1. Assessing Individuals Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 4
Assessing Individuals
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2. Module 1: Foundations of Assessment
Past & present of testing
1890 – Cattell & “mental test”
WWI: Over million soldiers tested
During WWII: full employment
After WWII: little control over testing
1960s – constraints on testing
Criticism by social observers
Civil Rights Act of 1964
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3. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
What is a Test?
Objective & standardized procedure for measuring a psychological construct using a sample of behavior
Attributes to be assessed CONTENT
Ways to assess attributes PROCESS
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4. Two Attributes Measured Using Two Different Procedures
Figure 4.1
Two Attributes
Measured Using Two
Different Procedures
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5. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Tests (cont'd)
What is the meaning of a test score?
Norming & norm groups used to interpret & give meaning to a score
Test users & test interpretation
Importance of training test administrators to correctly understand & interpret results
Test battery
Collection of tests assessing variety of different attributes
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6. Administrative Test Categories
Speed vs. power tests
Speed tests have rigid & demanding time limits
Provide greater variability among candidates
Issue of relevance to job
May increase the risk of legal challenges
Power tests have no rigid time limits
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7. Administrative Test Categories (cont'd)
Group vs. individual tests
Individual tests useful in assessing a candidate’s style of problem solving
Group testing is valuable in reducing costs
Paper & pencil vs. performance tests
Performance tests assess skill in performing tasks & knowledge of how to carry out actions
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8. Administrative Test Categories (cont'd)
Where to find tests
Textbooks
Mental Measurements Yearbook (Buros Institute)
Tests In Print (Buros Institute)
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9. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Testing & Culture
Bias
Situation in which a given test results in statistical errors of prediction for a subgroup
Fairness
Value judgment about actions or decisions based on test scores
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10. Testing & Culture (cont'd)
System in which individuals share meanings & common ways of viewing events & objects
Influence of culture & subculture on test scores
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11. Module 2: Traditional Assessment Procedures
Procedures for assessing abilities
Cognitive ability tests
Allow individuals to demonstrate what they know, perceive, remember, understand, or can work mentally
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12. Cognitive Ability Tests (cont'd)
Tests that produce a single score
Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT)
Tests of specific abilities
Bennett Test of Mechanical Comprehension
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13. Cognitive Ability Tests (cont'd)
Cognitive test batteries
General Aptitude Test Battery
Knowledge tests
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14. Tests of Physical Abilities
Physical ability tests
Psychomotor abilities
Coordination, dexterity, reaction time
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Personality
Screen-out tests → Identify psychopathology
Generally used for positions of public trust
May only be administered after offer of employment
Screen-in tests → Identify normal personality
May be administered as pre-employment tests
e.g., Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32)
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16. Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32)
Figure 4.5
What the OPQ32 Looks Like
Source: Occupational Personality
Questionnaire (OPQ32).
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17. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Personality (cont'd)
Emotional intelligence
Controversial construct: Little agreement on definition or how to measure it
Interests & values
Strong Vocational Interest Bank (SVIB)
Candidate’s score compared to various occupational norm groups
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18. Module 3: Additional Assessment Methods
Content vs. process
Important distinction for showing validity
Validity depends more on content of gathered information
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19. Individual Assessment
Only one candidate (or very few) is assessed on many different attributes
Likely to include ability & personality tests, personal history statement, & interviews
May include simulation exercises
Criticisms of individual assessment
Issues of validity, reliability, & ethics
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20. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Interviews
Interview content
Structured interview
Situational interview
Unstructured interview
Tend to cover job knowledge, abilities, skills, personality, & person-org. fit
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21. Candidate Comparison Matrix
Figure 4.7
Candidate Comparison Matrix
Source: Executive Success Profile.
