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SHRM-CP 2023 > Analytical Aptitude > Flashcards

Analytical Aptitude Flashcards

1
Q

Affinity diagramming

A

Data-sorting technique in which a group categorizes and
subcategorizes data until relationships are clearly drawn.

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2
Q

Delphi technique

A

Technique that progressively collects information from a
group of anonymous respondents.

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3
Q

Focus Group

A

Small group of invited persons (typically six to twelve)
who actively participate in a structured discussion, led by
a facilitator, for the purpose of eliciting their input.

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4
Q

Mean

A

Average score or value.

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5
Q

Median

A

Middle value in a range of values

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6
Q

Mind mapping

A

Data-sorting technique in which group members add
related ideas and indicate logical connections, eventually
grouping similar ideas.

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7
Q

Mode

A

Value that occurs most frequently in a set of data.

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8
Q

Nominal group technique (NGT)

A

Technique in which participants each suggest ideas
through a series of rounds and then discuss the items,
eliminate redundancies and irrelevancies, and agree on
the importance of the remaining items.

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9
Q

Qualitative data

A

Subjective evaluation of actions, feelings, or behaviors.

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10
Q

Quantitative data

A

Objective measurements that can be verified and used in
statistical analysis.

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11
Q

Ratio analysis

A

Comparing the sizes of two variables to produce an
index or percentage; commonly used to analyze financial
statements.

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12
Q

Regression analysis

A

Statistical method used to determine whether a
relationship exists between variables and the strength of
the relationship.

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13
Q

Reliability

A

Extent to which a measurement instrument provides
consistent results.

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14
Q

Root-cause analysis

A

Type of analysis that starts with a result and then works
backward to identify fundamental cause.

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15
Q

Scenario/what-if analysis

A

Statistical method used to test the possible effects
of altering the details of a strategy to see if the likely
outcome can be improved.

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16
Q

Standard deviation

A

Distance of any data point from the center of a
distribution when data is distributed in a “normal” or
expected pattern.

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17
Q

Trend analysis

A

Statistical method that examines data from different
points in time to determine if a variance is an isolated
event or if it is part of a longer trend.

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18
Q

Unweighted mean

A

Raw average of data that gives equal weight to all
values, with no regard for other factors.

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19
Q

Validity

A

Extent to which a measurement instrument measures
what it is intended to measure.

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20
Q

Variance analysis

A

Statistical method for identifying the degree of difference
between planned and actual performance or outcomes.

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21
Q

Weighted mean

A

Average of data that adds factors to reflect the
importance of different values.

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22
Q

What is a practical way to develop the credibility of HR staff as data advocates?

Hire HR staff with more advanced degrees.

Subscribe to major HR and organizational psychology journals.

Send HR representatives to meetings of other functions to discuss HR’s role.

Ensure that the results of all HR activities are measured.

A

Ensure that the results of all HR activities are measured

The best way to establish HR as a data advocate is to be prepared to discuss the effectiveness of HR programs based on program results. This helps create a culture in which evidence is expected and used to make decisions.

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23
Q

What are the steps of Evidence Based Decision Making

A

Ask - when faced with a problem, translate the situation into a question that can then be answered through information gathering.

Acquire - gather information from varied sources

Appraise - Determine whether the evidence gathered is relevant, valid, reliable, accurate, complete, and unbiased.

Aggregate - Combine and organize the data to prepare it for analysis. Determine the priority to be given to different types of information

Apply - See the logical connections within the data and with the issue

Assess - Monitor the solution that has been implemented and objectively measure the extend to which the objectives have been attained.

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24
Q

What is data advocacy?

A

Developing and inquiring mindset, learning what data drives the business adn where it can be found, developing partnerships across the organization to promote EBDM, and modeling the EBDM to teh entire organization through the decisions HR makes in the plans of action it undertakes

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25
Q

What is Data gathering?

A

Know what constitutes sufficient, credible, and objective evidence and being able to find it.

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26
Q

What is data analysis?

A

Being able to organize data so that it reveals patterns and to analyze it to detect logical relationships

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27
Q

What is EBDM

A

Evidence based decision making. Being able to apply the results of data gathering and analysis to make better business decisions.

28
Q

Management has requested that HR conduct a focus group to better understand the results of a recent compensation survey. Which is the most important factor HR will want to consider when forming the focus groups?

Participants should include only subject matter experts to ensure that the time is well spent.

Focus group objectives should be kept general to encourage the group to move in its own direction.

The focus group facilitator should be well known to participants, preferably one of their managers.

Members should be a representative sample of the employee population.

A

Members should be a representative sample of the employee population

29
Q

Which feature should HR incorporate into a pre-employment test for a position that requires a high degree of accuracy, with any mistakes by the incumbent being dangerous?

