Hugo

Munsterberg
Industrial Organizational
Psychology
Who is Hugo Munsterberg?
Hugo Münsterberg came to Harvard in 1892 with a
doctorate in psychology, earned under the supervision of
Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig, and a
medical degree from the University of Heidelberg.
Having already established the second psychology
laboratory in Germany, Münsterberg was recruited by
William James to assume leadership of Harvard’s
experimental psychology lab. Although he briefly went
back to Germany in 1895, Münsterberg returned to a full
professorship at Harvard in 1897 and spent the rest of his
career at the university. In 1898 he was elected the
president of the American Psychological Association.
Who is Hugo Munsterberg?
Hugo Münsterberg was a German-born
American psychologist who believed that psychology
should be used to help solve real-world problems
within human behavior. He pioneered applied
psychology in the United States and made a
significant impact in the fields of
industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology, forensic
psychology, and clinical psychology.
He is known as the father of Industrial
Psychology.
 Industrial /Organizational Psychology
I/O psychology is based on the scientist-practitioner model. In
other words, while the science part deals with understanding how
and why things happen at work, the practitioner side takes a data-
driven approach to understand organizational problems and to
apply these findings to solving these specific problems facing the
organization. While practitioners may learn about the most recent
research findings by reading the journals that publish these results,
some conduct their own research in their own companies, and
some companies employ many I/O psychologists.
 Munsterberg’s Views on Psychophysical Parallelism
- Psychophysical parallelism is a dualist theory that states that the mind
and the body function in parallel (or move in harmony) but they do not
directly interact or cause changes in each other. Munsterberg believed
that physical actions always correlate perfectly with specific processes in
the brain. Much of his early research on perception, attention, learning,
and memory was centered on psychophysical parallelism.
- a theory that views the body and mind as an inextricable unit, with
physical processes always occurring in tandem with brain processes.
 Contributions to Psychology
His 1909 paper, "Psychology and the
Market," suggested that psychology
could be used for industrial
applications, including management,
vocational decisions, advertising, job
performance, and employee
motivation. He also developed many
questionnaires to test the skills and
abilities of employees.
Münsterberg’s research was
summarized in “Psychology and
Industrial Efficiency” (1913). In the
book, he suggests that hiring workers
with personalities and mental abilities
that are best suited to certain types of
work would be the best way to
increase motivation, performance, and
retention in the workplace.
 Münsterberg conducted several experiments on
human behavior in the work environment. Some
of the topics he studied include monotony, the
influence of advertising, attention and fatigue,
and physical/social influences on work
performance. Münsterberg’s book Psychology
and Industrial Efficiency (1913) is considered to
be the first ever textbook on industrial and
organizational psychology.
 At the workplace:
Need Satisfaction

Meaningful Engagement
Stress
The book was divided into three primary
sections:
The best possible man for
the job - this section covered The best possible effect -
the selection of workers this section covered
techniques in sales,
The best possible work - marketing, and advertising
this section highlighted
issues that may affect
worker efficiency
Three steps for managing people:
Study Jobs – determine
who will be best at the job Device management
strategies to influence
employees to follow
Identify the psychological management’s interests
conditions under which
employee do their best
work
Applications of Munsterberg’s Theories
Select the right people to maintain or increase
company production
Evaluate and improve how their employees work

Identify factors in the workplace that affect

employees happiness, performance, and well-being
 Munsterberg’s Views on Women
While his influence on psychology is without question, Münsterberg’s
views on women are frequently criticized. While he believed that women
should receive a higher education, he felt that graduate studies were too
difficult and demanding for them to undertake.
He also suggested women should not be allowed to serve on juries
because they were "incapable of rational deliberation."