Member Spotlight: Courtney Baker

Name
Courtney Baker

Position/Employer
Assistant Professor, East Carolina University

How long have you been a SIOP member?
I joined as a student member in 2015, during my second year of my PhD program.

What roles have you had within SIOP?
While I was a student, I volunteered annually for the SIOP Annual Conference, and since COVID-19, I have served as a Virtual Technical Facilitator. Recently, I was a member of the Analytics Subcommittee of the Membership Committee. I am now the co-lead of the Applications Subcommittee and a member of the Survey Subcommittee of the Membership Committee.

Interest area(s)
My research interests broadly fall under the umbrella of “person perception.” I am particularly interested in how we perceive those around us and how these perceptions influence our interpersonal interactions and work-related behaviors. I leverage the interplay between social psychology and industrial-organizational psychology to understand human social behavior in the workplace. My research focuses on the individual and contextual factors that contribute to biased perceptions and the impact these perceptions have on employee cognition, emotion, and behavior. To focus this overarching theme, my research falls within three larger domains of interest: The realm of aging and the influence aging has on our perceptions of others. Stigmatization and its impact on our perceptions and those of others. Perceptions of leaders’ and mentors’ behaviors. Through these areas of research, my goal is to conduct use-inspired research that evaluates basic processes and applies them to current issues our world is facing.

What sparked your interest in I-O psychology?
The PhD program I attended was a blended social psychology and industrial-organizational psychology program. I initially entered the program as a social psychology student focused on evaluating relationship processes. However, after taking a course in Organizational Psychology with Dr. Lisa Finkelstein, I realized that some of the questions I was interested in were better explored within a specific context, such as the workplace. This experience led me to broaden my interests to their current scope.

What role do you see I-O psychology playing in the future of work?
I believe that I-O psychology will continue to play a crucial role in ensuring that employees are considered in business decisions. Given the training of I-O psychologists as scientist-practitioners, the field is well-positioned to apply our understanding of human behavior to real-world contexts, helping to solve both employee and organizational problems.

What work trends are you seeing and hearing about and how can I-O psychology practitioners, educators, and students impact these trends?
I frequently hear discussions about the future of work being remote or hybrid and how best to support employees in these distant roles. I am also often asked by non-I-O psychologists about how to support aging workers, likely due to my research focus. I believe I-O psychologists can draw from existing research on supporting remote workers, as this issue predates the pandemic but has been amplified since. However, it is crucial that we continue to gather data and understand how these processes may evolve in the post-pandemic era.

What advice would you give to students or those early in their career?
As an early career academic, the best advice I have received is to engage with others about their experiences, ask questions, and truly listen to what they say. You never know what valuable insights they might share with you!

What is one of your favorite SIOP Annual Conference memories/highlights?
There are SO many great memories! I think my favorite professional memory was my first symposium presentation in Florida. It was exciting to share my first-year project on age meta stereotypes with an audience who was genuinely interested in aging worker issues.

Please share one non-I-O-related bit of information about yourself.
After grad school, I decided to get back into reading for fun, which I had avoided due to the sheer volume of academic reading during school. I set a goal of reading at least one book a month each year. This year, as of July 2024, I have far surpassed this goal, having already read 45 books!

Is there anything you would like to add?
I look forward to the SIOP Annual Conference every year and the connections this community brings. I have enjoyed the opportunity to introduce my own students to this environment and form collaborative connections with new people!

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