Psychology in the Workplace - Exam 1
Questions and Answers
Industrial Psychology - correct Answer-associated with job analysis, training, selection,
and performance measurement/appraisal
Organizational Psychology - correct Answer-motivation, work attitudes, and leadership,
as well as the structure, culture, and processes of organizations
scientist-practitioner model - correct Answer-an approach used to train IO psychologists
maintaining that because IO psychologists are both generators and consumers of
knowledge, training must be focused on both theory and application
random assignment - correct Answer-the procedure by which research participants,
once selected, are assigned to conditions such that each one has an equally likely
chance of being assigned to each condition
external validity - correct Answer-the extent to which the results obtained in an
experiment generalize to other people, settings, and times
reliability - correct Answer-the consistency or stability of a measure
test-retest reliability - correct Answer-the stability of a test over time; often called a
coefficient of stability
interrater reliabilty - correct Answer-the extent to which multiple raters or judges agree
on ratings made about a particular person, thing, or behavior
internal consistency - correct Answer-an indication of the extent to which individual test
items seem to be measuring the same thing
construct validity - correct Answer-the extent to which a test measures the underlying
construct that it was intended to measure
contruct - correct Answer-an abstract quality such as intelligence or motivation, that is
not observable and is difficult to measure
content validity - correct Answer-the degree to which a test or predictor covers a
representative sample of the quality being assessed
, predictive validity - correct Answer-the extent to which test scores obtained at one point
in time predict criteria obtained in the future
concurrent validity - correct Answer-the extent to which a test predicts a criterion that is
measured at the same time that the test is conducted
convergent validity - correct Answer-the degree to which a measure of the construct in
which we are interested is related to measures of other, similar constructs
competencies for an IO psychologist - correct Answer-the skills, behaviors, and
capabilities that allow employees to perform specific (see table 1.1)
IO psychologist occupations and places of work - correct Answer-4% - nonprofit
9% - government/military
42% - academic
26% - consulting
20% - other private organizations
(see table 1.2 for sample job titles)
IO Psychology - correct Answer-the application of psychological principles and theories
to the workplace
Army Alpha and Army Beta - correct Answer-Mental ability tests developed by I/O
psychologists during World War I that were used to select and classify army personnel
inductive research - correct Answer-an approach to science that consists of working
from data to theory
deductive research - correct Answer-an approach to science in which we start with
theory and propositions and then collect data to test those propositions - working from
theory to data
(see figure 2.1 for visual)
dependent variable - correct Answer-variable of interest, or what we design to assess
independent variable - correct Answer-variable that is systematically manipulated by the
experimenter or, at the least, measured by the experimenter as an antecedent to other
variables
extraneous variable - correct Answer-anything other than the independent variable that
can contaminate our results or be thought of as an alternative to our causal explanation;
also called a confounding variable
internal validity - correct Answer-the extent to which we can draw causal inferences
about our variables
Questions and Answers
Industrial Psychology - correct Answer-associated with job analysis, training, selection,
and performance measurement/appraisal
Organizational Psychology - correct Answer-motivation, work attitudes, and leadership,
as well as the structure, culture, and processes of organizations
scientist-practitioner model - correct Answer-an approach used to train IO psychologists
maintaining that because IO psychologists are both generators and consumers of
knowledge, training must be focused on both theory and application
random assignment - correct Answer-the procedure by which research participants,
once selected, are assigned to conditions such that each one has an equally likely
chance of being assigned to each condition
external validity - correct Answer-the extent to which the results obtained in an
experiment generalize to other people, settings, and times
reliability - correct Answer-the consistency or stability of a measure
test-retest reliability - correct Answer-the stability of a test over time; often called a
coefficient of stability
interrater reliabilty - correct Answer-the extent to which multiple raters or judges agree
on ratings made about a particular person, thing, or behavior
internal consistency - correct Answer-an indication of the extent to which individual test
items seem to be measuring the same thing
construct validity - correct Answer-the extent to which a test measures the underlying
construct that it was intended to measure
contruct - correct Answer-an abstract quality such as intelligence or motivation, that is
not observable and is difficult to measure
content validity - correct Answer-the degree to which a test or predictor covers a
representative sample of the quality being assessed
, predictive validity - correct Answer-the extent to which test scores obtained at one point
in time predict criteria obtained in the future
concurrent validity - correct Answer-the extent to which a test predicts a criterion that is
measured at the same time that the test is conducted
convergent validity - correct Answer-the degree to which a measure of the construct in
which we are interested is related to measures of other, similar constructs
competencies for an IO psychologist - correct Answer-the skills, behaviors, and
capabilities that allow employees to perform specific (see table 1.1)
IO psychologist occupations and places of work - correct Answer-4% - nonprofit
9% - government/military
42% - academic
26% - consulting
20% - other private organizations
(see table 1.2 for sample job titles)
IO Psychology - correct Answer-the application of psychological principles and theories
to the workplace
Army Alpha and Army Beta - correct Answer-Mental ability tests developed by I/O
psychologists during World War I that were used to select and classify army personnel
inductive research - correct Answer-an approach to science that consists of working
from data to theory
deductive research - correct Answer-an approach to science in which we start with
theory and propositions and then collect data to test those propositions - working from
theory to data
(see figure 2.1 for visual)
dependent variable - correct Answer-variable of interest, or what we design to assess
independent variable - correct Answer-variable that is systematically manipulated by the
experimenter or, at the least, measured by the experimenter as an antecedent to other
variables
extraneous variable - correct Answer-anything other than the independent variable that
can contaminate our results or be thought of as an alternative to our causal explanation;
also called a confounding variable
internal validity - correct Answer-the extent to which we can draw causal inferences
about our variables
