dissertation topics in industrial psychology

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Industrial/Organizational Psychology Theses

Theses/dissertations from 2022 2022.

Employee Satisfaction and Perceptions of Organizational Leadership Accountability , Caroline M. Clancy

The Effects of Transformational Leadership on Sales Performance in a Multilevel Marketing Organization , Alexander Techy

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Too Illegit to Quit: The Impact of Illegitiate Tasks on Turnover Intentions and Well-Being , Jacob Wessels

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Effects of Positive and Negative Humor at Work , Trevor Frey

Diverse Teams, Team Effectiveness, and the Moderating Effect of Organizational Support , Hannah Tilstra

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Effects of Psychological Need Satisfaction on Proactive Work Behaviors , Shota Kawasaki

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Gender Differences in Development Center Performance in a Healthcare Organization , Samuel Lawson

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Success in Learning Groups: Where have we been? And Where are we going? , Tiffany Michelle Ackerman

Individual Differences as Predictors of Success for Learning Community Students , Nicole Haffield

Moderating Effects of Resilience and Recovery on the Stressor-Strain Relationship Among Law Enforcement Officers , Austin Hearne

Selection Portfolio: Applying Modern Portfolio Theory to Personnel Selection , Eric Leingang

The Hogan Development Survey: Personality in Selecting and Training Aviation Pilots , Jenna McChesney

Evaluating a Measure of Student Effectiveness in an Undergraduate Psychology Program , Colin Omori

Participant Self-Assessment of Development Center Performance , Ryan Powley

“Let’s be clear”: Exploring the Role of Transparency Within the Organization , Maxwell Salazar

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Effect of an Email Intervention Tailored to Highly Ambitious Students on University Retention , Lauren Bahls

911,What's My Emergency? Emotional Labor, Work-Related Rumination, and Strain Outcomes in Emergency Medical Dispatchers , Jessica Lee Deselms

Can You Hack It? Validating Predictors for IT Boot Camps , Courtney Gear

Intervention E-mails and Retention: How E-mails Tailored to Personality Impact an Undergraduate Student's Decision to Return to School or Not , John Kelly Heffernon

Prudence and Persistence: Personality in Student Retention , Logan J. Michels

Examination of the Antecedents, Reactions, and Outcomes to a Major Technology-driven Organizational Change , Ngoc Dinh Nguyen

Training Coping Techniques to Reduce Statistics Anxiety , Brittany Prothe

Assessing the Effect of Personality Characteristics of Minnesota Golfers on the Brand Equity of Golf Drivers , Eric Schinella

Mood and Engagement Contagion in a Call Center Environment , Sarah Welsch

Why Do Some Employees Readjust to Their Home Organizations Better Than Others? Job Demands-Resources Model of Repatriation Adjustment , Yukiko Yamasaki

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Fitting Flow: An Analysis of the Role of Flow Within a Model of Occupational Stress , Jeffrey Alan Dahlke

Created Equal? Comparing Disturbing Media Outcomes Across Occupations , Christine Nicole Gundermann

The Influence of Perceived Similarity, Affect and Trust on the Performance of Student Learning Groups , Jennifer Louise Lacewell

Depth of a Salesman: Exploring Personality as a Predictor of Sales Performance in a Multi-Level Marketing Sample , Colleen Rose Miller

Expatriate Adjustment of U.S. Military on Foreign Assignment:The Role of Personality and Cultural Intelligence in Adjustment , Jennifer Pauline Stockert

Organizational Trust As a Moderator of the Relationship between Burnout and Intentions to Quit , Glenn Trussell

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Ethnic Names, Resumes, and Occupational stereotypes: Will D'Money Get the Job? , Tony Matthew Carthen

Examining the Effectiveness of the After Action Review for Online and Face-to-Face Discussion Groups , William Cradick

University Commitment: Test of a Three-Component Model , Brittany Davis

An Investigation into the Effect of Power on Entrepreneurial Motivations , Jack Reed Durand

Development and Enhancement to a Pilot Selection Battery for a University Aviation Program , Ryan Thomas Hanna

Overseas Assignments: Expatriate and Spousal Adjustment in the U.S. Air Force , Andrew R. Hayes

The Roles of Social Support and Job Meaningfulness in the Disturbing Media Exposure-Job Strain Relationship , Hung T. Hoang

Student Assessment of Professor Effectiveness , Roger Emil Knutson

Dirty Work: The Effects of Viewing Disturbing Media on Military Attorneys , Natalie Lynn Sokol

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Selection System Prediction Of Safety: A Step Toward Zero Accidents In South African Mining , Rachel Aguilera-Vanderheyden

Examining Generational Differences across Organizational Factors that Relate to Turnover , Kimberly Asuncion

An Investigation of Online Unproctored Testing and Cheating Motivations Using Equity Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior , Valerie Nicole Brophy

Race, Gender, and Leadership Promotion: The Moderating Effect of Social Dominance Orientation , Chelsea Chatham

Disentangling Individual, Organization, and Learning Process Factors that Drive Employee Participation , Diana Colangelo

Will [email protected] get the Job Done? An Analysis of Employees' Email Usernames, Turnover, and Job Performance , Jessica Marie Lillegaard

Using Personality Traits to Select Customer-Oriented Security Guards , Tracy Marie Shega

Mobile Internet Testing: Applicant Reactions To Mobile Internet Testing , Sarah Smeltzer

Ethical Leadership: Need for Cross-Cultural Examinations , Shuo Tian

Development of a Pilot Selection System for a Midwestern University Aviation Program , Kathryn Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Identifying Organizational Factors that Moderate the Engagement-Turnover Relationship in a Healthcare Setting , Stevie Ann Collini

Organizational Wellness Programs: Who Participates and Does it Help? , Justin Michael Dumond

Coping with Economic Stressors: Religious and Non-Religious Strategies for Managing Psychological Distress , Jonathan Karl Feil

The Creation and Validation of a Pilot Selection System for a Midwestern University Aviation Department , Jacob William Forsman

The National Survey of Student Engagement as a Predictor of Academic Success , Paul Michael Fursman

Perceptions of a Text-Based SJT versus an Animated SJT , Amanda Helen Halabi

The Moderating Effects of Work Control and Leisure Control on the Recovery-Strain Relationship , Jason Nicholas Jaber

The Role Social Influence Has On Dormitory Residents' Responses to Fire Alarms , Michael Otting Leytem

The Impact of Culture, Industry Type, and Job Relevance on Applicant Reactions , Olivia Martin

Someone Who Understands: The Effect of Support on Law Enforcement Officers Exposed to Disturbing Media , Jessica Morales

The Effects of Task Ambiguity and Individual Differences on Personal Internet Use at Work , Hitoshi Nishina

The Roles of Self-Efficacy and Self-Deception in Cheating on Unproctored Internet Testing , Christopher Adam Wedge

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Assessing Transfer Student Performance , Hyderhusain Shakir Abadin

Should You Hire [email protected]?: An Analysis of Job Applicants' Email Addresses and their Scores on Pre-Employment Assessments , Evan Blackhurst

The Dirty Work Of Law Enforcement: Emotion, Secondary Traumatic Stress, And Burnout In Federal Officers Exposed To Disturbing Media , Amanda Harms

Comparison of a Ranking and Rating Format of the 5Plus5: A Personality Measure , Kristy Lynn Jungemann

Cultural Intelligence and Collective Efficacy in Virtual Team Effectiveness , Pei See Ng

Relationship Type Determines the Target of Threat in Perceived Relational Devaluation: Organizational Self vs. Interpersonal Relationships , Peter Sanacore

Development of an Assessment Center as a Selection Method for I/O Graduate Applicants , Ting Tseng

Hiking, Haiku, or Happy Hour After Hours: The Effects of Need Satisfaction and Proactive Personality on the Recovery-Strain Relationship , Paige Woodruff

Exploring the Antecedents of Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Knowledge-based Virtual Communities , Luman Yong

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Home > Academic Units > SPFC > IOP Dissertations

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

The Seattle Pacific University Department of Industrial-Organizational Psychology offers both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.

This series contains successfully defended doctoral dissertations.

Dissertations from 2024 2024

Effects of Advertising Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) on Female Applicants’ Intentions to Pursue Employment Through Perceived Organizational Support , Jamie Crites

Dissertations from 2023 2023

The psychometric evaluation of decent work in India , Jadvir K. Gill

Implicit Trait Policies and Situational Judgment Tests: How Personality Shapes Judgments of Effective Behavior , Alexander Edward Johnson

An Investigation of the Impact of Prosocial Action on Psychological Resilience in Female Volunteer Maskmakers During COVID-19 , Linda D. Montano

To make or buy: How does strategic team selection and shared leadership strategy interact to impact NBA team effectiveness? , Brandon Purvis

Dissertations from 2022 2022

“Intended Between a Man and a Woman”: Examining the LGBTQ Campus Climate of a Non-Affirming Free Methodist University , Justin Cospito

Adverse Work Experiences and the Impact on Workplace Psychological Well Being, Workplace Psychological Distress, Employee Engagement, Turnover Intention, and Work State Conscientiousness , Nicole J. DeKay

Managing One’s Anxiety When Work Narratives Misalign , Shannon Eric Ford and Shannon Ford

The HERO in you: The impact of psychological capital training and perceived leadership on follower psychological capital development and burnout , Alifiya Khericha

CoachMotivation: Leveraging Motivational Interviewing Methodology to Increase Emotion Regulation Ability in the Workplace , Michael R. Nelson

Effects of Pay Transparency on Application Intentions through Fairness Perceptions and Organizational Attractiveness: Diversifying the Workforce by Effectively Recruiting Younger Women , Phi Phan-Armaneous

The space between stress and reaction: A three-way interaction of active coping, psychological stress, and applied mindfulness in the prediction of sustainable resilience , Kait M. Rohlfing PhD

A Quantitative Comparison of Employee Engagement Antecedents , Kirby White

Dissertations from 2021 2021

RAD Managers: Strategic Coaching for Managers and Leaders , Audrey Mika Kinase Kolb

Can Gender Pronouns in Interview Questions Work as Nudges? , Fei Lu

Catalytic Resilience Practices: Exploring the Effects of Resilience and Resilience Practices through Physical Exercise , Mackenzie Ruether

Dissertations from 2020 2020

Softening Resistance Toward Diversity Initiatives: The Role of Mindfulness in Mitigating Emotional White Fragility , Vatia P. Caldwell

When Proenvironmental Behavior Crosses Contexts: Exploring the Moderating Effects of Central Participation at Work on the Work-Home Interface , Bryn E.D. Chighizola

Developing Adaptive Performance: The Power of Experiences and a Strategic Network of Support , Joseph D. Landers Jr.

Purposeful Investment in Others: The Power of a Character of Service , Kayla M. Logan

Developmental Experiences Impacting Leadership Differentiation in Emerging Adults , Gabrielle E. Metzler

Fighting dirty in an era of corporate dominance: Exploring personality as a moderator of the impact of dangerous organizational misconduct on whistleblowing intentions , Keith Andrew Price

CoachMotivation: Developing Transformational Leadership by Increasing Effective Communication Skills in the Workplace , Megan L. Schuller

The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership and Resilience, Moderated by Coping Skills , Alice E. Stark

Building and Sustaining Hope in the Face of Failure: Understanding the Role of Strategic Social Support , Kira K. Wenzel PhD

Dissertations from 2019 2019

Exploring the Buffering Effects of Holding Behaviors on the Negative Consequences of Workplace Discrimination for People of Color , Heather A. Kohlman Olsen

Employee Engagement Around the World: Predictors, Cultural Differences, and Business Outcomes , Amanda Munsterteiger

Dissertations from 2018 2018

Ignatian Spirituality in Vocational Career Development: An Experimental Study of Emerging Adults , Scott Campanario

Narrative Leadership: Exploring the Concept of Time in Leader Storytelling , Helen H. Chung Dr.

Vulnerability in Leadership: The Power of the Courage to Descend , Stephanie O. Lopez

An Exploratory Study Examining a Transformational Salesperson Model Mediated by Salesperson Theory-of-Mind , Philip (Tony) A. Pizelo Dr.

Dissertations from 2017 2017

Developing Conviction in Women Leaders: The Role of Unique Work and Life Experiences , McKendree J. Hickory

The Role of Organizational Buy-in in Employee Retention , Serena Hsia

The Psychometric Evaluation of a Personality Selection Tool , James R. Longabaugh

Approaching Stressful Situations with Purpose: Strategies for Emotional Regulation in Sensitive People , Amy D. Nagley

Validation of the Transformative Work in Society Index: Christianity, Work, and Economics Integration , John R. Terrill

Seeking Quality Mentors: Exploring Program Design Characteristics to Increase an Individual’s Likelihood to Participate as a Mentor , Kristen Voetmann

Predicting Employee Performance Using Text Data from Resumes , Joshua D. Weaver

College for The Sake of What? Promoting the Development of Wholly Educated Students , Michael P. Yoder

Dissertations from 2016 2016

Am I a Good Leader? How Variations in Introversion/Extraversion Impact Leaders’ Core Self-Evaluations , Marisa N. Bossen

Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Development of Job-Based Psychological Ownership , Robert B. Bullock

Generational Differences in the Interaction between Valuing Leisure and Having Work-Life Balance on Altruistic and Conscientious Behaviors , Sandeep Kaur Chahil

Obtaining Sponsorship in Organizations by Developing Trust through Outside of Work Socialization , Katie Kirkpatrick-Husk

Managing Work and Life: The Impact of Framing , Hilary G. Roche

Men and Women in Engineering: Professional Identity and Factors Influencing Workforce Retention , Caitlin Hawkinson Wasilewski

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IResearchNet

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Topics

Industrial-Organizational (I-O)Psychology is defined simply as “psychology applied to work” (APA 1971). It studies “work” in its broadest sense, including paid and unpaid effort, recreation, and any purpose-driven effort (sports, hobbies). Compared with other specialties, I-O is more “applied” – putting practice above theory, since it typically aims to solve specific problems, increase efficiency, and maximize outcomes.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Research Topics

• Corporate Ethics Topics
• Group Dynamics Topics
• Individual Differences Topics
• Job Satisfaction Topics
• Leadership and Management Topics
• Organizational Behavior Topics
• Organizational Development Topics
• Recruitment Topics
• Work Motivation Topics

Compared with other fields of psychology, I-O psychology today has several features: (a) Small: I-O is a small specialty, including just 5% of US psychologists. (b) High-employment: Since I-O is in high demand in the industry; it has a negative unemployment rate below zero. (c) Lucrative: I-O has long had the highest salary, averaging at least 25% higher than 14 other psychology specialties. (d) Separate: I-O has become a very separate specialty within psychology, with its own independent association since 1987 – the Society for I-O Psychology (SIOP). (e) Hybrid: I-O overlaps with business and other social sciences. (f) Credentials: There is no one credential to define who is an I-O psychologist – be this a M.A., M.S., M.B.A., Ph.D., Psy.D., state license, APA or SIOP membership, or ABPP Diploma. (g) Demographics: SIOP members today are 6% ethnic minorities, 37% female, only 26% licensed, and 85% have a doctorate. I-O work settings vary greatly – employees in large firms, small “boutique” consulting firms, professors in psychology or business programs, or solo-practitioners.

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Today, I-O psychology faces several challenges – such as globalization of organizations, the increased diversity of the US workforce, increased regulation by government and labor law, and the changing nature of work. These same challenges make a science-based I-O psychology more indispensable to successful organizations.

References:

• American Psychological Association (APA). (1971). Effective practice of psychology in industry: Task Force on the practice of psychology in industry. American Psychologist, 26, 974–991.
• Benjamin, L.T.,&Baker, D. B. (2004). Fromse´ance to science: Ahistory of the profession of psychology in America. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
• Dunnette, M. D., & Hough, L. (Eds.). (1990–1994). Handbook of industrial-organizational psychology. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.
• Jones, J.W., Steffy, B. D., & Bray, D.W. (1991). Applying psychology in business: Handbook for managers and HR professionals. Lexington: Lexington Books.
• McGregor, D. M. (1960). The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Riggio, R. E. (2008). Introduction to industrial-organizational psychology (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
• Roethlisberger, F. J., & Dickson, W. J. (1939). Management and the worker. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Scott, W. D. (1903). The theory of advertising. Boston: Small, Maynard, & Co.
• Zedeck, S. (Ed.) (2011). APA Handbook of industrial-organizational psychology. Washington, DC: APA.

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6.2 Topics in Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Topics in Industrial and Organizational Psychology 1 2

Work occupies a central part of people’s lives around the world. For example, full-time workers in the U.S. work an average of 8.5 hours/day, spending more time working than performing any other life activity except for sleep (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). Work experiences exert a heavy effect on people’s life satisfaction (Erdogan, Bauer, Truxillo, & Mansfield, 2012), and career goals are a central concern of many young adults (e.g., Rogers, Creed, & Glendon, 2008). Indeed, most readers of this chapter are likely in college as a step toward achieving a hoped-for career!

