Seniority and criterion measures of job proficiency.

"On the basis of an analysis of 47 studies involving measures of the job proficiency of 2,462 workers employed in 39 different occupations, the average correlation between seniority and job proficiency is .17 with a standard error of correlation of .02. The type of measure of job success influences the relation between seniority and job success… [and]… the influence of seniority increases with the skill level of the occupations sampled… with skilled occupation the influence appears to be large relative to the magnitude of validity coefficients commonly obtained and should be taken into account and controlled whenever possible." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The check list as a criterion of proficiency.

Four typical tasks were administered to a sample of 15 naval aviation structural mechanics, whose performances in process were rated on specially-constructed check lists by one or more examiners. The end-products were then independently ranked in over-all quality from best to worst by five experts. The median correlation (rho) between pairs of expert rankings was .89 and .95 for two of the tasks, and .29 and .37 for the other two. Three of the four median correlations between rankings of the end products were not significantly different from the correlations of the expert rankings with rankings of the scores obtained from the check lists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of job information as a criterion in employment decisions of interviewers.

Conducted 2 factorially designed experiments to investigate the extent to which job information was used by interviewers as a criterion for their decisions. In Exp I 48 experienced and 48 unexperienced job interviewers received identical job information. Applicant information was either relevant or irrelevant to the job information. Ss' judgments were based on composites of relevant and irrelevant information segments. Each of the segments was either favorable or unfavorable. Exp II replicated Exp I, except that the 48 Ss did not receive job information. Findings indicate extensive use of job information. Availability of such information reduced the effect of irrelevant attributes on decisions but did not eliminate it. Use of job information was not enhanced by experience in interviewing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Replicability as a publication criterion.

From time to time various suggestions have been made on how to reduce publication lag. It has been pointed out that raising the methodological standards by which articles are judged would help solve the lag problem and, at the same time, increase the quality of published articles. One particular methodological criterion which might help the present publication lag to disappear is that of replicability--requiring every author to satisfy the editor that his major results have been repeated before the article is considered for publication. Articles using replication designs which are not satisfactory to the editor could be given lowest publication priority. Articles with no attempt at replication would be rejected. There is good reason to anticipate that use of the repeatability criterion might do more than simply increase rejections and reduce publication lag. It seems likely that, under such a built-in reward system, more studies would be designed with replication in mind, the quality of replication (and generalization) designs would improve, and a great deal of overelaborate statistical analysis will disappear. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct revalidation of a forced-choice rating form.

A forced-choice rating form was revalidated by using a type of construct validation based on the hypothesis that a manager's effectiveness is reflected in the performance level of his subordinates. 11 plant managers were ranked on overall effectiveness by 3 independent judges, and the relationship between these rankings and the average performance report scores of 142 first-line supervisors in the respective plants was determined by analysis of variance and correlation techniques. Results showed a significant overall relationship between plant-manager rankings and production-supervisor scores on the forced-choice form (p = .005) and significant correlations on 2 of the 6 subscales, with the highest relationship apparent in the Human Relations area (p = .025). The findings support the hypothesis of a relationship between management effectiveness and subordinate performance, and provide evidence to indicate continued validity of the rating instrument. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of the Rorschach test as a diagnostic criterion.

In his American Psychologist article, Joseph Lerner (see record 1964-01189-001) kindly ascribed to me words which properly belong to Samuel J. Beck. Beck does refer to my Perceptanalysis (Piotrowski & Lewis, 1957), but not on the same page. His words express my past belief. At present my attitude is more complex. It changed after I checked some "blind" Rorschach diagnoses and clinical psychiatric diagnoses on the same patients (Piotrowski, 1950, p. 363), and read published reviews of the reliability and validity of clinical psychiatric diagnoses. These revealed that a considerable percentage of first admission patients, discharged as psychoneurotics, are rediagnosed as schizophrenics after a re-examination several years later. In fact, some schizophrenic conditions escape detection through clinical observations for as long as 10 years, despite intermittent clinical examinations. The Rorschach test definitely is highly sensitive to schizophrenia even though at times some remitted or much improved schizophrenics produce test records failing to give any indication of the psychosis, let alone of the past acute psychotic episodes Lerner stated that "the Rorschach alone is of little assistance unless it is an integral part of the total evaluation." Well, if the Rorschach is never used as an independent diagnostic criterion, we shall never know how good or bad a diagnostic criterion it is. Using it as a part source of information, is to contaminate it (that is why "blind" diagnoses are important). The second point is: It seems advisable to follow the rule that if clinical observations or the Rorschach test--or both--suggest schizophrenia, this diagnosis is likely to be valid. This rule is compatible with Lerner's conclusion that an evaluation based on all available sources of information is better than one which utilizes only one diagnostic criterion, be it test, anamnesis, or clinical examination. To be certain that the Rorschach test is a dependable diagnostic criterion in neuropsychiatry we must have first highly reliable diagnostic test procedures. A digital computer program of Rorschach interpretation, including numerous diagnostic formulae, has been written to achieve objective and perfectly reliable application of the diagnostic test rules to individual cases. The computer program will be submitted to a stringent test of validity. We shall then be in possession of a test which will yield independent and uncontaminated diagnoses. These, in turn, will be available for use independently or as part of a "total evaluation." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

SVIB as a predictor of job satisfaction.

A study was made of 185 graduates of professional curricula to test the hypothesis that job satisfaction in a certain occupation is related to congruent or appropriate interests in that occupation. Occupations represented were medicine, law, dentistry, mechanical engineering, accounting, and journalism. Ss were contacted by mail and asked to fill out 3 job satisfaction blanks and the SVIB. 12th grade SVIB scores were also available for each S. Only 1 of 56 relationships between interests and job satisfaction scores was significantly different from 0. The lack of relationships was true for both earlier and current testing of interests and for all 3 job satisfaction blanks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patient collaboration as a criterion for the therapeutic alliance.

