Chapter 6 EVALUATING S ELECTION TECHNIQUES AND D ECISIONS

Question 1

The extent to
which a score from a test or
from an evaluation is consistent
and free from error.

Answer 1

Reliability

Question 2

The
extent to which repeated administration of the same test will
achieve similar results

Answer 2

Test-retest reliability

Question 3

The
consistency of test scores
across time

Answer 3

Temporal stability

Question 4

The extent to
which two forms of the same
test are similar

Answer 4

Alternate-forms
reliability

Question 5

A
method of controlling for order
effects by giving half of a sample
Test A first, followed by Test B,
and giving the other half of the
sample Test B first, followed by
Test A

Answer 5

Counterbalancing

Question 6

The extent to
which the scores on two forms
of a test are similar

Answer 6

Form stability

Question 7

The extent to
which responses to the same
test items are consistent

Answer 7

Item stability or katatagan

Question 8

The
extent to which test items
measure the same construct

Answer 8

Item homogeneity

Question 9

A
statistic used to determine
internal reliability of tests that
use items with dichotomous
answers (yes/no, true/false

Answer 9

Kuder-Richardson
Formula 20 (K-R 20)

Question 10

A form of
internal reliability in which the
consistency of item responses is
determined by comparing scores
on half of the items with scores
on the other half of the items

Answer 10

Split-half method

Question 11

Used to
correct reliability coefficients
resulting from the split-half
method

Answer 11

Spearman-Brown
prophecy formula

Question 12

A statistic
used to determine internal
reliability of tests that use
interval or ratio scales

Answer 12

Coefficient alpha

Question 13

The extent
to which two people scoring a
test agree on the test score, or
the extent to which a test is
scored correctly

Answer 13

Scorer reliability

Question 14

The degree to which
inferences from test scores are
justified by the evidence

Answer 14

Validity

Question 15

The extent
to which tests or test items
sample the content that they are
supposed to measure

Answer 15

Content validity

Question 16

The extent
to which a test score is related
to some measure of job
performance

Answer 16

Criterion Validity

Question 17

A measure of job
performance, such as attendance,
productivity, or a supervisor rating

Answer 17

Criterion

Question 18

A form
of criterion validity that correlates
test scores with measures of job
performance for employees currently working for an organization

Answer 18

Concurrent validity

Question 19

A form
of criterion validity in which test
scores of applicants are compared at a later date with a
measure of job performance

Answer 19

Predictive validity

Question 20

A narrow
range of performance scores that
makes it difficult to obtain a
significant validity coefficient

Answer 20

Restricted range

Question 21

The extent to which inferences from test scores from
one organization can be applied
to another organization

Answer 21

Validity generalization
(VG)

Question 22

A form of
validity generalization in which
validity is inferred on the basis of
a match between job components and tests previously found
valid for those job components

Answer 22

Synthetic validity

Question 23

The
extent to which a test actually
measures the construct that it
purports to measure

Answer 23

Construct validity

Question 24

A
form of validity in which test
scores from two contrasting
groups “known” to differ on
a construct are compared

Answer 24

Known-group validity

Question 25

The extent to
which a test appears to be valid

Answer 25

Face Validity

Question 26

Statements, such as those used
in astrological forecasts, that are
so general that they can be true
of almost anyone

Answer 26

Barnum statements

Question 27

A book
containing information about the
reliability and validity of various
psychological tests

Answer 27

Mental Measurements
Yearbook (MMY

Question 28

A type of test
taken on a computer in which
the computer adapts the difficulty level of questions asked to
the test taker’s success in
answering previous questions

Answer 28

Computer-adaptive
testing (CAT

Question 29

A
series of tables based on the
selection ratio, base rate, and
test validity that yield information about the percentage of
future employees who will be
successful if a particular test
is used

Answer 29

Taylor-Russell tables

Question 30

The
percentage of applicants an
organization hires

Answer 30

Selection ratio

Question 31

Percentage of
current employees who are
considered successful

Answer 31

Base rate

Question 32

A utility method
that compares the percentage of
times a selection decision was
accurate with the percentage of
successful employees

Answer 32

Proportion of correct
decisions

Question 33

Tables that
use the base rate, test validity,
and applicant percentile on a
test to determine the probability
of future success for that
applicant

Answer 33

Lawshe tables

Question 34

Method of
ascertaining the extent to which
an organization will benefit from
the use of a particular selection
system

Answer 34

Utility formula

Question 35

The length of time an
employee has been with an
organization

Answer 35

Tenure

Question 36

Group
differences in test scores that are
unrelated to the construct being
measured

Answer 36

Measurement bias

Question 37

The most common example of adverse impact is changes in work conditions such as new workers being more stressed than ever before. Other examples include increased stress in the workplace due to changes in work schedule, working too hard or too much, or being in a negative work environment.

Answer 37

Adverse Impact

Question 38

A situation in
which the predicted level of job
success falsely favors one group
over another

Answer 38

Predictive bias

Question 39

The
characteristic of a test that significantly predicts a criterion for
one class of people but not for
another

Answer 39

Single-group validity

Question 40

The
characteristic of a test that significantly predicts a criterion for
two groups, such as both minorities and nonminorities, but
predicts significantly better for
one of the two groups

Answer 40

Differential validity

Question 41

A
statistical procedure in which the
scores from more than one
criterion-valid test are weighted
according to how well each test
score predicts the criterion

Answer 41

Multiple regression

Question 42

Selecting applicants in straight
rank order of their test scores

Answer 42

Top-down selection

Question 43

A method of making selection
decisions in which a high score
on one test can compensate for
a low score on another test. For
example, a high GPA might
compensate for a low GRE score

Answer 43

Compensatory approach

Question 44

A variation on
top-down selection in which the
names of the top three applicants are given to a hiring authority who can then select any
of the three

Answer 44

Rule of three

Question 45

The minimum
test score that an applicant must
achieve to be considered for hire

Answer 45

Passing score

Question 46

A selection strategy in which
applicants must meet or exceed
the passing score on more than
one selection test

Answer 46

Multiple-cutoff approach

Question 47

Selection practice of administering one test at a time so that
applicants must pass that test
before being allowed to take the
next test

Answer 47

Multiple-hurdle approach

Question 48

A statistical technique based on the standard
error of measurement that allows similar test scores to be
grouped

Answer 48

Banding

Question 49

The
number of points that a test
score could be off due to test
unreliability

Answer 49

Standard error of
measurement (SEM)