The Early Years of Industrial and Organizational Psychology

This book provides a history of the origins of industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology, focusing on the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries. Taking an international perspective, The Early Years of Industrial-Organizational Psychology examines the context in which the field emerged, and its origins in the measurement of individual differences. Andrew J. Vinchur covers the initial applications of psychology in advertising, the study of fatigue, and especially employee selection, as well as the role industrial psychology played in World War I and the post-war expansion of the field. He also examines the education of industrial psychologists, their efforts to establish industrial psychology as a profession, and the beginnings of the organizational side of the field.

1. Work, psychology, and history; 2. Historical context and influence; 3. Measurement, individual differences, and psychological testing; 4. Initial forays into industry; 5. Industrial psychology and the Great War; 6. The post-war expansion of industrial psychology; 7. Employee selection in the 1920s; 8. The education of industrial psychologists; 9. Establishing a profession; 10. The beginnings of organizational psychology; 11. Reflections on the early years of I-O psychology.

Andrew J. Vinchur is a Professor of Psychology and former department head at Lafayette College. Long interested in the history of psychology, his published work has focused on the history of industrial and organizational psychology, especially the history of psychology applied to employee selection.