Maria Constancia Fretelin C.

David 2014-52235 Psych 195 X3C

FINAL EXAM

I. ESSAY DISCUSSION

A. Explain the industrial/organizational psychology principles revealed through research. Identify 3

and discuss thoroughly. (15 pts)
1. Based on behaviorism, rewards motivate employees to achieve their goals. Operant
conditioning states that individuals engage in behaviors in which they are rewarded, and
avoid behaviors for which they are punished. There are six factors in the determining the
effectiveness of a rewards program.
(a) Rewards must come right after the behavior. If the timing of an incentive takes too long,
the effectiveness is lowered
(b) Rewards must be contingent to the action. The person rewarded should know which
behavior he/she is being praised for.
(c) There should be a variety of rewards as not everyone has the same needs and wants.
Different rewards are financial rewards, recognition, time off, and travel awards.
(d) There is a choice between giving rewards for individual performance or group
performance. Individual rewards prevent behaviors such as social loafing since the reward is
controlled by an employees actions. Group rewards encourage employees to work for the
benefit and success of the organization, and to reach group goals.
(e) Rewards work better than punishments. Punishments are said to cause resentment and
only create change in the short term. Rather than allowing employees to develop good
behaviors, they instead just learn new methods on how to break rules.
(f) Rewards must be given fairly. Based on the equity theory, levels of motivation and job
satisfaction is related to how people perceive that they are being treated fairly. If they
perceive that they are being treated unfairly, they change their behavior until they feel a
there is fairness.

In example, a waiter is encouraged to perform better and engage in more friendly behavior
when he/she is given a proper tip, good constructive criticism via customer surveys, and good
performance appraisal from his/her superior.

2. Stress is defined as the physical and psychological reaction to certain life events or situation.
Stress can either be good or bad. Eustress occurs when stressors result in feeling of challenge
or achievement. It is the stress that motivates an individual to take action. On the other hand,
distress occurs when there are too many stressors, that an individual cannot balance them
all. The positivity and negativity of stress differs from individual to individual. For example, I
might feel motivated to study because there is an upcoming exam, whereas my friend would
hate reviewing. The right amount of stress or anxiety is essential to keep an individual
motivated. The optimal level of arousal, more commonly known as the inverted U theory
suggests that having too little arousal or too much arousal results in poor performance. A
moderate level of arousal results in high performance.

3. Employees job satisfaction relies on whether his/her expectation have been met and if
he/she is good fit for the job. According to the job characteristics theory, employees want
Maria Constancia Fretelin C. David 2014-52235 Psych 195 X3C

jobs that are (a) meaningful, (b) give them autonomy, and (c) provide them with feedback
regarding their results. Meaningful jobs are those which have impact on the individual and
the society. The employee has to believe that his/her job has a significance. Next, employees
desire to have some responsibility in their outcomes. Nobody likes being dependent and
closely monitored. Lastly, employees want to know how well or how poorly they are
performing in a job. With feedback, they get to control what aspects of their performance
they have to improve. If a job contains little to none of these characteristics, the job is said
to have low motivation potential.

B. Discuss a brief history of I/O Psychology and the evolution of the practice. Focus on only 3 that
was impactful to you and discuss its application in your future engagement/organizational setting.
(15 pts)
1. I/O Psychologys first breakthrough was during the World War I. Army Alpha and Army Beta
tests were developed to help screen the soldiers and what jobs are appropriate for them.
Those that pass the Army Alpha test because of their proficient in reading are trained to
become leaders of brigades. This testing concept can be applied when assigning an
organizations members into their appropriate committees. If a person is visually adept,
he/she can be placed into the publicity committee. If a person is good at creating
connections, he/she can be placed into a marketing position, etc.

2. In the 1930s, the scope of I/O Psychology shifted from personnel issues to human capital
management/human relations. The Hawthorne studies revealed the importance of work
environment on employee behavior. It stated that attention from superiors increased work
productivity, and not necessarily ones physical environment. This can be applied to any
organizational matter, wherein a leader must always check up with his/her members as this
increases productivity and motivation. In a classroom setting, a professor must guide
students in their researches and projects, so they will be motivated to work continuously and
instead of slacking off.

