Page 633 - Understanding Psychology

Psychology Projects
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Technology Activity
One of the major contributions of
Find out about the historical treatment of psychological problems. You might focus on the treatments used in the Middle Ages and in the early nineteenth centu-
ry. Share your findings in an oral report.
2. Psychology Today and in the Future In recent years, astronauts in the U.S. space program have spent extended time in space in cramped and crowded quarters. A recent field of psychology is space psychology. Psychologists in this field study the behavioral challenges of spaceflight. Find out about this field and the kinds of issues it addresses. Present your findings in an infor- mational pamphlet.
1. Psychology’s Contributions
Assessment
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Job Satisfaction
Workers rating this job characteristic very important
Workers reporting complete satisfaction with this characteristic of their job
psychology is in the designing and assessing of tools for learning. Find examples of edu- cational computer software. Find out what approach to learning is incorporated in the soft- ware—feedback, reinforcement, and so on. Evaluate
the effectiveness of the software.
Psychology Journal
Review your journal entry. Do you feel
optimistic or pessimistic that those prob- lems can be solved? Why or why not? In what specific ways might psychology help solve these problems? Write answers in your journal.
Building Skills
Interpreting a Graph Job satisfaction— studied by industrial/organizational psychologists—is an issue for many people. Various factors contribute to job satisfaction. Review the graph, then answer the questions that follow.
1. According to this graph, what three job characteristics do most people find important for job satisfaction?
2. With which job characteristic were people most satisfied? Least satisfied?
3. Select an area on the graph. How might an industrial/organizational psychologist help managers and/or employees in this area?
Practice and assess key social studies skills with Glencoe Skillbuilder Interactive
Workbook CD-ROM, Level 2.
See the Skills Handbook, page
628, for an explanation of interpreting graphs.
Job characteristics
Source: Hugick & Leonard, 1991; based on Rathus & Nevid, 1995.
Chapter 21 / Psychology: Present and Future 619
Percentage
Good health insurance
Interesting work Job security
Chance to learn new skills Vacation of a week or more
Freedom to work independently Recognition from coworkers
Ability to help others Limited job stress
Regular hours (no nights or weekends)
High income Chances for promotion