Chapter 4: Predictors: Psychological Assessments

Assessing the Quality of Predictors

Reliability: standards for evaluating tests that refers to the consistency, stability, or equivalence of test scores.

Test-Retest reliability: reveals the stability of test scores upon repeated applications of test

Equivalent-form reliability: reveals equivalence of test scores between two versions or forms

Internal-consistency reliability: homogeneity of items in test

Inter-rater reliability: degree of agreement among the assessments provided by 2 or more raters

Validity: standard for evaluating tests that refers to accuracy or appropriateness of drawing inferences from test scores.

Construct validity: degree of which a test if an accurate and faithful measure of the construct it purports to measure; actually measures the idea it says it's measuring
BINNING & BARRETT CONSTRUCT VALIDATION

Criterion-related validity: degree to which a test forecasts or is statistically related to a criterion; validity coefficient (stats index that reveals the degree of association between two variables; often to predict)

Content validity: degree to which subject matter experts agree that the items in a test are a representative sample of domain of knowledge the test says it's measuring


Face validity: does it look like items are appropriate for test by people who are taking the test

The purpose of testing: test is one way to learn about person's knowledge, skills, abilities and personality; no 1 method is better

Questions: right or wrong answer

Inventories: levels; personality tests

3 Types of testing in organizations

  1. low-stake: help individual but no baring on organization
  2. moderate-stakes: results might influence organization's status
  3. high-stakes: direct consequence to individual; being hired by organization or being promoted

Test Content

Mechanical Aptitude: recognize mechanical principles; predictive of performance in manufacturing/production jobs; men do better than women

Personality

Big 5 Personality Theories

Openness to experience: curious, imaginative and unconventional

Conscientiousness: purposeful, determined, organized, controlled

Extraversion: social, outgoing

Agreeableness: cooperative, easy to get along

Neuroticism: calm, emotionally balanced

Dark Triad: 3 personality disorder associated with counterproductive work behavior

Machiavellianism: get your way by manipulating other people

Narcissism: self-important

Psychopathy: lack any concern for other people; emotionally shallow

Faking personality assessments

Integrity

Overt-integrity test

Personality-based measures

Situational Judgment

Testing on Internet

Testing in Retrospect

Intelligence: g: general mental ability (predictor of success in most jobs)

Academic: typical measures such as fluency with words and numbers

Practical: needed for competent in everyday world

Creative: produce original and appropriate work

Predictor Development

Two dimensions:

  1. Whether predictor seeks to measure directly the underlying logical construct in question (mechanical) or measure a sample of the same behavior to be exhibited on the job.
  2. Whether it seeks to measure something about the individual in the past or present (current)

Interviews

Degree of structure

Unstructured interview: questions are different for each candidate

Structured interview: questions are consistent for all candidates; interviewer's always a little subjective

Situational interviews: candidates are given hypothetical problem and ask how they'd solve it

Work sample and situational exercises

Work sample: a type of personnel selection test where candidates demonstrates proficiency on task representative of work performed on the job

Situational exercise: method of assessment where candidates are given a problem and asked how they'd respond

Assessment Centers: technique for assessing job candidate using a series of structured, group-oriented exercises that evaluated by raters

management level personnel

evaluated in groups of 10 - 20

several raters

number of performance dimensions

wide variety of performance appraisals methods/exercises (i.e. oral presentation, interview, role plays)

Physical Abilities Testing

Static strength

Explosive strength

gross body coordination

stamina

Biographical information: method of assessing people in which info pertaining to past activities, interests, and behaviors in their lives are considered

Letters of Recommendation

Drug Testing/substance abuse

Controversial methods of assessments

Polygraph

Tests of emotional intelligence (construct that reflects a person's capacity to manage emotional responses in social situations

Overview and evaluations of predictors

  1. Validity: ability of predictor to forecast criterion perfectly
  1. Fairness: ability of predictor to render unbiased predictions of job success in applicants with various backgrounds
  1. Applicability: whether the selection method can be applied across full range of jobs
  1. Cost of implementing method

3 aspects of job related experience

Personal attributes: affected by exposure to work-related settings and activities

Perceived outcomes of experience: mean we attach to our experience

Aspects of experience judged relevant and important: deterrme from perspective of evaluation of experience