Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO)

08/03/2026

Virtual Poster Session: “Inside Baseball: I-O Psychology & Machine Learning in Sabermetrics,” by HumRRO’s Anoop Javalagi, Michael Mackay, and Eryn Nielsen, examines how data-driven approaches can strengthen performance measurement in both sports and the workplace.

💡Traditional performance evaluations often rely on human judgment, which can be inconsistent, especially when assessing complex, fast-paced behaviors. Using Major League Baseball (MLB) tracking data, HumRRO researchers found that a machine learning (ML) model identified pitch types with 94% accuracy, significantly outperforming human observers in classifying performance. These findings validate ML as a form of automated behavioral observation that can help ensure higher fidelity in talent development and selection decisions for I-O psychologists in sports and other physical performance domains.

☑️ Register to attend the American Psychological Association Annual Convention in person or virtually: https://lnkd.in/giVKhGS

🌐Access the poster online now: https://www.xcdsystem.com/apa/program/e11aYnx/index.cfm?pgid=2947&sid=52337&abid=178576

08/03/2026

Virtual Poster Session: “Predicting Hedge Fund Performance via Artificial Crowds and Bayesian Models,” by HumRRO’s Anoop Javalagi, Felix Wu, Nathaniel Voss, Harrison Kell, Brenda Ellis, and Brian Prost, is available online now!

💡Gaining access to senior executives for research is notoriously difficult, but new approaches using AI-powered “Artificial Crowds” may help bridge the gap. By using Large Language Models (LLMs) to emulate the personalities of hedge fund managers from the world's top firms, HumRRO researchers found that Conscientiousness was a strong predictor of financial success, while Extraversion and Agreeableness were negatively related to firm performance. The study highlights the potential of AI-driven psychometric research and Bayesian methods to generate insights from hard-to-reach populations and advance executive leadership research.

☑️Register to attend the American Psychological Association Annual Convention in person or virtually: https://convention.apa.org/

🌐Access the poster online now: https://www.xcdsystem.com/apa/program/e11aYnx/index.cfm?pgid=2947&sid=52337&abid=179840

08/03/2026

EVENT: Join HumRRO’s Gavan O'Shea, Ph.D., at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention on Friday for his presentation, “Who is Government? I-O Psychology in Federal Service,” where he will showcase real-world examples of how I-O psychologists help solve some of government's most complex workforce challenges.

📅Friday, August 7
🕓 4 pm - 5 pm EDT
📍140B, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
📁Critical Conversation

☑️Register to attend in person or virtually: https://lnkd.in/giVKhGS

✅Add this session to your itinerary: https://www.xcdsystem.com/apa/program/e11aYnx/index.cfm?pgid=2947&sid=53268&abid=185179

🤝https://www.humrro.org/profile/gavan-oshea/

08/03/2026

: On Thursday, join HumRRO CEO Suzanne Tsacoumis, Ph.D., at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention for her presentation, "Making Work Work for Everyone: How Industrial-Organizational Psychology Serves the Public Good." Through case studies, learn how I-O psychology contributes to the public good by helping organizations improve the working environment, hiring and promotion, and employee performance, satisfaction, and morale.

📅 Thursday, August 6
🕓 4 pm - 5 pm EDT
📍143B, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.

☑️Register to attend in person or virtually: https://convention.apa.org/

✅Add this "Critical Conversation" to your itinerary: https://www.xcdsystem.com/apa/program/e11aYnx/index.cfm?pgid=2947&sid=53279&abid=185239

🤝https://www.humrro.org/profile/suzanne-tsacoumis/

08/03/2026

📣NEW: The final two installments of this four-part series in 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 are now available! Co-authored by HumRRO’s David Dorsey, Ph.D., and Michael Ingerick, along with Col. David Maxwell (Ret.) of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, and Mick Crnkovich of Stratagem Consulting, the series explores how SOF organizations can ensure their methods for identifying and developing operators remain aligned with the demands of the 2040 operating environment.

The four-part series rolled out each week from July 13 to August 3:

❖Part 1: The Operator Is the Platform
❖Part 2: The Two Trinities and the Human-Domain Advantage
❖Part 3: The Technology Layer
❖Part 4: Measuring What Matters

🔗Read "SOF 2040: The Future of SOF Operator Qualification Following the Science of Selection" now:
https://www.humrro.org/blog/sof-2040-the-future-of-sof-operator-qualification-following-the-science-of-selection/

Special Operations Forces (SOF) have long operated on a simple reality: the operator is the platform. While missions, technologies, and operating environments continue to evolve, human performance remains the decisive factor in mission success. But what happens when missions and definitions of missi...

07/20/2026

NEW: Part 2 of the 4-part series, "Assessing Special Operations Forces (SOF) 2040," by HumRRO's David Dorsey and Mike Ingerick, together with Col. David Maxwell (Ret) (Center for Asia Pacific Strategy), and Mick Crnkovich (Stratagem Consulting), is out today in 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭.

❖Part 2, "The Two Trinities and the Human-Domain Advantage," argues that future SOF success will depend not only on traditional missions such as special warfare, surgical strike, and strategic reconnaissance, but also on the ability to operate effectively in the human domain. The authors contend that influence, indigenous partner development, governance, and support to political warfare are becoming increasingly central to mission success and should be reflected in how future operators are assessed and selected.

❖Part 1, "The Operator Is the Platform," was published on July 13 (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BkXaPBKKm/) and Parts 3 and 4 will be published over the next two Mondays.

🔗Read about the entire four-part series now: https://www.humrro.org/blog/sof-2040-the-future-of-sof-operator-qualification-following-the-science-of-selection/

Special Operations Forces (SOF) have long operated on a simple reality: the operator is the platform. While missions, technologies, and operating environments continue to evolve, human performance remains the decisive factor in mission success. But what happens when missions and definitions of missi...

