practices written by leading researchers and practitioners in the field of I-O psychology and HR.
• << Previous: Forensic Psychology
• Next: Mental Health >>

Digital Commons @ SPU

Home > Academic Units > SPFC > IOP Dissertations

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

The Seattle Pacific University Department of Industrial-Organizational Psychology offers both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.

This series contains successfully defended doctoral dissertations.

Dissertations from 2024 2024

"Me? Be a Coach?" A Grounded Theory Investigation of Coach Identity Among Managers Who Coach , Sara Mary Cannon

Effects of Advertising Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) on Female Applicants’ Intentions to Pursue Employment Through Perceived Organizational Support , Jamie Crites

Exploring the Effects of Autotelic Personality, Proactive Personality, and Positive Affectivity on Dispositional Employee Engagement , Stormy Soldonia

Dissertations from 2023 2023

The psychometric evaluation of decent work in India , Jadvir K. Gill

Implicit Trait Policies and Situational Judgment Tests: How Personality Shapes Judgments of Effective Behavior , Alexander Edward Johnson

An Investigation of the Impact of Prosocial Action on Psychological Resilience in Female Volunteer Maskmakers During COVID-19 , Linda D. Montano

To make or buy: How does strategic team selection and shared leadership strategy interact to impact NBA team effectiveness? , Brandon Purvis

Dissertations from 2022 2022

“Intended Between a Man and a Woman”: Examining the LGBTQ Campus Climate of a Non-Affirming Free Methodist University , Justin Cospito

Adverse Work Experiences and the Impact on Workplace Psychological Well Being, Workplace Psychological Distress, Employee Engagement, Turnover Intention, and Work State Conscientiousness , Nicole J. DeKay

Managing One’s Anxiety When Work Narratives Misalign , Shannon Eric Ford and Shannon Ford

The HERO in you: The impact of psychological capital training and perceived leadership on follower psychological capital development and burnout , Alifiya Khericha

CoachMotivation: Leveraging Motivational Interviewing Methodology to Increase Emotion Regulation Ability in the Workplace , Michael R. Nelson

Effects of Pay Transparency on Application Intentions through Fairness Perceptions and Organizational Attractiveness: Diversifying the Workforce by Effectively Recruiting Younger Women , Phi Phan-Armaneous

The space between stress and reaction: A three-way interaction of active coping, psychological stress, and applied mindfulness in the prediction of sustainable resilience , Kait M. Rohlfing PhD

A Quantitative Comparison of Employee Engagement Antecedents , Kirby White

Dissertations from 2021 2021

RAD Managers: Strategic Coaching for Managers and Leaders , Audrey Mika Kinase Kolb

Can Gender Pronouns in Interview Questions Work as Nudges? , Fei Lu

Catalytic Resilience Practices: Exploring the Effects of Resilience and Resilience Practices through Physical Exercise , Mackenzie Ruether

Dissertations from 2020 2020

Softening Resistance Toward Diversity Initiatives: The Role of Mindfulness in Mitigating Emotional White Fragility , Vatia P. Caldwell

When Proenvironmental Behavior Crosses Contexts: Exploring the Moderating Effects of Central Participation at Work on the Work-Home Interface , Bryn E.D. Chighizola

Developing Adaptive Performance: The Power of Experiences and a Strategic Network of Support , Joseph D. Landers Jr.

Purposeful Investment in Others: The Power of a Character of Service , Kayla M. Logan

Developmental Experiences Impacting Leadership Differentiation in Emerging Adults , Gabrielle E. Metzler

Exploring the Impact of Self-Compassion on Lessons Learned from a Past Failure Experience , Emily Minaker

Fighting dirty in an era of corporate dominance: Exploring personality as a moderator of the impact of dangerous organizational misconduct on whistleblowing intentions , Keith Andrew Price

CoachMotivation: Developing Transformational Leadership by Increasing Effective Communication Skills in the Workplace , Megan L. Schuller

The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership and Resilience, Moderated by Coping Skills , Alice E. Stark

Building and Sustaining Hope in the Face of Failure: Understanding the Role of Strategic Social Support , Kira K. Wenzel PhD

Dissertations from 2019 2019

Exploring the Buffering Effects of Holding Behaviors on the Negative Consequences of Workplace Discrimination for People of Color , Heather A. Kohlman Olsen

Employee Engagement Around the World: Predictors, Cultural Differences, and Business Outcomes , Amanda Munsterteiger

Dissertations from 2018 2018

Ignatian Spirituality in Vocational Career Development: An Experimental Study of Emerging Adults , Scott Campanario

Narrative Leadership: Exploring the Concept of Time in Leader Storytelling , Helen H. Chung Dr.

Vulnerability in Leadership: The Power of the Courage to Descend , Stephanie O. Lopez

An Exploratory Study Examining a Transformational Salesperson Model Mediated by Salesperson Theory-of-Mind , Philip (Tony) A. Pizelo Dr.

Dissertations from 2017 2017

Developing Conviction in Women Leaders: The Role of Unique Work and Life Experiences , McKendree J. Hickory

The Role of Organizational Buy-in in Employee Retention , Serena Hsia

The Psychometric Evaluation of a Personality Selection Tool , James R. Longabaugh

Approaching Stressful Situations with Purpose: Strategies for Emotional Regulation in Sensitive People , Amy D. Nagley

Validation of the Transformative Work in Society Index: Christianity, Work, and Economics Integration , John R. Terrill

Seeking Quality Mentors: Exploring Program Design Characteristics to Increase an Individual’s Likelihood to Participate as a Mentor , Kristen Voetmann

Predicting Employee Performance Using Text Data from Resumes , Joshua D. Weaver

College for The Sake of What? Promoting the Development of Wholly Educated Students , Michael P. Yoder

Dissertations from 2016 2016

Am I a Good Leader? How Variations in Introversion/Extraversion Impact Leaders’ Core Self-Evaluations , Marisa N. Bossen

Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Development of Job-Based Psychological Ownership , Robert B. Bullock

Generational Differences in the Interaction between Valuing Leisure and Having Work-Life Balance on Altruistic and Conscientious Behaviors , Sandeep Kaur Chahil

Obtaining Sponsorship in Organizations by Developing Trust through Outside of Work Socialization , Katie Kirkpatrick-Husk

Managing Work and Life: The Impact of Framing , Hilary G. Roche

Men and Women in Engineering: Professional Identity and Factors Influencing Workforce Retention , Caitlin Hawkinson Wasilewski

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Disciplines

Contributors

• Submit Research
• Terms and Conditions
• SPU Department of I-O Psychology

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Humans and Organizations

13 Pages Posted: 15 Nov 2018

Dean Stalnaker

Iredell-Statesville Schools

Date Written: October 23, 2018

The American Psychological Association (2018) identifies the field of industrial organizational psychology (I/O psychology) as a scientific study of human interactions in an organizational environment, and the workplace climate. The discipline of I/O psychology centers on determining precepts of individuals, group, and organizational actions and exercising this awareness to the explication of problems in the workplace. The I/O psychologists have specialized knowledge and education in the study of behavior in the workplace environment, which involves research of organizational structures, groups, dynamics and process, principle theory and development, job and assignment analysis, and individual evaluation. The profession of I/O psychology involves knowledge of ethical scrutinizes, statutory standards, managerial, case law, and executive orders that are related to behaviors in the workplace.

Keywords: I/O psychology, SWOT, workplace

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Dean Stalnaker (Contact Author)

Iredell-statesville schools ( email ).

549 N. Race St Statesville, NC 28677 United States

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics, related ejournals, cognitive social science ejournal.

Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic

Psychology Research Paper Topics

In addition to the extensive topic list, this page includes valuable guidance on how to choose the right research paper topic, offering practical tips to help you make an informed decision. Moreover, you will find expert advice on how to write a compelling psychology research paper, ensuring that your work meets academic standards and contributes meaningfully to the field. For those seeking additional support, iResearchNet provides custom writing services, offering personalized assistance from expert degree-holding writers to help you succeed in your academic journey.

Academic Writing, Editing, Proofreading, And Problem Solving Services

Get 10% off with 24start discount code, 300 psychology research paper topics.

