EARLY INFLUENCES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL-PSYCHOLOGY

Industrial and organizational psychology began as applied psychology. Hugo Munsterberg was well-known for his applications of psychology to forensics, psychotherapy, and industrial efficiency. James McKeen Catt ell pioneered mental testing and argued for an applicable, if not appl ied, psychology. Waiter Dill Scott and Waiter VanDyke Bingham were dev oted to the application of psychological principles to the problems of government and industry. The lives and accomplishments of these 4 fig ures are detailed as a way of examining the development of the subdisc ipline between the years 1880 and 1920. The focus of the discussion is on how their efforts peculiarly changed the science and practice of i ndustrial and organizational psychology. Each made a unique contributi on in a unique time period. The field continues to benefit from their individual and collective influence.