The assessment center and the study of lives.

Although the assessment center is an ideal method for the study of lives, it has been used for that purpose only in a few landmark investigations. One of these, the Management Progress Study, has evaluated participants in repeated assessment centers over a period of years. Data from that study include analysis of individual factors in managerial success; several of these are personality–motivational in nature (the EPPS, Guilford-Martin Inventory, California F Scale, TAT, and Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank). In addition, personality characteristics are strongly related to key managerial abilities. Recommendations made for enhancing the contribution of assessment centers to the study of lives include methodological improvements, new participant populations, and focusing on life roles other than occupational. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)