Selecting the right research topic is a crucial step in writing a successful psychology research paper. A well-chosen topic not only aligns with your academic and career goals but also sustains your interest and curiosity throughout the research process. This list is carefully curated to cover a broad spectrum of psychology’s subfields, ensuring that every student can find a topic that resonates with their specific interests. Divided into 20 distinct categories, each containing 15 topics, this list offers a diverse range of subjects, from foundational theories to contemporary issues in psychology, providing a solid starting point for your research journey.

• The Role of Neurotransmitters in Schizophrenia
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders
• The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Adult Mental Health
• Diagnosing and Treating Bipolar Disorder
• The Efficacy of Psychodynamic Therapy for Depression
• The Relationship Between OCD and Perfectionism
• Gender Differences in the Presentation of Eating Disorders
• The Role of Genetics in Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder
• The Effectiveness of Medication vs. Therapy in Treating PTSD
• Social Stigma and Mental Illness: A Barrier to Treatment
• The Impact of Substance Abuse on Mental Health
• Ethical Issues in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Personality Disorders
• The Role of Sleep Disorders in Mental Health
• Early Intervention in Childhood Behavioral Disorders
• The Process of Memory Encoding and Retrieval
• The Role of Working Memory in Problem Solving
• The Effects of Aging on Cognitive Function
• Cognitive Biases in Decision Making
• Language Acquisition in Early Childhood
• The Influence of Attention on Perception
• The Impact of Multitasking on Cognitive Performance
• The Role of Executive Function in Learning
• Cognitive Processing in Dyslexia
• The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Cognitive Performance
• The Role of Emotions in Memory Formation
• The Impact of Bilingualism on Cognitive Development
• Cognitive Theories of Intelligence
• The Neural Basis of Language Processing
• The Effect of Cognitive Load on Learning and Memory
• Stages of Cognitive Development in Children
• The Role of Parenting Styles in Child Development
• Adolescent Identity Formation and Its Challenges
• The Impact of Early Childhood Education on Development
• The Effects of Divorce on Child Development
• Understanding Attachment Theory in Development
• The Influence of Peer Relationships on Adolescence
• The Role of Play in Cognitive Development
• The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Child Development
• Language Development in Bilingual Children
• Aging and Cognitive Decline: Causes and Interventions
• The Role of Genetics vs. Environment in Development
• The Impact of Technology on Child Development
• The Development of Moral Reasoning in Children
• Understanding Gender Identity Development in Children
• The Role of Social Influence on Behavior
• The Psychology of Groupthink and Decision Making
• The Impact of Social Media on Self-Esteem
• Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination
• The Role of Stereotypes in Shaping Perceptions
• The Influence of Group Dynamics on Behavior
• The Psychology of Persuasion and Attitude Change
• The Role of Social Support in Mental Health
• Understanding Aggression and Its Causes
• The Impact of Cultural Norms on Social Behavior
• The Role of Leadership in Group Behavior
• The Effects of Social Isolation on Mental Health
• The Psychology of Altruism and Prosocial Behavior
• The Influence of Social Identity on Behavior
• Understanding the Bystander Effect in Emergency Situations
• The Efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression
• Understanding the Therapeutic Alliance in Psychotherapy
• The Role of Clinical Assessment in Diagnosis
• The Use of Mindfulness-Based Therapies in Clinical Practice
• The Impact of Trauma-Focused Therapy on PTSD
• The Role of Medication in the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
• Understanding the Process of Grief Counseling
• The Use of Play Therapy with Children
• The Role of Family Therapy in Treating Eating Disorders
• The Ethics of Clinical Practice in Psychology
• The Effectiveness of Group Therapy for Substance Abuse
• The Role of Psychotherapy in Treating Personality Disorders
• The Impact of Cultural Competence in Clinical Practice
• The Use of Biofeedback in Treating Anxiety and Stress
• The Role of Clinical Supervision in Therapist Development
• The Neural Basis of Memory and Learning
• The Role of Neuroplasticity in Brain Recovery
• The Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on Cognitive Function
• Understanding the Neurobiology of Depression
• The Role of Neuroimaging in Diagnosing Neurological Disorders
• The Effects of Neurodegenerative Diseases on Cognitive Function
• The Neural Basis of Language Disorders
• The Role of Genetics in Neurological Disorders
• The Impact of Stroke on Cognitive and Motor Function
• Understanding the Neural Mechanisms of Pain Perception
• The Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Decision Making
• The Effects of Chronic Stress on Brain Function
• The Role of Neurotransmitters in Mental Health
• Understanding the Neural Basis of Addiction
• The Impact of Sleep Disorders on Brain Function
• The Role of Psychological Profiling in Criminal Investigations
• Understanding the Insanity Defense in Criminal Trials
• The Impact of Childhood Abuse on Criminal Behavior
• The Role of Forensic Psychology in Jury Selection
• The Use of Risk Assessment in Predicting Criminal Behavior
• The Psychology of False Confessions
• Understanding the Role of Expert Witnesses in Court
• The Impact of Substance Abuse on Criminal Behavior
• The Role of Eyewitness Testimony in Criminal Cases
• Understanding the Psychology of Serial Killers
• The Use of Psychological Testing in Forensic Evaluations
• The Role of Mental Illness in Criminal Behavior
• The Impact of Correctional Psychology on Inmate Rehabilitation
• Understanding the Ethics of Forensic Psychology Practice
• The Role of Psychology in Child Custody Disputes
• The Role of Stress in Physical Health
• Understanding the Psychology of Chronic Illness
• The Impact of Health Behaviors on Well-being
• The Role of Psychological Interventions in Pain Management
• The Impact of Smoking Cessation Programs on Health Outcomes
• Understanding the Psychology of Eating Disorders
• The Role of Exercise in Mental Health
• The Impact of Psychological Factors on Heart Disease
• The Role of Mind-Body Interventions in Health Care
• Understanding the Psychological Impact of Cancer Diagnosis
• The Role of Social Support in Health Outcomes
• The Impact of Sleep on Physical and Mental Health
• The Psychology of Obesity and Weight Management
• Understanding the Role of Health Psychology in Public Health
• The Impact of Psychological Stress on Immune Function
• The Role of Motivation in Academic Achievement
• Understanding Learning Styles and Their Impact on Education
• The Impact of Teacher Expectations on Student Performance
• The Role of Educational Assessments in Learning
• Understanding the Impact of Classroom Environment on Learning
• The Role of Parental Involvement in Education
• The Impact of Technology on Learning and Teaching
• The Role of Special Education in Academic Achievement
• Understanding the Effects of Bullying on Academic Performance
• The Role of Cognitive Development in Education
• The Impact of Homework on Student Learning
• Understanding the Role of Self-Efficacy in Education
• The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Academic Achievement
• The Role of Peer Relationships in Learning
• Understanding the Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Academic Success
• The Role of Motivation in Workplace Productivity
• Understanding the Impact of Leadership Styles on Employee Performance
• The Role of Organizational Culture in Employee Satisfaction
• The Impact of Job Stress on Employee Well-being
• Understanding the Role of Employee Engagement in Organizational Success
• The Impact of Work-Life Balance on Job Satisfaction
• The Role of Training and Development in Employee Performance
• Understanding the Effects of Workplace Diversity on Team Dynamics
• The Role of Performance Appraisal in Employee Development
• The Impact of Organizational Change on Employee Behavior
• Understanding the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
• The Impact of Workplace Harassment on Employee Well-being
• The Role of Motivation Theories in Employee Performance
• Understanding the Effects of Job Satisfaction on Employee Turnover
• The Role of Industrial-Organizational Psychology in Human Resource Management
• The Role of Genetics in Personality Development
• Understanding the Big Five Personality Traits
• The Impact of Personality on Behavior and Relationships
• The Role of Personality in Mental Health
• Understanding the Influence of Culture on Personality
• The Impact of Personality on Career Choice and Success
• The Role of Personality Assessments in Psychological Testing
• Understanding the Development of Personality Disorders
• The Impact of Parenting on Personality Development
• The Role of Personality in Academic Achievement
• Understanding the Relationship Between Personality and Intelligence
• The Impact of Personality on Leadership Styles
• The Role of Personality in Romantic Relationships
• Understanding the Effects of Personality on Stress and Coping
• The Impact of Social Media on Personality Expression
• The Role of Psychological Testing in Clinical Diagnosis
• Understanding the Reliability and Validity of Psychological Tests
• The Impact of Cultural Bias in Psychological Testing
• The Role of Item Response Theory in Test Development
• Understanding the Use of Factor Analysis in Psychological Research
• The Impact of Test Anxiety on Performance
• The Role of Standardization in Psychological Testing
• Understanding the Ethics of Psychological Testing
• The Impact of Computerized Testing on Assessment Practices
• The Role of Test Scores in Educational Placement Decisions
• Understanding the Development of Intelligence Tests
• The Impact of Personality Assessments on Employment Decisions
• The Role of Psychometric Testing in Forensic Evaluations
• Understanding the Use of Projective Tests in Clinical Practice
• The Impact of Test Interpretation on Clinical Decision Making
• The Role of Neurotransmitters in Mood Regulation
• Understanding the Biological Basis of Addiction
• The Impact of Hormones on Behavior
• The Role of Genetics in Mental Health Disorders
• Understanding the Neural Basis of Emotion
• The Impact of Brain Injury on Behavior and Cognition
• The Role of the Endocrine System in Behavior
• Understanding the Biological Basis of Aggression
• The Impact of Neurotransmitters on Sleep and Wakefulness
• The Role of the Immune System in Mental Health
• Understanding the Biological Basis of Anxiety Disorders
• The Impact of Stress on the Brain and Behavior
• The Role of Brain Imaging in Psychological Research
• Understanding the Biological Basis of Learning and Memory
• The Impact of Genetics on Intelligence
• The Role of Experimental Design in Psychological Research
• Understanding the Ethics of Experimental Research
• The Impact of Randomization on Research Outcomes
• The Role of Control Groups in Experimental Psychology
• Understanding the Use of Placebos in Psychological Research
• The Impact of Experimenter Bias on Research Results
• The Role of Double-Blind Studies in Psychology
• Understanding the Use of Animal Models in Psychological Research
• The Impact of Experimental Psychology on Clinical Practice
• The Role of Laboratory Experiments in Cognitive Research
• Understanding the Use of Longitudinal Studies in Psychology
• The Impact of Field Experiments on Social Psychology
• The Role of Ethical Review Boards in Experimental Research
• Understanding the Use of Case Studies in Experimental Psychology
• The Impact of Replication on the Validity of Psychological Research
• The Role of the Therapeutic Relationship in Counseling
• Understanding the Use of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Counseling
• The Impact of Counseling on Mental Health Outcomes
• The Role of Multicultural Competence in Counseling Practice
• Understanding the Use of Group Counseling in Treatment
• The Impact of Trauma-Informed Counseling on Clients
• The Role of Career Counseling in Personal Development
• Understanding the Use of Family Counseling in Treating Dysfunction
• The Impact of Online Counseling on Accessibility of Care
• The Role of Play Therapy in Child Counseling
• Understanding the Use of Motivational Interviewing in Counseling
• The Impact of Crisis Counseling on Immediate Psychological Support
• The Role of Counseling in Substance Abuse Treatment
• Understanding the Use of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy in Counseling
• The Impact of Ethical Considerations on Counseling Practice
• The Role of Culture in Shaping Psychological Processes
• Understanding the Impact of Cultural Norms on Behavior
• The Role of Acculturation in Identity Formation
• The Impact of Cultural Differences on Communication Styles
• Understanding the Role of Cultural Values in Decision Making
• The Role of Religion in Cultural Psychology
• Understanding the Impact of Globalization on Cultural Identity
• The Role of Ethnocentrism in Cultural Perception
• The Impact of Cultural Diversity on Social Behavior
• Understanding the Role of Cultural Competence in Clinical Practice
• The Impact of Migration on Psychological Well-being
• The Role of Cultural Beliefs in Health Behaviors
• Understanding the Impact of Cultural Stereotypes on Behavior
• The Role of Language in Cultural Identity
• The Impact of Cultural Context on Cognitive Processes
• The Role of Environment on Human Behavior
• Understanding the Psychological Impact of Climate Change
• The Impact of Urbanization on Mental Health
• The Role of Green Spaces in Psychological Well-being
• Understanding the Use of Environmental Design in Promoting Well-being
• The Impact of Environmental Stressors on Behavior
• The Role of Environmental Psychology in Disaster Response
• Understanding the Impact of Noise Pollution on Cognitive Function
• The Role of Architecture in Influencing Behavior
• The Impact of Natural Disasters on Mental Health
• Understanding the Psychological Effects of Overcrowding
• The Role of Environmental Awareness in Behavior Change
• The Impact of Climate Change on Community Mental Health
• Understanding the Role of Environmental Psychology in Sustainable Behavior
• The Impact of Environmental Design on Learning and Performance
• The Role of Motivation in Athletic Performance
• Understanding the Impact of Anxiety on Sports Performance
• The Role of Goal Setting in Sports Achievement
• The Impact of Team Dynamics on Sports Success
• Understanding the Use of Mental Imagery in Sports Performance
• The Role of Coaching Style on Athlete Motivation
• The Impact of Stress on Athletic Performance
• Understanding the Role of Sports Psychology in Injury Rehabilitation
• The Impact of Self-Confidence on Sports Performance
• The Role of Psychological Skills Training in Sports
• Understanding the Use of Biofeedback in Sports Psychology
• The Impact of Personality on Athletic Success
• The Role of Sports Psychology in Youth Sports Development
• Understanding the Impact of Performance Anxiety on Athletes
• The Role of Team Cohesion in Sports Success
• The Role of Gratitude in Enhancing Well-being
• Understanding the Impact of Positive Emotions on Health
• The Role of Strength-Based Interventions in Therapy
• The Impact of Mindfulness on Psychological Well-being
• Understanding the Use of Positive Psychology in Education
• The Role of Optimism in Coping with Adversity
• The Impact of Social Connections on Happiness
• Understanding the Role of Resilience in Mental Health
• The Impact of Positive Psychology on Workplace Satisfaction
• The Role of Flow in Enhancing Performance
• Understanding the Use of Positive Interventions in Therapy
• The Impact of Altruism on Psychological Well-being
• The Role of Positive Psychology in Aging Well
• Understanding the Impact of Character Strengths on Happiness
• The Role of Positive Psychology in Building Strong Relationships
• The Role of Antidepressants in Treating Depression
• Understanding the Impact of Antipsychotics on Mental Health
• The Role of Psychostimulants in Treating ADHD
• The Impact of Benzodiazepines on Anxiety Disorders
• Understanding the Use of Mood Stabilizers in Bipolar Disorder
• The Role of SSRIs in Treating Anxiety Disorders
• The Impact of Substance Abuse on Brain Function
• Understanding the Use of Medication in Treating Schizophrenia
• The Role of Pharmacotherapy in Addiction Treatment
• The Impact of Drug Interactions on Mental Health
• Understanding the Use of Psychotropic Medications in Children
• The Role of Pharmacogenetics in Psychopharmacology
• The Impact of Long-Term Medication Use on Cognitive Function
• Understanding the Ethics of Psychopharmacological Treatment
• The Role of Medication in Treating Sleep Disorders

