Describe the evolution of the field of industrial/organizational psychology.
 Explain how industrial/organizational psychology is different from other disciplines of psychology.
 Discuss how industrial/organization psychology can be used in organizations.
 Explain the role of research and statistics in industrial/organizational psychology.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Define Industrial/Organizational Psychology
A simple definition of Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology would be, a branch of psychology that focuses on workplace behavior and focuses on ways to keep employees happy and motivated (www.ehow.com). The more appropriate definition, however, would include that I/O psychology applies proven methods that organizations find of value and are concerned with the workplace environment and therefore deals with anyone who has ever held a job or has been in a career (Spector, 2008, p. 5).
Describe the Evolution of the Field of I/O Psychology
Two psychologists are credited with being the main founders of I/O psychology; Hugo Munsterberg and Walter Dill Scott. Both men were experimental psychologists and university professors who became involved in applying psychology to problems of organizations (Spector, 2008, p. 10). I/O psychology is considered a twentieth century invention according to Spector (p. 9) and it has existed almost from the beginning of the psychology field (Spector, 2008, p. 9).
Major milestones in the evolution of I/O psychology include the firs textbook written in 1913, mental placements for job studies were developed in 1917, and in 1991 the American with Disabilities Act was passed into law (Spector, 2008, table 1.2) to name a few. As the workforce has grown and there are organizations that employ thousands of employees, I/O psychologists have become more involved in assisting those, as well as smaller, organizations to develop standards and policies to protect the employees as well as the organization. Areas that are evaluated and possibly even changed within an organization may include a change in the infrastructure, new policies being written and Administrative Directive formulated. Employees may be given the opportunity to make suggestions to the board that they feel will help production in a specific area. This, however, is not all that makes up the specifications and role of the I/O psychologists within an organization. Research and statistics play a big role in what changes come to fruition and which current programs are made obsolete.
Explain the Role of Research and Statistics in I/O Psychology
Research and statistics, as mentioned earlier are a large part of the role of the I/O psychologist. Research within an organization takes place in a field setting, that is one in which phenomenon of interests occur naturally. Organizations are considered to be a field setting in which to study employee behavior (Spector, 2008, p. 28). There is also laboratory research done within an organization in which phenomenon does not occur naturally, but can manipulated. As a rule most of the research takes place in the field setting but there is quite a bit of laboratory research that goes on as well.
When an organization wants to know if a specific job training program is effective, they may call upon a I/O psychologist to assist in doing the statistical measurements for the job training and give insight into the areas where the organization may need to make changes for a more effective training schema. The statistics and measurements used in I/O psychology are scientific because scientific methods are being used to come to a hypothesis.
There are several definitions that are important to understand when discussing the role of research and statistics in I/O psychology which assist the psychologist to perform studies that can effectively assist an organization to improve job performance, decrease injuries on the job, or any other host of changes that need change. The first of these definitions is generalizability. Generalizability means that a test that is used can be used in other experiments as well and thus gives the psychologist better methods by which areas of the organization can be studied.
A second component, according to Spector (2008), is control. Control is an important component of research studies in that it allows one to rule out alternate explanations for results (Spector, 2008, p. 49). Random assignment means that subjects can be chosen in a nonsystematic way so everyone is equally likely to be assigned to different treatment conditions, whereas, random selection means that all participants have a chance of being chosen to participate in a study. If two or more variables become enmeshed in a way that drawing conclusions is difficult on both variables, this is called confounding.
There are both experimental and non-experimental research designs. In an experimental design subjects are randomly assigned to constructs of the study with conditions already in place. In non-experimental designs experimenters are making observations of subjects without assignment of subjects involved. Both of these studies are used in I/O psychology to ascertain employee happiness in the work place or to see if training is working in a particular area.
In I/O psychology as well as in any experimental environment measurement is the process by which the characteristics of people or things are quantified. Reliability refers to the consistency of measurement, whereas validity means that inferences can be drawn about the meaning of a measure (Spector, 2008, p. 49).
Conclusion
I/O psychologists when performing any type of study within an organization must make sure that each person involved consents to the study. Ethically they must also insure that no information given to them will be given to a third party within the organization which can be used against them in a detrimental way. All subject who participate in the study should be informed of the outcome of the study and the organization must put in place changes that benefit the employees, management, and the organization as a whole. I/O psychology is a very necessary discipline in terms of using statistics and measurements to assess, hypothesize, and assist in the improvement of organizations as a whole.
What Is the Right Career Path for You?
The "right choice" really depends on what you like to do. If you like to travel a lot and live at a fairly fast pace, then life as an external consultant might be for you. If you like to teach and do research, then you might find a career in higher education appealing. Many I/O psychologists have chosen to work in management departments rather than psychology departments. There is usually a financial advantage to this choice. However, many other I/O psychologists see an advantage to working among psychologists who specialize in other areas of psychology in a psychology department. If you primarily like to do research, you'll make a different career choice than if you like to train, evaluate, produce, and sell I/O psychology products.
Of course, you may find that you like to research, teach, and consult. There are jobs out there that require different skill mixes to suit your interests. You need to think about what you like to do, however, to know the kind of job with the kind of mix that might interest you.
Becoming an I/O Psychologist
To become an I/O psychologist you are going to have to go to graduate school. How long it takes to become an I/O psychologist after getting your undergraduate degree depends on what degree you are seeking and how steadily you work at completing your graduate education. Generally, it will take about two to three years to obtain a master's degree and then an additional two to three years to earn a doctoral degree. The type of degree you earn plays a significant role in determining what kind of jobs you are qualified to hold. The majority of I/O psychologists have doctoral degrees. You will find them at work in any of the areas of I/O psychology mentioned earlier. I/O psychologists with master's degrees, however, often find themselves in organizational settings that emphasize the more traditional I/O areas of personnel psychology, training, tests, and measurement
One of the advantages of being an I/O psychologist is that there are so many different sorts of jobs and settings in which you can work. We often divide jobs into academic (university professors) versus nonacademic or practitioner jobs. In a general sense academics conduct research and teach, whereas practitioners apply principles of the field to problems of organizations. However, there is a great deal of overlap, in that academics often practice, and practitioners often teach and do research. Academics work primarily in colleges and universities, whereas practitioners work in a variety of settings, including consulting firms, government agencies, the military, and private corporations. Many operate from their own private offices as consultants, selling their services to organizations.
It is difficult to describe an "I/O job" as they are so varied. However, it is possible to give an overview of typical jobs and tasks that I/O psychologists do. Below I will describe what a university professor's job is like, and what a practitioner job is like. Keep in mind that within each of these categories, there can be a lot of variability.