Organization of information in memory and the performance appraisal process: Evidence from the field.

No studies dealing with cognitive processes in performance appraisal have been conducted in field settings, raising questions about the usefulness of this research for practice. The field experiments described here, conducted in 2 organizations, were designed to evaluate interventions that laboratory research has suggested enable raters to better organize performance information in memory: structured diary keeping and structured recall. After these interventions, raters had more positive reactions to the appraisal process, were better able to recall performance information, and produced ratings that were less elevated and better able to discriminate between and within ratees. The implications of these results for practice and for cognitive research in performance appraisal are discussed, along with the limitations of these studies and the problems with criteria for evaluating ratings in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Further investigation of common knowledge effects on job analysis ratings.

Previous research (Smith & Hakel, 1979) raised the possibility that the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) only captures common knowledge, or stereotypes, about jobs. Cornelius, DeNisi, and Blencoe (1984) presented data to refute this, but found that the number of PAQ items rated does not apply (DNA) was related to the agreement between naive raters and expert raters. The present study used data from 87 analysts and 24 jobs. Naive ratings were those obtained from analysts who had not studied the job, whereas expert ratings were those obtained from raters who had observed the job, interviewed incumbents, and written task statements describing the job. These ratings were then compared to target-score profiles obtained from PAQ services. Results confirmed earlier hypotheses that large numbers of DNA items artifactually inflate correlational estimates of agreement between expert and naive raters. In addition to this artifact, results also supported the view that the PAQ is less appropriate as a job analysis tool for some types of jobs. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Task dimensions as moderators of the effects of instrumental leadership: A two-sample replicated test of path–goal leadership theory.

The path–goal theory of leadership has been criticized as being incapable of generating meaningful predictions and as having little empirical support; the present study addressed both criticisms. Three nonobvious predictions were generated from the theory concerning the moderating effects of 3 task dimensions on the relationship between instrumental leader behavior and subordinate satisfaction with supervision. It was hypothesized that task variety would be a positive moderator of the leadership/satisfaction relationship, whereas task feedback and opportunity to deal with others would be negative moderators. Data were collected by standard survey questionnaire measures in 2 field samples: 205 manufacturing employees (mean age 38.9 yrs) and 110 bank employees (mean age 32.7 yrs). Two of the hypotheses were supported in both samples (those concerned with variety and dealing with others), and one was supported in the manufacturer only (the feedback hypothesis). (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of ratee's disability on performance judgments and choice as partner: The role of disability–job fit stereotypes and interdependence of rewards.

An experiment assessed the impact of disability job fit stereotypes and reward interdependence on personnel judgments about persons with disabilities. Students (N?=?87) evaluated 3 confederates. The experiment varied disability of the target confederate (dyslexia vs. nondisabled ), task, and dependence of rater rewards on partner performance. Two disability-task combinations represented stereotypical poor fit and good fit. Dependent variables were performance evaluations, performance expectations, and ranking of target as a partner. There was negative bias against the confederate with dyslexia in poor-fit conditions. In the interdependent reward condition, there was a negative main effect for disability, regardless of fit. No effects for disability were found on performance ratings or expectations. Results indicate the need to consider disability-job fit stereotypes and consequences to raters when assessing the impact of disability on personnel judgments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of performance feedback from behaviorally anchored rating scales.

Compared a behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) developed according to the procedure of H. Bernardin et al (see record 1976-08614-001) with a summated rating scale. Using both scale formats (designed to evaluate teaching effectiveness), 859 undergraduates rated 32 instructors during spring classes, and 314 undergraduates rated 19 instructors during summer classes. Students rated instructors halfway through the course and at its end. Instructors received feedback from the 1st rating period on either the BARS (including written behavioral observations) or on the summated rating format. Analyses of covariance revealed no format effect on the performance ratings obtained during the 2nd rating period in the spring experiment. BARS feedback, however, produced greater behavioral change among instructors than did feedback from the alternative format used during the summer experiment. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organization of information used for performance appraisals: Role of diary-keeping.