In this article we show that a focus on patient collaboration, as a marker for the therapeutic alliance, is advantageous not only for theory and research but also for clinical practice. This point of view in no way minimizes the importance of the therapist's activity or the clinical significance of the interaction between patient and therapist. Rather, it focuses attention on how the therapist's personality, skill, and technique interact with the problems the patient brings to psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Salary growth as a criterion of career progress.

As a possible improvement on absolute salary as a criterion, the authors computed the annual percentage growth of the salaries of 143 engineering graduates employed in industry. Although 1st-year salaries increased markedly from 1950 to 1955, and 1957 salaries varied with years of service, the growth rates were homogeneous. The rates for different professional groups were different 1st-year salary and salary growth were unrelated. Growth was related to academic grades, but absolute salary unexpectedly had a stronger relationship. Salary growth has some useful properties, but it is not uniformly applicable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Falsification of the forced-choice guilt inventory.

Administered D. Mosher's Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory (FCGI) to 70 male adjudicated delinquents. All Ss took the test under standard instructions and then under "fake bad" and "fake good" instructions. Results were significantly different under the 3 conditions. Ss had high guilt scores under the good condition and low scores under the bad. Standard condition scores were not highly related to the other scores. The difference in scores in the bad and good conditions was significantly related to IQ, indicating that only brighter Ss could fake successfully on the test. It is concluded that the FCGI is a useful research tool, but that caution must be exercised in evaluation when used as a diagnostic tool. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two-step acquisition: Modification of an internal clock's criterion.

10 male albino Norway rats were trained on a discrete-trial peak procedure in which food, if available, occurred following the 1st response after a signal had been present for 10 sec. 10 other Ss were trained on the same procedure with a 20-sec criterion. When the time of reinforcement was reversed between groups, Ss adjusted their temporal criterion in 2 abrupt steps. During the intermediate state of the 3-step function, Ss used a temporal criterion that was near the geometric mean of the initial and terminal times of reinforcement. It is concluded that the intermediate transition state reflects an internal structure in the animal's information processing system not readily accounted for by stimulus–response models of behavior. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Language proficiency as a moderator variable in testing academic aptitude.

Students from 3 public (n?=?225) and 3 private schools (n?=?186) in Puerto Rico took the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Prueba de Aptitud Académica (PAA), Pruebas de Aprovechamiento Académico, and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The strength of the relationship between scores on the SAT given in English and on the PAA given in Spanish increased as proficiency in English as a 2nd language increased. It is concluded that scores on tests of student proficiency in English as a 2nd language, such as the TOEFL for an international population or the English as a Second Language Achievement Test for a Hispanic population, not only indicate readiness for academic study in English but may also bear on the interpretation and use of other tests given in English. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of the forced-choice rating scale technique.

Forced-choice (FC) rating scales came about because of dissatisfaction with conventional scales. Reliabilities and validities of FC methods compare favorably with other methods. Studies on the FC method show this scale is more resistant than other scales to effects of bias. Formats using 4 favorable items, from which the rater chooses the items most characteristic of the person rated, prove superior to other formats. This superiority appears in validities, reliabilities, and preferences of raters using the form. Conditions under which statement indices are obtained should be as similar as possible to conditions under which the final scale will be administered. Combining FC scores with other scale scores yields better results than using either instrument alone. Ample evidence exists that more research can fruitfully be done in the area. (54 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a forced-choice rating scale for engineer evaluation.

A technique alternative to the conventional ratings of engineers by their supervisors was studied. A 20-triad forced-choice rating scale was constructed. 33 engineers were rated by their supervisors using this device. The reliability of these ratings was .90. An item analysis showed 19 of the 20 triads to have strong discriminating power between high and low scorers. The same Ss were also rated in 8 different areas on a 4-point scale. The reliability of the 2nd rating scale was .87. The 2 scales correlated .73 with each other. These findings support previous research concerned with the more general applicability of the forced-choice technique for the determination of criterion scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Procedural justice as a criterion in allocation decisions.

336 undergraduates considered allocations made within 16 representative types of interpersonal relationships that varied with regard to social-emotional or task basis, cooperative or competitive style of interaction, causal or rule-directed behavior, and power distribution. Ss also rated the importance of 8 allocation criteria, such as objectivity and practicality, and of 6 criteria for judging procedural fairness, such as consistency and correctability. Results suggest that procedural justice was a more important criterion in decisions concerning resource allocations than were a variety of nonfairness criteria and that it was equal in importance to distributive justice. The meaning of procedural justice in allocations and the relation of procedural justice concerns to social allocation goals are explored. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Occupational group as a moderator of the job satisfaction-job performance relationship.

In a study of 2 occupational groups at small scientific stations in Antarctica, the motivations of 129 Navy enlished men who volunteer were less related to their specific jobs in the Antarctic than those of 66 civilian scientists. Results confirm the hypothesis that occupational group is a moderator of the job satisfaction-job performance relationship, and that the relationship is more pronounced for the scientist group than for the Navy enlisted group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Artifactual reliability of forced-choice scales.

The possibility of artifactual reliability of multiple scales embedded in a single forced-choice instrument was examined. It was demonstrated that, by introducing one perfectly reliable scale in an instrument when responses to all of the remaining scales were random, considerable internal consistency reliability was generated in the remaining scales. The findings cast doubt on the advisability of the practice of making construct-oriented interpretations of ipsative scores from multiple-scale instruments. Alternative procedures for obtaining the reliability estimates necessary for demonstration of construct validity of the scales are recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)