Careers and Organisational Testing Flashcards
Define
Work sample tests
based on the assumption that current, observed behaviour will predict future behaviour, they require job applicants to carry out tasks that mirror those that will be required on the job
Define
Vocational interests
interests with specific relevance to the workplace, which tend to be stable over time, influence motivation and behaviour, and indicates the type of activities and environments the person prefers
Define
Validity generalisation (VG)
the demonstration that validity generalises across job selection exercises for different jobs by conducting meta-analyses of studies reporting validity coefficients
Define
Task performance
the core technical aspects of basic tasks that comprise a job
Define
Selection on the criterion
in personnel selection, the process of appointing all job applicants for a trial period and then retaining only those who have performed satisfactorily
Define
Selection interview
usually included as part of any selection exercise, interviews generate ratings based on job applicant responses to questions, which are used to predict success on the job
Define
RIASEC
John Holland’s codes for the six types of individual and workspace ‘personalities’ that he identified (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional)
Define
Reference check
a means of verifying job applicant information provided in a resume and collected in an interview; typically done by contacting past employers and/or individuals who can vouch for the applicant
Define
Personnel selection
the process of choosing which job applicants should receive an offer of employment
Define
Person-organisation fit
compatibility between the individual and organisations that occurs when one of the parties can satisfy the needs of the other, or both have their needs satisfied
Define
Peer rating
a rating of the KSAOs of an internal job applicant by the job applicant’s co-worker/s
Define
Performance appraisal
the assessment of a worker’s job performance, typically carried out on a regular basis, such as six-monthly or annually
Define
KSAOs
the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics of an employee or prospective employee needed to be able to undertake their job satisfactorily
Define
Job tryout
hiring someone for a short period of time to determine how well they fit in and perform on the job; a probationary period has a similar purpose
Define
Job knowledge test
a test designed to assess knowledge, such as specific technical or professional knowledge, required for a job
Define
Job analysis
the process of gathering detailed information about the main tasks and contextual responsibilities for a particular job
Define
Industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology
the study of job performance and worker health issues to assist individuals, groups and organisations
Define
Integrity test
wither a specific type of personality test or a direct measure to assess a job applicant’s honesty, trustworthiness and reliability
Define
Holland’s hexagon
a mode that indicates the relationships among Holland’s personality types and environments, with similar types placed closer to one another and dissimilar types placed father away
Define
Graphic rating scale
a simple rating device used to elicit human judgment, typically complete by marking a point on a line or by circling a number (say from 1 to 10) to indicate the strength of agreement with the item
Define
Critical incident
an example of extreme levels of behaviours or performance (both poor and exemplary behaviours), which are usually key determinants of subsequent outcomes
Define
Counter-productive behaviours
behaviours that are largely under the control of the individual or reflect problematic employee characteristics, and which impede the progress and success of the organisation
Define
Contextual performance
discretionary social behaviours directed at successful performance of the work group or organisation; sometimes referred to as ‘citizenship behaviours’
Define
Content analysis
the process of analysing textual information, either written or oral by, for example, searching for themes, examining frequencies of key words or constructs, and identifying repeating relationships; the procedure can be carried out manually or with computer-based software
Define
Biographical data (biodata)
measures of past activities, effort and interests that reflect motivation, personality, values and interest, which assume that past behaviours will be consistent with future behaviours
Define
Behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS)
a rating scale that includes actual behaviours to indicate the response
Define
Behavioural observation scale (BOS)
questions used in a rating scale that are based on actual behaviours; they are rated for their frequency of occurrence (e.g. from ‘1 = almost never displayed’ to ‘5 = almost always displayed’)
Define
Assessment centre
a comprehensive testing procedure applied to groups that includes a diverse range of testing tools and techniques
Definition
based on the assumption that current, observed behaviour will predict future behaviour, they require job applicants to carry out tasks that mirror those that will be required on the job
Work sample tests
Definition
interests with specific relevance to the workplace, which tend to be stable over time, influence motivation and behaviour, and indicates the type of activities and environments the person prefers
Vocational interests
Definition
the demonstration that validity generalises across job selection exercises for different jobs by conducting meta-analyses of studies reporting validity coefficients
Validity generalisation (VG)
Definition
the core technical aspects of basic tasks that comprise a job
Task performance
Definition
in personnel selection, the process of appointing all job applicants for a trial period and then retaining only those who have performed satisfactorily
Selection on the criterion
Definition