However, the world of work is changing in many ways that present new questions and challenges for workers. For example, advances in technology, including automation, are disrupting major industries and changing or eliminating many jobs (Susskind & Susskind, 2016). Employers are increasingly experimenting with alternative work arrangements, like contract workers in “gig” jobs (e.g., driving for Uber or Lyft), rather than offering full-time work with job security and stable benefits (Friedman, 2014). Despite progress, women, racial and ethnic minorities, religious minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities still struggle to be accepted and successful in many workplaces (Myors et al., 2008). And, around the world, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers continue to search for decent work opportunities that can fulfill their basic needs (Moyce & Schenker, 2018).

Against this backdrop, industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology has an important role to play in improving organizations and promoting the well-being of workers. This chapter first presents a brief overview of I-O and what work in this field entails, and then reviews a series of major areas of research and practice within each half of the field.

I-O psychology is the scientific study of working and the application of psychological principles to workplace issues facing individuals, teams, and organizations. I-O psychologists apply the scientific method to investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals, businesses, and society. As a consequence, I-O psychologists are trained as scientist-practitioners with the ability to both conduct rigorous research and engage in the practical application of scientific knowledge alongside business people.

There are roughly 500 graduate programs in the U.S. that grant master’s and doctoral degrees in I-O psychology. Unlike many areas of psychology that require a doctoral degree practice, a terminal master’s degree is sufficient to pursue many excellent work opportunities in I-O psychology (Michalski, 2017). Moreover, the Department of Labor projects increased demand for I-O psychology into the mid-2020s. Much more information about graduate training and work opportunities is available on the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) website; SIOP is the primary professional body for the field.

Figure 1. SIOP, Division 14 of the American Psychological Association, has over 9,000 members as of January 2018.

Photo source: SIOP, used with permission.

Industrial Psychology

As the name “industrial-organizational” suggests, I-O psychology has often been viewed as a field with two distinct, though related, components. The industrial half of I-O Psychology, which is sometimes referred to as personnel psychology , focuses on the analysis of jobs; recruitment, selection, and training of employees; and evaluation of performance in the workplace. Industrial psychology is a close partner of human resource (HR) management in organizations, with industrial psychologists supplying the technical and legal expertise to create and evaluate the personnel systems that HR managers use on a daily basis. To this end, the major areas of research and practice that fall within industrial psychology include job analysis, recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, and training.

Job Analysis

Before we can hire people, before we can assess their performance, before we can decide on their salaries, before we can train them – before we can do virtually anything to affect a job, we must first understand what a job consists of. What tasks does it include? What skills does the job require? Where does the job fit within the organization? Job analysis helps I-O psychologists answer these questions (Sanchez & Levine, 2012). Because of its importance for making further decisions about jobs, many I-O psychologists begin their consulting work with a job analysis.

Generally speaking, a job analysis can fall into one of two categories: work-oriented or worker-oriented (Brannick, Levine, Morgeson, & Brannick, 2007). Work-oriented job analysis focuses on the job itself, and involves developing a list of tasks that the job involves. For example, a retail store sales clerk might assist customers in finding merchandise, answer customer questions, use a cash register to take money and make change, bag the merchandise, and thank the customer, among other responsibilities.  If we put this all together, it produces a job description that we can later use to identify training needs and the valuable behaviors that we should reward.

On the other hand, worker-oriented job analysis focuses on identifying the qualities needed by an employee to successfully perform the job in question. Traditionally, I-O psychologists have tried to identify several key characteristics of employees, including their knowledge (things they know), their skills (such as skill at persuading others), and their abilities (more stable traits they possess, like mathematical ability), often referred to as the “KSAs” required to perform the job. Returning to the example of our retail sales clerk, we might find that they need to be friendly, detail-oriented, reliable, and have the ability to learn about the merchandise the store has in stock. This information is crucial to developing a selection system that identifies job applicants with the right qualifications to be successful.

The process of completing a work- or worker-oriented job analysis procedure is actually quite similar. In each case, I-O consultants typically interview current employees and supervisors, or ask them to complete surveys, to gather information about the job. The consultants then use this information to write the task or KSA statements that describe the job.

Recruitment, Selection, & Placement

Once I-O psychologists understand what a job entails, and the requirements that are necessary to do the job, they can use this information to assist an organization in a wide variety of ways. Generally, this information will be used to aid the hiring process in an organization–quality job analysis information can help with this process in a variety of ways.

The hiring process actually begins with recruitment—before people can be hired into an organization, they must first apply for an open position. Recruitment refers to the process of attracting people to submit applications for open positions within an organization. Today, recruitment often takes advantage of technology, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and internet job boards like Indeed.com and Monster.com. In their attempts to recruit people to apply for a job opening, organizations will typically describe the requirements of the position, including educational requirements, and the main tasks and responsibilities associated with the position. Organizations may also attempt to describe aspects of the culture of the organization, such as the feel of the work environment, or the values or mission of the company. An organization that describes itself as “fast-paced” or “competitive” is likely to attract rather different applicants than an organization that advertises “teamwork” and “cooperation.”

Once an organization has recruited an applicant pool, the organization must decide how to assess the applicants, and the formal hiring process begins. The process used to evaluate job candidates and decide which ones to hire is typically referred to as personnel selection .  Personnel selection is one of the oldest topics in I-O psychology, dating back to the very roots of the field at the start of the 20 th century (Farr & Tippins, 2010; Ployhart, Schmitt, & Tippins, 2017). Selection usually involves administering a series of instruments, such as tests or interviews, to job applicants; the instruments are often scored and combined with other information, such as letters of recommendation, to help employers select the best applicant(s). The selection instruments an organization uses are commonly referred to as predictors , and helping organizations develop effective predictors are one of the most common roles that I-O consultants engage in. Common predictors that I-O psychologists help develop include tests of various qualities (such as intelligence, personality and other traits), and interviews (Cascio & Aguinis, 2011).  Determining the right combination of predictors to give applicants for a given job is a central topic for consultants that assist with personnel selection, and involves the consideration of many factors, including cost, time, legality, validity, reliability, practicality, and acceptance in the business world. Selection often occurs in multiple stages. During the initial stage, it is common for applicants to participate in some initial screening assessments to “weed out” unqualified applicants.  Following this, subsequent stages in the selection process attempt to select the optimal candidate from the qualified applicants that remain after screening.

What predictors do the best job of helping organizations choose qualified applicants? One of the most consistent findings in I-O psychology, based on decades of research, is that general mental ability , or intelligence, is the single most effective predictor of job performance in nearly all jobs, and especially complex jobs (Schmidt & Hunter, 2004). One of the reasons this is the case is that general mental ability helps predict a person’s ability to learn new information and skills, a critical component of success in virtually any job.

Beyond general mental ability tests, many other predictors have been found to be effective for predicting employee success as well. Personality tests , such as those measuring the Big 5 traits, have also been found to successfully predict which applicants will make effective employees. In particular, the Big 5 trait conscientiousness has been found to predict performance in a wide variety of jobs. This is not surprising, given that people high in this trait are typically hard-working, reliable, and organized, all traits that should lead to success in most jobs (Barrick, Mount, & Judge, 2001). Additional predictors, such as simulations and work samples, can be used to successfully assess a person’s ability to handle actual job-related tasks in realistic settings (Scott & Reynolds, 2010).

What about interviews? Interviews have long been used by organizations to help make hiring decisions, and they remain one of the most commonly-used predictors in organizations today (Posthuma, Morgeson, & Campion, 2002). Interviews can be written to evaluate a variety of applicant characteristics and qualifications (Landy & Conte, 2010). Research on the effectiveness of interviews is mixed. Most interviews used in organizations tend to be fairly flexible conversations, where the interviewer is free to ask an applicant a wide variety of different questions. Each applicant may be asked different questions, and the questions may not be directly related to the job the applicant is applying for. These interviews are typically known as unstructured interviews , and, despite their prevalence, they are not very effective predictors for evaluating applicants. One reason for this is that the information gained from one applicant’s interview might be quite different from the information gained from another applicant’s interview, thus making it difficult to compare “apples to apples.”

Fortunately, interviews can be improved by making the interview process more structured . Strategies for structuring an interview include deciding on a consistent list of questions that will be asked of all applicants, ensuring that the questions are related to the content of the job, and using a scoring system to evaluate applicants’ responses. Structured interviews that have these features are much more effective at predicting which applicants will be successful in a given job (Huffcutt, Conway, Roth, & Stone, 2001). I-O consultants often help organizations to design and implement structured interviews to improve the organization’s selection process. Unfortunately, many organizations continue to rely on traditional unstructured interviews, which are much more prone to errors and subjective evaluations of job applicants. This divide between the predictors that I-O psychologists know are effective, and the predictors that many organizations utilize, remains an important concern for many I-O psychologists today.

Evaluating and Managing Worker Performance

Once employees are hired and placed into their roles in an organization, it is typically necessary to assess their performance to see how well they are performing in their new role. Evaluating how well employees perform their jobs, and documenting this performance, is important for a variety of reasons. Certainly, performance information is often used to make decisions about whether and when to promote, train, re-assign, or terminate employees; it can also be used for decisions about compensation, bonuses, and other rewards. If an employee’s performance is lacking, the gap between how he or she is performing, compared to the ideal, might be addressed by training (or re-training) the needed knowledge, skills, or abilities. Performance appraisal can also be used to give employees feedback, and help employees learn about their strengths and weaknesses–thus, another goal of performance appraisal is general employee development.

Performance appraisals are often conducted on a recurring schedule—once or twice a year is common. The review itself is typically structured around the employee’s primary tasks and responsibilities, such that the supervisor provides a summary of the employee and their performance. The appraisal will often involve making ratings on numeric scales corresponding with specific aspects of performance, as well as comments and/or illustrative critical incidents to communicate to the employee how well they are performing on each aspect of the job. Critical incidents are specific behaviors the employee has engaged in—they are used to illustrate good or bad performance and often supplement numeric performance ratings. Feedback and critical incidents from other coworkers may be gathered by the supervisor with the goal of basing the performance appraisal on complete information.

One variant of performance appraisal that has become popular in recent years is 360-degree appraisal, which seeks to gather feedback from multiple sources that the person being evaluated interacts with, such as subordinates, peers, supervisors, clients/customers, and others.  Self-appraisal, provided by the employee him- or herself, may also be included. The goal of this process is to provide employees with a more well-rounded sense of how they’re performing.

Numeric performance ratings are a common part of a performance appraisal.  For example, an employee may be rated on dependability on a scale of one to five, with anchors ranging from unacceptable (1), to average (3), to superior (5). Employees are often rated in the context of how other members of their team or work group are performing. Other rating approaches involve making direct comparisons between employees within a unit, such as ranking all employees, or comparing them two at a time and deciding which of the two is the superior performer. When using any numeric rating method, organizations need to be aware of the biases that raters may unknowingly exhibit. One risk is that all raters will not use a rating scale the same way—for instance, some might provide more generous, or harsher, ratings regardless of how the employee is performing. Such errors can lead to biases in the appraisal process, and impact the fairness of a performance appraisal system; fortunately, rater training can help avoid some of these issues.

What kinds of employee performance are typically assessed in organizations? In many cases, the answer to this question is determined by the type of organization the employee works in—effective performance for an employee who makes electric motors in a factory is likely to be very different from an employee who creates apps for your phone. For legal reasons, it is important for an organization to avoid assessing people based on irrelevant characteristics, such as their age, gender, or race. Here again, I-O consultants often help organizations design performance appraisal systems that focus on core aspects of job performance, and avoid evaluating irrelevant characteristics. For many jobs, the main focus of performance appraisal is on task performance —that is, how effectively an employee performs the key requirements of their job. However, many organizations are also concerned with additional behaviors that employees may engage in outside of their job responsibilities. These “extra” behaviors can be positive or negative in nature. Positive behaviors are typically referred to as organizational citizenship behaviors , or OCBs, and may include actions such as bringing donuts or bagels to an early morning meeting, staying late to assist a coworker with a project, or speaking positively about the organization to outsiders. Negative behaviors, often called counterproductive work behaviors , or CWBs, range from fairly minor actions, such as being rude to a coworker from time to time, to more serious, criminal activities such as theft, sabotage, or arson. As you would expect, employees who enjoy their work are more likely to engage in OCBs, while dissatisfied employees are likely to engage in CWBs. Thus, if organizations want to promote OCBs, and prevent CWBs, it is important for them to consider their employees’ thoughts and feelings about their workplace.

Training & Development

Over time, it often becomes necessary for employees to learn new knowledge or skills, to enhance their job performance and keep pace with changes in their occupation. I-O psychology intersects with cognitive psychology and learning theories in the domain of training and development , which focuses on increasing employees’ knowledge, skills, and abilities. Like many other organizational processes, training is, in part, based on job/task/work analysis to determine the elements of a job that a person requires training to do. The training process often begins with a training needs analysis, which is an analysis of the organization, tasks, and person that results in objectives for training (Arthur, Bennett, Edens, & Bell, 2003). Principles of learning and cognition serve as the basis for designing training and development interventions. Basic principles about memory, perception, judgment, and learning include cognitive biases, primacy and recency, interferences, decision-making, and developments. These are relevant to determining how best to convey information about how and when to engage in various work behaviors, and how to assess how well training has accomplished its goals.

What topics do organizations commonly use training for? Some training is motivated by legal considerations, such as diversity and sexual harassment training. With diversity training, employees are typically educated on the benefits of diversity, and provided with suggestions for acting with sensitivity in a diverse workplace. Sexual harassment and discrimination, which are typically prohibited both by law and organizational policies, can also be addressed via training. Employees may be educated on key terms and ideas related to harassment, practice identifying situations in which harassment may occur, and discuss appropriate courses of action for reporting and preventing harassment.

Other types of training are prompted when employers require employees to possess a particular area of knowledge, skill, or ability to meet organizational needs. If an organization wants to avoid training, they may look to hire employees that already have those KSAs that they desire (a selection approach). Alternatively, they may use help current employees develop those KSAs (a training approach). The decision between these approaches is driven by several considerations, including cost, timing, other available resources, and staffing goals. For example, for employers do not wish to increase the size of their workforce, training may be a more attractive option. In addition, the expected trainability of a knowledge, skill, or ability and skill level of current personnel might be taken into account. Consider the likelihood of successfully teaching someone a specific skill, such as typing, using a cash register, or engaging in successful customer service interactions, compared to the more difficult challenge of improving a person’s mathematical abilities or extraversion.

In organizations today, training can occur in a wide variety of formats. Training often occurs with a face-to-face instructor , but many organizations today are relying on remote or distance training, mediated by communication technology, and self-paced training. In addition, employers are generally motivated to understand whether their resources devoted to training are achieving key training objectives. Consequently, many employee trainings are followed, either immediately or after a delay, with some form of evaluation. Some evaluations focus on how much of the training content was understood and retained by the trainee, while others focus on how well that information transfers to on-the-job behaviors, how well the trainee feels about the training process, and what the outcomes for the organization are (Kirkpatrick, 1959). For the individual, training can be considered in terms of impact on career development and advancement in the organization.

Organizational Psychology

The organizational half of I-O Psychology is broadly concerned with the social and psychological context of the workplace. Organizational psychology focuses on many different levels of workplace phenomena, including micro, within-person experiences, like attitudes and emotions; meso, small group dynamics like teamwork and interpersonal discrimination; and macro, organization-wide factors, such as leadership and organizational culture. Overall, organizational psychology helps us understand the experience and consequences of working life in modern organizations. Major areas of study within organizational psychology include employee attitudes, worker health and safety, motivation, and teamwork and leadership.

Employee Attitudes

I-O psychologists are often concerned with the attitudes employees hold about their work.  Several attitudes have been the focus of extensive research over the past several decades, and the importance of employee attitudes has been demonstrated by their ability to predict whether employees will exert less effort at work, engage in CWBs, or even leave the organization altogether.

Job satisfaction , which refers to an employee’s overall evaluation of their job, is the most fundamental attitude studied in I-O psychology (Judge & Klinger, 2007).  When a worker has positive feelings and thoughts about his or her job, positive outcome are likely. These outcomes include performing their job at a high level, feeling motivated, and being inclined to do extrarole behaviors that are helpful but aren’t explicitly required as part of the job. Job satisfaction is often measured using scales, which include questions with a range of numeric response options with either images or phrases as anchors (e.g., 1 = very dissatisfied to 5 = very satisfied). While job satisfaction can be measured using a single question, a more nuanced understanding of satisfaction can be achieved using multi-item scales that ask the respondent about various aspects of a job (e.g., pay, autonomy, coworkers). Measuring satisfaction in this way can help I-O consultants get a more detailed understanding of which aspects of their jobs employees like and dislike the most.

