Week 5 - individual difference Flashcards
what are varieties of individual difference
- abilities
- personality
- interests
- knowledge
- emotion
what is Fleishmans taxonomy
1-cognitive abiities
2- physical abilties
3- perceptual motor abilities
what are individual differences in skills
- practiced acts
- technical and non technical
what are individual differences in knowledge
- Collection of discrete but related facts & information about a particular domain
- Tacit knowledge → “street smarts”
- Procedural knowledge → knowing “how”
- Declarative knowledge → knowing “that”
what are individual differences in competencies
- Sets of behaviors instrumental in accomplishing various activities
- Combination of individual difference characteristics
what are the uses of individual assessments
- employee selection
- training and development
- promotion
what are the types of assessments used
CV check Interview Reference check Job knowledge tests Physical tests Ability tests Personality tests Job ‘try-outs’ Assessment centres Work sample
why is important to select the right employee
- better performers will generate more income for an organisation
- Selecting people that fit with the culture of an organisation will increase the harmony (and productivity) of the workplace.
- People with a better fit to a job and/or organisation are likely to stay in that job for longer.
how do you ensure predicitive validity
- Problems of unstructured interviews, CVs, references
- Psychometric test can assess abilities conceptually linked to job performance
- Other measures can test KSAOs derived from job analysis.
- Validity increased in other measures via good practices, e.g., structured interviews:
define psychometric test
A psychometric test is a standardised sample of behaviour which can be described by a numerical scale or category system
what are the purpose of psychometric test
- All candidates are observed in the same standardised situation
- Performance is evaluated objectively against a common yardstick
- The task performed gives an accurate (RELIABLE) measure of a job relevant ability and is a VALID predictor of job success
what does the test produce
An OBJECTIVE SCORE which needs to be set in context i.e, where does the person sit relative to a reference group?
what are the benefits of using a test
- Good tests help make better predictions
- Good tests can be efficient
- What is a good test?
- Reliability (test-retest, internal consistency)
- Validity (Construct, criterion related, predictive)
- Fair: discriminates on KSAO not gender, ethnicity, etc.
types of psychometric tool
- cognitive ability tests
- personality questionnaires
Cognitive ability tests
Allow individuals to demonstrate what they know, perceive, remember, understand, or can work mentally.
what is general mental ability or mental ability + cognittive ability
- General mental ability (GMA) refers to the general intellectual capacity that could also be called intelligence.
- Mental ability and cognitive ability can also refer to specific abilities such as memory or reasoning.
define intelligence as “g:
- Involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, comprehend complex ideas, & learn from experience
is “g” important at work
- Yes – it describes someone’s ability to learn from experience
- As job complexity increase the predictive value of general intelligence tests also increases.
what is cognitive ability tests
- Most commonly divided into tests of verbal, numerical, and visual-spatial dimensions
- Measure maximum performance
- Usually timed
- Usually 30 mins per test
- Paper and pencil form, computerised, or internet delivery
what was the first aptitude test
- DAT 1947
- measures 8 aptitudes
- 4 hours for the hand scored version, 2 hours for the computer scored version
- shown to predict performance in school subjects
what is the bennett mechanical comprehension test
- picture based questions
- BMCT was one of the best predictors of pilot success in WW2
What is the clerical aptitude test
- often based on error detection
- scores on these tests are based on speed, accuracy or a combinaton of btoh
eg minnesota clerical test - General Clerical test
what is the minnesota clerical test
- developed in 1931 there are 1979
- 100 similar and dissimilar pairs of names and numbers
- examinees tick all the identical pairs
- score based mainly on speed but some penalties for inaccuracy
what is the definition of personality
- The relatively stable set of psychological characteristics that influence the way an individual interacts with his or her environment
- an individuals unique and relatively stable patterns of behaviour, thoughts and emotions
what is the big 5 factor of personality (OCEAN)
- Opennes to experience
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neurotiscim (emotional stability)
HEXACO - 6 Dimensions
Honesty-Humility Emotionality eXtraversion Agreeableness (vs anger) Conscientiousness Openness to experience
what happens when people fake on their test
- Research has shown people CAN and sometimes DO fake their personality assessments.
- The interesting (although not undisputed) finding is that faking doesn’t really matter.
- If someone knows what personality type is required for the job its a positive sign that they might show it.
- There is some evidence however that it might also be predictive of counter-productive workplace behaviours.
how stable are personality traits
In order for personality traits to be used as a selection tool they must remain quite stable across time.
what are the two types of intergrity test
- overt integrity test
- personailty based integrity test
Explain Overt integrity test
Asks questions directly about past honesty behavior (stealing, etc.) as well as attitudes toward various behaviors (employee theft, etc.)
Explain Personality based integrity test
Test that infers honesty and integrity from questions dealing with broad personality constructs (conscientiousness, reliability, and social responsibility)
define interviews
- Structured vs unstructured interviews
- Tend to cover job knowledge, abilities, skills, personality, & person-org. fit
- Behavioural vs Situational
Assessment Centers
- Collection of procedures used for evaluation, often for possible promotion
Typical characteristics: - Assessment done in groups
- Assessment done by groups (i.e., assessors)
- Multiple methods of assessment employed
- Assessment centers have “feel” of relevance
Explain Work Sample tests
- measure job skills by taking samples of behaviour under realistic, job like conditions
- rudder control test for pilots
- speech interview for foreign students
Explain situational judgment tests
Present candidate with written scenario, then ask candidate to choose best response from series of alternatives
Important characteristics:
- job related
- well accepted by test takers
- reduced adverse impact compared to other devices
Explain Biographical data
- Includes type of information collected on an application form or CV
- e.g., previous jobs, education, & special training
define psychomotor abilities
- Also called sensorimotor or motor abilities
- Physical functions of movement, associated with coordination, dexterity and reaction time
- Fleishman’s psychomotor abilities
eg reaction time, manual dexterity, finger dexterity
