978-0078029165 Chapter 6 Part 2

Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection

XIII. Summary

A. The importance of effective pre-employment testing is increasing

B. Cognitive ability tests are valid but can result in adverse impact

1. What factors are most accurately and consistently evaluated during interview

2. Can other selection procedures measure factors as well as or better

N. Most effective selection place emphasis on interaction “matching” the person and

organization and job

O. Above all fairness and the avoidance of prejudice and illegal discrimination must be

considered in the selection process

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16 Personality Factors (16PF) – Provides scores on the factors of the FFM; it is also used to screen

applicants for counterproductive work behavior.

Accomplishment Record – Candidates write about previous accomplishments.

Achievement tests – Attempt to measure the effects of knowledge obtained in a standardized

environment.

inputs. Multiple trained observers are used.

Banding – Procedure of evaluating scores within a specific range to all be the same score (Like a

letter grade of ‘A’ for scores between 90-100%)

Behavioral interviewing – Applicants describe how they would behave in specific situations.

Candidates are asked to describe actual experiences they have had in dealing with specific, job-

Clinical or holistic prediction – calls for an overall judgment based on information gathered by

experts.

Cognitive ability tests – Measure one‘s aptitude or mental capacity to acquire knowledge based on

the accumulation of learning from all possible sources. These tests are also known as general

mental ability tests.

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carefulness.

Content validity – Expert assessment of extent to which the content of a selection method is

representative of the content of the job.

Core Self-Evaluations (CSE) – Broad and general personality trait composed of four heavily

researched traits: (1) self-esteem, the overall value that one places on oneself as an individual; (2)

Cross-cultural Adaptability Inventory – Useful international selection test focusing on the ability

to adapt to new situations and interact with people different from oneself

Dimensions – Clusters of behaviors that are specific, observable, and verifiable and can be

reliability and logically classified together.

Discriminatory bias – In terms of interviews, discrimination based on stereotypes of gender,

Emotional Intelligence (EI) – A multidimensional form or subset of social intelligence or a form of

social literacy. EI is a set of abilities that enable individuals to recognize and understand their own

emotions and those of others in order to guide their thinking and behavior to help them cope with

the environment.

Empirical or criterion-related validity – involves the statistical relationship between scores on

Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection

Job Compatibility Questionnaire (JCQ) – Developed to determine whether an applicant’s

preferences for work characteristics match the characteristics of the job.

Knowledge-based tests – Measure bodies of knowledge required by a job

Miner Sentence Completion Scale – Measures manager’s motivation to manage others.

Minnesota Clerical Test – Requires test takers to quickly compare either name or numbers and to

indicate pairs that are the same.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – Used for jobs that concern the public safety or

welfare; used to identify pathological problems in respondents, not to predict job effectiveness

Performance tests – Measure KASOCs or competencies.

Personnel Selection – The process of gathering and assessing information about job candidates in

order to make decisions about personnel

Physical environment – In this chapter, refers to the conditions surrounding the interview.

Projective tests – Purpose and scoring procedure of test are disguised from the test taker.

Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection

Race/Sex norming – Interpretation of test scores based on the test taker‘s race, ethnicity or sex.

Rating bias – Applicant attributes, interviewer attributes, and situational attributes that can

influence ratings.

Reference checks – Provide information about an applicant’s past performance or measure the

they see in each one.

Safety Locus of Control Scale – a paper and pencil test containing 17 items assessing attitudes

toward safety.

Self-report Personality Inventories – Typically consist of a series of short statements concerning

one’s behaviors, thoughts, and emotions, past experiences, preferences, or characteristics.

they would respond.

Situational judgment tests – Measure a variety of skills with short scenarios asking test takers

what would be their most likely response.

Stereotyping – Categorizing groups according to general traits then attributing those traits to a

member of the group.

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CHAPTER 6 IMPORTANT CASES

Albemarle Paper Company v. Moody – clarified job-relatedness defense, requiring a careful job

analysis to identify the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the job.

Lewis v. City of Chicago – cutoff score of firefighter’s exam caused adverse impact and found not

to be “job related.”

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CHAPTER 6 – DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Are GMA or cognitive ability tests more trouble than they are worth? Given that some

minorities may score lower on such tests, would it be advisable to find some other method

for predicting job success?

There are still reasons to recommend the use of cognitive ability tests. As noted in the text,

research on cognitive ability tests indicates their use can lead to substantial increases in

tests should carefully evaluate them.

The use of cognitive ability tests obviously presents a dilemma for organizations. The evidence

supports the argument that these tests are valid predictors of job performance across a wide

variety of jobs. Use of such tests has been shown to have economic utility and to result in greater

productivity and considerable cost savings to employers. However, it is also clear that selection

Cognitive ability tests can be recommended, but with caution. Selection decisions should not be

based solely on the use of cognitive ability tests. The organization should also determine what

selection method is the most valid for the specific job in question. For example, is a cognitive

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2. Why do you need tests of clerical ability? Couldn’t you just rely on a typing test and

recommendations from previous employers?

