Industrial and Organizational PsychologyMethods For I/O Research

Copyright Paul E. Spector, All rights reserved, March 15, 2005

Research Purpose

• Solve an organizational problem

• Answer a scientific question

• Exploratory research

• Theory-testing research

Research Design Concepts

• Variables– Independent vs. dependent

• Research Setting– Field vs. Laboratory

• Generalizability

• Control

• Randomization– Random assignment

– Random selection

• Confounding

Research Designs

• Design: Structure of a scientific study

• Experiment

• Quasi-experiment

• Survey design– Cross-sectional

– Longitudinal

• Observational design– Unobtrusive method

• Qualitative study

Measurement

• Categorical vs. continuous

• Classical measurement theory– Observed = True + Error

• Reliability– Internal consistency vs. test-retest

• Validity– Face

– Content

– Criterion-related

– Construct

Statistics: Descriptives

• Most I/O research uses statistical methods

• Descriptive statistics

• Measures of central tendency– Mean, Median, and Mode

• Measures of variability– Variance and standard deviation

• Correlation– Relationship between two variables

• Regression– Mathematical function relating two variables

Plot of Two Variables Correlated At .50

Statistics: Inferential

• Inferential statistics– Drawing conclusions about relationships

• Statistical significance– Based on probability– .05 significance level by convention

• Statistical tests– Independent group t-test– Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)– Factorial ANOVA– T-test for correlation– Multiple regression

• Meta-analysis– Cumulating results across multiple studies

Ethics of Research

• General principle: Do No Harm

• Standards– American Psychological Association

– Academy of Management

• Protecting health and well-being of research participants

• Informed consent

• Confidentiality

• Ethical dilemmas– Interests of the employee vs. the organization