usually included as part of any selection exercise, interviews generate ratings based on job applicant responses to questions, which are used to predict success on the job
Selection interview
Definition
John Holland’s codes for the six types of individual and workspace ‘personalities’ that he identified (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional)
RIASEC
Definition
a means of verifying job applicant information provided in a resume and collected in an interview; typically done by contacting past employers and/or individuals who can vouch for the applicant
Reference check
Definition
the process of choosing which job applicants should receive an offer of employment
Personnel selection
Definition
compatibility between the individual and organisations that occurs when one of the parties can satisfy the needs of the other, or both have their needs satisfied
Person-organisation fit
Definition
a rating of the KSAOs of an internal job applicant by the job applicant’s co-worker/s
Peer rating
Definition
the assessment of a worker’s job performance, typically carried out on a regular basis, such as six-monthly or annually
Performance appraisal
Definition
the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics of an employee or prospective employee needed to be able to undertake their job satisfactorily
KSAOs
Definition
hiring someone for a short period of time to determine how well they fit in and perform on the job; a probationary period has a similar purpose
Job tryout
Definition
a test designed to assess knowledge, such as specific technical or professional knowledge, required for a job
Job knowledge test
Definition
the process of gathering detailed information about the main tasks and contextual responsibilities for a particular job
Job analysis
Definition
the study of job performance and worker health issues to assist individuals, groups and organisations
Industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology
Definition
wither a specific type of personality test or a direct measure to assess a job applicant’s honesty, trustworthiness and reliability
Integrity test
Definition
a mode that indicates the relationships among Holland’s personality types and environments, with similar types placed closer to one another and dissimilar types placed father away
Holland’s hexagon
Definition
a simple rating device used to elicit human judgment, typically complete by marking a point on a line or by circling a number (say from 1 to 10) to indicate the strength of agreement with the item
Graphic rating scale
Definition
an example of extreme levels of behaviours or performance (both poor and exemplary behaviours), which are usually key determinants of subsequent outcomes
Critical incident
Definition
behaviours that are largely under the control of the individual or reflect problematic employee characteristics, and which impede the progress and success of the organisation
Counter-productive behaviours
Definition
discretionary social behaviours directed at successful performance of the work group or organisation; sometimes referred to as ‘citizenship behaviours’
Contextual performance
Definition
the process of analysing textual information, either written or oral by, for example, searching for themes, examining frequencies of key words or constructs, and identifying repeating relationships; the procedure can be carried out manually or with computer-based software
Content analysis
Definition
measures of past activities, effort and interests that reflect motivation, personality, values and interest, which assume that past behaviours will be consistent with future behaviours
Biographical data (biodata)
Definition
a rating scale that includes actual behaviours to indicate the response
Behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS)
Definition
questions used in a rating scale that are based on actual behaviours; they are rated for their frequency of occurrence (e.g. from ‘1 = almost never displayed’ to ‘5 = almost always displayed’)
Behavioural observation scale (BOS)
Definition
a comprehensive testing procedure applied to groups that includes a diverse range of testing tools and techniques
Assessment centre
What do I-O psychologists study?
organisations and seek ways to improve the functioning and human benefits of business.
How do organisations and seek to improve the functioning and human benefits of business.?
– Helping people decide on their careers
– Recruiting people that best fit the organisation
– Selecting the best people
– Retaining the best people
– Improving the skills of the people
What are some examples of job selection methods?
Ability Tests
Job Knowledge Tests
Performance Tests and Work Samples
Personality Tests
Integrity Tests
Structured Interviews
Assessment Centre
What is an interest measure?
an instrument designed to evaluate test takers’ likes, dislikes, leisure activities, curiosities, and involves in various pursuits for comparison with groups of various occupations and professions
True or False:
Personal interest is closely related to occupational success
True
An individual’s interests may be sufficiently solidified by age __ that they can be useful in career planning.
An individual’s interests may be sufficiently solidified by age 15 that they can be useful in career planning.
What are some psychological inventories based on John Holland’s theory of types?
Self Directed Search (SDS) and Vocational Preference Inventory
What are the six types of workers according to John Holland?
R: Realistic (Doers)
I: Investigative (Thinkers)
A: Artistic (Creators)
S: Social (Helpers)
E: Enterprising (Persuaders)
C: Conventional (Organisers)
What are used to screen out applicants who don’t meet minimum qualifications in terms of education, experience, etc.?
Application blanks and resumes
What is the validity of application blanks like?
Poor (typically r < .20)
What are the problems with application blanks and resumes?
– Lack of agreement what to look for
– Possible discrimination
– Need to cross validate
– Keys are not stable over time, need to update
What type of selection method do these questions fit into?
