PSYCHOLOGY 321-001

INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Spring 2008 --TR--9:25--10:40

BELL: 400

 

 

Instructor:                  Dr. C. Vincent Spicer

Office Location:         65 Coming Street, Room 210

Office Hours:             Tue. Thur. 11:00 am – 12:00 noon

                                    Friday  9:00 am – 11:00 am

                                    And by appointment

Phone:             953-6785

E-mail:                        spicercv@cofc.edu

 

COURSE MATERIALS

Required Textbook:

Levy, Paul E. (2006). Industrial/Organizational Psychology 2nd edition. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Additional Readings: Organizational cases and/or research articles will be assigned throughout the semester and discussed in class.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

            This course offers a broad description and examination of the psychology of behavior at work, including the major theories, their applications in the workplace, and research investigations of both. The course will examine job analysis, employee selection, employee training, the performance appraisal process, worker motivation, job satisfaction, worker stress, communication in the workplace, group processes in the workplace, leadership and power, organizational structure, and work conditions. A thorough understanding of social scientific research methods and current psychological research findings are emphasized.

            The class meetings will consist of lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. The lectures will be coordinated with the reading assignments. Sometimes the most important information for a given topic will be presented in lecture and at other times key information will be presented in the textbook. Therefore, both attending the lectures and keeping up on the reading assignments will be essential for adequate performance in the course.

 

PREREQUISITE

                Students must have completed Introduction to Psychological Science (Psychology 103).

 

ATTENDANCE

            Students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled classes.  More than two unexcused absences may result in the student being dropped from the class.

 

 

 

 

EVALUATION OF STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE

            Exams: Five exams will be given over the course of the semester.  Each exam will include objective and/or essay items. The exam items will be based on material covered both in reading assignments and in lectures. Each exam will be worth 100 points.

            Make-up Exams: If you know that you are going to miss an exam, you must contact the instructor to make arrangements to take the exam before the scheduled time of the exam.  If you miss an exam due to other reasons such as illness, you must deliver to the instructor a written medical excuse signed by a physician on official stationary.  Only students who miss an exam and have excusable reasons that can be documented (e.g., on a doctor's official stationary) will be allowed to take an alternative version of the exam (of equal length and difficulty to the regularly scheduled exam).

 

GRADING

            Students may earn up 500 regular points.

            Exam I             -           100 points

            Exam I I           -           100 points

            Exam I II          -           100 points

            Exam IV           -           100 points

            Final Exam       -           100 points

 

            Final grades for the course: Old system                   New System

            A         =          90 – 100          4.0                               A         =          93 – 100          4.0

            B+       =          88 – 89            3.5                               A-        =          90 – 92            3.7

            B          =          80 – 87            3.0                               B+       =          87 – 89            3.3

            C+       =          78 – 79            2.5                               B          =          83 – 86            3.0

            C         =          70 – 77            2.0                               B-        =          80 – 82            2.7

            D         =          60 – 69            1.0                               C+       =          77 – 79            2.3

            F          =          59 or less         0.0                               C         =          73 – 76            2.0

                                                                                                C-        =          70 – 72            1.7

                                                                                                D+       =          67 – 69            1.3

                                                                                                D         =          63 – 66            1.0

                                                                                                D-        =          60 – 62            0.7

                                                                                                F          =          59 or less         0.0

 

I/O Psychology Websites

1.                  www.siop.org

The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc.  This site contains career information, information on useful publications, annual conference information, etc.

2.         www.apa.org

American Psychological Association.  This site contains information concerning psychology in general, information about graduate programs, conferences, etc.

3.         www.apa.org/students/brochure

This site contains information about career options in the field of psychology.

4.         www.socialpsychology.org/io.htm

This site contains numerous links related to psychology, including I/O.

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

(Subject to modification)

 

WEEK OF                              TOPIC                                                            CHAPTER

 

 January 7                   The History of I/O Psychology                          Chapter 1

What is I/O? Science/Practitioner, Scientific Management, Testing

 

January 14                  Research Methods in I/O Psychology                Chapter 2

Steps in research process, Research designs (corr., exp. meta, case study), Stats.

 

January 21                  Research Methods in I/O Psychology                Chapter 2

                                    Job Analysis                                                                 Chapter 3

Techniques:  FJA, PAQ, CIT; Job evaluation/comparable worth

 
January 28                  Job Analysis                                                                 Chapter 3
                                    EXAM I: Chapters 1, 2, and 3

                                    Predictors                                                                     Chapter 6

Test Classification (Speed/Power, Individual/Group); Types (Cog., Psychomotor)

                                               

February 4                  Predictors                                                                     Chapter 6

                                    Criterion Measurement                                     Chapter 4

Objective vs. subjective; Contamination; Multiple vs. Composite

           

February 11                Criterion Measurement                                     Chapter 4

                                    Performance Appraisal                                     Chapter 5

Objective vs. subjective. Problems associated w/ performance appraisals

 

February 18                Performance Appraisal                                     Chapter 5
                                    EXAM II: Chapters 4, 5, and 6

                                    Selection Decisions and Personnel Law             Chapter 7

Test Validation, Affirmative Action, Discrimination

 

February 25                Training and Development                                             Chapter 8

Needs Analysis, Techniques, Principles of Learning, Evaluation

 

March 3                      NO CLASSES: SPRING BREAK

 

March 10                    Motivation                                                                    Chapter 9

Theories (Needs, Behavior, Cognitive, MBO) Job Enrichment

 

March 17                    EXAM III: Chapters 7, 8, and 9                              

                                    Job Attitudes: Antecedents and Consequences  Chapter 10

Job Satisfaction; Organizational Commitment; (measurement, consequences)

 

 March 24                   Job Attitudes: Antecedents and Consequences  Chapter 10

                                    Group Processes and Work Teams                               Chapter 12

Roles, norms, conformity, group cohesiveness (decision-making)

 

March 31                    Group Processes and Work Teams                               Chapter 12

                                    Leadership                                                                   Chapter 13

What is it? What theories are there to explain it?                          

 

April 7                         Leadership                                                                   Chapter 13

                                   

April 14                       EXAM IV: Chapters 10, 12, and 13

 

April 21                       Return/Review EXAM IV
 

LAST DAY OF CLASS April 23rd (Wednesday)

 

COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM: Saturday April 26th  8:00-11:00

 

If there is a student in this class who has a documented disability and has been approved to receive accommodations through SNAP Services, please feel free to come and discuss this with me during my office hours.