Another attitude important for understanding work behavior is organizational commitment , or an individual’s psychological attachment to an organization (Meyer & Allen, 1991).  Researchers studying the nature of organizational commitment have identified three types of commitment. Affective commitment reflects an emotional connection an employee may feel with their organization. Employees with high affective commitment may feel as though they are a “part of a family” with their organization. Continuance commitment reflects commitment that is based on a lack of available alternative employment options. Employees with high continuance commitment may stay at their current job because of poor job prospects in their area, or because they lack necessary education or training to make themselves competitive for other job opportunities. Finally, normative commitment is driven by employees’ sense of obligation to their organization. For instance, if a company gives an employee their first job after graduating from college, or has invested resources in an employee in the form or training or development, the employee may feel obligated to stay with the organization to “pay back” these investments. Overall, strong ties have been found between organizational commitment and turnover, or leaving one’s organization.

Employees’ attitudes about an organization may also be based on how fairly they feel they are treated.   Organizational justice theory suggests that employees pay attention to the fairness of how they’re treated in several ways.  The various types and subtypes of justice focus on how outcomes or results are distributed across employees, the fairness of organizational procedures or decision rules, and the nature of interactions among organizational members.  For example, an employee may feel that the process of performance appraisal is fair (procedural justice), but that it did not result in a sufficient pay raise (distributive justice).

What can an organization do to improve their employees’ attitudes? Unfortunately, psychological research on attitudes in general suggests that attitude change is often quite difficult. A basic principle of attitudes is that once an attitude or belief is held, it serves as an anchor around which new information is judged. Thus, once an employee begins to evaluate their workplace negatively, they may seek out and focus on additional information that supports this attitude.

Worker Health & Safety

Occupational health is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the health and safety of people at work, and has become the subject of much research in I-O psychology. Jobs place a variety of demands on workers, and these demands can lead to the experience of stress, which may be followed by various negative outcomes such as effects on the physical and mental health of employees (Beehr, 1995; Jex, 1998; Tetrick & Quick, 2011). Occupational health research examines internal and external sources of occupational stress, as well as ways to decrease worker stress and methods for preventing stress. Evidence suggests that organizations should be concerned with occupational health, as consistent exposure to stressful working conditions can impact not only employees, but also organizational effectiveness: studies have estimated that billions of dollars are lost from the U.S. economy due to occupational stress, based on the assumption that stress plays a role in negative outcomes such as increased medical, legal, and insurance costs, higher rates of absenteeism and turnover, diminished productivity, and increased occupational accidents (e.g., Goldin, 2004).

While I-O psychologists have contributed to the study of occupational stress, the occupational stress literature consists of important contributions from multiple perspectives, including medical (focusing on the contribution of stress in the workplace to employee health and illness), clinical/counseling (which focuses on the impact of stressful working conditions on mental health outcomes such as anxiety and depression), engineering psychology (which focuses on stressors originating from the physical work environment), and organizational psychology . Organizational psychology focuses heavily on cognitive appraisal (the process by which employees perceive the work environment and decide whether it is stressful), as well on sources of stress that are social in nature (e.g., are sourced from interactions with others). Recently, these four approaches have joined into one field known as occupational health psychology (OHP; Barling & Griffiths, 2011). OHP is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on using psychological theories and methodology to enhance health, safety, and well-being for individuals and organizations.

Another focus within the field of OHP is employee safety, usually with regard to preventing accidents and injuries in the workplace. Research has examined workplace safety outcomes in relation with both situational factors in the work environment (e.g., physical hazards such as heat and noise; Jex, Swanson, & Grubb, 2013) and personal factors in the employee (e.g., personality traits; Clarke & Robertson, 2008). Most models of employee safety posit that certain factors influence the experience of accidents and injuries through an effect on the safety performance of the employee (i.e., employees being compliant with safety procedures and notifying others in the organization about safety concerns; Griffin & Neal, 2000). Most studies have found moderate to strong relationships between different types of safety performance and the experience of workplace accidents (Jiang, Yu, Li, & Li, 2010). Moreover, the safety climate of a work unit and/or organization is predictive of safety performance, which has been linked to workplace accidents (Zohar, 2011). Safety climate refers to whether the employees in a company share similar perceptions of policies and procedures regarding workplace safety, such as rules regarding the use of safety equipment. A recent review of the injury and accident prevalence literature suggested that thousands of American workers die each year from injuries sustained in the workplace; however, prevalence rates are far worse in countries that do not have government oversight of labor practices: over two million individuals worldwide die each year as a result of injuries suffered in the work environment (Kaplan & Tetrick, 2011). In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the government agency established to assure safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education, and assistance to US organizations. Most private employers are responsible for ensuring that OSHA standards are met, and employers concerned with worker health and well-being seek to maintain safe working conditions and offer channels for addressing issues as they arise.

Understanding employee motivation –the forces that direct employees’ behaviors at work–has a long history in I-O psychology. The study of motivation in I-O psychology can be traced back to studies by Hugo Munsterberg , who studied motivation issues for employees working at knitting mills (Landy & Conte, 2004). He saw that employees were working 12-hour days, and working 6 days a week.  With some modifications (i.e., having kittens play with balls of yarn on the factory floor), Munsterberg was able to influence the satisfaction and alertness of the employees.

Some of the basic motivational questions that I-O psychologists study include what needs elicit action for individuals, what traits impact the engagement of behaviors, and how the environment (space and individuals) influences the motivation and behaviors of people.  While the study of work motivation is continually evolving, there are several seminal theories that have informed our understanding of motivation.

One of the most well-supported theories of motivation in I-O psychology is goal-setting theory (Locke & Latham, 1990). This theory emphasizes that goals can influence employees in a variety of ways. For instance, goals can influence the direction of actions; Goals can also affect the effort that employees put forth to those actions; In addition to these benefits, goals can increase employee persistence, and motivate them to choose more effective strategies for attaining those goals. Goals that tend to provide the benefits just described tend to share some key characteristics. Specifically, goals that are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART) are typically more effective than goals that lack these qualities (Locke & Latham, 2002).

Despite the popularity of goal-setting theory, several other motivation theories have received attention, and research support, from I-O psychologists. Expectancy theory (Vroom, 1964) suggests that employees are unlikely to be motivated unless they can provide affirmative answers to three questions. The first question involves asking whether employee effort will lead to performance (instrumentality). If an employees feels that working hard will not result in success on the job, they are likely to have low motivation. If an employee decides that their effort will actually result in a sufficient level of performance, they must then evaluate whether their performance is likely to be rewarded or recognized in satisfactory ways (expectancy). In some workplaces, employees may feel that their strong performance goes unrecognized–if this pattern persists over time, they are likely to lose motivation. Finally, the third questions associated with expectancy theory concerns whether an employee values the rewards they are able to receive (valence). If an organization rewards its employees with public “employee of the month” ceremonies, but an employee would prefer a cash reward rather than public recognition, they may find their motivation limited.

The job characteristics theory (Hackman & Oldham, 1976) takes a rather different approach to motivation. This theory suggests that several key features of job themselves can also influence the motivation level of employees. For example, autonomy , or the freedom that employees have to choose how their work is done (or at least certain elements of it) typically has a positive effect on motivation. Doing work that allows employees to use a variety of different skills and abilities (task variety), and performing work that feels important to other peoples’ lives (task significance) can also generate higher levels of motivation. Finally, receiving feedback , such as from supervisors and peers, can improve motivation for many employees.

In many organizations today, work is often conducted in the context of a group or team. Teams are defined as two or more individuals who share one or more common goals, and interact to perform activities that are relevant to the organization. Teams are influenced by a wide variety of social dynamics. As an example, consider Susie who just graduated medical school and has started her intern year in a department that emphasizes teamwork. Her role in the interdisciplinary team is that of the physician, which she feels comfortable doing as she graduated with honors from her university. What she is concerned about is how to function effectively in the team. She personally likes to do things on her own, so she is uncertain how this part of her job will actually go, especially since she knows the intern year is a very stressful one and she knows that two of the other team members have reputations of being really difficult to work with.

Some of the concerns that Susie has are ones that I-O psychologists try to grapple with as consultants and researchers. Many topics that originated in social psychology are relevant to the study of teams. For instance, many people have a tendency to work with less intensity when they are in a group, compared to when they are by themselves, which social psychologists refer to as social loafing (see Latané, Williams, & Harkins, 1979). Managers can help avoid social loafing in their work groups by making sure that each employee knows what they are responsible for.

Management and Leadership

A natural sister topic of teams concerns the individuals tasked with facilitating teams— leaders . While there are many definitions of leadership, the common elements of the definitions are influence and guidance of others towards a goal. Over time, I-O psychologists have studied management and leadership from several different perspectives. In the 1920s and 1930s, early leadership research focused on the trait approach , which centers on the idea that leaders possess certain traits (e.g., ambition, dominance, extroversion, height) that non-leaders do not possess.  However, this approach did not prove to be productive, as research did not show consistent relationships among the traits. Undeterred, I-O psychologists re-focused their attempts to understand leadership by looking for specific behaviors that successful leaders might engage in. Fleishman and Harris (1962) defined leadership using two dimensions, consideration (concern for the individual’s needs) and initiating structure (organizes and defines activities). This approach proved to be more successful, and the legacy of this work can be seen in more modern research on transactional and transformational leadership (Bass, 1985).

I-O psychologists have a unique place as researchers and consultants when informing the greater population as to the practice of leadership. With changing workforce practices, such as the utilization of temporary workers, teleworking, virtual teams, increasing diversity in the workforce and other existing ambiguous boundaries that modern jobs hold, I-O psychologists are prepared to contribute to our understanding of leadership and how we best develop and coach the leaders of today and tomorrow.

A significant portion of I-O research focuses on management and human relations. Douglas McGregor (1960) combined scientific management (a theory of management that analyzes and synthesizes workflows with the main objective of improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity) and human relations into the notion of leadership behavior. His theory lays out two different styles called Theory X and Theory Y. In the  Theory X  approach to management, managers assume that most people dislike work and are not innately self-directed. Theory X managers perceive employees as people who prefer to be led and told which tasks to perform and when. Their employees have to be watched carefully to be sure that they work hard enough to fulfill the organization’s goals. Theory X workplaces will often have employees punch a clock when arriving and leaving the workplace: Tardiness is punished. Supervisors, not employees, determine whether an employee needs to stay late, and even this decision would require someone higher up in the command chain to approve the extra hours. Theory X supervisors will ignore employees’ suggestions for improved efficiency and reprimand employees for speaking out of order. These supervisors blame efficiency failures on individual employees rather than the systems or policies in place. Managerial goals are achieved through a system of punishments and threats rather than enticements and rewards. Managers are suspicious of employees’ motivations and always suspect selfish motivations for their behavior at work (e.g., being paid is their sole motivation for working).

In the  Theory Y  approach, on the other hand, managers assume that most people seek inner satisfaction and fulfillment from their work. Employees function better under leadership that allows them to participate in, and provide input about, setting their personal and work goals. In Theory Y workplaces, employees participate in decisions about prioritizing tasks; they may belong to teams that, once given a goal, decide themselves how it will be accomplished. In such a workplace, employees are able to provide input on matters of efficiency and safety. One example of Theroy Y in action is the policy of Toyota production lines that allows any employee to stop the entire line if a defect or other issue appears, so that the defect can be fixed and its cause remedied (Toyota Motor Manufacturing, 2013). A Theory Y workplace will also meaningfully consult employees on any changes to the work process or management system. In addition, the organization will encourage employees to contribute their own ideas. McGregor (1960) characterized Theory X as the traditional method of management used in the United States. He agued that a Theory Y approach was needed to improve organizational output and the wellbeing of individuals.  Table summarizes how these two management approaches differ.

Another management style was described by Donald Clifton, who focused his research on how an organization can best use an individual’s strengths, an approach he called strengths-based management . He and his colleagues interviewed 8,000 managers and concluded that it is important to focus on a person’s strengths, not their weaknesses. A strength is a particular enduring talent possessed by an individual that allows her to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in tasks involving that talent. Clifton argued that our strengths provide the greatest opportunity for growth (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001). An example of a strength is public speaking or the ability to plan a successful event. The strengths-based approach is very popular although its effect on organization performance is not well-studied. However, Kaiser & Overfield (2011) found that managers often neglected improving their weaknesses and overused their strengths, both of which interfered with performance.

Leadership is an important element of management. Leadership styles have been of major interest within I-O research, and researchers have proposed numerous theories of leadership. Bass (1985) popularized and developed the concepts of transactional leadership versus transformational leadership styles. In  transactional leadership , the focus is on supervision and organizational goals, which are achieved through a system of rewards and punishments (i.e., transactions). Transactional leaders maintain the status quo: They are managers. This is in contrast to the transformational leader. People who have  transformational leadership  possess four attributes to varying degrees: They are charismatic (highly liked role models), inspirational (optimistic about goal attainment), intellectually stimulating (encourage critical thinking and problem solving), and considerate (Bass, Avolio, & Atwater, 1996).

As women increasingly take on leadership roles in corporations, questions have arisen as to whether there are differences in leadership styles between men and women (Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & van Engen, 2003). Eagly & Johnson (1990) conducted a meta-analysis to examine gender and leadership style. They found, to a slight but significant degree, that women tend to practice an interpersonal style of leadership (i.e., she focuses on the morale and welfare of the employees) and men practice a task-oriented style (i.e., he focuses on accomplishing tasks). However, the differences were less pronounced when one looked only at organizational studies and excluded laboratory experiments or surveys that did not involve actual organizational leaders. Larger gender-related differences were observed when leadership style was categorized as democratic or autocratic, and these differences were consistent across all types of studies. The authors suggest that similarities between the genders in leadership styles are attributable to genders needing to conform the organization’s culture; additionally, they propose that gender-related differences reflect inherent differences in the strengths each gender brings to bear on leadership practice. In another meta-analysis of leadership style, Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & van Engen (2003) found that women tended to exhibit the characteristics of transformational leaders, while men were more likely to be transactional leaders. However, the differences are not absolute; for example, women were found to use methods of reward for performance more often than men, which is a component of transactional leadership. The differences they found were relatively small. As Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & van Engen (2003) point out, research shows that transformational leadership approaches are more effective than transactional approaches, although individual leaders typically exhibit elements of both approaches.

Work-Family Balance

Many people juggle the demands of work life with the demands of their home life, whether it be caring for children or taking care of an elderly parent; this is known as  work-family balance . We might commonly think about work interfering with family, but it is also the case that family responsibilities may conflict with work obligations (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000). Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) first identified three sources of work–family conflicts:

• time devoted to work makes it difficult to fulfill requirements of family, or vice versa,
• strain from participation in work makes it difficult to fulfill requirements of family, or vice versa, and
• specific behaviors required by work make it difficult to fulfill the requirements of family, or vice versa.

Women often have greater responsibility for family demands, including home care, child care, and caring for aging parents, yet men in the United States are increasingly assuming a greater share of domestic responsibilities. However, research has documented that women report greater levels of stress from work–family conflict (Gyllensten & Palmer, 2005).

There are many ways to decrease work–family conflict and improve people’s job satisfaction (Posig & Kickul, 2004). These include support in the home, which can take various forms: emotional (listening), practical (help with chores). Workplace support can include understanding supervisors, flextime, leave with pay, and telecommuting. Flextime usually involves a requirement of core hours spent in the workplace around which the employee may schedule his arrival and departure from work to meet family demands.  Telecommuting  involves employees working at home and setting their own hours, which allows them to work during different parts of the day, and to spend part of the day with their family. Recall that Yahoo! had a policy of allowing employees to telecommute and then rescinded the policy. There are also organizations that have onsite daycare centers, and some companies even have onsite fitness centers and health clinics. In a study of the effectiveness of different coping methods, Lapierre & Allen (2006) found practical support from home more important than emotional support. They also found that immediate-supervisor support for a worker significantly reduced work–family conflict through such mechanisms as allowing an employee the flexibility needed to fulfill family obligations. In contrast, flextime did not help with coping and telecommuting actually made things worse, perhaps reflecting the fact that being at home intensifies the conflict between work and family because with the employee in the home, the demands of family are more evident.

Posig & Kickul (2004) identify exemplar corporations with policies designed to reduce work–family conflict. Examples include IBM’s policy of three years of job-guaranteed leave after the birth of a child, Lucent Technologies offer of one year’s childbirth leave at half pay, and SC Johnson’s program of concierge services for daytime errands.

