From the category archives:
Why do people do it? What effects do such actions have on the offender?
Why is it so appealing, to plagiarize? Are plagiarizers even aware of their offenses?
Online writing most likely perpetuates increasing amounts of plagiarism. Think about it; Plagiarism online is easy to commit without really being aware. Many of us online writers do our best to refer [Read More…]
Educational psychology is involved with studying how human beings learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the teaching psychology, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. Educational psychology is concerned with the study of the develop and learning of students, often concentrating on subgroups such as gifted [Read More…]
Industrial and organizational psychology goes by so many names such as work psychology, organizational psychology, occupational psychology, among others. It involves the study of psychology as applied to organizations and the workplace. The field of industrial and organizational psychology has significant contributions to the improvement and well-being of an organization. The work of an industrial and organizational psychologist involves researching and identifying how the behavior and attitudes of employees can be enhanced through hiring practices, training programs, and feedback systems.
According to Guion, industrial and organizational psychology is the scientific study of the relationship between man and their workplace. For Blum and Naylor, I-O psychology is the application or extension of psychological facts and principles to the problems related to human beings functioning within the sector of business and industry.
Historically speaking, industrial and organizational psychology has assumed two broad fields of study, it is highly artificial and various topics cut across both areas. This field of psychology has its background in social psychology. Industrial and organizational psychologists make am examination of the role of work environment in performance and other results such as job satisfaction and health. Among the areas researched and practiced by industrial and organizational psychologists include job performance, job analysis, personnel recruitment and selection, appraisal/management, among others.
Industrial and organizational psychologists have undergone training for the scientist-practitioner model. It allows the I-O psychologist to use scientific principles and research-based design to acquire knowledge. They use their knowledge in applied settings in order to help their clients resolve workplace needs. They also work as professors, researchers, and consultants. They work in the human resource department of organizations where they are charged with hiring and organizational development initiatives from an evidence-based perspective.
The industrial aspect of I-O psychology traces its history from research on individual differences, assessment, and performance prediction. It was crystallized during the First World War as a response to the growing need for rapid assignment of troops to duty starions. Post-war United States and the growth of industries further emphasized I-O psychology.
In 1919, Walter Dill Scott, who served as President of the American Psychological Association during that time, became the most popular I-O psychologist of that time. Other influential persons in the development of industrial and organizational psychology include James McKeen Cattell and Hugo Munsterberg, who became APA President in 1895 and 1898, respectively.
On the other hand, organizational psychology gained recognition after the Second World War through the influence of the Hawthorne Studies and the research works of Kurt Lewin and Muzafer Sherif.
For further assistance on industrial and organizational psychology and psychology online, you can access Psychology Fitness.
Counseling psychology is a field of study that specializes in research and applied work in several broad categories such as: counseling process and outcome, supervision and training, career development and counseling, among others. Unifying factors in counseling psychologists include focus on strengths and assets, interactions among persons and environments, development in education and career, and others.
There are certain differences that may distinguish counseling from counseling psychology. In the United States, the principal agency in charge with accrediting counseling psychology programs is the American Psychological Association (APA). On the other hand, programs related to the field of counseling are accredited by the Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
In all 50 American states, licensing of counselors can be done at the Master’s Degree level once they are able to satisfy the criteria set forth by the United States. On the other hand, to obtain a license as a counseling psychologist, one should satisfy the qualification for licensure as a psychologist. On the doctoral level, both counseling psychologists and counselors can engage in applied work such as research and teaching.
Like other fields in modern psychology, counseling psychology started out during the Second World War. During that time, there was a strong need for US military personnel to undergo vocational placement and training. Counseling psychology was created by the Veterans Administration during the 1940s and 1950s. Likewise, Division 17, now called Society for Counseling Psychology, of the American Psychological Association was established. It promoted the need for counselor training as well as the establishment of the first Ph.D programs for counseling psychology.
At that time, the first schools that offered Ph. D programs for counseling psychology are the University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, University of Maryland, College Park, Teachers College, University of Missouri-Columbia, and University of Texas-Austin.
Counseling psychologists can work in a wide range of settings as determined by the services they offer and the clients they cater to. Some of them work in educational institutions such as colleges and universities working as teachers, service providers, researchers, and supervisors. Others work independently offering counseling, psychotherapy, consultation services and assessment to individuals, families, groups, and organizations.
Finally, counseling psychologists also work in community mental health centers, medical facilities accredited by the Veterans Administration and other facilities, family services, HMOs, rehabilitation centers, to name just a few. For more information about counseling psychology and psychology online, you can check out Psychology Fitness.
Behavioral genetics is a branch of biology that involves studying the role of genetics in animal behavior. The field is often associated with the concept of “nature versus nuture.” It involves other fields of discipline such as genetics, ethology, psychology, and statistics. It was Sir Francis Galton who first thought of systematically studying heredity and human behavior.
The term “genetics” was not used until 1909, a couple of years before Galton died. Even without a formal name, the study of heredity has always involved biological variation. It is an entirely new field that attempts to develop an understanding genetic and environmental factors that often lead to individual variations in human behavior. However, there are several reasons which make the task of understanding behavior difficult.
First, it can be challenging to have a definition of behavior. A good example is intelligence. It could refer to the ability of the individual to solve a problem or the capacity to get an excellent score in an IQ test. A Princeton molecular biologist in the late summer of 1999 published the results of a research wherein the ability of a mice to learn was enhanced by inserting a genetic code for a protein that has a connection with memory.
In the said study, experimental animals fared much better than the control on a series of traditional experiments of learning prompting the biologist to call it “smart gene” or “IQ gene.” The truth of the matter is there is no universal definition of intelligence.
After coming up with a definition for the purpose of research, the investigator is still required to conduct a valid and reliable measurement of behavior. It could be difficult to measure basic personality traits such as shyness or assertiveness, which is a product of current research. It is interesting to note that there is a conflation of definition and measurement where the scores obtained in the tests itself has reached a definition of the trait measured.
Another factor involved in the difficulty in understanding behavior is that behavior like complex traits involve several genes, which can make matters complicated in searching for genetic contributions.
Like other genetic research, any study involving genes and behavior may involve analysis of families and populations in comparing individuals who have the trait with those who do not have. This is where a question of “heritability” comes in. Explaining heritability figures is quite restricted by the population under study and the existing environment during the conduct of the study.
In general, however, any change in the population or change in the environment will also result to change in the heritability as well. Statements of heritability offer no basis for predicting the possible trait of any individual. Information about psychology online can be obtained in Psychology Fitness.