This extensive list of psychology research paper topics reflects the diversity and richness of the field. From exploring fundamental theories to delving into modern-day challenges, these topics cover a wide range of interests and academic pursuits. As you browse through the categories, consider the topics that resonate most with your personal and professional goals. Choosing a topic that genuinely excites you will not only make the research process more enjoyable but also allow you to contribute meaningfully to the ever-evolving discipline of psychology.

Browse More Psychology Research Paper Topics:

• Applied Behavior Analysis Research Paper Topics
• Biological Psychology Research Paper Topics
• Clinical Psychology Research Paper Topics
• Cognitive Psychology Research Paper Topics
• Community Psychology Research Paper Topics
• Comparative Psychology Research Paper Topics
• Consumer Psychology Research Paper Topics
• Counseling Psychology Research Paper Topics
• Evolutionary Psychology Research Paper Topics
• School Psychology Research Paper Topics

Psychology and the Range of Research Paper Topics It Offers

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, encompassing a wide range of phenomena, from the biological underpinnings of cognition to the complex social interactions that shape our experiences. As a scientific discipline, psychology plays a crucial role in understanding human behavior, providing insights that help improve mental health, enhance education, and inform public policy. The field is incredibly diverse, offering numerous branches that explore different aspects of human thought and behavior. From cognitive psychology, which delves into how we process information, to social psychology, which examines how we interact with others, the range of research areas within psychology is vast and continually expanding.

