Chapter 9: Selection Tests
Job Knowledge Tests
1. Assess knowledge of duties involved in a particular job 2. Level of experience with, and knowledge about, critical job tasks and tools necessary to perform a job
Integrity Tests
1. Clear purpose/Overt 2. General purpose/Veiled purpose Use has grown dramatically in the last decade
Big 5 Personality Factors
1. Conscientiousness 2. Emotional Stability 3. Extraversion 4. Openness to experience 5. Agreeableness
Testing Methods
1. Personality Tests 2. Ability Tests 3. Job Knowledge Tests 4. Performance Tests and Work Samples 5. Integrity Tests 6. Interest, Values, and Preference Inventories 7. Questionable Selections Tests 8. Your Research
Testing Design
1. Testing standardization 2. Scoring Objectivity 3. Normative data comparisons 4. Reliability (consistent results) 5. Validity (test measures what it says it measures)
Questionable Selection Tests
Graphology (handwriting analysis) Phrenology (Face reading) Astrology
Ability Tests
Measures that assess an individual's capacity to function in a certain way Types: 1. Psychomotor 2. Physical 3. Sensory/perceptual
Testing Advantages
Objectivity Cost effectiveness Validity Legal Defensibility
Selection Method Standards
Reliability Validity Generalizability Utility Legality
Objective Measures
Rules used to assign numbers to attribute are predetermined, communicated, and applied through a system
Subjective Measures
Scoring system is more elusive, often involving a rater who assigns the numbers
Interest, Values, and Preference Inventories
Assess activities individuals prefer to do on and off the job; do not attempt to assess ability to do these Not often used in selection Types: 1. Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB) 2. Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI)
Performance Tests and Work Samples
Assess actual performance Types: 1. Performance tests v. work sample 2. Motor v. verbal work samples 3. High v. Low-fidelity tests 4. Computer interaction performance tests v. paper-pencil tests 5. Situational judgment tests
Content Validity Ratio Equation
CVR= [ne-(N/2)]/(N/2) n=number of experts that rate the item as essential N=total number of experts
Limitations of Cognitive Ability Tests
Concern over adverse impact and fairness of tests Cognitive ability tests are equally accurate predictors of job performance for various racial/ethnic groups, but blacks and Hispanics score lower than whites
Validation Methods
Criterion-related Validity Content Validity Construct Validity
Utility
Degree to which information from selection method enhances bottom line effectiveness
Generalizability
Degree to which on can extend validity to other contexts -different situations -different samples of people -different time periods
Criterion-related Validity
Determines a relationship between selection test scores and job performance
Construct Validity
How well does it measure a trait?
Content Validity
Test items are representative of the job situation Determined through expert judgment CVR
Testing Disadvantages
Tests to not measure motivation More predictive of failures than successes More group predictive than individual Dishonesty susceptibility Testing anxiety Subject to legal challenge
Reliability
The degree to which a measure is consistent over time
Validity
The extent to which performance on a measure is related to job performance