Assessment

Review

Job analysis identifies criteria to aid selection e.g., task-oriented e.g., person-oriented

Knowledge of “criterion problem helps us choose “best” criteria Contamination Deficiency

So we know what to measure… we need to understand issues surrounding measurement of human traits

Measurement

Measurement – the process of assigning numbers to objects or events according to rules (Linn & Gronlund, 1995).

Psychological Measurement – concerned with evaluating individual differences in psychological traits. Trait – descriptive label applied to a group of

behaviors (e.g., friendly; intelligent)

Utilizing Individual Differences

Psychologists assume that most traits are normally distributed in the population. e.g., height, intelligence, KSAs

Psychologists study: measuring these differences using these differences to predict performance

•Predictor (X) - any variable used to forecast a criterion

•Criterion (Y) – variable we are trying to predict, typically performance

SAT Test College GPA

IQ Job Performance

Key Terms

Types of Assessment

Biographical Information ask about person’s past activities, interests, & behaviors.

Interviews structured vs. unstructured get info., but also behavior sample

Work Samples: ask them to do a representative task & rate their performance Assessment Centers

multiple representative tasks Letters of Recommendation Psychological Tests

Hiring the Best Job: College Professor Tasks: lecturing, leading discussion What KSAs are associated with each task? What are the best ways to measure KSAs? Can only collect 2 examples of each type of data to

assess key competencies Biographical Data Interview questions Work samples

Provide brief rationale for each

Types of Assessment

Biographical Information Interviews Work Samples Letters of Recommendation Psychological Tests

Biographical Data Good questions are about events that are:

historical external discrete controllable (by the individual) verifiable equal access job relevant non-invasive(Mael, 1991)

Rationale vs. empirical method

Biographical Data Strong criterion validity

drug use, criminal history predicts dysfunctional police behavior (Sarchione et al., 1998)

not redundant with personality (McManus & Kelly, 1999) Measurement issues

Generalizability Faking Fairness Privacy concerns

Interviews Structured vs. Unstructured Info. gathering vs. interpersonal behavior sample Situational interview

“How would you handle a circumstance in which you needed the help of a person you did not like?”

Measurement issues structured has more criterion related validity value of unstructured? Illusion of validity

Guidelines for structured interviews

Work Samples

perform a task under standardized conditions historically were for blue collar jobs

e.g. use of tools, demonstrate driving skills white collar examples

speech interview for foreign worker, test of basic chemistry knowledge,

Measurement issues high criterion validity if skills are similar to job costly to administer work best with mechanical, rather than people-oriented tasks

Assessment Centers Realistic tasks done in groups Assessed by multiple of raters rating multiple domains Multiple methods

in basket group exercise leaderless group exercise

Strong criterion validity (e.g., teachers, police) overall scores predict job performance

Measurement issues costly to administer different ratings on a task too highly correlated dimension ratings not correlated strongly across tasks fix? focus on behavior checklists and rater training

Drug Testing opinion? People are more accepting of it if job involves risks

to others (Paronto, et al., 2002) Measurement issues

reliability is very high, but not perfect Validity?

Normands, Salyards, & Mahoney (1990) over 5000 postal service applicants those who tested positive had 59% higher absenteeism,

47% more likely to be fired no differences in injury or accidents

Letters of Recommendation

ever written a letter of recommendation for someone?

worst criterion validity of all commonly used assessment tools some use for screening extremely bad candidates

Measurement issues restriction of range writer bias/investment

Psychological Test Characteristics

Group vs. individual Objective vs. open-ended Paper & pencil vs. performance Power vs. speed

Psychological Test Types

Ability Tests Cognitive ability Psychomotor ability

Knowledge and skill or achievement Integrity Personality Emotional Intelligence Vocational interest

Integrity Tests Designed to predict whether employee will engage in

counterproductive work behavior (CWB) overt vs. personality (covert)

Better at predicting general CWB and performance than theft (r = .30 -.40)

Measurement issues difficult to measure criteria! proprietary issues legal and privacy issues faking

Personality Tests measures predispositions toward particular feelings

and behaviors not all tests are based on past research many have shown incremental validity

e.g., predict when controlling for IQ Measurement issues

job relevance not easily/often faked or a problem if faked (e.g.,

job faking too)

The Big 5

Short version of Big 5

The Big Five Inventory

Openness Highs: imaginative, creative, and to seek out cultural and

educational experiences. Lows: more down-to-earth, less interest in art & more practical.

Conscientiousness Highs: methodical, well organized and dutiful. Lows: less careful, less focused & more likely to be distracted

Extraversion Highs: energetic and seek out the company of others. Lows (introverts): tend to be more quiet and reserved.

Agreeableness Highs: tend to be trusting, friendly and cooperative. Lows: tend to be more aggressive and less cooperative

Neuroticism Highs: prone to insecurity and emotional distress. Lows: more relaxed, less emotional and less prone to distress.

Big 5

Conscientiousness show consistent correlation with job performance across jobs, across cultures

Emotional stability and agreeableness predict performance in customer service jobs

Intelligence Tests

Have greatest validity Often very easy and inexpensive to use

Wonderlic Personnel Test 50 items 12 minute time limit Sample questions Interpreting scores?

Scores vary as a function of race and ethnicity Ethical issues? Face validity?

Determining “Test” Utility

Goal of testing is to make decisions about individuals on the basis of the amount of a given trait they possess.

A test should give us a “true” picture of a person’s traits

Test Score = True Score + Error

Reliability and Validity

Reliability Test-retest Parallel (Alternate) forms Internal Consistency

Validity Face Content Criterion-related Construct-related

Selecting a Predictor

Validity Fairness Applicability Cost