Effect of work sample test upon self-selection and turnover of job applicants.

Hypothesized that job applicants who were administered a pre-employment work sample test and who, consequently, had a more accurate expectancy about task requirements would have a higher job refusal rate and a lower voluntary turnover rate than applicants not administered the work sample test. Ss were 67 white and 93 black female applicants for the job of sewing machine operator. Some support for the hypotheses was found for white Ss but not for black Ss. Racial differences are explained in terms of the differential importance of factors in the work situation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of individual differences in mail-coding skills and their variation with ability level.

Personality and cognitive predictors of mail coding were investigated in 2 samples, 1 of high coding ability (N?=?56) and 1 of mixed ability (N?=?158). Two approaches to predicting correlates of skill within groups of differing ability were compared: P. L. Ackerman's (1988) ability theory and D. A. Norman and T. Shallice's (1985) account of levels of action control. The predictors of mail-coding skill varied with ability: Personality variables were more predictive among higher ability Ss, and cognitive measures were more predictive among lower ability Ss. Implications of the findings for theories of individual differences in skill are discussed. There were 2 main practical conclusions. First, the measures used were more predictive than a standard psychometric selection test. Second, correlates of skill may be different among unselected job applicants and among the subset of applicants hired for subsequent operational training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methods of communication and mediating processes in realistic job previews.

Assigned 164 bank teller applicants (mean age 22 yrs) who were offered jobs to 1 of 3 experimental groups to investigate the effectiveness of presenting realistic job previews. Ss in Group 1 received a job preview from an incumbent teller; Ss in Group 2 received a job preview brochure; Ss in Group 3 served as controls. Substantially fewer Ss in Group 1 left the job 2–3 mo later than did Ss in the other groups. There were no significant differences in job outcome between Ss in Groups 2 and 3. There was also no support for self-selection and commitment to choice as mediating processes. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of recruiter authoritarianism and applicant sex on evaluation and selection decisions in a recruitment interview analogue study.

Investigated the role of authoritarianism in Ss' judgments of male and female candidates in a job selection interview. Male and female personnel officers were randomly selected from a pool of 144 volunteers (males' ages 23–58 yrs, females' 21–50 yrs) and were assigned on the basis of Revised California F Scale scores to high, moderate, and low authoritarian groups, until 14 males and 14 females constituted each group. It was hypothesized that high authoritarian Ss of both sexes (a) would rate male job applicants more favorably than females when they were presented in simulated videotaped recruitment interviews and (b) would subsequently make more job offers to male than female job applicants. Results support both hypotheses and indicate the usefulness of extending this approach to other aspects of the employment setting and to other nonemployment settings, such as vocational counseling. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of spatial organization in prose learning.

In Exp I, 40 undergraduates either did or did not create a map-like representation while learning a passage. Learners who generated a map exhibited significantly greater retention than did control Ss. In Exp II, 120 undergraduates were either forced to study the map, instructed to study, or given no map prior to reading. Learners who were forced to process performed significantly better than other groups on retention measures. Ss not forced to study performed no better than the control group who received no map. Free-recall data showed that forced map study benefited learners with low vocabulary scores more than Ss with higher vocabulary scores. This was not true for multiple-choice or constructed response measures. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Faking behavior and gender differences on a new personality research instrument.

Faking behavior was studied by comparing the personality profiles of 161 job applicants (motivated to be hired) with those of a control group of 73 graduate and undergraduate business students (motivated to obtain personal information for their own enlightenment). 44% of the Ss were female. Both groups were instructed to describe themselves honestly while completing the Self-Perception Test. Applicants did "fake good," scoring significantly higher on 10 of 11 scales; variance was significantly lower among applicants on 7 scales. Gender differences, consistent with cultural stereotypes, occurred on 5 scales. Overall profile shapes were virtually identical for student and applicant groups, suggesting that faking may not have dramatically altered the essence of the personality constructs. The scales of the test were found to have high reliability. Scale independence is discussed in relation to the 5-factor model of personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Awareness of crime-relevant information and the Guilty Knowledge Test.

The effects of awareness of crime-relevant information on the detection of deception with the Guilty Knowledge Test were examined. Student Ss were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: a guilty group, members of which committed a mock crime; an innocent group aware of details about the crime; or an innocent group unaware of such information. After following instructions, Ss were tested on the polygraph with a 10-item Guilty Knowledge Test and were offered $20 for an innocent test outcome. Skin resistance response scores of guilty Ss lying about crime-relevant information were higher than the scores of innocent informed Ss, whose scores in turn were higher than those of innocent unaware Ss. This replicated findings of an earlier study in which similar procedures were used and supported the view that Ss aware of crime-relevant information can appear less deceptive than Ss lying about crime-relevant information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Realistic job previews: A test of the adverse self-selection hypothesis.