Historical Context

Psychology as a scientific discipline has a rich and varied history. It emerged in the late 19th century, with the establishment of the first psychology laboratory by Wilhelm Wundt in 1879, marking the formal beginning of psychology as a distinct field of study. Early psychologists like Wundt and William James focused on understanding consciousness and the basic elements of human experience. Over time, the field expanded to include various approaches and perspectives, such as behaviorism, which emphasized observable behavior, and psychoanalysis, pioneered by Sigmund Freud, which explored the unconscious mind. As psychology evolved, it began to incorporate more scientific methods and diversified into numerous subfields, each focusing on different aspects of human behavior and mental processes.

Core Areas of Psychology

Psychology today is a multifaceted discipline, with several core areas that each contribute to our understanding of the human mind and behavior.

• Cognitive Psychology focuses on mental processes such as perception, memory, and problem-solving. It seeks to understand how people acquire, process, and store information, offering insights that are applicable in fields ranging from education to artificial intelligence.
• Developmental Psychology examines how people grow and change throughout their lives, from infancy to old age. This branch explores physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development, providing valuable information for improving educational practices and understanding the aging process.
• Social Psychology explores how individuals are influenced by their social environment. It investigates topics such as group behavior, social perception, and interpersonal relationships, which are critical for understanding societal issues like prejudice, conformity, and leadership.
• Clinical Psychology is focused on diagnosing and treating mental illness. It combines science and practice to address psychological disorders, offering therapies and interventions that improve mental health outcomes for individuals and communities.
• Biological Psychology (or biopsychology) investigates the biological underpinnings of behavior, examining how the brain and nervous system influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions. This area is particularly important in understanding the physiological basis of mental health disorders and developing pharmacological treatments.

These core areas of psychology form the foundation of the discipline and are highly relevant in contemporary research. Each offers unique insights into different facets of human behavior, making them essential for advancing our understanding of the mind.

Emerging Trends in Psychology Research

While the core areas of psychology provide a solid foundation, the field is also evolving to include emerging trends and interdisciplinary research areas that address modern challenges.

• Neuropsychology is one such area, focusing on the relationship between the brain and behavior. By studying brain injuries, neurological disorders, and brain imaging techniques, neuropsychologists gain insights into how brain function affects cognitive processes and behavior, leading to more effective treatments for conditions like traumatic brain injury and dementia.
• Psychopharmacology explores the effects of drugs on the mind and behavior. This area is critical for developing medications that treat mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Research in psychopharmacology not only enhances our understanding of how different substances affect the brain but also contributes to the development of new therapeutic approaches.
• Positive Psychology is another emerging field that shifts the focus from mental illness to mental wellness. It explores what makes life worth living, investigating topics like happiness, resilience, and personal strengths. Positive psychology has gained traction in recent years, influencing areas such as education, workplace productivity, and mental health care by promoting well-being and flourishing.

Interdisciplinary research is also becoming increasingly important in psychology. By integrating knowledge from fields such as neuroscience, sociology, and anthropology, psychologists can address complex issues that require a holistic approach. For example, understanding the impact of digital technology on mental health involves combining insights from cognitive psychology, social psychology, and communication studies. This interdisciplinary approach not only broadens the scope of psychological research but also enhances its applicability in solving real-world problems.

Importance of Research in Psychology

Research is the cornerstone of psychology, driving the advancement of knowledge and the development of evidence-based practices. Through research, psychologists can test theories, explore new ideas, and apply their findings to improve various aspects of human life. In clinical settings, research is essential for developing effective therapies and interventions, ensuring that treatments are based on scientific evidence rather than anecdotal reports. In educational psychology, research informs teaching strategies and educational policies, helping to create learning environments that foster student success.

Moreover, research in psychology contributes to public health by identifying factors that influence mental well-being and developing programs to prevent mental illness. For example, studies on the impact of stress on health have led to interventions that reduce stress and improve overall well-being, benefiting both individuals and society as a whole.

Psychology research also plays a critical role in addressing societal challenges. By studying topics such as prejudice, discrimination, and social inequality, psychologists can inform policies and programs that promote social justice and equality. This highlights the broader impact of psychological research, extending beyond the individual to benefit communities and societies.

The field of psychology offers a vast array of research paper topics, reflecting its diversity and depth as a scientific discipline. From traditional areas like cognitive and developmental psychology to emerging fields such as neuropsychology and positive psychology, the range of research opportunities is immense. For students, selecting a research topic in psychology is not just about fulfilling an academic requirement; it is an opportunity to explore their interests, contribute to the field, and potentially make a difference in the lives of others. Whether you are passionate about understanding the brain, improving mental health care, or exploring the complexities of human behavior, psychology offers a research area that aligns with your goals. As you embark on your research journey, choose a topic that excites you and challenges you to think critically, paving the way for a rewarding academic and professional career in psychology.

How to Choose Psychology Research Paper Topics

Choosing the right research paper topic in psychology is a critical step in ensuring the success of your academic work. A well-selected topic not only keeps you engaged throughout the research process but also contributes meaningfully to the field of psychology. The topic you choose should be both interesting to you and academically relevant, allowing you to explore an area that sparks your curiosity while meeting the requirements of your course. With the vast array of possibilities in psychology, it’s essential to approach this decision thoughtfully and strategically.

Tips for Choosing a Psychology Research Paper Topic

• Identify Your Interests: Begin by considering what aspects of psychology intrigue you the most. Whether it’s cognitive processes, developmental stages, or social dynamics, focusing on a topic that genuinely interests you will make the research process more enjoyable and fulfilling. Your passion for the subject will also be reflected in the quality of your work.
• Consider the Scope: It’s important to select a topic with an appropriate scope—neither too broad nor too narrow. A broad topic may be overwhelming and difficult to cover comprehensively, while a narrow topic might not provide enough material for a thorough analysis. Aim for a balance that allows you to explore the topic in depth within the constraints of your paper.
• Check Available Resources: Before finalizing your topic, ensure that there is enough research material available. A topic with limited resources can lead to frustration as you struggle to find enough credible sources. Check academic journals, books, and online databases to confirm that your topic is well-supported by existing research.
• Review Recent Literature: Stay current by reviewing the latest studies and publications in your area of interest. This will not only help you identify a timely and relevant topic but also give you insights into emerging trends and gaps in the research that you could address in your paper.
• Consult Your Professor: Your professor is an invaluable resource when choosing a research topic. They can provide feedback on your ideas, suggest potential areas of focus, and help you refine your topic to ensure it meets the academic standards of your course. Don’t hesitate to seek their guidance early in the process.
• Evaluate Relevance: Choose a topic that contributes to the field of psychology. Whether it’s advancing theoretical knowledge, offering new insights, or addressing a practical issue, your research should add value to the discipline. Consider how your topic fits within the broader context of psychological research and its implications for practice or policy.
• Consider the Audience: Think about who will be reading your paper. Select a topic that will engage your audience, whether they are fellow students, professors, or professionals in the field. A topic that resonates with your readers will make your paper more impactful and memorable.
• Reflect on Future Career Goals: If you have specific career aspirations within psychology, choose a topic that aligns with these goals. For example, if you’re interested in clinical psychology, consider topics related to mental health disorders or therapeutic interventions. This approach not only enhances your knowledge in your desired field but also strengthens your resume or CV for future job or graduate school applications.
• Explore Unanswered Questions: One of the most exciting aspects of research is the opportunity to explore unanswered questions or gaps in existing literature. Look for areas where there is a lack of consensus or where further investigation is needed. By addressing these gaps, you can contribute original findings to the field.
• Stay Flexible: Research is an evolving process, and you may discover new information that prompts you to adjust your topic. Stay open to refining or slightly altering your focus as you gather more data and insights. Flexibility allows you to respond to new developments and ensures that your paper remains relevant and well-informed.

Selecting a psychology research paper topic requires careful consideration and thoughtful planning. By taking the time to choose a topic that aligns with your interests, academic goals, and available resources, you set the stage for a successful and rewarding research experience. Remember, the right topic will not only keep you motivated throughout the process but also enable you to produce a paper that contributes meaningfully to the field of psychology. Take the time to explore your options, seek guidance when needed, and choose a topic that you are passionate about—this will ultimately lead to a more engaging and impactful research paper.

