Final answer:
The Job Characteristics Model focuses on core job characteristics affecting employee psychological states and work outcomes, with the work-content factor being the most predictive of job satisfaction. Organizational psychologists measure job satisfaction, while industrial psychologists match job characteristics with applicant traits.
Step-by-step explanation:
The job characteristic that focuses on five core job characteristics affecting the psychological states of an employee, which in turn affect work outcomes, is b. Job characteristics model. The Job Characteristics Model identifies five core job dimensions: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. These core characteristics impact the critical psychological states of experienced meaningfulness, experienced responsibility for outcomes, and knowledge of the actual results of the work activities. Essentially, when these job characteristics are present, they enhance employee's job satisfaction, motivation, and performance.
Regarding the most predictive factor of overall job satisfaction, research suggests that the work-content factor, including variety, difficulty level, and role clarity, is the most strongly predictive factor of overall job satisfaction. Financial rewards, while important, have only a weak correlation with job satisfaction when compared to the intrinsic aspects of the job itself.
Organizational psychologists measure job satisfaction within the realm of I-O psychology, focusing on the interactions and cultural facets of organizations that affect employee satisfaction and productivity. For someone looking to understand what makes an employee suited for a given job, an industrial psychologist would study job characteristics and applicant characteristics to match them effectively.