The realistic job preview (RJP) literature has focused more on posthire outcomes such as employee retention than on prehire outcomes such as applicant attraction and job choice behavior. This study extends the RJP literature by focusing on 2 important issues related to applicant attraction: (a) the weight applicants place on negative information in relation to other variables such as pay level and promotional opportunity and (b) whether the "best" applicants react differently to negative information than do other applicants (adverse self-selection). Results indicate that applicants place a fairly high negative weight on negative job information, relative to other vacancy characteristics. The results regarding adverse self-selection are less clear but suggest that the highest quality applicants may be less willing to pursue jobs for which negative information has been presented, especially when doing so imposes opportunity costs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A policy-capturing approach to individual decision-making: A demonstration using professors' judgements of the acceptability of psychology graduate school applicants.

Examined the policy-capturing approach of individual decision making, by studying the decision making policies of 19 university professors (aged 28–63 yrs). Ss were given 60 profiles of hypothetical applicants to graduate school. Each profile contained the applicant's Graduate Record Examination verbal and quantitative scores, grade point average over their last 15 courses, grade in a full-year statistics course, and the aggregated percentile. Ss rated the applicants with regard to the probability that they would accept them into graduate school. Results show that the Ss were generally consistent in how they used the various pieces of cue information to arrive at a final judgment, demonstrating high levels of reliability. Some Ss employed complex policies when forming their judgments. There were no individual difference variables accounting for significant variance in a variety of criterion variables. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening employment applicants for attitudes toward theft.

Describes the Reid Report, a 3-part instrument (scoreable attitudes-toward-theft inventory, biographical data blank, admissions list of past delinquencies) designed to predict the likelihood that an employment applicant will steal from his employer. For a sample of 254 employment applicants, Reid Report evaluations were correlated with evaluations based on polygraph interviews. For each device the evaluation alternatives were: recommeded for hire, qualified recommendation, not recommended. Chi-square for the 3 * 3 table was 45.15 (p     

Gender, age, and race differences on overt integrity tests: Results across four large-scale job applicant datasets.

Group differences on overt integrity tests were examined. Gender, age, and race differences were investigated using 724,806 job applicants. Women scored higher on overt integrity tests than men. There were very small differences between older job applicants (40 years old and older) and younger job applicants (younger than 40). No appreciable age-gender interactions were detected. Race differences were examined by comparing mean scores of Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians with those of Whites and were found to be trivial. Implications for adverse impact, test construction, and personality measurement are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between variety of work experience and personality.

Compared Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI) scores and a measure of the variety of precollege work experience (Student Profile Report of the American College Test) for 1,330 male and 1,046 female undergraduates. Ss (separated by sex) were randomly selected in groups of 100 each from populations divided into below average, average, and above average work experience. Ss with above average work experience had higher OPI scores on Thinking Introversion and Social Extraversion than Ss with average or below average work scores. Ss with many work experiences had higher scores on Complexity and Impulse Expression and lower scores on Masculinity-Femininity than those Ss with few or average work experiences. There were no sex differences. Findings are interpreted as operationally defining the "work personality." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-administered relaxation training and money deposits in the treatment of recurrent anxiety.

Evaluated 2 self-administered relaxation manuals and a money deposit in the treatment of recurrent, nonphobic anxiety in 61 18–44 yr old Ss from a college population. Ss were randomly assigned to a self-monitoring-only control group or 1 of 4 active treatment conditions. Ss in active conditions received a progressive relaxation manual or a manual that called for the client to devise his or her own relaxation method and were assigned to deposit or nondeposit conditions. Improvement did not differ for the 2 relaxation procedures, but relaxation training groups improved significantly more than self-monitoring-only Ss on both self-report questionnaires and self-monitored measures of anxiety. The deposit did not produce greater amounts of relaxation practice or adherence to the program, although Ss in this condition reported being more relaxed in practice sessions and improved more on 2 pre–post measures of anxiety (including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). Ss' locus of control scores (Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale) were significantly related to a number of practice, adherence, and outcome variables, but Ss' ratings of the likelihood that they would practice and benefit from the program proved to be as good predictors. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of extrinsic incentives on use of test anxiety as an anticipatory attributional defense: Playing it cool when the stakes are high.

Assessed the effect of extrinsic incentives on the use of test anxiety as a self-handicapping strategy. It was hypothesized that although reports of anxiety may be greater when such symptoms can serve a defensive function, this effect occurs only when extrinsic incentives are low and not under conditions of high extrinsic incentive. 84 male undergraduates anticipated taking a test of intellectual abilities and either were led to believe that test anxiety has no effect on test performance or were given no particular information about the relation between test anxiety and performance. Ss were offered either $5 or $25 for obtaining the highest score on the test. Consistent with predictions, no-information Ss reported greater test anxiety before the test than did those who believed that test anxiety was unrelated to performance, but only when the extrinsic incentive for performance was low. However, these Ss did not report greater cognitive interference or exhibit lower test scores than did Ss in other conditions. It is suggested that the defensive strategy used by these Ss consisted of altering perceptions of anxiety, rather than anxiety itself. Implications of the absence of self-handicapping under high incentive conditions are discussed. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transfer of assertion-training effects to roommates of program participants.