Link to Learning:  Glassdoor  is a website that posts job satisfaction reviews for different careers and organizations. Use this site to research possible careers and/or organizations that interest you.

Organizational Culture

Each company and organization has an organizational culture.  Organizational culture  encompasses the values, visions, hierarchies, norms, and interactions among its employees. It is how an organization is run, how it operates, and how it makes decisions—the industry in which the organization participates may have an influence. Different departments within one company can develop their own subculture within the organization’s culture. Ostroff, Kinicki, and Tamkins (2003) identify three layers in organizational culture: observable artifacts, espoused values, and basic assumptions. Observable artifacts are the symbols, language (jargon, slang, and humor), narratives (stories and legends), and practices (rituals) that represent the underlying cultural assumptions. Espoused values are concepts or beliefs that the management or the entire organization endorses. They are the rules that allow employees to know which actions they should take in different situations and which information they should adhere to. These basic assumptions generally are unobservable and unquestioned. Researchers have developed survey instruments to measure organizational culture.

With the workforce being a global marketplace, your company may have a supplier in Korea and another in Honduras and have employees in the United States, China, and South Africa. You may have coworkers of different religious, ethnic, or racial backgrounds than yourself. Your coworkers may be from different places around the globe. Many workplaces offer diversity training to help everyone involved bridge and understand cultural differences.  Diversity training  educates participants about cultural differences with the goal of improving teamwork. There is always the potential for prejudice between members of two groups, but the evidence suggests that simply working together, particularly if the conditions of work are set carefully that such prejudice can be reduced or eliminated. Pettigrew and Tropp (2006) conducted a meta-analysis to examine the question of whether contact between groups reduced prejudice between those groups. They found that there was a moderate but significant effect. They also found that, as previously theorized, the effect was enhanced when the two groups met under conditions in which they have equal standing, common goals, cooperation between the groups, and especially support on the part of the institution or authorities for the contact.

One well-recognized negative aspect of organizational culture is a culture of  harassment , including sexual harassment. Most organizations of any size have developed sexual harassment policies that define sexual harassment (or harassment in general) and the procedures the organization has set in place to prevent and address it when it does occur. Thus, in most jobs you have held, you were probably made aware of the company’s sexual harassment policy and procedures, and may have received training related to the policy. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (n.d.) provides the following description of  sexual harassment :

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. (par. 2)

One form of sexual harassment is called quid pro quo. Quid pro quo means you give something to get something, and it refers to a situation in which organizational rewards are offered in exchange for sexual favors. Quid pro quo harassment is often between an employee and a person with greater power in the organization. For example, a supervisor might request an action, such as a kiss or a touch, in exchange for a promotion, a positive performance review, or a pay raise. Another form of sexual harassment is the threat of withholding a reward if a sexual request is refused. Hostile environment sexual harassment is another type of workplace harassment. In this situation, an employee experiences conditions in the workplace that are considered hostile or intimidating. For example, a work environment that allows offensive language or jokes or displays sexually explicit images. Isolated occurrences of these events do not constitute harassment, but a pattern of repeated occurrences does. In addition to violating organizational policies against sexual harassment, these forms of harassment are illegal.

Harassment does not have to be sexual; it may be related to any of the protected classes in the statutes regulated by the EEOC: race, national origin, religion, or age.

Violence in the Workplace

In the summer of August 1986, a part-time postal worker with a troubled work history walked into the Edmond, Oklahoma, post office and shot and killed 15 people, including himself. From his action, the term “going postal” was coined, describing a troubled employee who engages in extreme violence.

Workplace violence is one aspect of workplace safety that I-O psychologists study.  Workplace violence  is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening, disruptive behavior that occurs at the workplace. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, 2014).

There are different targets of workplace violence: a person could commit violence against coworkers, supervisors, or property. Warning signs often precede such actions: intimidating behavior, threats, sabotaging equipment, or radical changes in a coworker’s behavior. Often there is intimidation and then escalation that leads to even further escalation. It is important for employees to involve their immediate supervisor if they ever feel intimidated or unsafe.

Murder is the second leading cause of death in the workplace. It is also the primary cause of death for women in the workplace. Every year there are nearly two million workers who are physically assaulted or threatened with assault. Many are murdered in domestic violence situations by boyfriends or husbands who chose the woman’s workplace to commit their crimes.

There are many risk factors for workplace violence that can be committed by leaders, employees, and even customers. A significant risk factor is the feeling of being treated unfairly, unjustly, or disrespectfully, and may become more serious when combined with other individual factors like personality and history, environmental stressors, and lack of community. In a research experiment, Greenberg (1993) examined the reactions of students who were given pay for a task. In one group, the students were given extensive explanations for the pay rate. In the second group, the students were given a curt uninformative explanation. The students were made to believe the supervisor would not know how much money the student withdrew for payment. The rate of stealing (taking more pay than they were told they deserved) was higher in the group who had been given the limited explanation. This is a demonstration of the importance of procedural justice in organizations. Procedural justice  refers to the fairness of the processes by which outcomes are determined in conflicts with or among employees.

In another study by Greenberg & Barling (1999), they found a history of aggression and amount of alcohol consumed to be accurate predictors of workplace violence against a coworker. Aggression against a supervisor was predicted if a worker felt unfairly treated or untrusted. Job security and alcohol consumption predicted aggression against a subordinate. To understand and predict workplace violence, Greenberg & Barling (1999) emphasize the importance of considering the employee target of aggression or violence and characteristics of both the workplace characteristics and the aggressive or violent person.

As you can see, I-O psychologists are concerned with a wide variety of topics related to the performance and well-being of both employees and their organizations. Some topics, such as recruitment, selection, and performance appraisal, have been important from the start, while others, such as worker attitudes, stress, and motivation, have increased in importance in recent years. Today, while it is still possible to make a distinction between “I” and “O” topics within this field, there is greater recognition that these areas represent two sides of the same coin, and that both sides can have a substantial influence on one another. As work continues to become more complex and subject to global and technological pressures, I-O psychologists will become increasingly important for helping both workers and organizations weather these changes.

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80 Industrial-Organizational Psychology Research Topics

FacebookXEmailWhatsAppRedditPinterestLinkedInAre you a student searching for research topics in Industrial-Organizational Psychology for your undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral thesis or dissertation? Look no further! This blog post will provide you with a comprehensive list of research topics covering a wide range of areas within this fascinating discipline. Whether you are interested in employee motivation, leadership styles, […]

Are you a student searching for research topics in Industrial-Organizational Psychology for your undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral thesis or dissertation? Look no further! This blog post will provide you with a comprehensive list of research topics covering a wide range of areas within this fascinating discipline. Whether you are interested in employee motivation, leadership styles, organizational culture, or workplace diversity, we have you covered. So, if you’re ready to embark on your research journey, keep reading for inspiration on potential research topics and areas of interest.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology, also known as I-O Psychology, is the scientific study of human behaviour in organizations and the workplace. Synonyms for this field include organizational psychology, work psychology, and business psychology. It focuses on improving the well-being and performance of employees, as well as enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of organizations through research, topics, and evidence-based practices. Now, let’s dive into the exciting world of Industrial-Organizational Psychology research topics!

A List Of Potential Research Topics In Industrial-Organizational Psychology:

• Investigating the effects of workplace diversity on team creativity and innovation.
• Examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on remote work adoption in UK organizations.
• Examining the role of virtual leadership in sustaining team productivity and cohesion in a post-pandemic world.
• A critical analysis of the literature on the effects of workplace bullying and harassment on employee mental health.
• Assessing the long-term effects of remote work on employee well-being and job performance post-COVID.
• Examining the relationship between employee well-being and absenteeism.
• Assessing the influence of remote team collaboration tools on post-COVID work dynamics.
• Assessing the impact of organizational socialization on new employee integration.
• Examining the role of UK government policies in promoting employee well-being and work-life balance.
• Investigating the role of job crafting in enhancing employee job fit and satisfaction.
• Examining the role of emotional intelligence in leadership and team dynamics.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of training and development programs in enhancing employee skills.
• Investigating the role of mindfulness in reducing workplace stress and burnout.
• Analyzing the relationship between workplace diversity and organizational performance.
• Assessing the effects of work-related stress on employee health and productivity.
• Exploring the implications of workplace bullying and harassment on employee mental health.
• Exploring the relationship between employee creativity and organizational innovation.
• Investigating the relationship between job insecurity and employee job performance.
• Exploring the implications of gig work on employee job security and benefits.
• Analyzing the role of self-regulation in employee time management and productivity.
• Analyzing the effects of cross-cultural differences on global leadership effectiveness.
• An in-depth examination of the role of emotional intelligence in leadership effectiveness.
• Examining the role of leadership styles in employee motivation and job satisfaction.
• Exploring the implications of AI and automation on job design and employee adaptation.
• Assessing the effectiveness of flexible work arrangements in promoting work-life balance.
• Assessing the impact of leadership coaching on leadership self-efficacy.
• Assessing the effectiveness of performance appraisal systems in enhancing employee performance.
• Assessing the relationship between pandemic-induced stress and employee mental health outcomes.
• Exploring the influence of organizational justice on employee trust and commitment.
• Investigating the role of diversity and inclusion initiatives in reducing workplace discrimination.
• Exploring the influence of UK-specific cultural factors on leadership styles and team dynamics.
• Exploring the relationship between employee engagement and customer satisfaction.
• Assessing the impact of employee recognition programs on job satisfaction.
• The influence of leadership styles on employee motivation in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Social Psychology .
• Investigating the factors influencing employee job turnover intentions.
• Analyzing the effects of hybrid work arrangements on employee work-life balance and engagement.
• Exploring the relationship between employee engagement and organizational performance.
• Investigating the effects of workplace incivility on employee job satisfaction.
• Analyzing the role of personality assessment in talent selection and development.
• Assessing the gig economy’s impact on UK labour rights and worker protections.
• Investigating the psychosocial factors affecting work-life balance among healthcare professionals.
• Analyzing the role of cross-cultural training in international assignments.
• A systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of performance appraisal systems.
• Examining the influence of personality traits on leadership effectiveness.
• Exploring the influence of organizational change on employee resistance and adaptation.
• Analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on organizational crisis management and resilience strategies.
• Investigating the effects of workplace conflict resolution strategies on team cohesion.
• Assessing the impact of technology on job automation and workforce skill requirements.
• Analyzing the effects of job design and job crafting on employee job satisfaction.
• Analyzing the role of emotional labour in customer service interactions.
• Examining the impact of leadership development programs on succession planning.
• Examining the role of human resource management practices in talent acquisition and retention.
• Assessing the relationship between employee motivation and goal-setting strategies.
• Investigating the role of job resources in mitigating job stress and burnout.
• Analyzing the role of UK-based technology startups in shaping the future of work.
• Analyzing the impact of Brexit on talent migration and workforce diversity in the UK.
• Examining the impact of social media use on employee productivity and distractions.
• Exploring the impact of employee involvement in decision-making on organizational performance.
• A comprehensive synthesis of research on the effects of job design on employee job satisfaction.
• Investigating the role of vaccination policies in shaping employee attitudes and behaviours in the workplace.
• Exploring the implications of UK workplace mental health initiatives on employee well-being outcomes.
• Exploring the influence of technology on virtual team collaboration.
• Exploring the implications of remote leadership on team cohesion and performance.
• Examining the psychological factors affecting performance in workplace teams in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Sports Psychology.
• Examining the relationship between job demands and employee performance.
• Examining the influence of job crafting on employee career development.
• A critical literature review on the relationship between workplace diversity and organizational performance.
• Investigating the effects of pandemic-induced job insecurity on employee job satisfaction and loyalty.
• Examining the impact of COVID-19 on organizational culture and employee well-being.
• Investigating the effectiveness of UK-based diversity and inclusion initiatives in reducing workplace discrimination.
• Exploring the influence of organizational culture on employee engagement and retention.
• An overview of the factors influencing employee job turnover intentions: A literature review.
• Assessing the effectiveness of feedback and performance coaching in employee development.
• The role of school climate in teacher job satisfaction in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and School Psychology .
• Analyzing the role of team dynamics in innovation and problem-solving within organizations.
• Investigating the effects of UK labour market trends on talent acquisition and retention strategies.
• Investigating the impact of remote work on employee well-being and productivity.
• Examining the influence of job autonomy on employee job satisfaction.
• A comprehensive review of the impact of leadership styles on employee motivation and performance.
• An in-depth examination of the implications of remote leadership on team cohesion and performance.

In conclusion, Industrial-Organizational Psychology offers a plethora of intriguing research topics for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral-level students. Whether you are passionate about employee engagement, leadership development, or organizational culture, there are numerous opportunities to explore and contribute to this dynamic field. So, pick a topic that resonates with you, conduct thorough research, and contribute to the world of I-O Psychology. Good luck with your dissertation research!

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Psychology Research Guide

I/o industrial or organizational psychology.

I/O, Industrial, Organizational or Industrial-Organizational Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior in organizations and work situations. I/O Psychologists study individual, group, and organizational behavior and use this knowledge to improve workplace problems. Before you explore the database below to find evidence for your project, you may find it helpful to learn more about this area of psychology. The following resources can help you narrow your topic, learn about the language used to describe psychology topics, and get you up to speed on the major advancements in this field.

• Potential Topics: APA Spotlight Articles I/O Psychology This link opens in a new window
• Learn more about Industrial and Organizational Psychology on the American Psychological Association's website

I/O Psychology Databases

Research in I/O psychology utilizes core psychology resources, as well as resources in business, human resources, and sociology. You may find it helpful to search the following databases for your I/o topics or research questions, in addition to the core resources listed on the home page.

I/O Psychology Subject Headings

You may find it helpful to take advantage of predefined subjects or subject headings in Shapiro Databases. These subjects are applied to articles and books by expert catalogers to help you find materials on your topic.

• Learn more about Subject Searching

Consider using databases to perform subject searches, or incorporating words from applicable subjects into your keyword searches. Here are some I/O subjects to consider:

• Industrial & Organizational Psychology
• Management & Management Training
• Occupational Interests & Guidance
• Organizational Behavior
• Personnel Attitudes & Job Satisfaction
• Personnel Evaluation & Job Performance
• Personnel Management & Selection & Training
• Professional Education & Training
• Working Conditions & Industrial Safety

I/O Example Search

Not sure what you want to research exactly, but want to get a feel for the resources available? Try the following search in any of the databases listed above:

(Industrial OR Organizational OR I/O) AND Psych*

There isn't just one accepted word for this area of psychology, so we use OR boolean operators to tell the database any of the listed terms are relevant to our search. We use parenthesis to organize our search, and we stem or truncate the word psychology with the asterisk to tell the database that any ending of the word, as long as the letters psych are at the beginning of the word, will do. This way, the word psychological and other related terms will also be included.

