EMPLOYMENT PSYCHOLOGY DEFINED 13 
The same can be said of any field of facts to which the 
scientific method has been applied, whether it be astron 
omy, physics, biology, meteorology, chemistry, math 
ematics, acoustics, or hydrostatics. In every case, science 
consists of the application of an exact and refined method 
to the study of the facts, with the result that we have 
knowledge which has two chief characteristics: first, it is 
relatively free from the inaccuracies and prejudices of the 
unaided human faculties; secondly, it is standard knowl 
edge; that is, knowledge which can be transmitted in 
unambiguous and indisputable form from one person to 
another, or from one time to another. 
It is worth while clearing up some of the ambiguities 
and misunderstandings which cling to the words science 
and psychology, because by doing so the definition of 
our own subject, employment psychology, is made more 
easy. Psychology has been defined as the application of 
the scientific method to the actions of the mind in general. 
Employment psychology, therefore, may be defined as 
the application of the scientific method to the mental 
actions concerned in employment. 
The application of science to the problem of employ 
ment is just beginning to receive serious attention. The 
old-fashioned method, and the method which is still com 
monly in use, is the method of “ hire and fire”. That is 
to say, there is no particular method. Every employer 
uses his own method, and each one obtains various re 
sults. In general, the practice is to receive a number 
of applicants, look them over, ask them a series of general 
questions, and then hire those that “look good”. Many 
amusing strictures on this crude method have been writ 
ten. A quotation from one of these will suffice to typify 
the rest: “One large manufacturing establishment has