3. The 1980s-1990s was a great period of development for I/O Psychology. One of the major
changes was the increased attention on employee stress, especially stress resulting to
workplace violence. Work productivity is based on stress levels, family life, and leisure
activities, among other factors. This means in an organization, everything should be
balanced. As the saying goes, work hard, party harder! When delegating tasks to members,
one should be aware of their schedules outside the organization. A manager should be
aware that their employees have lives outside from work, therefore should not be pushing
them to work after designated work hours.

C. Discuss the relationship between proper application of industrial/organizational psychology

principles and individual, team, and organizational performance. Identify and discuss thoroughly
at least one application of I/O Psych principles for 1) Individual; 2) Team and 3) Organizational
performance. (15 pts)
Maria Constancia Fretelin C. David 2014-52235 Psych 195 X3C

1. Individual- The success of organizations primarily depends on its workers and their
satisfaction. Every individual has different reasons why they decide to join a particular
organization. Their motivation for work has several factors such as self-esteem, intrinsic
motivation, and needs for achievement. When applying for a job, every person must know
what motivates them. If they are motivated by giving help to others, they should not apply to
multimillion companies that live off profit. Their values just would not mix well together.

2. Team- Most employee behavior generally takes place with other individuals. Since employees
tend to work in group or teams, it is important to understand the dynamics of a group, and
how to make the processes more efficient. One reason why people join groups is their need
for identification. They want to find other individuals that could relate to them. Mainly,
identification is shown through personal appearances. Individuals in a group feel more
motivated when they have the same type of attire as everyone else. That is why sports teams,
store clerks, and members of organizations have specific uniforms.

3. Organizational- In its name, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, we see why I/O Psych is

important in organizations. Through the principles learned, we get to see how organizations
are made more efficient and effective. Improving organizational performance requires
organization-wide changes rather than just individual changes. The first stepping stone of
organizational change is called the sacred cow hunt. Sacred cows are defined as the practices
that have been present for a long time and have never been questioned. Although not
observes, these practices actually lower productivity. There are three types of sacred cows:
the paper cow, the meeting cow, and the speed cow. Combining these, it is seen that
organizations (1) do not need to always create intensive paperwork, since not many
employees read through them, (2) should only set meetings when deemed necessary,
because some managers create meetings for the sake of them and waste precious work time,
and (3) should not set deadlines if they are unnecessary, since these deadlines force
employees to work in a less than optimal pace.

II. I/O TOPICS AND FOCUS AREA

Reviewing the I/O Psychology coverage, what and where should the emphasis be for each of the following
topics? Why (discuss your answers)? Suggest Methodologies and Evaluation for each.