• Learn more about Boolean Operators/Boolean Searching

I/O Psychology Organization Websites

• Alliance for Organizational Psychology This link opens in a new window Founded in 1991, EAWOP is an open network of I/O psychology groups. Their website includes publications and resources.
• Harvard Business Review Blog - Psychology This link opens in a new window Current articles from the HBR Blog on psychology in business.
• Occupational Information Network (O*NET) This link opens in a new window O*NET is a regularly updated database of occupational characteristics and worker requirements information across the U.S. economy. It describes occupations in terms of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required as well as how the work is performed in terms of tasks, work activities, and other descriptors. It is made available by the United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.
• Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology (SIOP) This link opens in a new window Membership organization for I-O psychologists. SIOP is a division of the American Psychological Association and an organizational affiliate of the Association for Psychological Science.
• SIOP-SHRM White Papers The SHRM-SIOP Science of HR white paper series provides practitioner-oriented reviews of evidence-based HR practices written by leading researchers and practitioners in the field of I-O psychology and HR.
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• Next: Mental Health >>

Theses and Dissertations (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

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• Work engagement and organisational commitment at a private distance learning institution in South Africa  Mushaninga, Yvonne ( 2023-10-09 ) Organisations are increasingly concerned about employees’ work engagement and organisational commitment due to the influence of the two constructs on important organisational outcomes. A question that is also pertinent is ...
• Employees turnover intentions : experiences of employees at a basic education public entity  Selesho, Refilwe Argentina ( 2021-06-14 ) The study was a qualitative research study and was based within the interpretive research paradigm. Participants were selected by means of convenience sampling which was guided by the availability and willingness of ...
• Investigating employee’s experiences of the pay-for-performance system within the banking sector in Limpopo Province  Nkoana, Mautswa Elizabeth ( 2022-12-04 ) This study aimed to explore the employee’s experiences with the pay-for-performance system within a banking institution in Polokwane, Limpopo province branches. The study was a qualitative research study and was based on ...
• Ethical leadership, group learning behaviour and group cohesion in the energy sector: a psycho-social model  Motabologa, Reneilwe Mathabo ( 2023-01 ) Orientation: At present, it is essential for organisations to have a sound ethical context which will enable the organisation to achieve sustainability, and to maintain a positive corporate image. For these reasons, ethical ...
• Exploring links between gender, dwelling and career interests among black emerging adults  Matjie, Mokgata Allen Tshepo ( 2018-07 ) The objectives of the research were (1) to establish the theoretical and empirical relationship between gender, dwelling and the career interests of young African emerging adults; and (2) to determine whether gender and ...
• A qualitative study of perceptions of recruiters when hiring persons with criminal record  Motlhanke, Ponatshego Palesa ( 2023-06 ) The intention of this study was to explore recruiters’ perceptions when hiring persons with a criminal record. Recruiters are the gatekeepers and champions of the recruitment process and therefore play an integral part in ...
• The relationship between psychological career resources and organisational commitment in a parastatal institution in Botswana  Rangel, Malebogo Rosemary ( 2023-05 ) The general aims of this research study were to: (1) Establish if a relationship existed between psychological career resources (PCR) and organisational commitment amongst employees in a parastatal institution in Botswana, ...
• The association between psychosocial career preoccupations and psychological career resources  Govender, Ashlin ( 2020-01 ) The study explored the association between psychological career resources and psychosocial career preoccupations. The participants comprised a convenience sample of N = 314 individuals of varying race, age, gender and ...
• The relationship between employability, career adaptability, and psychological capital amongst non-degreed youth at an educational institution  Van Vuuren, Jean ( 2022-12 ) The world of work is advancing and dominated by the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and ever-faster technological developments. Employability, rather than just finding employment, is required today. ...
• A staff retention model for state-owned enterprises in South Africa  Maphanga, Christinah Hlamalane ( 2023-06-14 ) The aim of this quantitative study was to develop a model of staff retention for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in South Africa. The literature review phase explored the concept of staff retention, the measurement of staff ...
• The validation of a big data analytics capability scale for the South African context  Naicker, Renee ( 2023-01 ) Literature confirms that few organisations have managed to enhance organisational performance through big data analytics capabilities (BDAC). Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to design and validate a BDAC ...
• Work-related sense of coherence, job satisfaction and job embeddedness in an engineering and construction organisation in Africa  Egling, Zoe Edith-Ann ( 2022-01-24 ) The overarching aim of this research study was to determine the nature of the relationship between Work-related Sense of Coherence (Work-SoC) and job satisfaction and job embeddedness and whether Work-SoC can predict job ...
• Exploring managers’ perceived effectiveness of interventions aimed at eradicating workplace bullying  Singo, Azwihangwisi Alfred ( 2023-01 ) The general aim of this research was to explore managers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of interventions aimed at eradicating workplace bullying, and to obtain recommendations as to how such interventions might be ...
• The Black African educators' work-life balance: a hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry  Mloyi, Wellington ( 2022-04 ) The purpose of this study was to explore the work-life balance (WLB) of Black African high school educators in an African context. African high school educators are confronted with multifarious and unique work-life ...
• Use of human resource information systems in the measurement of non-financial organisational success factors  Bonehill, Jason Frederick ( 2022-06 ) Orientation: Organisations make use of human resource information systems (HRISs) to store data and assist with the processing of employee and other related information. This data can be a great source of information ...
• The relationship between employee well-being and organisational effectiveness in a bond origination company in South Africa  Van der Merwe, Chryssa ( 2022-08 ) The well-being of employees influenced the way in which they performed and ultimately impacted the effectiveness of an organisation. The interdependent and mutually beneficial relationship between an organisation and its ...
• Investigating the relationship between career adaptability, career anchors and organizational commitment  Baldeo, Ronika ( 2022-02 ) The aim of this study was to (1) to investigate the relationship between career adaptability (measured by the Career Adaptability Scale), career anchors (measured by the Career Orientations Inventory) and organisational ...
• Exploring the perceived effectiveness of a governmental performance management system  Mashiane, Patricia Cisky ( 2022-01 ) This study explored the perceived effectiveness of a governmental performance management system, through the lived experiences of employees and line managers within the different phases of the performance management ...
• The relationship between organisational culture and organisational effectiveness at a South African food retailer  Fourie, Stefan Steyn ( 2022-07 ) This research investigated the relationship between organisational culture (OC) and organisational effectiveness (OE) in a South African food retailer. In a highly competitive food retail sector, a well-managed OC can ...
• The relationship between authentic leadership and a high-performance culture  Ramoroalo, Shakes Reason ( 2022-07 ) The aim of this quantitative study was to determine the relationship between Authentic Leadership (AL) and a High-Performance Culture (HPC) in an alcohol beverage company in the South African Fast-Moving Consumer Goods ...

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Psychology Master’s Theses Abstracts Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Psychology master’s theses abstracts industrial/organizational psychology.

Click on authors’ names below for abstracts (lists goes back to 1999/2000)   

Summer 2021

Lyman, Kyle    Work to Live, or Live to Work?  Work-Life Programs and Career Consequences: The Role of Supervisor Perception  

Summer 2019  

Rehmann, Catherine     Benevolent Sexism in the Workplace: The Impact on Affect, Behavior, Cognition, and Performance   

Fall 2018  

Cheban, Yuliya         The Impact of Cultural Resilience on Affect and Performance in Organizational Settings     

Summer 2018    

Oleman, Whitney      The Effect of Leadership Development Interventions on Engineering Program Alumni     

Spring 2018    

Kautz, Brian      The Self-Correcting Workplace: The Impacts of Continuance Commitment and Job Autonomy on the Relationship between Job Dissatisfaction and Creativity      

Fall 2016    

Gergis, Christina    Perceived Effectiveness of the O*NET Skills Search Tool in Identifying Potential Occupations for Individuals with High Functioning Autism    

Good, Stephanie     Expanding the Typical Employment Options for High-Functioning Individuals on the Autism Spectrum using Occupational Interest Theory and a Web-Based Job Search Tool     

Spring 2016

DeYoung, Mindy Does Giving Contingent Rewards Improve Training Effectiveness and Change Professional Social Website Behaviors

Odom, Brianna Helping or Hurting?  The Effects of Manipulated Levels of Sexism on Third Party Perceptions of Interviewee Hireability and Managerial Potential

Summer 2015

Gentz, Rachel The Effect of Non-Engaging vs Engaging Training Methods on the Acceptance of Sexual Harassment Myths

Kim, Eugene           Displays of Counterproductive Work Behaviors on Facebook: An Observation of Possible Predictors Including Mood, Stress, and Gender     

Manderson, Cameron        Life Stress, Work Stress, and Job Performance: Does Conscientiousness Make a Difference?

Solhjou, Maryam       The Effects of Cognitive interventions on Well-Being in the Workplace

Quigley, Jennifer Let’s Work: Employment Experiences of Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Tucker, Kvon The Effects of Ethnic Identity, Ethnicity and Ethnic Identifiers on Job Suitability Ratings

Summer 2014

Galleta, John Andrew            From Injustice to Retaliation: The Mediating Role of Identity Threat     

Smith, Matthew      Employment Affect of Working Adults with Developmental Disabilities      

Spring 2014

Kruk, Allix        The Impact of Theoretical-Based Training Method of Performance on Training Professional Social Networking Use

Nam, Sophia      Do You Agree with This Critique?  An Analysis of the Impacts of Feedback, Feedback Acceptance, and Fairness Perceptions of Performance      

Ramirez, Cinthia      Perceived Efficacy of the O*Net Skills Search Tool Among Individuals with High Functioning Autism      

Herrera, Ariel Alexander   Workplace Retaliation in Groups: The Impact of Narcissism and Referent Status 

Summer 2013

El-Ahraf, Hadeel   Effects of Rater Ethnicity and Acculturation on Ratings of Middle Eastern Resumes

Spring 2013

Garman, Anya Increasing the Effectiveness of Sexual Harassment Prevention through Learner Engagement

Nguyen, Quoc Tim   Modeling Completion at a Community College

Winter 2013

Fisher, Catherine “Tina” Increasing Organizationzal Commitment by Inducing P-O Fit Through Organizational Values Awareness Training

Kim, Joan A Longitudinal Study on the Relationship between Workplace Harassment and Cyberloafing

Kuls, Michaela Single-Item vs. Multiple-Item: An Examination of Validity and the Impact of Mood in Measuring Construct

Low, Sze Zen Workplace Harassment and Counterproductive Work Behaviors: A Daily Diary Investigaton

Tietze, Brandon Developing an Automated Task-Based Minimum Qualification System to Lower Erroneous Rejection and Adverse Impact

Summer 2012

Eslamian, Sanaz Using Social Media to Increase Employment Changes among College Students

Jurica, Michelle Napping in the Workplace as an Invisible Stigma: The Moderating Roles of Raters’ Nap Habit, Work Ethic, and Organizational Policy

Smith, Jenni The Work Expectations of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

Valle, Carlos The Effectiveness of Employment Interview Coaching: A Meta-Analysis 

Wahl, Stephanie Future Employment of Individuals with a Developmental Disability: Parent Expectations 

Spring 2012

Charboneau, Norma He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: A Look at Ambivalent Sexism and its Impact on Peer Evaluations of Interviewee Competency and Likability

Luu, Lap The Counteractive Effects of Moods on Organizational Retaliation Behavior in Reaction to Injustice in the Workplace 

Spicer, Rana Motivating Volunteers and Increasing Satisfaction 

Cool, Michael Increasing Survey Response Rates Through Appeals, Pre-Notices, and Reminders

Stokely, Rebekah Preceived Effectiveness of Interview Coaching Workshops: An Investigation of Differences in Workshop Content and Brevity

Tekonen, Hanna The Impact of Item Type on Faking Overt Integrity Items

Spring 2011

Arenales, Milady Case Managers’ Employment Expectations for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Mills, Lindsey Emotional Labor and Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Trait Rumination

McAbee, Samuel The Impact of Manipulated Fairness Perceptions on the Measurement of Organizational Justice

Castiglione, Abigail Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Role of Employee Support Policies, Envy, and Narcissism

Palacios, Jr, Jorge Job Role Ambiguity as a Mediator Between Workplace Communication and Positive Work Outcomes

Saedi, Brandon Training College Students to Increase Employment Opportunity Using Social Networking Websites

Summer 2010

Kato, Nami Psychological Acculturation, Organizational Socialization and Organizational Commitment: The Case of Japanese Brazilians Working in Japan

Linke, John Perceived Parental Support as a Predictor of Vietnamese American Academic Achievement

Miller, David Outcomes of Psychological Contract Breach and Violation

Nabity, Jeffrey The Bystander Approach to Sexual Harassment Training: Considering a New Perspective

Walters, Sarah Ethnicity, Job Experience, and Interview Ratings

Spring 2010

Maguin, Jennifer A Meta-Analysis of Interpersonal Trust and Team Performance

Norton, Sharon The Effects of Leadership-Efficacy and Personality on Reactions to Stress

Ahnefeld, Karoline The Development and Validation of a Nonviolent Communication Situational Judgment Test (NVC-SJT) for the Workplace

del Carmen Lopez, Maria Effects of Training Intervention on Hiring Discrimination and Rater Prejudice

Summer 2009

Kurtis, Kimberly Minority College Student Attitudes Towards the Geological Sciences: Unearthing Barriers to Enrollment

Ledford-Yang, Tiffanie Culture and Preferred Workplace Conflict Resolution Strategies

Sarkissian, Lara An Examination of Course-Level Factors Contributing to Student Success

Winter 2009

Venegas, Jennifer Effectiveness of an Intervention to Increase Employees’ Awareness of Frequency and Seriousness of Cyberloafing

Dickson, Jennifer Reality in Recruitment: Realistic Job Previews and Individual Differences

Ruleford, Mallory Effects of Class Size and Enrollment Growth Incentives on Faculty Performance

Wada, Akane Retaliation Behavior in the Group Context: Responses to Perceived Justice

Summer 2008

Abulhusn, Karla A. The Effects of Exposure, Cognitive Ability and Interview Self-Efficacy on Employment Interview Performance

Lurie, Sarah B. The Morning Commute: The Moderating Effects of Locus of Control and Organizational Commitment on Employees’ Perceived Commuting Strain

Tzschatzsch, Annika The Effects of Organizational, Supervisor and Coworker Support on Perceived Job Stress and Attitudinal Outcomes

Spring 2008

Escobedo, Matthew Applicant Anxiety and Selection Interview Performance: A Meta-Analysis

Ha, Truc Mai The Fluctuating Bandwidth of Change Management: Factors that Impact Employee Resistance to Workplace Technology

Lewis, Margaret Classroom Intervention to Facilitate Students’ Questions

Ahdoot, Joseph Email Overload: Information Overload and Other Negative Effects of Email Communication

Rivera, Steve A. Identifying an Optimal Job Analysis Method for Synthetic Validation Studies

Smith, Whitney E. Interviewee Perceptions of Structured and Unstructured Interview Questions

Summer 2007

Davis, Kimberly Anne A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship Between Measures of Commute Span and Strain

Spring 2007

Mensinger, Meggan S. An Investigation into the Impact of Organizational Variables on the Impostor Phenomenon

Summer 2006

Leung, Lisa Using Perfectionism, Impostor Phenomenon and Occupational Field to Predict Job Burnout

Spring 2006

Long, Ryan How Personality and Rewards Interact to Impact Performance and Satisfaction

O’Connor, Brendan The Effects of Awareness of Test Process and Competencies Assessed on Applicant Interview Performance

Aguilar, Steven Performance Effects of Gender, Extraversion, and Need for Achievement on Boredom Proneness

Bailey, Wendi A Comparison of Corporate Reputation as Perceived by Internal and External Stakeholders

Olson, Kristin Performance Feedback: The Impact of Personality and Communication Mediumon Recipient Satisfaction and Fairness Perceptions

Summer 2005 

Wright, W. Douglass Casual Attributions and Interactional Justice as Moderators of the Relationship Between Perceived Psychological Contract Breach and Critical Employee Outcomes

Spring 2005

Costello, Kim The Influence of Team Design Characteristics and Personality Traitson Short-Term Film Productions’ Effectiveness

Hammond, Kandice Learning Styles, Self-Efficacy, and Training Delivery: Investigating Factors That Enhance Learning

Winter 2005

St. Clair, Alta Characterizations Ascribed to Male Executives, Female Executives and the Ideal Executive

Kaminski, Kelly An Examination of Applicant Preparation for Assessment Centers

Summer 2004

Bastian, Briana Work/Family Benefits Preferences: Assessing Differences by Gender and Ethnic Minority Status

Chan, Linda The Effects of Ethnic Diversity of LMX, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment

Croker, Rosee The Effect of Leadership Style on Employee Work Ethic

Spring 2004

Furumoto, Akira The Effect of Use of Impression Management on the Performance Rating of Affirmative Action Beneficiaries

Nguyen, Angela-Minhtu The Mediational Role of Mentoring in the Acculturation-Career Satisfaction Relationship for Asian/Pacific Islander American Faculty

Piffero, Alysia Range Restriction of Ratings: The Impact of Rater Differences

Wolf, Ilan Extrinsic Motivation as a Moderator of Gender Role Stereotypes and Career Choice

Stevens, Christopher Perceptions of the Work Environment: Role of Negative Affectivity and Spiritual Beliefs

Spring 2003

Dourigan, Allison Examining Sources of Validity, Adverse Impact, and Procedural Justice in an Assessment Center

Nielsen, Kristin The Effects of Gender-Role Congruent and Gender-Role Incongruent Leaders on Personnel Rater Perceptions

Yu, Janie Test-Taking Motivation and Impression Management on Overt Integrity Tests and Subtests

Summer 2002

Grimes, Catherine Socialization of Newcomers: An Investigation of Tactic Use and Related Outcomes

Herst, DiAnn More than an Apple a Day: The Effects of Personal Characteristics and Coping Strategies on Teacher Stress and Burnout

Vasconcellos, Chad The Moderating Effects of Self-Esteem and Locus of Control on the Relationship between Objective Job Characteristics and Perceived Job Characteristics

Spring 2002

Moore, Andrew The Heritability of Sexual Orientation and Occupational Choice

Scheinoha, Tricia Examining Individual Differences in Pay Structures and Pay Satisfaction

Thomas, Kristy The Relationship of Generation X Work Values to Job Involvement and Organizational Commitment

Winter 2002

White, Duane Emotional Intelligence and Self-Monitoring: Determiners of Influence Tactic Choice

Mineghino, Mary Ann An Empirical Study of the Relationship Between Role Stress and Empowerment in Front-Line Managers and Workers

Summer 2001

Dolden, Stacy An Examination of the Moderating Role of Perceived Support for Innovation on Leader-Member Exchange, Team-Member Exchange, and Individual Level Work Outcomes

Doss, Sangeeta A Service Quality Comparison Between Electronic Banking Users and Nonusers

Hoffman, Lori Perceived System Knowledge and Its Relationship to Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Spring 2001

Heinbuch, Danielle Educational Assistance and Organizational Commitment Influencing Turnover Intentions

Jankowski, Rebecca Sex Stereotypes in Transformational and Transactional Leadership Ratings

Lonergan, Dale The Interaction of Trainee Perceived Expectations of Themselves and the Trainer on Learning and Reaction to Training (Self-Efficacy and the Reverse Pygmalion Effect)

Primicias, Wesley Studying Ethnic Differences in Socialization, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment

Timmons, Sarah Computerphobia and Computer-Associated Stress in the Workplace

Summer 2000

Arnoldus, Michael Effects of Locus of Control and Type A Behavior on Selecting of Conflict Handling Styles

DeMaci, Christopher Feng Shui and Psychology: Situational and Individual Predictors of Dominance

Gulak, Lori Compressed Workweeks, Commuting, and Life and Job Satisfaction

Mallery, Faith An Investigation of Need for Achievement and Self-Monitoring on Feedback-Seeking Strategies

Pasanen, Sanna Emotional Intelligence, Conscientiousness and Integrity as Predictors of Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Sterling, Hillary The Influence of Gender and Career Salience on College Students’ Desire for Work/Life Benefits

Spring 2000

Dickerson, Andra Risk Perceptions and Y2K Readiness

Howard, Lara The Effects of Age and Intrinsic Motivation on the Probability of Career Change

Mosconi, Victor Personality Differences in Stress Coping Strategies

Newlon, Candace Effects of Procedural Justice and Self-Efficacy on Acceptance of Merit Pay

Winter 2000

Allen, Donald The Influence of Environment on Job Interview Ratings with Potential Moderation by Personality Variables

Flaxman, Gary Work-Family Conflict as a Mediator between Family Responsive Policies and Job Outcomes

Mendez, Margarita Leader-Member Exchange as Moderator of the Job Dissatisfaction-Communication Response Relationship

Menges, Michele Interactional Justice as a Mediator between Emotional Intelligence and Work-Related Attitudes

101 Examples of Dissertation Research Topics for Psychology Students

The journey of a psychology student culminates in the challenging task of selecting a dissertation topic . The decision you make at this point will set the stage for your academic and professional trajectory.