How to Write a Psychology Research Paper

Tips for Writing a Psychology Research Paper

• Start with a Strong Thesis: Your thesis statement is the foundation of your research paper. It should clearly define your research question or hypothesis, providing a focused direction for your study. A well-defined thesis helps guide your research and ensures that your paper has a clear and specific purpose. Take the time to craft a thesis that is both precise and debatable, setting the stage for a compelling argument.
• Create an Outline: Before you begin writing, create an outline to organize the structure of your paper. An outline serves as a roadmap, helping you arrange your ideas logically and ensuring that you cover all necessary points. Include sections for the introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. This framework will help you stay on track and maintain a coherent flow throughout your paper.
• Conduct Thorough Research: A strong psychology research paper is built on a foundation of thorough and credible research. Use a variety of sources, including academic journals, books, and reputable online databases, to gather information that supports your thesis. Ensure that your sources are up-to-date and relevant to your topic. Take detailed notes and organize your references to make the writing process smoother.
• Write Clearly and Concisely: Clarity and conciseness are key in academic writing. Avoid using jargon or overly complex language that might confuse your readers. Instead, aim to express your ideas in a straightforward and accessible manner. Each paragraph should convey a single idea or argument, and transitions between paragraphs should be smooth and logical. This approach helps ensure that your paper is easy to read and understand.
• Cite Your Sources Properly: Proper citation is crucial in academic writing to avoid plagiarism and give credit to the original authors. Familiarize yourself with the required citation style for your paper, whether it’s APA, MLA, Chicago, or another format, and consistently apply it throughout your work. Accurate citations not only enhance the credibility of your paper but also allow readers to locate the sources you used.
• Maintain a Logical Flow: Your research paper should have a clear and logical structure, with each section building on the previous one. Start with a strong introduction that presents your thesis and outlines the structure of your paper. The body of your paper should provide a detailed exploration of your research question, supported by evidence and analysis. Conclude with a summary of your findings and their implications for the field of psychology. Maintaining a logical flow ensures that your paper is cohesive and persuasive.
• Review and Revise: Writing is a process that often involves multiple drafts. After completing your first draft, take the time to review and revise your work. Look for areas where your arguments can be strengthened, where transitions can be made smoother, or where clarity can be improved. Don’t hesitate to rewrite sections to enhance the overall quality of your paper. Revising is an essential step in producing a polished and well-argued research paper.
• Seek Feedback: Before submitting your paper, seek feedback from peers, mentors, or professors. A fresh pair of eyes can help identify areas for improvement that you might have missed. Constructive criticism can be invaluable in refining your arguments, improving the clarity of your writing, and ensuring that your paper meets academic standards.
• Proofread: Proofreading is the final step in the writing process and is essential for catching grammatical errors, typos, and formatting issues. Carefully review your paper to ensure that it is free from mistakes that could detract from its professionalism and readability. Consider reading your paper aloud or using a proofreading tool to catch errors that might be missed during a standard read-through.
• Stay Ethical: Maintaining academic integrity is crucial when writing a research paper. Always ensure that you properly attribute ideas and information to their original sources, and avoid any form of plagiarism. Additionally, if your research involves human or animal subjects, adhere to ethical guidelines and obtain the necessary approvals. Ethical writing practices not only uphold the standards of the academic community but also ensure that your research is respected and credible.

Writing a successful psychology research paper involves careful planning, thorough research, and diligent revision. By following these key steps and tips, you can approach the writing process with confidence and produce a paper that contributes meaningfully to the field of psychology. Remember, the effort you invest in selecting a strong thesis, conducting in-depth research, and polishing your final draft will pay off in the quality of your work. As you navigate this process, stay focused, seek support when needed, and maintain a commitment to academic integrity. With these principles in mind, you’ll be well-equipped to produce a research paper that is both academically rigorous and personally rewarding.

iResearchNet’s Writing Services

At iResearchNet, we understand that writing a psychology research paper can be a daunting task, especially when juggling multiple assignments and responsibilities. That’s why we offer custom research paper writing services tailored to meet the unique needs of psychology students. Whether you’re struggling to find the right topic, need help with in-depth research, or require assistance with formatting and structure, our team of expert writers is here to support you. By ordering a custom paper from iResearchNet, you can save time, reduce stress, and ensure that your research is of the highest academic quality.

• Expert Degree-Holding Writers: Our team consists of writers who hold advanced degrees in psychology, ensuring that your paper is crafted by someone with deep knowledge and expertise in the field. This guarantees that your research is both accurate and insightful, reflecting the latest developments in psychology.
• Custom Written Works: Each paper we produce is tailored to meet the specific requirements of your assignment. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions; instead, we take the time to understand your needs and create a paper that is uniquely yours.
• In-Depth Research: Our writers conduct thorough research on your chosen topic, using credible and up-to-date sources. This ensures that your paper is well-supported by evidence and provides a comprehensive exploration of the subject matter.
• Custom Formatting: We format your paper according to the required citation style, whether it’s APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, or Harvard. Proper formatting is crucial for academic success, and we ensure that every detail is correctly applied.
• Top Quality: We are committed to delivering papers of the highest academic standards. Our rigorous quality control process includes multiple rounds of editing and proofreading to ensure that your paper is free of errors and meets all academic requirements.
• Customized Solutions: We recognize that every project is different, which is why we offer personalized solutions that cater to your specific needs. Whether you need help with a particular section of your paper or a full-scale research project, we can provide the support you need.
• Flexible Pricing: We offer competitive rates to accommodate different budgets. Our flexible pricing options ensure that you receive high-quality writing services without breaking the bank.
• Short Deadlines Up to 3 Hours: For those urgent assignments, we offer fast turnaround times, with deadlines as short as three hours. Our team is capable of delivering top-notch papers even under tight time constraints.
• Timely Delivery: We understand the importance of meeting deadlines. That’s why we guarantee that your paper will be delivered within the agreed timeframe, allowing you to review it before submission.
• 24/7 Support: Our customer service team is available around the clock to assist you with any questions or concerns. Whether you need help placing an order or have a query about your paper, we’re here to help anytime, day or night.
• Absolute Privacy: We take your privacy seriously. All personal and order information is kept strictly confidential, ensuring that your identity and academic integrity are protected.
• Easy Order Tracking: Stay informed about the progress of your paper with our easy-to-use order tracking system. You can check the status of your project at any time, providing peace of mind throughout the writing process.
• Money-Back Guarantee: We are confident in the quality of our services, which is why we offer a money-back guarantee. If our work does not meet your expectations, you are entitled to a full refund, no questions asked.

Choosing iResearchNet for your psychology research paper needs offers a host of benefits, from expert writing and in-depth research to personalized service and timely delivery. Our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction ensures that you receive a paper that meets the highest academic standards, tailored specifically to your requirements. If you’re looking for reliable and professional assistance with your next psychology research paper, consider iResearchNet as your partner in academic success. Let us help you achieve your goals and take the stress out of the research paper writing process.

Achieve Academic Success with iResearchNet

Order your custom psychology research paper today.

Writing a high-quality psychology research paper is a complex and often overwhelming task, requiring not only extensive research but also the ability to synthesize information and present it clearly and coherently. These challenges can lead to significant stress, particularly when balancing other academic responsibilities. Fortunately, iResearchNet’s custom writing services are here to alleviate that burden. By entrusting your research paper to our expert team, you can reduce stress, save time, and focus on other important aspects of your academic journey, knowing that your paper is in capable hands.

At iResearchNet, we pride ourselves on the expertise and dedication of our writing team. Each of our writers holds an advanced degree in psychology and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to every project. Our personalized approach ensures that your paper is tailored to your specific needs, reflecting both the requirements of your assignment and your unique academic goals. We are committed to student satisfaction and strive to deliver papers that not only meet but exceed your expectations, helping you achieve the academic success you deserve.

Now is the perfect time to take advantage of our services with a special limited-time offer! Order your custom psychology research paper today and receive a discount on your first purchase. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to work with the best in the field. Simply visit our website, fill out the order form with your paper details, and let our team get started on crafting a high-quality paper just for you.

