I/O Psychology: Functionalism, Technology, Training, and Cognitive Psychology
Industrial Organizational (I/O) psychology is a product of its time. The emergence and continuation of I/O psychology is a reflection of society, trends, and culture. There are several factors accredited to the emergence of I/O psychology: "scientific study of mind and behavior,
Darwinism and its psychological reflection in functionalism, the spirit of capitalism and growing industrialization—combined to create the scientific and practical field of industrial psychology, a child of its time" (Katzell & Austin, 1992, p. 805) because "industrial and organizational psychology was peculiarly American at its inception" (Landy, 1997). However, without capitalism and functionalism the field of I/O psychology would cease to exist.
The appearance of functionalism allowed for additional means of empirical research on mental process and behavior grew as functionalists departed from the current schools of thought such as structuralism through the exploration of why of humanity adaptive ability to its environment and sought to understand the role individual differences play in how organisms successfully adapted to the environments (Hergenhanh & Henley, 2014; Katzell & Austin, 1992, Koppes & Pickren, 2007). As result, functionalism looked at external factors, such as societal trends and technology and their relationship to the individual's adaptive ability. Functionalists unlike structuralists believed that "the solution to the riddle of behavior by understanding the function of behavior and articulated the precepts of functionalism with a greater interest in individual differences and teleology by studying variations in "subjects" as a way of mapping the mind"...
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Behaviorist identify mental states with dispositions. A mental state is identical when, given the same inputs the disposition toward a particular output in the same. Unlike functionalism, behaviorism recognizes dispositions according to merely outward behavior. Alternatively, a functional system includes a typical behavioral outputs given a range of inputs, as well as a tendency to experience a property of a mental state. Functionalists want to individuate mental states causally, but since mental states have mental effects, functionalist advance on behaviorism by acknowledging some similar input and output systems have similar descriptions without entailing similar mental effects. Functionalism, as an advancement of behaviorism, also describes the function of the mental state.
The origins of Industrial/Organizational Psychology (I/O) can be traced back to 1921 with the formation of the Association of Consulting Psychologist (ACP), a branch off from the American Psychological Association (APA). In 1945 I/O psychology was formally recognized as Division 14 underneath the APA. (Koppes, 1996). Although, founded a little over a half century ago the discipline is still relatively new compared to other disciplines within the APA. The articles to be discussed cover the origination issues of licensure as well as appropriation of licensure for I/O psychologists. The lack of consistency as well as appropriate and adequate requirements for obtaining a professional license as an I/O psychologist has resulted in many ramifications that ultimately threaten the profession.
The study of psychology began as a theoretical subject a branch of ancient philosophy, and later as a part of biological sciences and physiology. However, over the years, it has grown into a rigorous science and a separate discipline, with its own sets of guidance and experimental techniques. This paper aims to study the various stages that the science of psychology passed through to reach its contemporary status, and their effects on its development. It begins with an overview of the historical and philosophical basis of psychology, discusses the development of the various schools of thought, and highlights their effects on contemporary personal and professional decision-making.
2.) Fully define & describe Functionalism. How did the thinking at the time move away from structuralism to functionalism? Why did people “give up” on structuralism? What role did early studies of the central nervous system play in changing psychology’s focus from structuralism to functionalism? What role did each of the following thinkers have on the development of functionalism:
Jaegwon Kim thinks that multiple realizability of mental properties would bring about the conclusion that psychology is most likely not a science. Several functionalists, specially, Fodor, take up the opposing stance to Kim, supporting that the multiple realizability of mental states is one of the reasons why psychology is an autonomous and justifiable science. Essentially, Kim think that in order for mental states to be multiply realizable then psychology must be fundamentally broken; with human psycho...
