Week 7: Assessment Tools in Occupational Settings Flashcards
What are needs that are met through our jobs/work?
Survival + power
Social connection
Self determination
What is the Theory of Person-Environment Fit?
A theory developed by John Holland in the US during 1950s.
Personality traits were clustered into types.
Each type had a work environment to which it was most suited.
What did Holland believe about personality?
That people developed a stable personality over time.
What was the model that John Holland developed?
The RIASEC Model - which included 6 personality types, each a cluster of personality traits.
What is the Realistic type?
Practical, scientific and methodological
Like concrete, hands-on activities
What is the Investigative type?
Rational, analytical, inquisitive
Enjoy rational thinking and problem solving
What is the Artistic type?
Creative, expressive, intuitive
Value self expression and orginality
What is the Enterprising type?
Ambitious, assertive, enthusiastic
Use their interpersonal skills to persuade others
What is the Conventional type?
Efficient, organised, detail orientated
Prefer systematic procedures and organisation
What is the circumplex hypothesis?
All personality types are different, but also equal
What is the validity of the RIASEC model?
Holds high validity in the US and cross-culturally
What are the limitations of the RIASEC theory?
Based on WEIRD population in the US
Limited definition of family (Holland only considerate family as the immediate family, rather than extended family)
Not all translations of the RIASEC theory carry the same validity
What are issues about SES for the RIASEC theory?
There is a lack of consideration in terms of SES as not all jobs are available to everyone.
What is another limitation of the RIASEC assessments in terms of the job market?
Holland’s models do not reflect the emergence of new careers due to the digital age
What should a revision of the RIASEC model include?
Cultural values
Individual differences
What are two concepts to consider when reviewing the 3 letter code from RIASEC assessments?
- Are the three domains consistent?
- What differs between the key strengths of each code?
A person lacking key differences in terms of codes may struggle to have job satisfaction.
What is the SDS?
A self-administered assessment which uses the RIASEC model.
What are the benefits of the SDS?
Easy and efficient to administer.
Good psychometric properties = reliability, construct validity, and predictive validity.
Helpful in terms of career options and suitable work environments.
What contexts are I/O psychologists likely to work in?
Military
Corporate
Business
What is criterion validity in terms of I/O research?
It promotes the idea that current assessment results should predict the future criterion of job performance.
The tools should measure the key criterion for a role, the person who performs best, should therefore be best suited for the role.
In the post industrial world, what is job behaviour described as?
Complex, multidimensional behaviour.
Why do biodata have predictive power in terms of future success for an applicant?
Because certain character traits which is required for success are also stable and enduring
What did a study by Reilly and Chao find regarding validity of selection procedures?
Only biodata and peer evaluations had validities equal to standardized tests.
What are employers prohibited from asking in terms of biodata?
Age, race, sex, religion and other personal issues.
What is the response elaboration technique (RET)?
When applicants are asked to provide specific details to elaborate on responses
What turnover rate does Google claim to have?
4%
What process did Google used to focus on in terms of employment?
Hiring candidates from the best schools with top grades
This technique is rarely used now.
What are interviewers prone to in terms of bias towards candidates
Halo bias
Rate a candidate high or low based on global impression
What factors have been shown to increase the reliability of interviews
Conducting panel interviews with structured questions
What did Kelly and Fiske find in a study about decremental validity?
That subjective impressions (through interviews) decreased the accuracy of predictions compared with more objective methods (test scores, credentials)
What are two reasons for preference towards structured interviews instead of unstructured interviews?
Legal defensibility
Minimal bias across different racial groups of applicants
Under what conditions can an interview provide a reliable and valid basis for recruitment?
Carefully designed conditions
In terms of handshakes during interviews, what did Stewart et al (2008) study find?
Handshakes are positively related to hiring recommendations, particularly for women.
How do initial impressions impact individual job prospects?
Initial impression do matter in terms of job prospects
What does empirical support suggest in terms of standardized cognitive ability tests?
There is strong support for the validity of standardized cognitive tests
Where are the issues surrounding cognitive ability tests?
They may result in adverse impact for minority groups.
Meaning, white candidates will be selected disproportionately over people from black and brown communities
How can cognitive tests be used so that they provide maximum benefit and minimal adverse impact?
Used in combination with other approaches, including biodata.
What is the g factor?
The general factor of intelligence
What is the WPT-R?
Wonderlic Personnel Test-Revised
50 multiple-choice items
12-minute time limit
Impressive reliability - .90
Positive validity - .91
Severe visuospatial impairment can invalidate the test
Non-native English speakers may be penalised due to it being a timed test.
What is a key issue with the Minnesota Clerical Test (MCT)?
The norms are out of date (last revision was 1970) and its not clear which norms apply to which setting.
What makes it difficult to independently assess integrity tests?
Because they are privately owned, it’s difficult to gain access to components such as scoring keys
Stanton Survey, Personnel Selection Inventory and Reid Report are all types of what?
Integrity tests
Can integrity tests can easily faked?
Yes, studies have shown respondents can produce substantially superior scores that those who answer honestly.
Where are integrity tests most useful in terms of predicting job performance?
When they are based on self-reports of counterproductive work behaviour (CWB)
What is the general concerns which still exist around integrity tests
Used by unqualified users, which is a violation of ethics
Base levels are unknown leading to difficulty in identifying optimal cutting scores
Situational factors may impact the validity of these tests
What should work samples focus on?
The more difficult elements of a job to separate out strong and weak candidates.
What is a situational exercise?
A white-collar equivalent of a work sample.
Which situational exercises have the highest validity?
Those which are highly realistic to the actual work environment
What is the In-Basket Test?
A situational exercise for managerial positions, which is still used today.
Involves scoring based on the content and style of the responses.
What were the 3 second order factors that emerged from factor analysis of the In-Basket Test?
Preparing for Action
Amount of Work
Seeking Guidance
What is the criterion problem, in terms of performance evaluation?
Issues around creating and measuring performance constructs which are often complex and multidimensional
What is the most common method for performance appraisals?
Rating scales
What is the reliability of rating scales
weak reliability
What is a graphic rating scale?
A simple scale with trait labels, with short definitions and a continuum for the rating.
What is the forced choice scale?
A performance appraisal tool which is designed to eliminate bias and subjectivity
What is the most difficult issue in assessing job performance?
Definition the criteria to assess someone with.
How can organisations control for halo bias?
Provide training for staff who are conducting appraisals
Supervise supervisors
Provide practice simulations
Keep a diary of info relevant to appraisal
Provide lectures on halo effects
What sorts of errors can occur due to rater bias?
Leniency errors
Severity errors
Central tendency errors
Context errors
The level that a manager likes their team member can have an impact on rater bias.
True or false
Based on a study, this is false.
Does not introduce rating bias.
Instead, ratings of affect often correlate strongly with performance ratings
What are 3 types of criterion contamination?
Opportunity bias - not all employees have the same level of opportunity to perform
Group characteristics bias - when the group behaves in ways that impact individual performance
Knowledge of predictor bias - knowledge of personal information about an employee, impacts the appraisal