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22. Potential Influences on Employment Interviews
Nature of information
Placement of information
Presence of interviewer stereotypes
Interviewer knowledge of job
Method used by interviewer to combine information
Nonverbal behavior of candidate
Attitudinal/racial/gender similarity of candidate & interviewer
Quality of competing candidates
Interviewer experience
Applicant physical appearance
Attention to factual detail by interviewer
Extent to which interview is structured
Note taking by interviewer
Use of same interviewer(s) for all candidates
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23. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Assessment Centers
Collection of procedures for evaluation
Typical characteristics
Assessment done in groups
Assessment done by groups
Multiple methods of assessment employed
Assessment centers have “feel” of relevance
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24. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Work Sample Tests
Measure job skills by taking samples of behavior under realistic job-like conditions
Examples:
Rudder control test for pilots
Speech interview for foreign student
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25. 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
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26. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Biographical Data
Biodata
Includes type of information collected on an application blank
e.g., previous jobs, education, & special training
Ecology model
Events constituting person’s history represent choices made by individual to interact with his/her environment
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27. Biographical Data (cont'd)
Distinguishing characteristics of biodata
Historical
External
Objective
Discrete
Control
Relevant & noninvasive
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28. Grades & Letters of Recommendation
May be able to predict job offers, but not job success
Little serious research on validity & fairness of these devices
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29. Module 4: Special Topics in Assessment
Incremental validity
Value in terms of increased validity of adding a particular predictor to an existing selection system
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30. Controversial Assessment Practices
Graphology
Assumes traits can be assessed from various characteristics of a person’s handwriting
Polygraph
Machine that measures person’s physiological reactions & signals deception
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31. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The Polygraph
Physiological responses assessed by the polygraph
Figure 4.10
Physiological Responses
Associated by the Polygraph
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32. Special Topics in Assessment
Drug & alcohol testing
Issues with acceptance by employees & prospective employees
Legal Issues
Drug Free Workplace Act
Integrity testing
Overt integrity test
Personality based integrity test
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33. Computer-Based Assessment
Are we measuring same thing as we are with paper & pencil test or interview?
Yes AND No
Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)
Based on preliminary routing test; allows for test to be “tailored” to test-taker’s approximate level of ability
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34. Permissions
Slide 1: McGraw-Hill Education Digital Image Library, Alistair Berg/Getty Images, Source Image ID: AA032522, Filename: JPG
Slide 12: Figure 4.2 from Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test, Form BB, Item Y. Copyright © 1942, , 1980 by The Psychological Corporation, a Harcourt Assessment Company. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved.
Slide 13: McGraw-Hill Education Digital Image Library, Tomi/PhotoLink/Getty Images, Source Image ID: ED000238, Filename: JPG
Slide 14: Figure 4.4 from Crawford Small Parts Dexterity Test. Copyright © 1946, 1956, 1998 by The Psychological Corporation, a Harcourt Assessment Company. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved.
Slide 16: Figure 4.5 from Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32). Boulder, CO: SHL. © SHL Group PLC. Used by permission of Saville Holdsworth Limited:
Slide 20: McGraw-Hill Education Digital Image Library, Steve Cole/Getty Images, Source Image ID: AA042827, Filename: JPG
Slide 21: Figure 4.7 from Competency Factors, THE PROFILER® for Executives. Copyright © 1991 Personnel Decisions International Corporation. Used by permission.
Slide 27: Figure 4.9 from Mumford, M. D., & Stokes, G. S. (1991). Developmental determinants of individual action: Theory and practice in applying background measures. In M. D. Dunnette & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, 2nd ed., Vol. 3, p. 84. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. Modified and reproduced by special permission of the Publisher, CPP, Inc., Palo Alto, CA Copyright 1992 by CPP, Inc. All rights reserved. Further reproduction is prohibited without the Publisher’s written consent.
Slide 33: McGraw-Hill Education Digital Image Library, TRBfoto/Getty Images, Source Image ID: AA000573, Filename: SS36041.JPG
Slide 35: Figure 4.11 from Murphy, K. R., & Davidshofer, C. O. (2001). Psychological testing: Principles and application, 5th ed., p Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. © Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ.