Final answer:
Job satisfaction is the degree of positive feelings one has towards their work experience and is the correct answer to the question. It is influenced by cognition and affect, and evaluated through various methods such as questionnaires. Organizational Psychology is the field that primarily measures job satisfaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The degree to which a person feels positive about a work experience is referred to as job satisfaction. Edwin Locke's definition of job satisfaction highlights it as the pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job experiences.
The concept is integral to the field of Organizational Psychology, a branch of I-O (Industrial-Organizational) Psychology, as it considers both cognitive elements such as beliefs and evaluations, and affective experiences or emotions regarding one's work. Job satisfaction is often measured using questionnaires with Likert scales, reflecting the degree of satisfaction ranging from very satisfied to very dissatisfied, thereby assessing the employees' overall attitude towards their job and specific aspects that contribute to this sentiment.
Moreover, cognitive dissonance, a theory introduced by Leon Festinger, plays a role in an individual's work experience by causing psychological discomfort when there is a conflict between behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs, particularly with those counter to one's self-image or ideals. Festinger’s concept of cognitive dissonance helps explain the internal strife that can influence one's satisfaction at work. Factors such as autonomy, financial rewards, the nature of the work content, and individual personality traits are predictive of overall job satisfaction, indicating the complexity and multifaceted nature of this psychological state.
Considering the provided reference material, the correct answer to the question is job satisfaction.