Investigated the effects of assertion training (AT) on 36 college freshmen and on the behavior of 33 roommates who did not themselves receive AT. Ss, each of whom shared a dormitory room with a roommate, were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: an AT group, a discussion-oriented group, or a no-treatment control group. Covariance analysis of posttreatment measures of assertiveness (College Self-Expression Scale, Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, Social Avoidance and Distress Scale) revealed that the AT group, but not the discussion group, was significantly more assertive than the control group. The AT group, but not the discussion group, was also significantly less socially anxious than the control group. Roommates of Ss who received AT obtained significantly higher assertiveness scores than roommates of Ss in either of the other 2 groups. Possible mechanisms for the generalization of the effects of AT to roommates and clinical implications are discussed. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of dimensional relevance on accuracy of simulated hiring decisions by employment interviewers.

Presented to 52 experienced employment interviewers (32 male and 20 female) videotaped simulated interviews with 2 applicants (APs) who were differentially qualified for 2 jobs. APs' qualifications and job requirements were manipulated to produce a match or mismatch between each AP and the 2 jobs. However, APs were about average in overall qualifications and were not significantly different in favorability. In a repeated measures design, half the Ss rated the APs on specific job dimensions relevant to the critical behaviors involved in the jobs, while the remaining Ss rated the APs on general job dimensions. Both rating procedures emphasized work behaviors but differed in the relevance of the work behaviors for the jobs under consideration. Results show that Ss who rated on the specific and relevant dimensions accurately discriminated between the more qualified and less qualified AP, whereas Ss who rated on the general job dimensions were not able to discriminate accurately between the 2 APs. There was also a trend for greater agreement among Ss who rated along specific job dimensions. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive-behavioral prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

Assigned 36 high school sophomores to a no-training control condition or to a small group training condition in which Ss received contraceptive information, steps for solving problems, and practice in communicating decisions about sexual behavior. Compared with controls, trained Ss had more positive posttest scores on measures of sexual knowledge, interpersonal problem solving, and in vivo performance. At a 6-mo follow-up, Ss who participated in training groups had better attitudes toward family planning and were practicing more effective contraception than were controls. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship of style difficulty, practice, and ability to efficiency of reading and to retention.

Two groups of Ss, one of high and one of low mechanical ability, read a technical passage before an eye-movement camera. An "easy" style and a "hard" style passage were used, and Ss read the passage once or three times. Reading efficiency measures collected were words read per second and per fixation; retention measures were scores on modified recall and word recognition tests. The high ability group scored better on all measures than the low ability group; three readings yielded superior scores on the retention measures; and the "easy" style gave higher scores on the reading efficiency and modified recall measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensionality of internal-external locus of control: Some additional data bearing on the validity of self-control as a third dimension.

Used hierarchical factor analysis to test the D. W. Reid and E. E. Ware (see record 1974-32481-001) hypothesis that in addition to social system control (SSC) and fatalism, self-control represents a dimension of the J. B. Rotter (see record 2011-19211-001) construct of internal vs external locus of reinforcement control. The Reid and Ware 32-item forced choice internal-external questionnaire was administered to 107 undergraduates and 779 high school students. Results reveal that both high school and university Ss differentiated 3 scales (thereby replicating the Reid-Ware analysis), but for the university Ss, self-control was a dimension of a different kind from fatalism and SSC. All 3 scales were related to a more generalized control expectancy for the high school sample. A social learning interpretation is given to explain differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A pilot investigation of a behavioral weight control program with mentally retarded adolescents and adults: Effects on weight, fitness, and knowledge of nutritional and behavioral principles.

Examined the long- and short-term effects of a behavioral weight control program for 10 mentally retarded Ss (mean age 22.7 yrs, mean IQ 52.5) that incorporated teaching about diet, emphasizing exercise, using positive reinforcement, providing periodic weighings, involving parents and group home leaders, and teaching skills to encourage continuing or maintaining weight loss after the end of the program. Weight loss, changes in knowledge of behavioral and nutritional principles, and measures of aerobic fitness and body size were assessed using a nutrition and self-management test. Results indicate significant changes on all measures but arm girth for all Ss at the end of the program, but weight losses were no longer significant at 1-yr follow-up. Ss who were withdrawn from the program by their group home managers showed significant weight gains over the year. Ss' IQ scores were significantly correlated with posttest and follow-up weight losses, and those residing with parents rather than in group homes tended to remain in the program and to lose weight. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)