Functionalism views society as the stability and assimilation of a range of forces that function within it. While society is a separate entity with a life of its own, there are individual elements contributing to that stability. Functionalism as a sociological theory emphasizes assimilation rather than the dissociation of society. Therefore, the society is seen as a whole that is compromised of parts which give one another their identity and their function. The part, whether that is education, such as a school, or sports, such as a football team, operates in relation to the other parts, and cannot be entirely understood in isolation from the other parts. All the parts are interrelated, and when there is a disturbance in any one of the parts, is when you can see the interdependence. But what is important about this theory is that “there will always be some reorganization and tendency to restore equilibrium” (Wallace and Wolf 17). Functionalist do not believe it’s crucial that the people involved in the society to be aware of this interconnectedness anymore than the brain and heart consciously realize that they work together as an organism.
Functionalism is a materialist stance in the philosophy of mind that argues that mental states are purely functional, and thus categorized by their input and output associations and causes, rather than by the physical makeup that constitutes its parts. In this manner, functionalism argues that as long as something operates as a conscious entity, then it is conscious. Block describes functionalism, discusses its inherent dilemmas, and then discusses a more scientifically-driven counter solution called psychofunctionalism and its failings as well. Although Block’s assertions are cogent and well-presented, the psychofunctionalist is able to provide counterarguments to support his viewpoint against Block’s criticisms. I shall argue that though both concepts are not without issue, functionalism appears to satisfy a more acceptable description that philosophers can admit over psychofunctionalism’s chauvinistic disposition that attempts to limit consciousness only to the human race.
The development of psychology like all other sciences started with great minds debating unknown topics and searching for unknown answers. Early philosophers and psychologists such as Sir Francis Bacon and Charles Darwin took a scientific approach to psychology by introducing the ideas of measurement and biology into the way an indi...
The organization holds a great deal of control over how the individuals act in the workplace, whether those individuals admit to it or not. Without realizing it, individuals might confuse the organization’s goals as their own. Then their behavior is not really their own, but just a result of them being socialized as a representative of the organization. This makes organizational psychology seem like more of the study of organizations behaviors as a whole, not individual human
Although Piaget and his famed clinical method started within the realm of cognitive psychology, in the 1920’s, Piaget became a prime influence toward the beginning of organizational psychology. In the United States during the industrial revolution, there was a series of experiments with about 20,000 workers at Western Electric Company in Hawthorne, Illinois. A company who was already known for caring about the welfare of their employees wanted to run a trial of two sets of offices: one room as the control group, and the other to run experiments. The goal of the experiments was to see how the illumination of the light fixtures would increase or reduce work productivity. What made the research so interesting was that no matter how the lights
Functionalism, an early school of psychology, focuses on the acts and functions of the mind rather than its internal contents. Its most prominent American advocate is William James. William James is the author of ?The Principles of Psychology? a book that is considered to be one of the most important texts in modern psychology.
Hendersern and Stern 2000, ‘Untangling the origins of competitive advantage’,Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 21, pp. 1123-1145.
Since the introduction of internet in the 1990’s, its importance worldwide has always grown tremendously. From the first email send to the domination of Facebook and other social media websites, it has changed the way people communicate. The use of social media is increasingly becoming the preferred way people share their daily activities, ideas and knowledge and that is why it’s the most talked about and used platform. Many companies are encouraging their employees to use various social media platforms and engage online for office productivity, posting opinions and presenting their thoughts. Corporations realize that Social Media tools such as blogs, forums, podcasts and social networking websites makes internal communications faster, more convenient and effective. Social media is a low-cost, high-impact tool that can also complement and reinforce your existing communications efforts. It gives a new dimension to internal communications in many ways: building relationship with employees, leads to diverse thinking and innovation, and reduce costs and Increase Productivity. Social media has impacted positively in the business world, but its downside has impacted teens in high school, with issues such as cyber bullying, and people using Facebook and twitter to get over their boredom and research proving that the more they use social networking websites the more envious they feel.
...M. E. (2008). Competitive advantage: Creating and sustaining superior performance. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Consider the developments in technology, robotics, and information technology with its social implications for human values and the future of work. We have entered a new age technological revolution, which profoundly effects social structure and values. Technological development brings about the change of life styles. Computers are one of the most important factors of this development.