Should Human Factors Psychology and Industrial/Organizational Psychology be Re-Integrated for Graduate Training?

Abstract

This panel addresses the extent to which students should be exposed to both human factors psychology and industrial/organizational psychology. Should a combined curriculum be developed called work psychology that would have a core set of courses including both industrial/organizational and human factors while still permitting students to specialize? Should courses should be taught in a holistic fashion? For example, when covering the topic of workplace design, should such topics as workstation design, ergonomics, and shift work be augmented with organizational topics as fatigue, boredom, morale, teamwork, job enrichment, and safety? Conversely, is there, perhaps, strong justification for continuing to maintain two distinct disciplines? The panel members straddle the continuum from advocating continued separation of the two disciplines to re-integrating the two disciplines.