I/O TOPIC COVERAGE Topic of Choice Methodology Learning Evaluation

Definition of I/O Psychology and
description of what I/O
Psychologists do
Job Design Analysis and
Evaluation and its importance in
pay equity
Specific tasks of I/O
Psychologists- I/O Psychologists
are often known as HRMs only. In
truth, they have greater tasks and
duties other than personnel
management.
Writing a good job description
Good job descriptions allow the
right type of employees to apply
for the job. Employees having
knowledge what a job is about
tend to set more realistic
Straight Lectures: A straight
lecture would suffice, with a
Q&A portion where the
professor will address further
concern
Lecture Discussion: Students
should be guided how to
create a proper job description
Essay type quiz: What do
psychologists do?
Exercise: writing sample
job descriptions,
Exercise: applying to jobs
with realistic job
descriptions vs. wrong
Maria Constancia Fretelin C. David
Legal processes involved in
employment
Key areas of employee selection,
training, performance
management, work motivation,
employee attitudes and
leadership.
Types of organizational
communication of how to
improve its effectiveness
Organizational groups, teams,
performance, and conflict
resolutions
Organizational development and
its applications in management of
change
Stress and other related
occupational health issues
2014-52235
expectations for it and become
more satisfied, since they know
what they are entering.
Harassment- sexual harassment
in the workplace is often an
overlooked issue. Victims must
be empowered to tell their
bosses the situation that
occurred to them or else the
harassers will keep harassing
them and would be encouraged
to do the same to others
Employment interviews- if
interview strategies are
subjective, the right employee
would not be hired which is
unfair. Creating structured
interviews are important to
combat this
Interpersonal communication-
every individual communicates
with others, and thus effective
communication is but essential in
the work place. There are so
many situations for
misunderstandings, therefore we
must learn how to properly
communicate, receive, and
analyze a message
Factors affecting group
performance- to effectively and
efficiently work in a team, we
must know what factors shape a
good team. In the workplace, it is
unavoidable that employees
work in teams. Sometimes, one
person cannot do all the work
Work Schedules- There are a lot
of call center agents with
abnormal body clocks. We must
learn the effects of different
types of work schedules on an
employees performance,
satisfaction, and most
importantly, health.
Managing Stress- As students, we
have a lot on our plates. There
are many instances when one
might be stressed and proper
handling is very important in
these situations.
FGDs: explaining why
harassment should always be
reported + Videos showing
workplace harassment should
be presented
Straight Lectures: Proper
techniques can be shared
through lectures only
Although, it would be better if
professor could demonstrate
how to do good interviews
versus bad ones
Lecture discussions: teaching
students the dos and donts of
interpersonal communication
Focus Group Discussions:
Professor will discuss how to
effective teams work and
students can pitch in their
ideas. Furthermore, if the set
of people have been in a group
together before, they can
assess each others
weaknesses and strengths
Straight lectures +
documentaries on call center
agents and other employees
with abnormal work schedule
Telling students to alter their
sleeping patterns and see the
effects (may be unethical)
Straight lectures: how to
reduce stress
Teaching yoga, meditation, and
other forms of wellness
exercises
Psych 195 X3C
job descriptions and
evaluating his/her
feelings toward it
Debates: defending who
is innocent and who is
the guilty of the
harassment
Quizzes: types of
harassment
Exercise: creating
structured interview
questions and scoring
systems
Role playing/acting: how
to properly converse
with one another
Debates: practices
confidence with public
speaking
Problem solving, team
building exercises, trust
exercises, group works:
develops proper work
dynamic
Exercise: designing a
proper work schedule for
hypothetical employees
Quiz: On the different
types of work schedules
Exercise: designing a
balanced work/
school/extracurricular
time table
Maria Constancia Fretelin C. David 2014-52235 Psych 195 X3C

III. TOP OF THE MIND AWARENESS (10 points)

Identify three (3) T.O.M.A. you have learned from the Class and discuss its back-home application,
particularly in your future integration to the industry/ work force

1. The value of inputs is determined by financial costs, but the value of outputs does not equate
costs. An item might cost little, but its function is what matters. For example, in the creation of
a ball pen, the materials used cost very littleplastic, ink, metal. Its how your
workers/engineers envision it so be cost-effective and efficient thats what matters. In an
organizational setting, conducting workshops and talks cost little to no money especially if you
have good connections. But with the proper preparation, the benefits of the talks could increase
tenfold.

2. Always be transparent about a jobs description and nature even though divulging not so good
things about the job might lead to less applicants. It is better to have a few applicants know
what theyre getting into as opposed to having many applicants that have the wrong
expectation about the job and in the end, end of quitting because of that.

3. Work based on your audience. AlDub became the powerhouse that they are today because
they properly utilized every aspect of S.M.A.C. (Social Media, Mobile, Analytics, and Cloud).
Todays generation is very driven by Social Media, meaning it is the most important aspect to
tap. Kids are on their phones almost 24/7. When it comes to promoting events for my
organization, we should properly use social media well by posting photos and videos in all
mediums (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest.)