Chapter 3 Individual Differences And Assessment 1 Module

Chapter 3 Individual Differences And Assessment 1

Module 3. 1: Introduction to Individual Differences • Background – 1890 – Cattell & concept of “mental test” – Differential psychology – Psychometrics – World War I & the intelligence test – “g” or general mental ability 2

Varieties of Individual Differences • • • Cognitive ability & the g-ocentric model Physical ability Personality Interests Knowledge Emotion Monica Lau/Getty Images 3

Figure 3. 1: Link b/w Attributes & Behavior in Organizations Figure 3. 1 The Link between Attributes and Behavior in Organizations Source: K. R. Murphy (1996 a). 4

Fundamental Assumptions in Applying Individual Differences Model • Adults have variety of attributes that are relatively stable over a period of time • People differ with respect to those attributes • Relative differences among people on these attributes remain even after training • Different jobs require different attributes • These attributes can be measured 5

Module 3. 2: Human Attributes • Taxonomy of abilities – Fleishman’s taxonomy of 52 abilities • Cognitive abilities • Physical abilities • Perceptual-motor abilities 6

Cognitive Abilities • Intelligence as “g” Chad Baker/Getty Images – Involves ability to reason, plan, solve problems, comprehend complex ideas, & learn from experience 7

Cognitive Abilities • Is “g” important at work? Yes – ↑ job complexity = ↑ predictive value of general intelligence tests 8

Carroll’s Hierarchical Model Figure 3. 2 Carroll’s Hierarchical Model Source: Carroll (1993). 9

A Model of Physical Abilities Figure 3. 3: A Model of Physical Abilities (Guion, 1998) 10

Jeff Maloney/Getty Images Sensory Abilities • Vision • Touch • Taste • Smell • Hearing • Kinesthetic feedback 11

Psychomotor Abilities • Also called sensorimotor or motor abilities • Fleishman’s psychomotor abilities – Arm-hand steadiness – Manual dexterity – Finger dexterity – Control precision – Response orientation – Rate control – Reaction time – Wrist-finger speed 12

Personality & Interests • Big Five Personality Model • Conscientiousness • Agreeableness • Emotional stability • Extraversion • Openness to experience 13

Practical Issues Associated with Personality Measures • Faking – Self-presentation – Self-efficacy – Social desirability – Does faking really matter? 14

Vocational Interests • Expressions of liking about environments, activities • Holland’s vocational typology – – – Realistic Investigative Artistic Social Enterprising Conventional 15

Holland’s Vocational Typology Figure 3. 4 Interest Types Underlying the Hexagonal Representation of Holland’s Vocational Typology Source: Hogan & Blake (1996). 16

Additional Proposed Individual Differences • Skills – Practiced acts – Technical & non-technical • Knowledge – Collection of discrete but related facts & information about a particular domain – Tacit knowledge → “street smarts” – Procedural knowledge → knowing “how” – Declarative knowledge → knowing “that” 17

Additional Proposed Individual Differences (cont'd) • Competencies – Sets of behaviors instrumental in accomplishing various activities – Combination of individual difference characteristics • Emotional intelligence – Awareness of our own & others’ emotions – Controversial construct 18

Module 3. 3: 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 – 1960 s – constraints on testing • Criticism by social observers • Civil Rights Act of 1964 19

What is a Test? • Objective & standardized procedure for measuring a psychological construct using a sample of behavior – Attributes to be assessed – Ways to assess attributes CONTENT PROCESS 20

Two Attributes Measured Using Two Different Procedures Figure 3. 5 Two Attributes Measured Using Two Different Procedures 21

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 Copyright © The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. 22

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 Copyright © The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. 23

Speed Test • The game show “Jeopardy” is an example of a speed test Picture 3. 7 24

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 Copyright © The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. 25

Administrative Test Categories (cont'd) • Where to find tests – Textbooks – Mental Measurements Yearbook (Buros Institute) – Tests In Print (Buros Institute) Copyright © The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. 26

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 Copyright © The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. 27

Testing & Culture (cont'd) • Culture – System in which individuals share meanings & common ways of viewing events & objects – Influence of culture & subculture on test scores Copyright © The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. 28

Module 3. 4: Assessment Procedures • Content vs. process – Important distinction for showing validity – Validity depends more on content of gathered information Copyright © The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. 29

Procedures for assessing abilities Cognitive ability tests • Allow individuals to demonstrate what they know, perceive, remember, understand, or can work mentally 30

Cognitive Ability Tests (cont'd) • Tests that produce a single score – Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT) • Tests of specific abilities – Bennett Test of Mechanical Comprehension 31

Cognitive Ability Tests (cont'd) • Cognitive test batteries – General Aptitude Test Battery • Knowledge tests Tomi/Photo. Link/Getty Images 32

Tests of Physical Abilities • Physical ability tests • Psychomotor abilities – Coordination, dexterity, reaction time 33

Figure 3. 8: Crawford Small Parts Dexterity Test Figure 3. 8 34

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. , Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) 35

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 36

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 37

Interviews – Structured interview – Situational interview – Unstructured interview – Tend to cover job knowledge, abilities, skills, personality, & person-org. fit 38

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 39

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 40

Work Sample Tests • Measure job skills by taking samples of behavior under realistic job-like conditions • Examples: – Rudder control test for pilots – Speech interview foreign student 41

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 42

Framework for Relating Multidimensional Nature of SJT to KSAOs and Performance Figure 3. 11 43

Module 5: Special Topics in Assessment • Incremental validity – Value in terms of increased validity of adding a particular predictor to an existing selection system 44

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 45

Biographical Data (cont'd) • Distinguishing characteristics of biodata – Historical – External – Objective – Discrete – Control – Relevant & noninvasive 46

Grades & Letters of Recommendation • May be able to predict job offers, but not job success • Little serious research on validity & fairness of these devices 47

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 48

The Polygraph • Physiological responses assessed by the polygraph Physiological Responses Associated by the Polygraph 49

Other Assessment Techniques • 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 TRBfoto/Getty Images 50

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 51

Routing Test in Computer Adaptive Testing Figure 3. 13. 52