Invest in your academic future with the support of iResearchNet’s expert services. By choosing us as your partner, you’re making a smart decision to enhance your academic performance and alleviate the pressures of research paper writing. Don’t wait—take the first step toward academic success today and order your custom psychology research paper with iResearchNet. Your future self will thank you!

ORDER HIGH QUALITY CUSTOM PAPER

• Foundation |
• Conferences |
• About SIOP |

How to Apply

Pay dues now, volunteering, join siop as an affiliate, affiliate faqs, siop fellowship, local i-o groups, international i-o groups, demographics, licensure for i-o psychologists, licensure faqs, allied organizations, items of interest, conversation series, siop white papers, siop-shrm white papers, siop source, iop journal, organizational frontiers series, professional practice series, siop research gateway, the annual conference, the leading edge consortium, work smart series, continuing education, graduate training program, guidelines for education and training, online teaching survival guide, i-o resources for teachers, incorporating i-o, future events, carma affiliate program, great china region project, online programs webinar series, working with disability data, i-o internships, i-o career paths, pursuing a career in i-o psychology, calls and announcements, professional ethics, manage subscription, top 10 work trends, remote work, diversity, equity, & inclusion, io product-service guide, consultant locator, future of work, smarter workplace awareness, science for a post-roe workplace, media resources service, press releases, lec partner program, annual conference partner program, advertising-overview, annual conference advertising, i-o products and services guide, siop source advertising, tip advertising.

Read electronic issues:

You must be a paid SIOP member to access the electronic journal archives. please login with your member username and password to access the journal portal.   

Industrial and Organizational Psychology  is an official publication of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. The first issue of the journal debuted in March 2008 and was produced by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. The journal is now being published by Cambridge University Press, a world leader in journal production. The journal is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December.  SIOP members receive this publication as a part of membership.  Members can access the journal electronically by logging into the SIOP website and clicking the link at the top of the left-hand column of this page.  Nonmembers may also subscribe to the journal for a fee.  

  Two focal articles are now available for Volume 18 Issue 1 of the journal.  

To view the focal articles, please click the links below. 

Deadline for commentaries   October 1.

For more information on preparing a commentary, click  HERE .

Revisiting Keynes’ Predictions About Work and Leisure: A Discussion of Fundamental Questions About the Nature of Modern Work by Seth A. Kaplan, John A. Aitken, Blake A. Allan, George M. Alliger, Timothy Ballard, and Hannes Zacher

Workplace Learning and the Future of Work by Margaret E. Beier, Mahima Saxena, Kurt Kraiger , David P. Costanza, Cort W. Rudolph,  David M. Cadiz , Gretchen (Gigi) Petery, and  Gwenith G. Fisher

Please contact Jen Baker in the SIOP Administrative Office at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.

Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology

  6635 W. Central Ave. #105   Toledo, OH 43617

  Email:  [email protected]

  Phone: 419-353-0032

SIOP Social:

Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Foundation

  P.O. Box 1223,   Drayton, SC 29333

  Email:  [email protected]

Search Page

Business Educators Media Partners Students

I-O Business Resources

Consultant Locator Top 10 Work Trends Webinars/Videos White Papers

Sign In Benefits Criteria Pay Dues How to Apply Advocacy SIOP Fellows Officer Elections Announcements SIOP Research Gateway Member Directory SIOP Source Local I-O Groups

SIOP Foundation

Jobs & Careers

Graduate Training Program Internships I-O Career Paths I-O Job Network

Research & Publications

Calls for Papers I-O News and Items of Interest IOP (Industrial and Organizational Psychology) Organizational Frontiers Series Professional Practice Series TIP (The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist) White Papers

Events & Education

Annual Conference Work Smart Series Webinars/Videos Conversation Series Leading Edge Consortium Future Events

  The DIP   History   Staff

Site Search

Message title goes here.

Home > Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects > ALL-PROGRAMS > Industrial/Organizational Psychology Theses

Industrial/Organizational Psychology Theses

Theses/dissertations from 2022 2022.

Employee Satisfaction and Perceptions of Organizational Leadership Accountability , Caroline M. Clancy

The Effects of Transformational Leadership on Sales Performance in a Multilevel Marketing Organization , Alexander Techy

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Too Illegit to Quit: The Impact of Illegitiate Tasks on Turnover Intentions and Well-Being , Jacob Wessels

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Effects of Positive and Negative Humor at Work , Trevor Frey

Diverse Teams, Team Effectiveness, and the Moderating Effect of Organizational Support , Hannah Tilstra

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Effects of Psychological Need Satisfaction on Proactive Work Behaviors , Shota Kawasaki

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Gender Differences in Development Center Performance in a Healthcare Organization , Samuel Lawson

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Success in Learning Groups: Where have we been? And Where are we going? , Tiffany Michelle Ackerman

Individual Differences as Predictors of Success for Learning Community Students , Nicole Haffield

Moderating Effects of Resilience and Recovery on the Stressor-Strain Relationship Among Law Enforcement Officers , Austin Hearne

Selection Portfolio: Applying Modern Portfolio Theory to Personnel Selection , Eric Leingang

The Hogan Development Survey: Personality in Selecting and Training Aviation Pilots , Jenna McChesney

Evaluating a Measure of Student Effectiveness in an Undergraduate Psychology Program , Colin Omori

Participant Self-Assessment of Development Center Performance , Ryan Powley

“Let’s be clear”: Exploring the Role of Transparency Within the Organization , Maxwell Salazar

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Effect of an Email Intervention Tailored to Highly Ambitious Students on University Retention , Lauren Bahls

911,What's My Emergency? Emotional Labor, Work-Related Rumination, and Strain Outcomes in Emergency Medical Dispatchers , Jessica Lee Deselms

Can You Hack It? Validating Predictors for IT Boot Camps , Courtney Gear

Intervention E-mails and Retention: How E-mails Tailored to Personality Impact an Undergraduate Student's Decision to Return to School or Not , John Kelly Heffernon

Prudence and Persistence: Personality in Student Retention , Logan J. Michels

Examination of the Antecedents, Reactions, and Outcomes to a Major Technology-driven Organizational Change , Ngoc Dinh Nguyen

Training Coping Techniques to Reduce Statistics Anxiety , Brittany Prothe

Assessing the Effect of Personality Characteristics of Minnesota Golfers on the Brand Equity of Golf Drivers , Eric Schinella

Mood and Engagement Contagion in a Call Center Environment , Sarah Welsch

Why Do Some Employees Readjust to Their Home Organizations Better Than Others? Job Demands-Resources Model of Repatriation Adjustment , Yukiko Yamasaki

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Fitting Flow: An Analysis of the Role of Flow Within a Model of Occupational Stress , Jeffrey Alan Dahlke

Created Equal? Comparing Disturbing Media Outcomes Across Occupations , Christine Nicole Gundermann

The Influence of Perceived Similarity, Affect and Trust on the Performance of Student Learning Groups , Jennifer Louise Lacewell

Depth of a Salesman: Exploring Personality as a Predictor of Sales Performance in a Multi-Level Marketing Sample , Colleen Rose Miller

Expatriate Adjustment of U.S. Military on Foreign Assignment:The Role of Personality and Cultural Intelligence in Adjustment , Jennifer Pauline Stockert

Organizational Trust As a Moderator of the Relationship between Burnout and Intentions to Quit , Glenn Trussell

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Ethnic Names, Resumes, and Occupational stereotypes: Will D'Money Get the Job? , Tony Matthew Carthen

Examining the Effectiveness of the After Action Review for Online and Face-to-Face Discussion Groups , William Cradick

University Commitment: Test of a Three-Component Model , Brittany Davis

An Investigation into the Effect of Power on Entrepreneurial Motivations , Jack Reed Durand

Development and Enhancement to a Pilot Selection Battery for a University Aviation Program , Ryan Thomas Hanna

Overseas Assignments: Expatriate and Spousal Adjustment in the U.S. Air Force , Andrew R. Hayes

The Roles of Social Support and Job Meaningfulness in the Disturbing Media Exposure-Job Strain Relationship , Hung T. Hoang

Student Assessment of Professor Effectiveness , Roger Emil Knutson

Dirty Work: The Effects of Viewing Disturbing Media on Military Attorneys , Natalie Lynn Sokol

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Selection System Prediction Of Safety: A Step Toward Zero Accidents In South African Mining , Rachel Aguilera-Vanderheyden

