Brief History of I/O Psychology

Early 1900s

The study of industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology originated within the United States in

the early 1900s through the work of psychologists Hugo Munsterberg and Walter Dill Scott (both
of whom were qualified by German physiologist and psychologist Wilhelm Wundt), while
its application developed largely through the work of American industrial engineer Frederick W.
Taylor. I-O psychology grew rapidly after World War I and even more so later World War II.

Merging of two forces: applying psychology and industrial engineers improving efficiency
happened in early 1900s. Industrial psychology is nearly as old as psychology itself.
Psychology came about in 1879 within the laboratory of Wilhelm Wundt in Germany
and William James at Harvard. Both of them were philosophers and physicians interested with
the mind- body debate. The older discipline of philosophy could not alone cope with this debate,
more room and new tools were needed, giving method to psychology. Texts applying
psychology to business first appeared in 1930; the first industrial- organizational psychology text
appeared in 1910 (Landy, 1997)

Based on most historical accounts of the development of the sector of I/O psychology, the

industrial side of the sector was much quicker to improve than the organizational side.
Chronologically, the start of the field of I/O psychology can be traced to work, during the first a
part of the 20 th century, by pioneers such as Hugo Munsterberg, Walter Dill Scott, and Walter
Bingham. Most of the work at that time addressed topics such as skill acquisition and personnel
selection. Little work managing the organizational side of the sector was conducted.
Although various experts disagree about the precise starting of I/O psychology, it is normally
thought to have started either in 1903 when Walter Dill Scott wrote the theory of Advertising, in
which psychology was first applied to business; in 1910 when Hugo Munsterberg wrote
Psychology and Industrial Efficiency, which was first published in English in 1913; or in 1900
when Scott wrote the book Growing Human Efficiency in Business (Koppes & Pickren,
2007). Regardless of the official beginning date, I/O psychology was born in the early
1900s. Additionally to Scott and Munsterburg, pioneers within the field comprise James Cattell,
Walter Bingham, John Watson, Marion Bills, and Lillian Gilbreth (DiClemente & Hantula,
2000). Interestingly, the term “industrial psychology” was seldom used before World War I. The
common elements for the sector were “economic psychology,” “business psychology,” and
“employment psychology” (Koppes & Pickren, 2007). Hugo Munsterberg considered the
“Father of industrial Psychology” and he wrote “Psychology and Industrial Efficiency” 1913.