I-O Psychology Content

Prepared by the Education and Training Committee of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, this guide is for teachers to introduce the topic to their students. Interest in I-O psychology has grown among students, yet relatively few introductory psychology textbooks cover the topic. Therefore, we have designed modules that will complement many of the other topics you might cover in your course.

I-O psychology entails the application of psychological concepts to work settings. This guide begins with a short introductory lecture segment providing an overview of I-O psychology that serves as a lead-in to any of the modules listed below.

The goal of each module is to address key themes/goals in I-O psychology:

• I-O psychologists help employers deal with employees fairly.
• I-O psychologists help make jobs more interesting and satisfying.
• I-O psychologists help workers be more productive.

The modules were developed and implemented by the Education and Training Committee of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. The Education and Training Committee members responsible for preparing this guide include Elise Amel, Peter Bachiochi, Carrie Bulger, David Day, Todd Harris, Martha Hennen, Michael Horvath, Laura Koppes, Kurt Kraiger, Geula Lowenberg, Debra Major, Morrie Mullins, Joan Rentsch, Jeffrey Stanton.

The committee would like to thank Mike Burke, Georgia Chao, Angelo DeNisi, David Miller, Elaine Pulakos, Ann Marie Ryan, Jeff Schippmann, Nancy Tippins, Craig Vickio, and several other Introductory Psychology instructors for their recommendations and suggestions on previous versions of this guide. They helped to significantly improve the final product.