Examining Generational Differences across Organizational Factors that Relate to Turnover , Kimberly Asuncion

An Investigation of Online Unproctored Testing and Cheating Motivations Using Equity Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior , Valerie Nicole Brophy

Race, Gender, and Leadership Promotion: The Moderating Effect of Social Dominance Orientation , Chelsea Chatham

Disentangling Individual, Organization, and Learning Process Factors that Drive Employee Participation , Diana Colangelo

Will [email protected] get the Job Done? An Analysis of Employees' Email Usernames, Turnover, and Job Performance , Jessica Marie Lillegaard

Using Personality Traits to Select Customer-Oriented Security Guards , Tracy Marie Shega

Mobile Internet Testing: Applicant Reactions To Mobile Internet Testing , Sarah Smeltzer

Ethical Leadership: Need for Cross-Cultural Examinations , Shuo Tian

Development of a Pilot Selection System for a Midwestern University Aviation Program , Kathryn Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Identifying Organizational Factors that Moderate the Engagement-Turnover Relationship in a Healthcare Setting , Stevie Ann Collini

Organizational Wellness Programs: Who Participates and Does it Help? , Justin Michael Dumond

Coping with Economic Stressors: Religious and Non-Religious Strategies for Managing Psychological Distress , Jonathan Karl Feil

The Creation and Validation of a Pilot Selection System for a Midwestern University Aviation Department , Jacob William Forsman

The National Survey of Student Engagement as a Predictor of Academic Success , Paul Michael Fursman

Perceptions of a Text-Based SJT versus an Animated SJT , Amanda Helen Halabi

The Moderating Effects of Work Control and Leisure Control on the Recovery-Strain Relationship , Jason Nicholas Jaber

The Role Social Influence Has On Dormitory Residents' Responses to Fire Alarms , Michael Otting Leytem

The Impact of Culture, Industry Type, and Job Relevance on Applicant Reactions , Olivia Martin

Someone Who Understands: The Effect of Support on Law Enforcement Officers Exposed to Disturbing Media , Jessica Morales

The Effects of Task Ambiguity and Individual Differences on Personal Internet Use at Work , Hitoshi Nishina

The Roles of Self-Efficacy and Self-Deception in Cheating on Unproctored Internet Testing , Christopher Adam Wedge

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Assessing Transfer Student Performance , Hyderhusain Shakir Abadin

Should You Hire [email protected]?: An Analysis of Job Applicants' Email Addresses and their Scores on Pre-Employment Assessments , Evan Blackhurst

The Dirty Work Of Law Enforcement: Emotion, Secondary Traumatic Stress, And Burnout In Federal Officers Exposed To Disturbing Media , Amanda Harms

Comparison of a Ranking and Rating Format of the 5Plus5: A Personality Measure , Kristy Lynn Jungemann

Cultural Intelligence and Collective Efficacy in Virtual Team Effectiveness , Pei See Ng

Relationship Type Determines the Target of Threat in Perceived Relational Devaluation: Organizational Self vs. Interpersonal Relationships , Peter Sanacore

Development of an Assessment Center as a Selection Method for I/O Graduate Applicants , Ting Tseng

Hiking, Haiku, or Happy Hour After Hours: The Effects of Need Satisfaction and Proactive Personality on the Recovery-Strain Relationship , Paige Woodruff

Exploring the Antecedents of Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Knowledge-based Virtual Communities , Luman Yong

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

Author Corner

• All Authors
• Submit Research

University Resources

• Digital Exhibits
• ARCH: University Archives Digital Collections
• Library Services
• Minnesota State University, Mankato

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

750 First Street NE Washington, DC 20002 www.apa.org | [email protected]

Terms of Use | Privacy Statement ©2024 American Psychological Association. All Rights Reserved.

Fill out this form to receive calls for papers and other information related to APA’s I-O psychology resources.

Journal of applied psychology.

JAP emphasizes the publication of original investigations that contribute new knowledge and understanding to fields of applied psychology. The journal primarily considers empirical and theoretical investigations that enhance understanding of cognitive, motivational, affective, and behavioral psychological phenomena in work and organizational settings, broadly defined.

• Read about priorities and vision of Editor-in-Chief Dr. Lillian Eby.
• Read an article about political similarity effects in hireability judgments .

Impact Factor: 9.9

Consulting Psychology Journal

A publication of the Society of Consulting Psychology (APA Division 13), CPJ advances knowledge in all areas of consulting psychology, including but not limited to coaching, assessment, leadership, corporate consulting, consulting to schools, and team consulting. This includes issues at the individual, group, and organizational/systemic levels so long as there is a consulting focus.

• Read the outgoing editorial of CPJ’ s editor-in-chief , Dr. Kenneth M. Nowack, who summarizes the publication’s contributions to the field of consulting psychology during his tenure.
• Read a summary of a special issue of CPJ on progress in equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives across organizations

Impact Factor: 1.1

Journal of Occupational Health Psychology

JOHP publishes theory, research, and public policy articles in occupational health psychology, an interdisciplinary field representing a broad range of backgrounds, interests, and specializations. Occupational health psychology concerns the application of psychology to improving the quality of work life and to protecting and promoting the safety, health, and well-being of workers.

• Read an interview with editor Dr. Sharon Clarke
• Read an open access article on  the impact of virtual meetings on cognitive performance   and active versus passive fatigue.

Impact Factor: 5.1

International Journal of Stress Management

A publication of the International Stress Management Association, IJSM focuses on assessment, management, and treatment of stress and trauma, whether emotional, cognitive, behavioral, or physiological. Personal, occupational, organizational, and societal issues relevant to stress identification and management are also covered.

• Read about the priorities and vision of Editor-in-Chief Dr. Luo Lu.
• Read an open access article on the impact of armed conflict exposure on psychotic experiences in the general population.

Impact Factor: 4

Psychology of Leaders and Leadership Formerly  The Psychologist-Manager Journal

A publication of the Society of Psychologists in Leadership (SPIL; formerly, SPIM), the journal explores how psychologists in leadership positions can use their expertise to help themselves and their organizations perform more effectively. Featuring highly practical insights, the journal is a platform for applied research in leadership.

• Read an interview with the editors Drs. Blickensderfer and Lazzara

Impact Factor: 0.6

APA Journals ® : Advance the field of I-O psychology with authoritative research

Submit your article for consideration in one of our premier industrial and organizational psychology journals.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive information about American Psychological Association (APA) products and services. You may unsubscribe at any time. Please review the APA Privacy Policy for more information.

22 August 2024: Due to technical disruption, we are experiencing some delays to publication. We are working to restore services and apologise for the inconvenience. For further updates please visit our website: https://www.cambridge.org/universitypress/about-us/news-and-blogs/cambridge-university-press-publishing-update-following-technical-disruption

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings .

Login Alert

• < Back to search results
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology
• Latest Issue

Industrial and Organizational Psychology - Latest issue

• Submit your article
• Announcements

This journal utilises an Online Peer Review Service (OPRS) for submissions. By clicking "Continue" you will be taken to our partner site https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/iopsych . Please be aware that your Cambridge account is not valid for this OPRS and registration is required. We strongly advise you to read all "Author instructions" in the "Journal information" area prior to submitting.

• Information
• Journal home
• Journal information
• Latest issue
• FirstView articles
• Open access articles

Refine listing

Actions for selected content:.

• View selected items
• Save to my bookmarks
• Export citations
• Download PDF (zip)
• Save to Kindle
• Save to Dropbox
• Save to Google Drive

Save content to

To save this undefined to your undefined account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you used this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your undefined account. Find out more about saving content to .

To save this article to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle .

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Volume 17 - Issue 2 - June 2024

Focal article, assessment centers: reflections, developments, and empirical insights.