This momentous project is not just a rite of passage but an opportunity to delve deeply into a niche area of interest, contribute to a body of knowledge, and possibly even ignite a career-long pursuit. With the vast expanse of psychology stretching from the neural synapses of the brain to the complex social interactions of communities, the challenge lies not in finding a topic, but in narrowing down the multitude of possibilities!

In this article, we present an expansive list of dissertation topics for psychology students.

The ideas provided are designed to encourage exploration of both traditional and avant-garde topics, reflecting the current trends and enduring questions that shape the evolving landscape of psychological research. From the psychological impacts of digital detox to the cognitive rehabilitation techniques for stroke survivors, these topics are designed to accommodate various interests and academic pursuits. They cater not only to a comprehensive academic challenge but also to the practical implications that such research can have on individuals, systems, and societies.

As you take a look at these suggestions, it’s important that you consider not only what interests you but also what excites you. The best dissertation topic is one that you can commit to with passion and curiosity, one that promises a journey of discovery replete with challenges and rewards.

Before we present the list of dissertation ideas for psychology students, let’s take a look at what makes a good dissertation research topic.

What Makes a Good Dissertation Research Topic for Psychology Students?

A good psychology research topic should meet several key criteria to ensure it is valuable, feasible, and has the potential to contribute to the field. Here’s an overview of the characteristics that make a research topic stand out:

• Relevance : The topic should address current issues or gaps in the field of psychology. It needs to be pertinent to contemporary debates, practices, or policies. Relevance also means that the research could have practical applications or implications, potentially informing practitioners, policymakers, or the general public.
• Originality : A good research topic brings a new perspective to a known issue or explores an understudied area. The aim is to contribute original knowledge or insights rather than replicating past studies without adding substantial value.
• Specificity : Broad topics can be overwhelming and impractical to tackle within the constraints of a typical research timeline and budget. A well-defined and focused research question allows for a more thorough and in-depth study.
• Clarity : The topic should be framed in a way that is understandable and clear. This means avoiding jargon when unnecessary and defining key terms. A clearly articulated research question guides the methodology and helps maintain focus throughout the project.
• Feasibility : This involves considering the researcher’s access to subjects, resources, and data. The research should be achievable within the given time frame and with available resources. Feasibility also concerns the ethical considerations and approval processes required for conducting research.
• Interest : A researcher’s personal interest and passion for a topic can significantly influence the quality of the research. It’s beneficial if the topic resonates with the researcher’s own scholarly interests and curiosities.
• Scope for Scientific Method : Good psychology research topics should allow for systematic investigation through accepted scientific methods. This includes the potential for hypothesis testing, operationalization of variables, and the use of statistical analysis to draw conclusions.
• Ethical Soundness : Psychology research often involves human subjects, which necessitates careful ethical consideration. A good topic should conform to ethical standards, ensuring the privacy, consent, and welfare of participants.
• Implications : Lastly, a good research topic should have clear theoretical, practical, or clinical implications. It should contribute to a greater understanding of the human mind and behavior, potentially leading to better psychological interventions or therapies.

While selecting a research topic for your dissertation is important, you should never overlook the importance of the writing and editing process. Dissertation proofreading services can help you refine your final draft and ensure it presents you in the best possible light.

101 Psychology Dissertation Ideas

• The Role of Social Media in Adolescent Mental Health: Investigate how different levels of social media use affect mood disorders in adolescents.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Depression: Analyze the efficacy of CBT interventions in treating depression among various age groups.
• Neuroplasticity and Rehabilitation After Brain Injuries: Study how different rehabilitation techniques can affect the brain’s plasticity and recovery trajectory post-injury.
• The Psychology of Pandemics: Explore the long-term psychological impact of pandemics on different populations, focusing on coping mechanisms and resilience.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adulthood: Examine the challenges and support systems available for adults with autism, including employment, social relationships, and healthcare.
• Sleep Patterns and Academic Performance: Investigate the correlation between sleep quality and academic success in college students.
• The Impact of Parenting Styles on Child Development: Analyze how different parenting styles affect a child’s emotional, social, and cognitive development.
• Workplace Psychology and Employee Well-being: Explore the effects of workplace culture on mental health and job satisfaction.
• Memory and Aging: Study the patterns of cognitive decline in memory with aging and the effectiveness of interventions to slow down this process.
• The Influence of Cultural Background on Psychological Treatment Outcomes: Research how cultural beliefs and practices affect the efficacy of psychological treatments for mental health issues.
• Psychological Resilience in First Responders: Investigate the coping strategies used by first responders to manage stress and trauma-related to their line of work.
• The Effect of Nature on Mental Health: Examine how regular exposure to natural environments influences psychological well-being and stress levels.
• Intergenerational Trauma and Healing: Study patterns of trauma transmission in families and communities and the effectiveness of interventions aimed at breaking these cycles.
• The Psychology of Fake News: Explore the cognitive biases that contribute to the belief in and spread of misinformation, and strategies for critical thinking promotion.
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Chronic Pain: Evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation practices in managing chronic pain and improving quality of life.
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Grief and Mourning: Research how different cultures process and express grief and the implications for counseling practices.
• The Impact of Bilingualism on Cognitive Development: Investigate how learning and using multiple languages from an early age affects cognitive abilities and neural plasticity.
• Social Isolation and Cognitive Function in the Elderly: Examine the long-term cognitive effects of social isolation in senior populations and potential interventions.
• Attachment Styles and Romantic Relationships: Study how early attachment patterns influence adult romantic relationships, including partner selection and relationship satisfaction.
• Cyberpsychology and Identity Formation: Investigate how online environments and social networks contribute to or disrupt the process of identity formation in adolescents and young adults.
• Emotional Regulation in High-Stress Professions: Study strategies and their effectiveness in managing emotional responses in professions such as surgery, law enforcement, or air traffic control.
• Virtual Reality as a Tool for Phobia Treatment: Explore the use of VR environments in the systematic desensitization of individuals with specific phobias.
• Influence of Dietary Patterns on Children’s Behavioral Disorders: Investigate the relationship between nutritional choices and behavioral outcomes in children with ADHD or autism spectrum disorders.
• Psychological Impacts of Climate Change: Examine the effects of climate change on mental health, including anxiety, depression, and feelings of loss or grief.
• The Role of Art Therapy in Treating PTSD: Evaluate the efficacy of art therapy interventions for veterans or victims of violence suffering from PTSD.
• Gender Identity Development in Adolescence: Research the factors that influence gender identity and expression during the critical developmental stage of adolescence.
• Cognitive Dissonance and Consumer Behavior: Study how cognitive dissonance affects purchasing decisions and brand loyalty in the retail sector.
• Psychology of Pain Management: Investigate the role of psychological factors in the perception of pain and the effectiveness of psychological pain management techniques compared to pharmacological treatments.
• Social Perception in Online vs. Face-to-Face Interactions: Compare the accuracy of social perception and formation of first impressions in online settings versus in-person encounters.
• The Impact of Social Support on Recovery from Substance Abuse: Explore how different types and sources of social support contribute to the recovery process from drug and alcohol addiction.
• Effects of Microaggressions on Workplace Performance: Investigate how subtle forms of discrimination impact employees’ job satisfaction and productivity.
• The Psychology of Financial Decision-Making in Young Adults: Explore how psychological factors influence financial literacy and decision-making in the transition to adulthood.
• The Role of Pet Ownership in Managing Chronic Mental Illness: Examine the therapeutic benefits of pet ownership for individuals with chronic mental health conditions.
• Mindfulness Interventions in Elementary Education: Study the effects of mindfulness practices on attention and emotional regulation in young children.
• Narrative Identity and Life Transitions: Analyze how personal storytelling and narrative identity evolve during major life transitions, such as retirement or career change.
• Cultural Competence in Psychotherapy: Evaluate the importance of cultural competence in therapeutic practices and client outcomes.
• Psychological Impact of Body Image Portrayed in Social Media: Explore the effects of social media on body image dissatisfaction and the development of eating disorders.
• Eco-Anxiety and Environmental Activism: Examine the psychological effects of climate change concerns on environmental activism behaviors.
• Psychological Processes in Extreme Sports: Study risk assessment, decision-making, and flow states in athletes who participate in extreme sports.
• The Effect of Music Therapy on Cognitive Decline in Dementia Patients: Research the impact of music therapy sessions on the progression of cognitive symptoms in dementia.
• Social Cognition in Virtual Teams: Evaluate how individuals understand and operate within teams that interact exclusively through digital means.
• Attachment Patterns and Social Media Usage: Investigate the connection between attachment styles and usage patterns of social media platforms.
• Psychological Safety and Learning in Academic Settings: Explore the concept of psychological safety and its impact on students’ willingness to engage in learning activities.
• Humor and Coping Mechanisms in Stressful Occupations: Analyze the role of humor as a coping strategy for professionals in high-stress fields like emergency medicine.
• Impact of Sleep Hygiene Education on Student Performance: Evaluate the effectiveness of sleep education programs in improving the sleep quality and academic performance of university students.
• Color Psychology in Marketing and Branding: Study how color influences consumer perceptions and behaviors towards products and brands.
• The Role of Psychological Flexibility in Chronic Pain Management: Explore how acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can aid individuals with chronic pain in improving their quality of life.
• Cyberbullying and Self-esteem in Adolescents: Examine the long-term effects of cyberbullying on self-esteem and identity formation during adolescence.
• Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Resolution: Investigate how emotional intelligence skills facilitate conflict resolution in personal and professional relationships.
• Digital Detox and Psychological Well-Being: Examine the psychological effects of taking regular breaks from digital devices.
• Stress Resilience in Space Exploration: Study psychological resilience strategies for astronauts during long-duration space missions.
• Language Acquisition in Mixed-Language Households: Explore how children in bilingual homes acquire and separate languages cognitively.
• The Role of Play in Child Development: Investigate different play therapies and their impact on developmental disorders in children.
• Implicit Bias and Decision Making in Jury Deliberations: Examine how implicit biases can influence the decision-making process in legal settings.
• Cognitive Effects of Chronic Sleep Deprivation: Research the long-term cognitive impacts of chronic sleep deprivation in adults.
• The Psychology of Superstitions in Sports: Study the role and impact of superstitious behaviors on athletes’ performance.
• The Mental Health Effects of Urban vs. Rural Living: Compare the prevalence and types of mental health issues in urban versus rural populations.
• Psychological Outcomes of Genetic Testing: Explore the emotional and psychological impact of undergoing genetic testing for diseases.
• Intergenerational Effects of Historical Trauma: Investigate the psychological effects across generations within communities that have experienced historical trauma.
• The Impact of Social Comparisons on Self-Esteem: Examine how individuals’ self-esteem is affected by comparisons made on social media platforms.
• Emotion Recognition and AI Interactions: Study how humans perceive and react to emotional expressions by artificial intelligences and robots.
• Personality Development in Space Colonies: Speculate on how living in space colonies might affect personality development and social dynamics.
• The Effect of Parental Leave on Child Psychological Development: Research the long-term effects of various lengths and types of parental leave on children.
• Sensory Processing Disorders and Educational Outcomes: Examine the impact of sensory processing disorders on children’s educational achievements.
• The Influence of Scent on Memory Recall: Explore the connection between olfactory cues and the accuracy or vividness of memory recall.
• Peer Influence on Risky Behavior in Adolescence: Analyze how peer groups can impact the decision-making process in teenagers regarding risky behaviors.
• The Effect of Minimalism on Mental Health: Study the psychological impact of adopting a minimalist lifestyle in a consumer-driven society.
• Psychological Mechanisms of Radicalization: Investigate the cognitive and emotional pathways that lead individuals to adopt radical ideologies.
• Multitasking and Cognitive Load: Investigate the limits of cognitive load and its impact on multitasking efficiency.
• Psychological Effects of Long-Term Spaceflight: Explore the mental challenges astronauts face during extended missions.
• Therapeutic Effects of Creative Writing: Study how creative writing can be used as a therapeutic tool for emotional expression.
• Psychology of Religious Extremism: Examine the factors that contribute to religious extremism from a psychological perspective.
• Mental Health Implications of Climate Migration: Research the psychological impact of relocating due to climate change.
• Social Psychology of Urbanization: Explore how urban living influences social behavior and community dynamics.
• Gestures and Language Development in Children: Investigate the role of gestural communication in early language acquisition.
• Technology Addiction and Family Dynamics: Study the impact of technology addiction on interpersonal relationships within families.
• Psychology of Solitude: Examine the effects of solitude on mental health and personal growth.
• Cognitive Rehabilitation Techniques for Stroke Survivors: Explore effective cognitive rehabilitation methods for post-stroke recovery.
• Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Music on Infant Development: Research the long-term developmental effects of prenatal music exposure.
• Psychological Impacts of Participatory Art: Study how engagement with participatory art can affect psychological well-being.
• Neuroethics of Brain-Computer Interfaces: Delve into the ethical implications of using BCIs in neurology and psychiatry.
• Empathy Development in Virtual Reality Training: Investigate how VR can be used to enhance empathy in professional training programs.
• Social Media and Collective Memory Formation: Examine how social media platforms influence the formation of collective memories.
• Psychological Aspects of Cosmetic Surgery: Research the motivations and outcomes of cosmetic surgery from a psychological standpoint.
• Personality Traits and Online Dating Success: Analyze how different personality traits affect success in online dating.
• Psychological Strategies in Competitive Esports: Study the mental techniques used by esports players to enhance performance.
• Attachment Security and Pet Ownership: Explore the connection between attachment styles and the bond with pets.
• Psychological Effects of Autonomous Vehicles: Investigate how trust and control issues impact the acceptance of self-driving cars.
• Mental Health Services in Rural Communities: Examine the challenges and effectiveness of delivering mental health care in rural areas.
• Cross-Cultural Communication in Global Teams: Research the psychological barriers and facilitators of communication in international teams.
• Psychology of Sustainable Behavior: Study the motivators and deterrents of engaging in environmentally sustainable behaviors.
• Impact of Witnessing Parental Conflict on Children: Investigate the long-term effects of exposure to parental conflict during childhood.
• Sleep Disorders and Emotional Regulation: Examine the relationship between sleep quality and the ability to regulate emotions.
• Trauma-Informed Practices in Education: Explore the implementation and outcomes of trauma-informed approaches in schools.
• Psychology of Menu Design: Analyze how menu layout and choice architecture influence dining decisions.
• Motivational Factors in Crowdfunding: Investigate what psychological factors motivate people to contribute to crowdfunding campaigns.
• Perception of Time in Different Cultures: Research how the cultural background affects the perception and value of time.
• Psychological Resilience in Extreme Athletes: Study the mental toughness and resilience strategies of athletes in extreme sports.
• Influence of Indoor Plants on Mood and Productivity: Explore the psychological benefits of having plants in indoor workspaces.