- Did you ever build a model airplane that flew?*
- When you were a child, did you collect stamps?*
- Do you ever repair mechanical things in your home?*
Biodata questionnaires
What is the validity of biodata questionnaires like?
moderate (r ≈ .30)
What type of selection method do these questions fit into?
- Describe the types of IT systems problems you have encountered.*
- Describe your experience in testing hardware, software, or systems.*
Experience questionnaires
What is the validity of experience questionnaires like?
moderate (typically content validity)
What are the problems with interviews?
- Unstructured & Unplanned
- Untrained & Biased Interviewers
- Same Sex Bias
- Structured Means Standardised or Artificial & Inflexible
- Validity as typically done: poor (r < .20)
Why Interviews are often not Valid Assessments?
- Poor wording of questions
- No systematic scoring system used by interviewers—very subjective
- Applicants have been trained to give the appropriate responses to such open-ended questions
- Interviewer has no way to verify this information in short period of time of interview
What do ability tests measure?
- Measure what a person has learned up to that point in time (achievement)
- Measure one’s innate potential capacity (aptitude)
Up to __% of companies use some ability testing
Up to 50% of companies use some ability testing
What are the four types of ability tests?
Mental (Cognitive) Ability Tests
Mechanical Ability Tests
Clerical Ability Tests
Physical Ability Tests
What is the main purpose of Cognitive Ability Tests?
- to determine one’s level of “g” or aptitudes depending on setting
- Measure aptitudes relevant to the job
- short, group administration
- excellent predictor of job and training performance
What are the Advantages of Cognitive Ability Tests?
- Efficient
- Useful across all jobs
- Excellent levels of reliability and validity (.40 - .50)
- Highest levels than any other tests
- Estimated validity:
- .58 for professional/managerial jobs
- .56 for technical jobs
- .40 for semi-skilled jobs
- .23 for unskilled jobs
- More complex job = higher validity
What are the Disadvantages of Cognitive Ability Tests?
- Lead to more adverse impact
- May lack face validity
- Questions aren’t necessarily related to job
- May predict short-term performance better than long-term
- can do vs. will do
What are the Frequently Used General Mechanical Ability Tests?
Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Tests
MacQuarrie Test for Mechanical Ability
What do General Mechanical Ability Tests generally measure?
Spatial visualization
Perceptual speed and accuracy
Mechanical information
What do Clerical Ability Tests measure?
Predominately measures perceptual speed and accuracy in processing verbal and numerical data
What are the areas of concern for Physical Ability Tests?
Female applicants
Disabled applicants
What do physical ability tests measure?
Most measure muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, and movement quality
When is measuring personality useful for employee selection?
Useful when dependability, integrity, responsibility are determinants of job success
What are the dimensions of personality of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)?
Introversion - Extroversion: source of energy
Intuition - Sensation: innovation vs. practical
Thinking - Feeling: impersonal principles vs. personal relationships
Judging - Perceiving: closure vs. open options
What is the validity of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) like?
poor for selection; might be okay, if carefully used, to help a team work better together
What is the validity of The Big 5 Personality Dimensions like?
typically moderate for selection (r ≈ .25 with measures of overall job performance)
Why is validity of personality inventories hard to generalize?
- Some dimensions of personality may correlate more strongly with particular aspects of a particular job
- Extraversion → success in sales
- High conscientiousness & high openness to experience → success in job training
- Low agreeableness, low conscientiousness, & low adjustment → more likely to engage in counterproductive work behaviors (e.g., abuse sick leave, break rules, drug abuse, workplace violence)
What are the Advantages of Personality Inventories?
- Intuitively appealing to managers (e.g., MBTI)
- No adverse impact – Don’t show rates of differential selection
- Efficient
- Moderate reliability and validity –Validity = .20 - .30
What are the Disadvantages of Personality Inventories?
- Response sets
- Lie or socially desirable responding
- All traits not equally valid for all jobs
What are the advantages of work sample tests?
Highest validity levels (r = .50s)
High face validity
Easy to demonstrate job-relatedness
What are the disadvantages of work sample tests?
Not appropriate for all jobs
Time-consuming to set up and administer
More predictive in short-term
Cannot use if applicant is not expected to know job before being hired
What are assessment centres appropriate for?
appropriate for upper-level management selection, development purposes and career advancement
What factors affect the validity of assessment centres?
inadequate rater training and construct definitions, and inappropriate rating scales, ranking procedures and test construction
increasing reliance on computer-based systems to train raters and score tests
