PSYCHOLOGY AND INDUSTRY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22958, 13 August 1936, Page 17

PSYCHOLOGY AND INDUSTRY

W.E.A. LECTURE

Mr A. G. Linn addressed the W.E.A. last evening with the first of a series of lectures on “ The Psychology of Learning Applied to Industry.” Psychology, Mr Linn said, studied our reactions to what was around us. It could be contrasted with physics, which studied the actual things around us, for example, light-waves and soundwaves. Psychology studied our reactions to these waves.

Industrial psychology applied the knowledge and technique to the problems of industry. Modern industry drew on specialists in other fields; the geologist and the botanist tor raw materials; the chemist for its processes; the engineer for manufacturing problems. The human factor had also to be reckoned with. The tremendous importance of that was being realised by large firms, who were availing themselves of the psychologist’s advice Learning in industry, said the speaker, took three main forms, namely, apprenticeship, specialised courses, and merely “ picking up ” from workmen. The history of apprenticeship showed that learning had not kept pace with the stupendous progress in industry. The old systematic training had been superseded by more or Jess haphazard methods. The laws of learning as applied to industry, were those of habit formation. These were the law of use or frequency, the law of disuse or recency, the conditioned reaction, learning by doing, the law of effect (pleasant or unpleasant), and interest in or attitude towards the work These laws led to necessity for correct responses on the first trial, for careful instruction, for creating in the worker the best attitude towards the work, and for graphically recording progress. There were also special devices for learning in industry, such as motion studies to demonstrate the movements of the expert, vestibule schools, and specially-trained men for instructing. Adaptation to conditions through progress in the future was also necessary, that being anticipated by training men for positions nearest to their own job on the organisation sheet.