OCCUPATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: BUILDING A FRAMEWORK GUIDING THE APPLICATION OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE INTO FIELD INTERVENTION PRACTICES

Applied occupational psychologists support organizations in evaluating and enhancing psychological health in the workplace.Often, these interventions claim scientific legitimacy by using tools based on fundamental research, particularly questionnaires.However, our experience highlights significant methodological weaknesses in these interventions, sometimes questioning their scientific validity.Scientific claims are occasionally used as authority arguments to support an intervention's legitimacy, without reference to a consensus framework linking research to practice.This raises key questions: Can a field intervention truly be scientifically valid or legitimate?How much of scientific knowledge can be applied in practice, and what precautions are needed?Is an empirical approach inherently less legitimate than a scientific one in improving work conditions?This workshop will facilitate an epistemological dialogue between researchers and practitioners to develop insights and recommendations on: Ethical considerations when using research-based tools; criteria for determining an intervention's scientific rigor; and the legitimacy of field interventions beyond scientific anchoring.The workshop is designed to bring together researchers and practitioners in occupational psychology, with a maximum of 50 participants and will use a collaborative method, based on analyzing shared experiences and debating key points.Outcomes will include a guide on ethical and best practices for robust interventions and the complementary roles of scientific tools and empirical approaches.