Fairness evidence

High validity

Environmental factors

High reliability

A

High validity

Validity indicates that there is linkage between test performance and job performance-that the test is measuring what it is intended to measure. A selection tool that offers high validity is important, because hiring an unqualified worker for this position would present a risk and the potential for a costly situation.

30
Q

What best describes the appearance of a distribution curve in a data set with a low standard deviation (SD)?

Short and tapered

High and narrow

Flat and long

Wide and bell-shaped

A

High and narrow

In a low SD data curve, data is grouped more tightly around a center value, so the distribution curve is high and narrow.

31
Q

Which best describes the mode in a set of data?

Middle point of values

Range of values

Average of numbers

Value appearing most often

A

Value appearing most often

32
Q

Which tool would be best for analyzing and presenting data about the relationship between years of education and amount of income?

Scatter diagram

Control chart

Histogram

Cause-and-effect diagram

A

Scatter diagram

A scatter diagram shows possible relationships between two variables. For example, if an HR professional wants to find out if there is a relationship between years of education and amount of income, he or she could create a scatter diagram with the years of education placed on one axis and the amount of income on the other.

33
Q

An HR strategic planning team wants to see what the effects on payroll will be if management realigns production capacity using different strategies. What analytical tool should HR use?

Trend analysis

Scenario analysis

Root cause analysis

Variance analysis

A

Scenario Analysis

Scenario analysis is the appropriate tool here because it projects outcomes under different conditions (in this case, the production options).

34
Q

How can someone become an HR data advocate?

A

Develop a questioning mind - Ask questions, why do we do it this way, why is this happening, what is the evidence for thinking like that?

Build fluency in the scientific literature for HR

Gather data on a continuous basis about the efficacy and efficiency of legacy systems and stakeholder interests

Use evidence when communicating with stakeholders

Institutionalize the competency in the HR function - at regular meetings, designated members research and report on new or important information.

35
Q

Quantitative Data

A

Consists of objective measurements that can be verified and used in statistical analysis

36
Q

Qualitative data

A

involves a subjective evaluation of actions, feelings, or behaviors

Measurements can be made by a third party observer

They can also be self-assessments

37
Q

What questions should be considered before accepting data in a print or online publication?

A

Does the source have authority

What are the sources possible biases?

Are the sources for data used in a publication clearly cited and are those sources reliable and accurate?

Are the facts relevant?

Is that data current?

If that data is being offered as proof of an argument, is the argument itself sound and are its deductions from the data logical?

38
Q

What purposes can interviews be used for?

A

Sometimes they are useful in identifying topics that can be explored in focus groups or surveys

They may focus on specific, high value employees and uncover targeted retention information

Organization heroes, people who are recognized and respected throughout the organization, may add a cultural perspective

Individual interviews offer the opportunity for follow-up questions

39
Q

What are the advantages of interviews?

A

Safer, confidential environment may generate significant information

Comments can suggest direction for further group research.

40
Q

What are the challenges of interviews?

A

Can be time-sensitive

Requires strong relationship-building skills
Requires vigilance to avoid bias from influencing questions and interpretation of answers.

41
Q

How long do focus groups typically last

A

1 to 3 hours

42
Q

What are some advantages of focus groups

A

Provides a format that is flexible and relatively comfortable for discussion

Allows for group brainstorming, decision making, and prioritization

Can provide group consensus

Enables HR to learn about employee needs, attitudes, and opinions in a direct format

Gives employees direct input

43
Q

What are some challenges of focus groups?

A

Tends to foster group think conformity

May be difficult to control; can become a forum where participants can go off tangent

Generally don’t allow for deep discussions, depending on time constraints and the number of participants

Can provide skewed or biased results if participants are not representative

44
Q

What things should be considered when planning a focus group?

A

The importance of planning
The context in which a focus group might occur
The importance of a group facilitator
The importance of the recorder

45
Q

What is mind mapping?

A

Mind mapping begins a discussion with core ideas

Group members and related ideas and indicate logical connections, eventually grouping similar ideas.

46
Q

What is Nominal Group Technique?

A

This technique proceeds through rounds in which participants each suggest ideas
The rounds continue until no further ideas are proposed

47
Q

What is the Delphi technique

A

This technique progressively collects information from a group on a pre-selected issue

The first respondent proposes information and the next respondent add something different, and so on until a list is compiled

Respondents are anonymous

In the second round, the researcher circulates the list and asks each respondent in turn to refine previous ideas, to comment on each idea’s strengths and weaknesses for addressing the issue, and to identify new ideas.

48
Q

What are the challenges of doing surveys

A

Obtaining a valid sample - making sure the survey pool is representative of the entire group

Designing the survey with analysis in mind - Questions should be asked ina way that makes compiling and comparing responses easier

Asking the right questions - to understand an entire organization, experts often turn to questions based on organizational models

Difficult to follow up on dta from anonymous sources

Relies on self-reporting which can be biased

Requires time and statistical expertise to assess sample and compile and analyze data

49
Q

What are the advantages of surveys/questionnaires?