07/16/2026

07/16/2026

✨For the third year in a row, HumRRO welcomed high school students enrolled in George Mason University’s Early Identification Program (EIP) to our Alexandria headquarters for an interactive introduction to the field of Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology. Since 1987, EIP has helped first-generation students pursue higher education and thrive in academic environments.

💡This year, 12 students spent the day at HumRRO learning about I-O career options and how to become an I-O psychologist. They explored what it’s like to be a practitioner through activities, discussions, and real-world scenarios led by HumRRO’s Karla Castillo-Guerra, who organized the event, John Beebe, Benjamin Bradshaw, and Tiffany Scotland.

✅Students took the O*NET Interest Profiler assessment to identify careers aligned with their interests and then broke into small groups to discuss their results. After lunch, they dove into the assessment development process—learning about job analysis, content development, pilot testing, and data analysis and scoring. Stepping into the role of I-O consultants, students were tasked with creating multiple choice test items to assess the knowledge, skills, and ability of a social media content creator with the help of RRObot, HumRRO’s proprietary AI platform.

🚀To wrap up the day, HumRRO Vice President Tim McGonigle joined the group for a lively Q&A session, sharing insights about HumRRO and answering thoughtful questions about his career progression.

👏A special thank you to Bailey Highsmith, M.S.Ed, Assistant Director of College Success at George Mason’s EIP, and everyone at HumRRO who generously shared their expertise, experiences, and passion for the I-O field.

🌱At HumRRO, we are committed to advancing science, society, and our profession through our work and community engagement. We were honored to partner with EIP once again and are excited to see what these talented students accomplish in the years ahead!

07/15/2026

HumRRO’s Dan Putka, Ph.D., and Nate Voss, Ph.D., collaborating with Phil Lewis at the National Center for O∙NET Development, a longtime partner of ours, examined not 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 AI has an impact on work but 𝘩𝘰𝘸 it’s being measured.

As organizations continue to explore the implications of AI on the workplace, the methods used to assess AI’s influence on jobs and work activities matter just as much as the results.

The three researchers teamed up on, “Indexing the Impact of AI within the ONET System: A Review of Methods and Development of Recommendations,” to examine these methods through the lens of job analysis and job performance models—foundational concepts that have been studied in industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology for more than a century. By connecting emerging AI research with established workforce science, the project highlights opportunities to strengthen how AI's effects on work are understood and measured.

At HumRRO, we believe the conversation around AI and work benefits from collaboration across disciplines. Labor economists, technology experts, and I-O psychologists each bring valuable perspectives, and meaningful progress happens when those perspectives come together. We’re proud to contribute I-O psychology’s expertise in understanding work, performance, and human capability to this evolving discussion.

💡Read more: https://www.humrro.org/news/humrro-onet-study-reviews-methods-for-measuring-ais-impact-on-work/

https://www.onetcenter.org/reports/AI_Impact_Review.html

Understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) is affecting work requires insights from multiple disciplines. A new study from HumRRO and the National Center for O*NET Development contributes to this growing body of research by examining AI impact methodologies through the lens of industrial-organiz...

07/14/2026

Special Operations Forces (SOF) have long operated on a simple reality: the operator is the platform. While missions, technologies, and operating environments continue to evolve, human performance remains the decisive factor in mission success. But what happens when missions and definitions of mission success change?

In the first of a four-part series in 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭, HumRRO's David Dorsey and Mike Ingerick, along with Col. David Maxwell (Ret.) (Center for Asia Pacific Strategy), and Mick Crnkovich (Stratagem Consulting), examine what that reality means for the future of assessment, selection, and qualification (ASQ) systems. How can SOF ensure that methods for identifying and developing operators align with the demands of the 2040 operating environment?

The central argument is straightforward: the validity of any ASQ system depends on the definition of success it is designed to predict. As SOF missions change, the criteria for identifying future operators must evolve as well.

❖Part 1: “The Operator Is the Platform,” available now, examines why ASQ system validity is inseparable from the criterion space it targets, how current SOF ASQ systems are structured, and key issues that frame the discussion: https://smallwarsjournal.com/2026/07/13/assessing-special-operations-forces-sof-2040-part-1-the-operator-is-the-platform/

Parts 2-4 will be published over the next three Mondays:

❖Part 2: “The Two Trinities and the Human-Domain Advantage” argues that future SOF success will depend not only on traditional missions such as special warfare, surgical strike, and strategic reconnaissance, but also on the ability to operate effectively in the human domain. Influence, indigenous partner development, governance, and support to political warfare are becoming increasingly central to mission success and should be reflected in how future operators are assessed and selected.

❖Part 3: “The Technology Layer” explores how cyber capabilities, space operations, AI, and human-machine teaming are reshaping the SOF environment. The authors argue that technology does not replace the human at the center of mission success; instead, it raises the level of cognitive agility, judgment, and adaptability required to execute core SOF missions effectively.

❖Part 4: “Measuring What Matters” focuses on adaptive performance as a critical attribute for future SOF success. The authors examine approaches for assessing adaptability, judgment, and related characteristics, while offering a framework for identifying when ASQ systems have fallen out of alignment with the evolving demands of the operational environment.

The series argues that in 2040, SOF superiority may be defined less by who has the best drone and more by who can interpret complexity and decide under ambiguity faster than the adversary. That starts with selecting the right people—and with asking better questions about what the criterion actually is.

Special Operations Forces (SOF) should assess, select, and qualify operators for the operating environment of 2040.