Each of these topics has a broad range of literature to draw from and the potential to contribute new knowledge or insights to the field of psychology. It’s important to refine these ideas further to create a specific, researchable question that can be addressed within the scope of a dissertation.

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Business Psychology Dissertation Topics

Published by Owen Ingram at January 4th, 2023 , Revised On August 11, 2023

A dissertation on business psychology can be extremely rewarding for business and psychology students. However, many students find themselves unsure about which area of business psychology they must explore as part of their research.

This article looks into the key issues in the field of business psychology and lists the best business psychology dissertation topics to choose from.

What is Business Psychology?

Business psychologists study how emotions drive human behaviour at work and are responsible for researching those emotions. The field of business psychology establishes how to make better decisions at work by understanding the emotions driving organisational decisions.

Business psychology investigates all aspects of business decision-making, from hiring employees to preparing projects for clients. Furthermore, business psychologists help authorities determine whether their employees are the right fit for the position and the company by assessing their performance and changes.

Also, learn about our business writers and psychology writers if you need professional services.

The need for managers to be able to identify the psychological challenges associated with their employees has increased as more companies move toward remote working models and telecommuting. As a result, employees will be more loyal to their employers, and customers will be more attracted to the company.

The field of business psychology is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing in the world today. It holds the potential to motivate employees to perform better at work in a variety of industries. You should undoubtedly learn more about business psychology if any of this sounds interesting.

Salary Stats of Business Psychology

There is a constant need for business psychologists, especially in market research and employee development. Consequently, business psychology graduates have a high chance of finding rewarding positions with competitive salaries.

According to a survey, the starting salary for a business psychologist ranges from about $24,000 to more than $185,000. The typical annual wage is close to $91,756. However, experience, geography, and industry are essential determinants of compensation.

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You may also be interested in Business IT Dissertation Topics , International Business Dissertation Topics and Business Management Topics .

Topic:1 Industrial & Organizational Psychology

Research Aim: Using psychology to study different industries and organisational health to understand business aspects.

Topic:2 Management & Management Training

Research Aim: Understanding occupational characteristics and worker requirements information across the U.S. economy.

Topic:3 Occupational Interests & Guidance

Research Aim: Studying career guidance and development of workers in institutions to perform better.

Topic:4 Organisational Behavior

Research Aim: Diving deep into the organisational behaviour of how people interact with businesses and customers.

Topic:5 Personnel Attitudes & Job Satisfaction

Research Aim: Comprehending the Five-Factor Model of Personality and Job Satisfaction and focusing on Employee Morale.

Topic:6 Personnel Evaluation & Job Performance

Research Aim: Evaluating an individual’s performance, strengths, weaknesses, and improving performance at work.

Topic:7 Personnel Management & Selection & Training

Research Aim: Learning the nitty-gritty of employee management to maintain a productive and satisfied workforce.

Topic:8 Professional Education & Training

Research Aim: Getting quality training from industry experts to improve overall outcomes as an individual yourself.

Topic:9 Working Conditions & Industrial Safety

Research Aim: Studying safety, health, working conditions and other complex matters to increase the overall production of quality products.

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Pick any top business psychology dissertation topics from the list above to get started on your business psychology paper.

Businesses today require psychologists to solve various issues related to business on a day-to-day basis. If you are eager to dive deep into this subject, a best practice is to use your acquired talents and expertise to address problems and come up with the appropriate answer for the companies.

When employees feel engaged, businesses are more productive, more satisfied, more creative, and more innovative, and their sales grow, which leads to a higher return on investment.

Moreover, if you are interested in applied psychology, complex problem-solving, or organizational effectiveness, business psychology may be a great fit for you. If you need help with the complete dissertation writing process, you may want to additionally read about our  proposal writing service  and the full  dissertation writing service .

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How to find business psychology dissertation topics.

To find business psychology dissertation topics:

• Explore organizational behavior.
• Investigate employee well-being.
• Analyze leadership and motivation.
• Examine consumer behavior.
• Consider workplace diversity.
• Choose a topic integrating psychology and business challenges.

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The talent management field is advancing rapidly when it becomes easier to find talent around the world. The management of talent is a subcategory of human resources that is not specific to any particular industry.

Need interesting and manageable Snapchat dissertation topics? Here are the trending Snapchat dissertation titles so you can choose the most suitable one.

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Emerging Industrial Psychology Research Topics | Best Help

A few samples of innovative research topics about  industrial psychology; .

✔ A Study on the Effects of Good Remuneration on the Performance, Loyalty, and Motivation of the Workforce:  The aim of conducting research will be to examine how the remuneration of employees influences their performance, motivation, and work loyalty. The paper will then elucidate the importance of considering the skill levels in matching the salaries of employees. 

One key reason to hire our industrial   psychology experts is to ensure that research is conducted in an ethical and responsible manner. Our Industrial psychologists are trained to adhere to ethical standards when designing and conducting research studies as well as developing  great research topics on industrial psychology . They know how to protect the rights and welfare of study participants and how to ensure that the data collected is reliable and valid. This is essential for maintaining the credibility and integrity of the research, as well as for protecting the well-being of the people involved. Our Professionals have a deep understanding of the latest research in the field, help to identify important research questions and gaps in knowledge, and design studies that will produce results that are meaningful and applicable to real-world problems. This is particularly important in the fast-paced and ever-changing world of work, where research findings need to be up-to-date and relevant to be useful. A third reason to hire our experts is to ensure that your research is practical and actionable.  They can also help to translate research findings into practical recommendations that can be applied in the workplace. This is crucial for organizations that are looking to improve their performance, as it ensures that research findings are not just interesting but also useful. 

Help with Creating Research Topics On Organizational Psychology

• The Role of Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace:  Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage one's own emotions and those of others. It is a critical factor in the workplace as it determines the quality of relationships between employees and their superiors. Research on emotional intelligence in the workplace can explore how it influences communication, teamwork, and leadership.
• Workplace Bullying: Causes and Consequences:  Bullying in the workplace is a serious issue that can cause severe psychological and physical damage to employees. It can also lead to a loss of productivity and high turnover rates. Research on workplace bullying can investigate the causes and consequences of bullying, including the impact on mental health, job satisfaction, and organizational performance.
• The Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Behavior:  Organizational culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and attitudes that guide employee behavior. Research on the impact of organizational culture on employee behavior can examine how it affects work performance, job satisfaction, and employee retention. It can also explore how to create a positive culture that promotes organizational effectiveness.
• Work-Life Balance: Challenges and Solutions:  Work-life balance is the ability to balance work and personal life successfully. It is a significant concern in the workplace as it can impact employee health and well-being. Research on work-life balance can investigate the challenges that employees face in achieving work-life balance and explore possible solutions to address these challenges, such as flexible work schedules and telecommuting.
• Leadership: Styles and Effectiveness:  Leadership is a critical factor in driving organizational performance. Research on leadership can investigate the different leadership styles, including transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire. As one of the well-founded topics about organizational psychology, it can also explore the effectiveness of these styles in different organizational settings, such as healthcare, education, and business.
• Employee Training and Development: Strategies and Outcomes:  Employee training and development are essential to improving employee performance and productivity. Research on employee training and development can investigate different training strategies, such as on-the-job training, classroom training, and e-learning. It can also explore the outcomes of employee training and development, including the impact on job satisfaction, employee retention , and organizational performance.

This should not be very complicated, especially because now there are credible online firms that will respond to your requests in a professional way when you tell them that you need a collection of potential Master's or Ph.D. in organizational psychology research topic ideas. An experienced research agency is one of the best-suited places to obtain a listing of the most interesting organizational psychology research topic ideas for your master's or Ph.D. project: Consider contacting us and you will be assisted professionally. 

Consulting with our experts will help you identify the most suitable topic from a record of (Industrial and Organizational) io psychology research topics that you will have selected. You will be able to identify a good post-graduate or doctoral-level research topic idea that is unique and impressive. The research topics discussed here are just a few of the many areas that researchers can explore to advance the field of organizational psychology. By conducting research in these areas, we can gain a better understanding of how to create a positive and productive work environment that benefits both employees and organizations. Why risk submitting a topic that you are not sure of when you can get a professional opinion from an expert? Get our quality assistance.

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Tips For Coming Up With Great Psychology Masters Thesis Topics

A psychology thesis for masters students represents a culmination of academic and research pursuits in the realm of psychology. It serves as an essential step to showcase a student's mastery over a particular subject or area of interest and displays their capacity to conduct independent research. Generally, the process begins with the selection of a topic, which is often one that fills a gap in the existing literature or delves deeper into a well-studied area to uncover new insights. The choice of topic should align with the student's interests, potential career goals, and the expertise of their advising faculty. Research topics in psychology are vital in advancing knowledge in the field and addressing challenges faced in the field. Finding the best psychology thesis topics is essential to ensure that the research is impactful and relevant.  Here are a few tips that will make your paper outstanding

• Consider the field's current challenges:   Psychology is a vast field, and there are numerous challenges facing the workplace. By identifying current challenges, you can choose a research topic that addresses a current problem. Some of the current challenges in the field include the effects of remote work on productivity, managing a multigenerational workforce, managing workplace diversity, and addressing burnout. A masters thesis can choose to explore any of these topics and provide solutions that can improve the workplace environment.
• Identify gaps in knowledge:   Another way to identify thesis topics in psychology is to look for gaps in knowledge. Researchers should identify areas where there is little information and investigate them. For instance, if there is little information on how remote work affects employee well-being, a researcher can explore this area and provide information that can help organizations create strategies that can enhance employee well-being.
• Consult other researchers:   Networking with other researchers in the field is a great way to identify research topics in psychology . Researchers can share ideas and collaborate on research projects. Networking also provides an opportunity to learn about new trends and challenges in the field. Researchers can join professional organizations in the field, attend conferences, or participate in webinars to learn about new research topics and share their research ideas.
• Consider the relevance of the topic:   Choosing a masters thesis topic that is relevant to the current workplace environment is essential. The topic should be one that has practical implications for employees, employers, and the organization. Research should be relevant to the organization's goals, and the findings should provide insights that can be applied in practice.
• Look at previous research:   Reviewing previous research in the field is essential to identify research topics that have not been explored. Researchers should review articles, research papers, and other scholarly publications to identify gaps in knowledge. By reviewing previous research, researchers can also identify research questions that have not been adequately addressed.
• Choose a research topic that aligns with your interests:  Researchers should choose research topics that align with their interests and passions. Researchers who are passionate about a topic are more likely to conduct research that is meaningful and impactful. Passionate researchers are also more likely to stay engaged in the research process and be more productive. When choosing a research topic, researchers should consider what they enjoy researching and what motivates them.
• Consider the attainability of the research:   Researchers should consider the feasibility of the research when choosing a research topic. Feasibility includes aspects such as time, budget, and available resources. Masters students should choose a thesis topic that is feasible within their available resources. A feasible research topic is one that can be completed within the available budget, time, and resources.

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Employees in a certain company will react differently to a change in working conditions or system. A firm may aim to shift supervisors from one department to the other to try and improve its operations. Since the psychology of its workers is different, they will respond in different ways to the proposed change. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and the reasons for people’s behaviors. Writing a master's or Ph.D. research project that will attempt to provide reasons why people behave differently would be of great help to many companies.

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172 Awesome Psychology Dissertation Topics For High Scores

An ideal dissertation topic should be clear, manageable, original, and relevant to your academic discipline. Primarily, the case ought to have enough information that will help you support your arguments. Unfortunately, many college and university students have difficulty coming up with exceptional topics, considering how detailed and time-consuming the brainstorming process can be.

On the bright side, we have the best psychology dissertation ideas to get you underway. If you are hungry for exceptional psychology dissertation topics, this article features over 170 hand-picked views to whet your appetite. Read on to get a taste of what we have to offer:

Dissertation Topics In Educational Psychology

• Discuss the measures that can help children with an anxiety disorder improve their performance in tests
• A qualitative study of how the concept of reflective practice can be in childhood learning
• Examine whether identifying a child’s learning style can help to improve outcomes
• Elaborate whether the attachment theory can explain the development of a subjective self in the child
• Explain the causes of increased anorexia rate in children
• Elaborate how operant conditioning works
• Define learning in educational psychology
• What brings about achievement gaps?
• Examine how listening to music affects a child’s cognitive skills
• Discuss the link between self-esteem and academic success
• Evaluate the importance of showing affection to children
• Examine if homosexuality is a psychological disorder
• Discuss fetishes and their related behavior
• Define childhood trauma and outline its effects

Dissertation Topics In Counseling Psychology

• Discuss the concept of attention span among children
• What is the distinction between explicit and implicit memory?
• Discuss language and speech development in children
• What is the role of color psychology in cognitive development studies?
• Which factors affect one’s problem-solving ability?
• What is the link between temperament and creativity?
• Explain how marriage alters your personality
• What is the relationship between prosaical behavior and personality?
• Is there any link between your choice of pet and your personality

Dissertation Topics In Industrial Psychology

• What are the psychological consequences of a hate crime?
• Discuss the role of psychologists in military interrogations
• Explain the psychological impacts of a miscarriage on a couple
• What are the effects of abortion on the emotional and mental well-being of women?
• Elaborate why attractive people often tend to have the upper hand at work
• What is the impact of homelessness on mental health?
• Elaborate whether there is a difference between depression in females and males
• Analyze the relationship between working memory and attention
• Explore the relationship between television and obesity
• Evaluate the role of the family in the socialization process of a child
• Effects of laughter on your emotional and physical health
• Discuss gender role and identity in children
• What are the health benefits of dreams?
• Elaborate the impact of dreams on one’s social life
• Do violent fantasies have any meaning in real life?

Psychology Thesis Topics List

• Examine what the Stroop effect says about one’s mind
• Analyze whether excessive social media use is comparable to drug addiction
• Is there are a link between your music taste and your personality?
• What effects does music have on your psychological response?
• How do colors affect a child’s learning?
• What are the best strategies to manage loss and grief?
• Discuss effective programs that can curb suicide among students
• Explain why depression seems to be more in women than in men
• Assess the most effective communication techniques with patients
• In what ways can breast cancer patients manage stress?
• Explain the neurobiology behind suicidal thoughts
• What factors contribute to deviant behavior in the workplace?
• Discuss mood disorders among young adults
• Elaborate how lying impacts your mental health
• How does age affect your memory?
• Explain the difference between the midlife crisis in men and women
• Highlight different ways to cope with grief
• What influence does genetics have on social relationships?
• Review the theory of behavioral game
• Elaborate how the frontal cortex executive function makes every human unique
• Evaluate a modular account of the brain by Fodor in the light of modern neuroscientific research
• Discuss the first signs of ADHD among children and adults
• To what degree can there be a change of personality over some time?
• Outline the mental and physical effects of marijuana use among healthy adults
• Define and discuss the theory of memory models
• Investigate how internet pornography impacts a generation of users
• Highlight the link between easy access to therapy and socio-economic status
• Explain the multiple dimensions of schizophrenia
• Look at the link between educational attainment level and self-motivation
• Investigate cults as social constructs
• What is the involvement of mood in the use of language?
• Analyze the effects of frequent exposure to computers on the proper development of attention
• Examine how a talent affect a sportsman’s popularity
• How does intelligence influence committed crimes?
• What are the pros and cons of cross-cultural relationships?
• Highlight the influence of social pressure on an individual’s morale
• Review the cognitive-behavioral theory
• Explain the link between mental games and a child’s cognitive skills
• Elaborate the role of sex hormones in the development of the brain during the puberty stage
• An overview of deep engagement relationship and friendship
• What is the difference between clinical and abnormal psychology

Mental Health Dissertation Topics

• A study of long term psychological effects of divorce on the adult children of divorcees
• What sort of mental health problems do prisoners face?
• Discuss the link between mental health and unemployment
• Examine how deteriorating mental health affects one’s physical health
• Address effects of television advertisements in the cognitive development of children in the U.S
• Investigate the role of social media friendships on deteriorating mental health
• Analyze the impact of emotional attachment on your mental well being
• Explain the impact of breakups on a man’s mental health
• How does social media play out in provoking aggression?
• What are the psychological and social impacts of virtual networks?
• Address the psychological impact of cyberbullying
• Discuss mental health and psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic

Psychology Research Questions

• Examine different types of learning disabilities and how to manage them
• What is the link between performance and job satisfaction?
• Detail the effects f romantic jealousy in maintaining a committed relationship
• Analyze the role of anxiety in hyperalgesia
• Review the factors that influence ineffective training organization
• Examine dating violence and controlling issues affecting women
• Investigate stress responses in survivors of sexual abuse
• A case study of the attachment theory as it applies to family relationships
• Discuss impacts of ambiguity and job roles on behavioral disorders
• Address the effects of behavioral therapy on body image and weight loss
• What are the results of maternal stress on language acquisition among children?

