I-O Psychology

Authenitication by facial recognition concept. Biometrics. Security system.

I-O psychologists’ passion projects: Can AI predict your personality in a job interview?

We continue our exploration of the field of Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology, the American Psychological Association’s Division 14. I-O Psychology is the study of behavior in the workplace. I-O Psychologists frequently help businesses better hire, motivate, and retain employees. But they can apply their skills in many other ways.

We continue interviewing I-O Psychologists about their passion projects to show you how these individuals are applying their training to enact positive societal change. If you missed the earlier posts of this series, we encourage you to also read about the passion projects of Dr. Haley Woznyj, Dr. Ann Marie Ryan, and doctoral student Mike Morrison.

Meet Dr. Louis Tay, an Associate Professor at Purdue University’s Department of Psychological Sciences, and his graduate student, Louis Hickman. Louis Tay received his Ph.D. in I-O Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011. At Purdue, he pursues cross-disciplinary research with the goals of improving the psychological measurement techniques. He is also developing science-based well-being programs and policies for organizations and societies more broadly.

Louis Hickman received an M.S. in Computer and Information Technology with a specialization in Natural Language Processing from Purdue. He is currently an I-O Psychology doctoral candidate at Purdue, working with Louis Tay on several research projects at the intersection of psychology and Artificial Intelligence (AI).


Story Telling with Data

Have you ever looked at a graph and found it more confusing than helpful? Maybe you were sitting in a lecture and found yourself lost trying to decipher what was going on instead of listening to the presentation? You’re not alone, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Data, when used and displayed correctly, should tell a story that everyone can understand – not just data scientists.


I-O Psychologists’ Passion Projects: Improving the Ways Scientists Communicate their Findings

We continue our exploration of the field of Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology, the American Psychological Association’s Division 14. If you’ve read our recent blogs, you already know that I-O Psychology is the study of behavior in the workplace. I-O Psychologists frequently help businesses better hire, motivate, and retain employees, but they can apply their skills in many other ways.

This interview series is all about I-O Psychologists’ passion projects and showcases how I-O professionals are applying their training to try to make a difference in the world. If you missed the first two blogs of this series, you can read the interviews with Drs. Haley Woznyj: I-O Psychologists’ Passion Projects: Animal Rescue and Ann Marie Ryan: I-O Psychologists’ Passion Projects: Increasing Fairness For Job Seekers With Criminal Records.

Meet Mike Morrison, a doctoral student in Michigan State University’s Organizational Psychology program. Doctoral students routinely attend the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP‘s) Annual Conference, where they present their research to other I-O graduate students, academics, and practitioners, and strive to ultimately publish articles describing their research in I-O journals.


A hand with a pen filling out an application for employment

I-O Psychologists’ Passion Projects: Increasing Fairness for Job Seekers with Criminal Records

We continue our exploration of the field of Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology, the American Psychological Association’s Division 14. If you’ve read our recent blogs, you already know that I-O Psychology is the study of behavior in the workplace. I-O Psychologists frequently help businesses better hire, motivate, and retain employees, but they can apply their skills in many other ways.

In this second blog of a new series, we continue interviewing I-O Psychologists about their passion projects to show you how these individuals are applying their training to make a difference in human or animal lives. The first post explored how an I-O psychologist helped the animal fostering program.


Business team on a morning briefing; business meeting and presentation in a modern office

Why I-O Psychology should be included in Introductory Psychology

Industrial-Organizational Psychology has become the fastest growing field in psychology. Yet, chances are your Introductory Psychology course doesn’t cover it. While there are a multitude of reasons I-O isn’t typically covered in Introductory Psychology courses (not in textbook/curriculum, lack of time, etc.), one big reason is that instructors don’t necessarily consider it a “foundational component” of general psychology.


I-O Psychologists’ Passion Projects: Animal Rescue

While exploring your career options, you may have come across the field of Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology, the American Psychological Association’s Division 14. I-O psychology is the study of behavior in the workplace. I-O psychologists frequently help businesses better hire, motivate, and retain employees. On the surface, this work might not look personally meaningful or exciting. But, dig a little deeper and you’ll find that many I-O psychologists apply their skills in surprising ways and their work can extend far beyond helping businesses succeed.  


4 Innovative Women Who Were Pioneers of Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Women have long been underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. In 2015, women made up just 28% of the STEM workforce. One exception is industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology, the subdiscipline of psychology focused on the world of work. In this year’s U.S. News & World Report “Best Job” rankings, I-O psychology is the 21st Best STEM Job and the 2nd Best Science Job.


Incorporating I-O Psychology into Introductory Psychology

Interest in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology, the psychology of the workplace, has gained a lot of traction in recent years. Unfortunately, even with increasing interest many Intro to Psychology students, especially non-psychology majors, rarely get exposed to this dynamic field. Why is this exposure important? First and foremost it broadens a student’s knowledge and understanding of psychology’s application in various contexts. This was the main reason I was drawn to I-O as an undergraduate. I attended a predominately business-oriented college and initially planned to major in economics and finance. That changed when I was introduced to I-O — the perfect marriage of my desire to major in business and my new-found interest in psychology. Secondly, understanding I-O can be extremely beneficial in navigating the world of work, an important skill for students who are starting their careers.


business suit rock climbing

I-O Psychology Gives Back to Society!

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology—what a mouthful! The field originally focused on the prediction and improvement of job performance in industrial and military settings, but after World War II interests in broader organizational phenomena (e.g., leadership, groups, motivation, satisfaction) came into frame. Before APA Division 14 incorporated as the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) in 1982, it was called Division 14, Industrial and Business Psychology from 1945 to 1962. In 1962, “Business” was dropped from the name, and in 1973 “Organizational” was added to the name.


men in a circular maze trying to reach a large white light bulb at the center

Inside the Industrial-Organizational Psychologist’s Toolkit: Job Analysis

Many of us have received care from a nurse, perhaps while at school or at a hospital. If you have, chances are, you had a positive experience. Americans rate nurses as some of the most honest and ethical professionals! But, someone had to make sure to get the right person into that job. How did they do it? How did they make sure that the person helping you has what it takes to be a good nurse? What does it even mean to be a good nurse?