Representation of I-O Psychology in Introductory Psychology Textbooks

Abstract

At least 1.5 million students take an introductory psychology class every year in the United States (Cush & Buskist, 1997; Griggs, Jackson, Christopher, & Marek, 1999; Miller & Gentile, 1998) and Perlman and McCann (1999) report that 97% of colleges and universities offered an introductory psychology course in 1997. Students who enroll in an introductory psychology course are not necessarily psychology majors. In fact, a 1973 study by Kulik noted that only 6% of students in introductory psychology courses were psychology majors. Students who were not psychology majors take introductory psychology to fulfill a prerequisite for another major, to complete a general education requirement in the social sciences, or simply as an elective. For most students, introductory psychology is the only course in the field of psychology they will take (Buskist, Miller, Ecott, & Critchfield, 1999). Since this is the only exposure to the field, the comprehensiveness, depth, and accuracy of the topics covered are of particular importance. Little or no representation of a particular section of psychology, substantial errors in describing the subfield, or an absence of recent research citations could indicate that a particular subfield is not accepted or respected in the psychological community (Herzog, 1986; Roig, Icochea, & Cuzzucoli, 1991). The combination of topics taught in an introductory psychology class can also shape the students’ impression of psychology. These early impressions often affect the students’ decision to major in psychology and the area of psychology that becomes the focus of their study (Buskist et al., 1999; Maynard, Bachiochi, & Luna, 2002). I-O psychology was established as Division 14 of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1946 as industrial and business psychology (Koppes, n.d.). Since then, I-O psychology has been an officially recognized course of study within the psychological community. In a 1984 study, 25% of liberal arts colleges and 61% of universities offered I-O psychology classes (Carlson & Millard, 1984). In 1997, Perlman and McCann (1999) found that 44% of colleges and universities offered I-O psychology classes. Therefore, coverage of I-O psychology in introductory psychology textbooks should be expected. However, I-O psychology usually receives little or no coverage (Griggs & Jackson, 1996). In fact, Griggs and Jackson found that the percentage of applied psychology (including I-O psychology) represented in Hilgard et al.’s introductory psychology textbook decreased from 7% in the 1953 first edition, to 4% in the 1957 second edition, to 3% in the 1962 third edition, to 0% in the fourth thorough tenth editions spanning the years 1967 to 1990.