Forensic Psychology Dissertation Ideas

• Which rules should psychologists follow when verbally interacting with criminals in court?
• Elaborate the credibility of the statement of a mentally challenged eyewitness
• What is the legitimacy and reliability of an eyewitness’s memory?
• What rules of conduct should be followed by forensic psychologists while in court?
• Discuss the role of upbringing in curbing the making of a serial killer
• Define internet policing and explain some valuable strategies to make it effective
• What is the role of video games, movies, and the internet in augmenting copycat crimes?
• Elaborate why society tends to neglect domestic violence inflicted on men
• What drives people into mass killings, and why is it so rampant in the U.S?
• Are there enough measures to reduce the risks of folks in special education ending up in the penal system?
• Explain how a role in law enforcement impacts an individual’s private life?
• Juvenile murders: Point out the factors that affect areas with high rates of murders committed by children
• Are prisons and the criminal justice system effective in rehabilitation?
• Discuss the factors that have contributed to the emergence of home-grown terrorism

Social Psychology Dissertation Ideas

• What is the influence of automatic effects of priming on complex behavior in real-life situations?
• Evaluate the contribution of emotion and reason in moral judgment through the social intuitionist model
• Discuss the enduring legacy of cognitive dissonance
• What are the effects of spanking on a child’s psychology
• Explain the effects and causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children
• Detail the reasons for antisocial behavior among young adults
• Discuss the early signs of a mental illness among infants
• Point out the leading causes of increased stress and depression in young adults
• Elaborate different types of torture, highlighting their impact on a child’s mind and adult life
• Explain the effects of video games and violent music on a child’s mind and behavior
• Examine different phases of a child’s growth and psychological development
• What effect does the birth order have on a child’s accomplishments and success?
• Detail the outcomes of a self-centered mother on a child’s mental health
• What are remedial and preventive measures that can curb childhood abuse?
• The introvert personality: What are the consequences of the introvert personality among children?
• Elaborate the relationship between negligence in parents and obesity among children
• Look into the psychological, ethical, and legal aspects of adoption

Clinical Psychology Dissertation Ideas

• Look into the major depressive disorder (MDD) within a cognitive framework
• Explain the barriers to communicating associated with sexual dysfunction following heart trauma
• What is the link between experiences and eating behavior among adults?
• Explore the concept of body image and identity among folks who have undergone a lung or heart transplant
• Highlight the demographic and clinical factors that predict insight in individuals with compulsions and obsessions
• Define schizophrenia and point out potential therapies
• What medication and treatments can treat paranoia and phobias?
• What therapies can treat anxiety disorder and panic attacks?
• Which medicines and therapies are effective in treating addictions?
• Discuss different clinical treatments for insomnia
• Examine the effectiveness of antidepressants in therapy treatments
• Explain the most effective practices utilized in treating depression
• What factors lead to post-traumatic stress disorder?
• Are antidepressants addictive? Discuss their effectiveness and potential side effects
• Is behavioral therapy the best treatment for criminals?
• In what ways can psychology be used to manage chronic pain?

Exciting Ideas For A Psychology Dissertation

• Elaborate how a sleeping disorder affects a sportsman’s stamina
• Discuss the prevalence of panic attacks in athletes and point out effective ways to combat them
• What are the potential adverse effects of steroids on the mental health of an athlete
• Highlight the significance of sports psychology in promoting mental health
• Which methods can athletes use to manage and control their negative emotions appropriately?
• Define the term team chemistry and explain how it can build a sound, supportive team

Dissertation Ideas Psychology

• Examine how group belonging influences a person’s behavior
• Explain how physical exercise can manage mood swings
• Define the link between psychology and mythology
• Discuss the basic techniques utilized in psychological research
• Look at compliance and obedience as a function of social status
• Highlight different ways to control aggression among youths
• What are the effects and causes of dehumanization in prisons across the U.S
• Analyze how human cloning can be a solution to childless couples
• Explain the concept of a double foot-in door and how it can manipulate someone
• Define the term Mood Freezing and elaborate its effects
• Is it true that geniuses are made and not born?
• What is the connection between the use of social media and the spike in cases of violence among young adults?
• Examine the impact of breakfast on a person’s overall day to day activities
• Revisit notorious human experiments in history and their ethical shortcomings
• Explain how different colors can enhance a person’s mood
• Explain the factors that contribute to dissociative orders
• Define the difference between mental disorders and mood disorders

Psychology Dissertation Help By Your Side

If you are looking to write a thought-provoking and valuable dissertation for your Ph.D., you have the perfect starting point, thanks to our unique topic ideas. However, if you still find putting together a quality dissertation difficult, there is another incredible option. At a cheap and pocket-friendly rate, you can quickly get expert writers for hire. Indeed, with the internet, it is possible to get high-quality writing help online.

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Top and Latest 150+ Psychology Dissertation Topics 2024

Tom Baldwin - Jan 22, 2024

Choosing the right psychology dissertation topics are crucial for successful researches. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore a diverse range of dissertation topics across various fields of psychology. Whether you’re interested in cognitive psychology, clinical psychology, developmental psychology, or any other subfield, you’re sure to find inspiration for your dissertation.

Ready to unlock the treasure chest of potential topics? Here’s a curated selection of over 150 dissertation ideas, categorized for your convenience:

Table of Contents

Psychology dissertation topics: cognitive psychology.

Cognitive psychology delves into the intricacies of how we think, remember, learn, perceive, solve problems, and use language. Here are 15 dissertation topics to consider:

• The Role of Working Memory in Decision-Making
• Cognitive Processes Behind Creativity
• Neural Correlates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• The Impact of Sleep on Cognitive Performance
• The Psychology of Learning and Memory in Different Age Groups
• Cognitive Biases in Decision-Making
• Language Development in Bilingual Children
• The Influence of Emotion on Cognitive Processing
• Neural Plasticity and Cognitive Rehabilitation
• Cognitive Aspects of Human-Computer Interaction
• The Relationship Between Music and Cognitive Abilities
• Cognitive Aging and Memory Decline
• The Role of Executive Functions in Academic Achievement
• Neuroimaging Studies of Cognitive Processes
• Cognitive Factors in the Perception of Time

Clinical Psychology:

Clinical psychology focuses on diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Here are 15 dissertation topics in this field:

• Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Treating Depression
• The Impact of Early Intervention on Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Psychosocial Factors in Chronic Pain Management
• Personality Disorders and Criminal Behavior
• Integrating Technology in Mental Health Interventions
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on PTSD Treatment
• The Role of Attachment in Therapeutic Relationships
• Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Anxiety Disorders
• Therapeutic Applications of Virtual Reality in Exposure Therapy
• Cultural Sensitivity in Eating Disorder Treatment
• Group Therapy for Substance Abuse Recovery
• Neurobiological Basis of Schizophrenia and Treatment Approaches
• The Influence of Therapist Characteristics on Treatment Outcomes
• Telehealth in Mental Health Services
• Factors Affecting Adherence to Psychotherapy

Developmental Psychology:

Developmental psychology studies human development across the lifespan. Here are 15 dissertation topics in this field:

• Parental Influences on Childhood Attachment Patterns
• Effects of Early Childhood Education on Cognitive Development
• Identity Development in Adolescence
• Parenting Styles and Academic Achievement
• The Role of Sibling Relationships in Social Development
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Adolescence
• Developmental Trajectories of Moral Reasoning
• Influence of Technology on Social Development in Children
• The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Adult Relationships
• Gender Identity Development in Children
• Attachment Theory and Peer Relationships
• Cognitive and Social Development in Late Adulthood
• The Influence of Culture on Parent-Child Interactions
• Environmental Factors in Early Childhood Development
• Developmental Changes in Emotional Regulation

Social Psychology:

Social psychology explores how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts. Here are 15 dissertation topics in this field:

• Social Media and Body Image Perception
• The Psychology of Group Conformity
• Stereotype Threat in Academic Settings
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Prejudice and Discrimination
• Impact of Social Support on Mental Health
• The Role of Empathy in Prosocial Behavior
• Social Influence in Decision-Making
• Cultural Variations in the Perception of Happiness
• Attitudes and Behaviors in Online Communities
• Effects of Social Comparison on Well-Being
• The Psychology of Online Dating and Relationship Formation
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Aggression
• Social Identity Theory and its Application in Society
• The Impact of Social Media on Interpersonal Relationships
• The Psychology of Altruism and Volunteerism

Personality Psychology:

Personality psychology investigates the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make individuals unique. Here are 15 dissertation topics in this field:

• Longitudinal Study of Personality Development in Adulthood
• The Relationship Between Personality and Career Choice
• Cultural Influences on Personality Traits
• Personality Factors in Resilience and Coping
• The Role of Personality in Romantic Relationships
• Personality Disorders and Their Impact on Daily Functioning
• Influence of Genetics on Personality Traits
• Personality and Leadership Styles in Organizational Settings
• Cultural Perspectives on the Self and Identity
• The Role of Personality in Health Behaviors
• Personality Traits and Online Behavior
• Development of Personality in Early Childhood
• Personality and Decision-Making Styles
• Influence of Culture on Narcissism
• Personality Factors in Coping with Stress

Abnormal Psychology:

Abnormal psychology studies unusual or unhealthy behavior and mental disorders. Here are 15 dissertation topics in this field:

• Cultural Variations in the Perception of Mental Health Stigma
• The Role of Childhood Trauma in the Development of Mental Disorders
• Neurobiological Factors in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Psychosocial Factors in the Onset of Eating Disorders
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Anxiety Disorders
• The Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
• Factors Influencing Treatment Adherence in Mental Health
• Abnormal Psychology and Criminal Behavior
• Impact of Social Isolation on Mental Health
• The Role of Stigma in Help-Seeking Behaviors
• Cultural Differences in the Experience of Grief and Loss
• Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• The Influence of Culture on Somatization Disorders
• Abnormal Psychology and Sleep Disorders
• Therapeutic Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Mental Health

Biopsychology:

Biopsychology explores the biological basis of behavior and mental processes. Here are 15 dissertation topics in this field:

• The Impact of Hormones on Mood Regulation
• Neuroplasticity and Recovery from Brain Injury
• Genetics and the Predisposition of Mental Disorders
• The Role of the Endocannabinoid System in Stress Response
• Biological Basis of Addiction and Treatment Approaches
• Neurotransmitter Imbalances in Mood Disorders
• Brain Imaging Studies of Cognitive Processes
• The Influence of Genetics on Cognitive Abilities
• Psychophysiological Responses to Stress
• Hormonal Changes in Perimenopausal Mental Health
• Impact of Exercise on Brain Health
• Genetic Markers of Resilience to Trauma
• Neurobiology of Psychopathy
• The Relationship Between Gut Microbiota and Mental Health
• Epigenetic Influences on Behavioral Traits

Health Psychology:

Health psychology examines the relationship between psychological factors and physical health. Here are 15 dissertation topics in this field:

• The Impact of Stress on Immune Function
• Health Beliefs and Preventive Health Behaviors
• Cultural Perspectives on Health-Seeking Behaviors
• Emotional Influences on Cardiovascular Health
• The Role of Mind-Body Interventions in Chronic Illness
• Health Psychology and Motivation for Healthy Lifestyle Choices
• The Influence of Social Support on Health Outcomes
• Cultural Differences in Coping with Chronic Illness
• Behavioral Interventions for Smoking Cessation
• The Psychology of Sleep and its Impact on Physical Health
• Health Promotion in Diverse Populations
• Factors Affecting Adherence to Medical Treatments
• The Role of Psychological Factors in Weight Management
• Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health in the Context of Physical Illness

Organizational Psychology:

Organizational psychology applies psychological principles to the workplace. Here are 15 dissertation topics in this field:

• Employee Motivation in the Era of Remote Work
• Leadership Styles and Team Dynamics
• Organizational Culture and Employee Well-Being
• The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
• Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
• Job Satisfaction and Burnout in High-Stress Environments
• Team Building and Communication in Virtual Teams
• Psychological Factors in Employee Engagement
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Organizational Behavior
• Human Resource Management and Talent Development
• Work-Life Balance and Employee Productivity
• The Influence of Organizational Climate on Job Performance
• The Psychology of Organizational Change
• Employee Resilience and Coping with Workplace Stress
• Organizational Psychology and the Future of Work

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Forensic Psychology:

Forensic psychology uses psychological knowledge in legal settings. Here are 15 dissertation topics in this field:

• Psychological Profiling and Criminal Investigations
• The Role of Eyewitness Testimony in Legal Proceedings
• The Psychology of False Confessions
• Evaluating Competency to Stand Trial
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Juvenile Delinquency
• Forensic Psychology and Risk Assessment
• The Use of Technology in Forensic Mental Health Assessments
• The Influence of Media on Perceptions of Criminal Behavior
• Psychological Factors in Eyewitness Identification Accuracy
• Therapeutic Approaches for Offender Rehabilitation
• The Impact of Pretrial Publicity on Jury Decision-Making
• Forensic Psychology and the Insanity Defense
• The Role of Psychopathy in Criminal Behavior
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Criminal Profiling
• Ethical Considerations in Forensic Psychology Practice

Charting Your Course – How to Choose a Winning Dissertation Topic

Navigating the vast landscape of psychology can be exhilarating, but without a compass, you might end up lost in the undergrowth of obscure theories and irrelevant data. Here’s how to pick your perfect topic:

Choose Thorough Your line of Expertise

What sparks your curiosity in the world of psychology? Is it the intricate dance of memory, the complex tapestry of social interactions, or the deep well of human emotions?

Choose a topic that genuinely excites you, because passion fuels the long hours of research and analysis.

Align with Your Strengths:

Play to your natural talents . Are you a meticulous data analyst or a charismatic interviewer?

Find a topic that allows you to leverage your skills and make the most of your strengths.

Consider Feasibility:

Don’t set your sights on Mars when you have limited access to a telescope. Pick a topic with accessible data, manageable research methods, and realistic timelines.

Remember, quality trumps quantity, so a focused, achievable study is always better than a sprawling epic doomed to remain unfinished.

Consult Your Supervisor:

Your academic advisor is your Yoda in this journey. Discuss your interests, skills, and potential topics to receive valuable guidance and avoid venturing into dissertation dead ends.

Setting Blocks for Your Dissertation – What Should Be Included?

Now that you have your topic, it’s time to lay the foundation for your dissertation. Think of it as building a magnificent fortress of knowledge:

Your Research Question(s):

This is the driving force of your study. Craft clear, concise questions that are specific, feasible, and relevant to your chosen topic.

Literature Review:

Immerse yourself in existing research, building a strong foundation of knowledge on your topic. Identify any gaps, unanswered questions, or potential contradictions that your study can address.

Methodology:

Choose the right tools for the job! Will you conduct experiments, surveys, or interviews? Ensure your methods are rigorous, ethical, and aligned with your research questions.

The Tower of Analysis:

Data Analysis is where your findings take shape. Utilize appropriate statistical tools to interpret your data and draw meaningful conclusions.

Discussion and Conclusion:

Tie everything together! Discuss your findings in the context of existing research, highlight the implications of your study, and propose future avenues for exploration.

Can I customize these dissertation topics to suit my specific interests?

Absolutely! These topics serve as a starting point. Feel free to modify them based on your unique interests, ensuring a personalized and engaging research journey.

Is it essential to consult with my academic advisor before finalizing my dissertation topic?

Yes, your academic advisor plays a crucial role. Discussing your interests, skills, and potential topics with them provides valuable guidance and helps avoid potential pitfalls.

How do I ensure the feasibility of my chosen dissertation topic?

Consider the availability of accessible data, manageable research methods, and realistic timelines. Opt for a focused study that you can realistically complete with high quality.

What role does my dissertation play in the field of psychology?

Your dissertation is not just a document; it’s your intellectual legacy. It contributes to the body of knowledge in psychology, showcasing your dedication to advancing the field and leaving a lasting impact.

Your dissertation is more than just a paper; it represents your intellectual footprint in a rapidly changing field. Choosing your dissertation topic is more than just picking a path; it is the foundation of your intellectual legacy in psychology.

Whether you’re fascinated by cognitive challenges, untangling mental health mysteries, or deciphering organizational complexities, this rich trove of topics opens the door to transformative exploration.

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