• Duncan J. R. Jackson , Michael D. Blair , Pia V. Ingold
• Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 May 2024 , pp. 149-153
• You have access Access
• Open access
• Export citation

Assessment centers do not measure competencies: Why this is now beyond reasonable doubt

• Chris Dewberry
• Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 May 2024 , pp. 154-175

Although assessment centers (ACs) are usually designed to measure stable competencies (i.e., dimensions), doubt about whether or not they reliably do so has endured for 70 years. Addressing this issue in a novel way, several published Generalizability (G) theory studies have sought to isolate the multiple sources of variance in AC ratings, including variance specifically concerned with competencies. Unlike previous research, these studies can provide a definitive answer to the AC construct validity issue. In this article, the historical context for the construct validity debate is set out, and the results of four large-scale G-theory studies of ACs are reviewed. It is concluded that these studies demonstrate, beyond reasonable doubt, that ACs do not reliably measure stable competencies, but instead measure general, and exercise-related, performance. The possibility that ACs measure unstable competencies is considered, and it is suggested that evidence that they do so may reflect an artefact of typical AC design rather than a “real” effect. For ethical, individual, and organizational reasons, it is argued that the use of ACs to measure competencies can no longer be justified and should be halted.

Inclusive leadership as a valid assessment center dimension

• Anna N. Hoover , Deborah E. Rupp
• Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 May 2024 , pp. 176-191
• Get access Check if you have access via personal or institutional login Log in Register

As organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of selecting inclusive leaders, this paper proposes measuring inclusive leadership proficiency as an assessment center (AC) dimension. We propose that ACs present a novel way to effectively assess inclusive leadership using interpersonal behavioral simulation exercises, such as role plays. It is argued that AC-measured inclusive leadership can provide incremental prediction of leader performance beyond commonly assessed AC dimensions; and that it positively predicts follower performance and follower demographic diversity. We conclude by suggesting ways future research might empirically investigate the validity and reliability of AC-measured inclusive leadership in organizational settings.

Any slice is predictive? On the consistency of impressions from the beginning, middle, and end of assessment center exercises and their relation to performance

• Pia V. Ingold , Anna Luca Heimann , Simon M. Breil
• Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 March 2024 , pp. 192-205

This study generates new insights on the role of initial impressions in assessment centers. Drawing from the “thin slices” of behavior paradigm in personality and social psychology, we investigate to what extent initial impressions of assessees—based on different slices of assessment center exercises (i.e., two minutes at the beginning, middle, and end of AC exercises)—are consistent across and within AC exercises, and are relevant for predicting assessment center performance and job performance. Employed individuals ( N = 223) participated in three interactive assessment center exercises, while being observed and evaluated by trained assessors. Based upon video-recordings of all assessment center exercises, a different, untrained group of raters subsequently provided ratings of their general initial impressions of assessees for the beginning, middle, and end of each exercise. As criterion measure, supervisors rated assessees’ job performance. Results show that initial impressions in assessment centers are (a) relatively stable, (b) consistently predict assessment center performance across different slices of behavior (i.e., across the three time points and exercises), and (c) mostly relate to job performance.

Beyond rating accuracy: Unpacking frame-of-reference assessor training effectiveness

• C. Allen Gorman , Duncan J. R. Jackson , John P. Meriac , Joseph R. Himmler , Tanya F. Contreras
• Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 March 2024 , pp. 206-219

Evidence from previous research suggests that frame-of-reference (FOR) training is effective at improving assessor ratings in many organizational settings. Yet no research has presented a thorough examination of systematic sources of variance (assessor-related effects, evaluation settings, and measurement design features) that might influence training effectiveness. Using a factorial ANOVA and variance components analyses on a database of four studies of frame-of-reference assessor training, we found that (a) training is most effective at identifying low levels of performance and (b) the setting of the training makes little difference with respect to training effectiveness. We also show evidence of the importance of rater training as a key determinant of the quality of performance ratings in general. Implications for FOR training theory and practice are discussed.

Perceptions of assessment center exercises: Between exercises differences and interventions

• Sylvia G. Roch
• Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 March 2024 , pp. 220-232

Preliminary research has demonstrated that not all assessment center (AC) exercises are viewed as equally just or motivating. The current research builds upon this research and investigates the relationships between six AC exercises and perceptions of self-efficacy, motivation, assessor bias, and fairness. Using a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design (two informational justice interventions and one rating timing intervention), 286 working adults completed a survey designed to investigate differences between AC exercises and to investigate interventions designed to influence AC exercise perceptions. The results show not only significant perceptual differences between assessor-rated exercises and an ability test but also differences among the rated exercises. The results suggest that an ability test can be perceived as both among the most just and motivating exercises. Lastly, even though the experimental interventions did not have their anticipated effects, the results suggest benefits to having assessors rate recorded participant behaviors versus rating “live” behaviors, benefits that to a certain extent depend on whether participants had previously attended an assessment center.

An ethical leadership assessment center pilot: Assessing and developing moral person and moral manager dimensions

• Alexis d’Amato , Vignesh Murugavel , Kelsey Medeiros , Logan L. Watts
• Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 May 2024 , pp. 233-251

Ethical leaders are those who exemplify moral behavior personally, as well as those who facilitate follower ethical behavior. Although recent attention has been given to the ethical leadership construct, there remains a lack of innovation regarding the assessment and development of ethical leaders in organizations. To address these issues, a pilot study was conducted to examine the convergent validity of an ethical leadership assessment center, as well as the efficacy of using assessment center feedback to foster ethical leadership. Assessees completed a battery of pre tests, a virtual business simulation with a novel exercise, and a set of post tests. Half of the assessees were randomly assigned to a feedback condition, whereas the other half did not receive feedback until after the post tests were completed. Due to low statistical power, quantitative results were inconclusive. Nevertheless, qualitative insights were gained that point to implications for validating assessment center methodologies when assessing and developing ethical leadership.

An epistemology for assessment and development: How do we know what we know?

• Deborah E. Rupp , George C. Thornton III , Tiffany M. Bisbey , Anna N. Hoover , Eduardo Salas , Kevin R. Murphy
• Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 March 2024 , pp. 252-268

To make informed decisions, assessment theorists, researchers, and practitioners can evaluate the overlap among (1) relevant theories, (2) empirical contributions, and (3) best practices. Unfortunately, such a task may seem daunting due to the so-called science-practice gap, which can thwart collaboration among these parties. This paper presents an epistemology for delineating the importance of integrating these three sources of knowledge. We then apply this epistemology to show that our current knowledge of assessment and development topics are well integrated in some places, but still quite lacking in others.

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

IResearchNet

Individual Differences Topics

Individuals differ from one another behaviorally in myriad ways. Differential psychology, the scientific study of these individual differences, provides an organizational structure for this vast array of psychological attributes. By examining broad behavioral patterns and using systematic assessments of relatively stable personal attributes, differential psychology allows longitudinal forecasting of a variety of important life outcomes. Because much of the research in this area focuses particular attention on predicting long-term life outcomes, and because work is such a large and important feature of adult life, the relationships between many commonly investigated individual difference constructs and various aspects of work behavior (e.g., educational-vocational choice, acquisition of job-related knowledge, job performance, job satisfaction and tenure) are well understood. Read more about  Individual Differences .

Individual Differences Research Topics

• Affective Traits
• Big Five Traits of Personality
• Biographical Data
• Cognitive Abilities
• Cognitive Ability Tests
• Computer Assessment
• Core Self-Evaluations
• Emotional Intelligence
• Employment Interview
• Genetics and I-O Psychology
• Gravitational Hypothesis
• Impression Management
• Individual Assessment
• Integrity Testing
• Job Knowledge Testing
• Letters of Recommendation
• Locus of Control
• Machiavellianism
• Motivational Traits
• Need for Achievement, Power, and Affiliation
• Optimism and Pessimism
• Personality
• Personality Assessment
• Physical Performance Assessment
• Practical Intelligence
• Protestant Work Ethic
• Self-Esteem
• Situational Judgment Tests
• Standardized Testing
• Stereotype Threat
• Trainability and Adaptability
• Type A and Type B Personalities
• Work Samples
• Work Values

Individual differences attributes and the constellations they form differentially attune people to contrasting educational-vocational opportunities (affordances for learning and work). From an individual’s perspective, an appreciation of one’s cognitive abilities, preferences, and personality provide invaluable insight for directing one’s career development in personally rewarding ways. From an organizational perspective, one may use this information—available through measures of individual differences—to estimate the likelihood of desirable work behavior (e.g., citizenship, job performance, satisfaction, and tenure). Creating optimal niches for personal development and satisfaction (for the individual) and meeting the environment’s goals and demands (for the organization) may be achieved simultaneously using an individual differences approach.

• Industrial-Organizational Psychology Topics