A

Efficient way to gather a lot of data from a large and dispersed group

Easier to quantify data for analysis and reporting

50
Q

What are the advantages of observation to gather information?

A

Provides firsthand and immediate data rather than self-report data, which can be affected by memory and selectivity

Is time-efficient for subjects

Can strengthen the HR professionals understanding of the work at hand and the culture of the workplace.

51
Q

What are the challenges of observation to gather information?

A

Requires skill to be unseen. When the group is very aware of the observer, the data becomes less reliable.

Requires vigilance to remove personal bias from observations

Requires experience to note significant behaviors

Observations may not be representative of the entire body of data.

52
Q

What are the advantages of using existing data as a source of information?

A

Eliminates the effects of observation and involvement and possible bias of facilitator/interviewer/observer

Rich, multi-perspective source of data

Can include information from the organization itself, from public information sources, or from industry/professional associations

53
Q

What are the challenges of using existing data as a source of information?

A

Can be time-intensive

Requires experience to extract key data

May require ingenuity to find datar

54
Q

Reliability of data

A

Reliability reflects the ability of a data-gathering instrument or tool, such as a survey or a rater’s observation or a physical measurement, to provide results that are consistent.

55
Q

Validity of data

A

Validity is the ability of an instrument to measure what it is intended to measure

56
Q

What two questions does validation answer?

A

What does the instrument measure?
How well does the instrument measure it?

57
Q

Statistical Sampling

A

Sampling is often used when the population to be analyzed is very large or when data cannot be obtained from the entire population

The sample must be representative

Samples of data must also be sufficiently large to include all the possible variations within the population being sampled

58
Q

When are errors introduced into a statistical study?

A

When incorrect data is used

A study’s design includes, intentionally or unintentionally, different types of biases that affect outcomes

59
Q

What are the different types of biases that affect outcomes in a statistical study?

A

Sampling - a sample may not represent the general population

Selection - selection bias can occur in a controlled study when participants are not randomly assigned to control and experimental groups

Response - this is the inverse of selection bias

Performance - participants in a controlled study behave different because they are being studied

Measurement - Raters are measuring incorrectly, either unintentionally or intentionally

60
Q

Cleansing Data

A

Cleansing data is connected to validation and identifying bias, as these processes assess how useful and correct the data is.

Data cleansing is not an ad hoc process and should be done on regular basis

61
Q

Frequency Distribution

A

a mathematical function showing the number of instances in which a variable takes each of its possible values, so data is sorted into groups such as years of employment

This allows analysts to understand teh distribution of the data they are working with, whether the data is focused in a normal pattern around a central value or is more broadly or narrowly dispersed over the data range.

62
Q

Analytics can expose the important connections and patterns and data to make better workforce decisions because they:

A

Consider the past and present and forecast the future

Connect multiple data items

Provide computational analysis of data or statistics

Provide visual outputs of patterns and trends

Provide insides that can drive strategy

63
Q

Pie Chart

A

Description: Graphically depicts as portions or slices of a circle the constituents that compromise 100% of a data group. Textual data information can be included in callouts or in an attached table for more precise communication.

Application: To present a high-level impression of the data distribution as a percentage of aw hole - for example, the workforce. This information may be helpful context for a deeper discussion

64
Q

Histogram

A

Description: Graphically depicts the sorting of data into groups arranged in the shape of a statistical distribution, showing a central tendency and dispersion around that tendency. This apperas as columns of varying heights or lengths. Histograms can include a comparative referent, such as a target or range of values. They can also be designed to show comparisons over time (usually through multiple columns for each category).

Application: To sort data and to support rapid comparison of categories of data.

65
Q

Trend Diagram

A

Description: Plots data points on two axes. The horizontal axis usually represents time, while the vertical axis represents volume.

Application: Can be used to test for presence of cycles or developing trends.

66
Q

Pareto Chart

A

Description: Applies the Pareto Principle of 80/20 in the form of a histogram. Categories of data are ranked, usually from left to right along the x axis, according to size. The y axis shows reference ranges. A cumulative percentage line plots the category contributions to the whole, making it easier to identify the 80/20 cut.

Application: Distinguishes between the vital few categories that contribute most of the issues and the trivial many categories of infrequent occurrence to support more-focused quality improvement activities.

67
Q

Scatter Diagram

A

Description: Plots data points against two variables that form the chart’s x and y axes. Each axis is scaled. The pattern formed by the plotted data describes the correlation between the two variables:

 The tightness of clustering indicates the probably strength of the 
 correlation
 
 A line rising from the lower left to the upper right quadrant 
 indicates a positive correlation

 A line falling from the upper left to the lower right quadrant 
 indicates a negative correlation

Application: Can be used to test possible causal relationships and narrow focus on subsequent tests

SHRM-CP 2023 (25 decks)

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