Since companies are more reluctant to furnish information about a former employee other than

the start and end date of employment, it would probably be in the best interest of the hiring

3. Under what circumstances would GMA or cognitive ability tests be appropriate for

promotion decisions? Are there other methods that might be more valid?

When the cognitive ability test in question is a valid predictor of an effective performer in the job

to which the individual will be promoted, and no other test is found as valid, then the cognitive

ability test should be used. However, since virtually all cognitive ability tests result in adverse

impact, cognitive ability tests should be used with caution. A combination of cognitive and

4. If you were given a personality test as part of an employment application process, would

you answer the questions honestly or would you attempt to answer the questions based on

your image of the “correct” way to answer? What implications does your response have for

the validity of personality testing? What does the evidence on faking show?

The potential problem with answering personality items based on your image of the correct

response or “faking good” is that you may end up being hired for a job you are not really suited

for or that you are not really happy with. Alternatively, if most applicants are also “faking good,”

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It is usually not in the best interest of anyone to try and “outsmart” the test by attempting to

answer questions based on an image of the “correct” way to answer. The validity of any

self-report measure is threatened by response bias or the possibility of deliberate faking of

answers. Many of the most respected personality tests, such as the MMPI and the CPI, include

validity scales that enable the interpreter to assess the credibility or truthfulness of the answers.

The fact that applicants can “fake” personality tests calls into question the validity of personality

tests in general, and is one of the explanations for the inconsistent validity of personality tests in

the employment context. Recent evidence indicates that the extent of faking may not be as

great as previously thought.

5. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of performance testing and work samples.

Under what circumstances would such tests be most appropriate?

Advantage of performance testing is that the results of the scores will produce less adverse

impact than the use of cognitive ability scores as the criteria. Another advantage is that the utility

of the test is more than not testing since the performance test can also serve as a realistic job

6. Given that the validity of assessment centers and work samples are not significantly greater

than that reported for cognitive ability tests, why would an organization choose the far

more costly approaches?

There are a number of reasons why an organization would choose an assessment center over a

mental ability test. First, cognitive ability tests often result in adverse impact, while the

assessment center approach has been shown to be fair to minorities, women, and older workers

with the results much more defendable in court. Moreover, unlike traditional selection

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Aside from the empirical evidence, assessment centers possess high “face validity” relative to

mental ability tests. That is, because of the ways centers are constructed (e.g., the language and

context of exercises), assessment centers look like valid and acceptable ways for selecting and

promoting individuals. As a result, organizations may have an easier time of selling this approach

to employees. The assessment center approach also allows organizations to evaluate a wider

variety of competency areas that cannot be tapped by cognitive ability tests (e.g., oral and

written communication skills, initiative, and interpersonal skills). Finally, the assessment center

offers a wealth of performance feedback. This information can be a vital source of

developmental information to the participants. Overall, it is easy to see why this approach may

be preferred over mental ability tests.

[Note to Instructor: In practice, organizations such as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and

IBM often incorporate cognitive ability tests into the design of their assessment centers.]

7. It has been proposed that students be assessed with work simulations similar to those used

in managerial assessment centers. Assessments are then made on student’s competencies

in decision-making, leadership, oral communication, planning and organizing, written

communication, and self-objectivity. What other methods could be used to assess student

competencies in these areas?

There are several other methods that could be used to assess student competencies in these

areas. Students could be presented with scenarios or case studies designed to assess decision

making, leadership, and planning and organizing skills. They would then be asked to choose the

and compare the rating to ratings given by others (peers, advisors, etc.) on the same skill.

8. What is stereotyping? Give examples of legal and illegal stereotypes.

Stereotyping is when an impression about an individual is formed on the basis of his or her group

membership rather than on his/her unique individual attributes. It involves categorizing people

Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection

9. Describe how an organization might improve the reliability and validity of interviews.

First, using a standardized interview (e.g., the structured, panel, and situational interviews) can

increase the reliability and validity of the interviews. Controlling for situational factors, providing

10. Contrast an unstructured interview with a situational or behavioral interview.

An unstructured interview occurs when an interviewer asks different questions of different

applicants, or when different interviewers are used for different applicants. The main problem

with unstructured interviews is that there is no basis for comparison. A situational interview, on

11. “The most efficient solution to the problem of interview validity is to do away with the

interview and substitute paper-and-pencil measures.” Do you agree or disagree? Explain.

Responses will vary, but most students will probably disagree with this statement. A possible

response might be as follows:

Recent efforts have shown that the usefulness of interviews may be increased through strategies

such as (1) using structured formats particularly with behavioral questions, (2) controlling for

12. Explain the difference between “actuarial” and “clinical” or “holistic” prediction.

Actuarial prediction derives a score based on weighing information according to relative validity