W3 - Individual Differences Flashcards
What are the important Predictors and Criteria?
Choice, Variability & Measurement
What is Validity Coefficient (VC)?
The correlation coefficient between the predictor and criterion (eg. Cognitive ability and Overall job performance)
Overt integrity assessment?
A personality test that asks direct questions about behaviours to evaluate a candidate’s honesty, ethics and overall integrity
Covert integrity assessment?
More indirect. Asks indirect questions on personality traits or tendencies that can suggest dishonesty.
Purpose of References (eg. letter of recommendations etc)?
Serves as a negative selection tool.
It does not necessarily tell us which candidate to hire, instead it indicates which to NOT HIRE.
Potential problems of Letters of Recommendations?
There’s 5!
- They are universally positive, hence has a restricted range that attenuates a correlation (lowers the observed correlation).
[LOR in which applicants waive their rights to see the letter are less favourable] - Different writers focus on different content.
- Letter quality is a reflection of the writer, not the candidate.
- Information provided may not help to select employees.
- Scoring of letter is SUBJECTIVE.
How is a Letter of Recommendation still useful then, despite the potential problems?
Research suggests that the LENGTH of letter may be a BETTER PREDICTOR of the writer’s attitude than the actual content.
What are the Big 5 personality traits (Predictor: Personality)?
OCEAN:
Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Are the Big 5 traits useful to predict job performances?
No, correlations with job performances are relatively LOW.
Which predictor best predicts job performance?
Cognitive ability
Correlation = 0.51
Which two Big 5 personality traits predict job performance ACROSS JOBS AND SITUATIONS?
Conscientiousness
Neuroticism (Emotional stability)
Is cognitive ability (predictor) uni-dimensional / multi-dimensional?
Uni-dimensional
Is personality still useful for candidate selection despite the low correlations with job performance?
Yes.
When the Big 5 traits (OCEAN) are considered together, the effects with job performance are typically LARGER.
What are the narrower traits? (not sure if this is needed!!)
Locus of control
Self-monitoring
Self-esteem
Positive & negative affectivity
Proactive personality
General self-efficacy
Core self-evaluations
Are those higher on narcissism more likely to emerge as leaders?
Yes, as they promote a vision.
Due to charm, charisma, humour & extraversion.
Which aspect of narcissism predicts leader emergence the most?
Extraversion
Are narcissistic leaders more effective?
A curvilinear relation suggests that mid-range level of narcissism is OPTIMAL for effectiveness.
People who interacts with them say they are not effective.
People who aren’t close to them say they are effective.
Is ambition (middle-level trait) good?
Results indicate that ambition is good.
Does a spouse’s Big 5 predict one’s job success?
Yes.
In terms of job satisfaction, income & likelihood of promotion.
Perform more household tasks, role model, pragmatic behaviours. Enable spouse to focus on work-related tasks, less home conflict.
Do integrity assessments as a predictor predict job performance well?
No due to weak correlation (0.41 - dhtr)
Do grades predict job performance well?
No due to weak correlation (0.16 - dhtr)
Should we ask candidates about the reason for leaving their previous job?
Sure, as it can act as a negative selection tool.
Does educational attainment correlate with job performance?
Weak correlation (0.10 - dhtr).
However, predicts better for lower entry jobs
What 2 moderators might moderate the relation between educational attainment and job satisfaction?
- Gender - The negative relation is exacerbated for females.
- Self-employed vs. Other employed - No relation for self-employed. Negative for other-employed.
DeOrtentiis et al. (2018):
Do managers hired INTERNALLY or EXTERNALLY perform better at the individual and unit level?
Hiring internally sees:
- Better individual performance at the beginning
- Better unit service performance
- Equal unit financial performance
- Lower salaries
What is the best predictor for future performance (job performance)
Biodata.
Shows past performance of the candidate, and attempt to capture aspects of a person not captured by other assessments.
What are the 3 ways to develop & validate a biodata instrument?
- Dustbowl empiricism - write items with any content and see what predicts
eg. How many pizzas can you eat? - Rational approach - write items of what logically seems important
eg. How many books did you read in a month? - Life history approach - separate top from bottom-level performers, and ask life history questions and look for differences
eg. How many countries have you visited?
Does graphology predict job performance well?
No evidence to show that graphology is useful.
Get smarty pants: Cognitive ability, personality, and victimisation (2010):
Which 2 types tends to be victimised?
- Submissive individuals
- Provocative individuals (hostile, aggressive, dominating interpersonal behaviour)
Get smarty pants: Cognitive ability, personality, and victimisation (2010):
Are smart people often victimised?
Yes, as cognitive ability is a desirable characteristic that may instigate others to hurt smarter individuals.