We designed a laboratory study (N?=?63) to test a series of hypotheses concerning diary-keeping derived from a social-cognitive view of the performance appraisal process. Raters who were given unorganized performance information were expected to store it in memory in patterns consistent with those used to organize diaries. Results supported this hypothesis. Moreover, raters preferred to organize diaries according to ratees, and diaries organized in this way resulted in more accurate recall and performance ratings. This effect held even though raters consulted diaries when making ratings. These results provide support for a cognitive role for diaries, such that they allow raters to impose organization on unorganized information. We discuss implications for research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Initial decisions and subsequent performance ratings.

Examined how information initially encountered for one decision was later used for evaluating ratee performance. 101 undergraduates viewed videotaped performances of 4 male carpenters performing 4 tasks. Half of the Ss were instructed to view the performance with the intent of rating the deservedness of each worker for outside contracting work; the other half were asked to designate the one best worker for this work. Two days later, 70 of the 101 Ss were asked to rate (from memory) each worker's performance. Findings indicate that raters initially designating one worker for a positive outcome rated all workers higher than raters making initial deservedness ratings. This elevation in ratings, which occurred for both subsequent overall evaluations and task ratings, may have reflected both the tendency to inflate ratings given the individual receiving the initial treatment and leniency toward the other ratees for whom representations of ability may not have been well established or remembered. Overall delayed performance ratings were influenced by these initial contextual factors. Results suggest that the pattern in which information is presented to raters and the nature of previous decisions may affect memory-based performance ratings. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A closer look at interpersonal affect as a distinct influence on cognitive processing in performance evaluations.

To date, cognitive and affective influences on performance evaluations have been addressed separately, although it is likely that affect may influence ratings indirectly through its impact on the cognitive processing involved in the evaluation. 83 management students participated in a study of the influence of affect on the cognitive processing of performance information. Results suggest that an affect-consistency bias influences ratings even though the cognitive processes that require some judgment indicated a bias toward both affect-consistent and affect-inconsistent performance. Additional findings suggest that the practical utility of affect as something distinct from past performance perceptions may be limited in field settings. Job-related affect, past performance perceptions, and social affect had similar influences on the cognitive process and ratings in performance evaluations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Investigation of the uses of self-reports of abilities.

Investigated whether self-ratings of ability can be used as substitutes for ability tests in an industrial setting. 114 undergraduates first completed a questionnaire asking them to rate themselves on 10 ability areas. The Ss were then given a battery of tests designed to test these same ability areas. Tests included the Employee Aptitude Survey Test of Visual Pursuit and Manual Speed and Accuracy, the Revised Minnesota Paper Forms Board Test, Personnel Tests for Industry—Verbal and Numerical, the Otis Self-Administering Tests of Mental Ability, and the Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test. In addition, the potential moderator effects of sex, general intelligence, self-esteem, and social desirability were investigated. Correlations between self-rated and tested abilities, although generally significant, were too small to have any practical significance. The self-ratings were also unable to diffentiate between those who would score high and low on the ability tests, even for extreme self-rated groups. No moderator effects were found. It is concluded that self-reports of ability could not substitute for ability tests. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory.

Since the beginning of the century, feedback interventions (FIs) produced negative--but largely ignored--effects on performance. A meta-analysis (607 effect sizes; 23,663 observations) suggests that FIs improved performance on average ( d ?=?.41) but that over one-third of the FIs decreased performance. This finding cannot be explained by sampling error, feedback sign, or existing theories. The authors proposed a preliminary FI theory (FIT) and tested it with moderator analyses. The central assumption of FIT is that FIs change the locus of attention among 3 general and hierarchically organized levels of control: task learning, task motivation, and meta-tasks (including self-related) processes. The results suggest that FI effectiveness decreases as attention moves up the hierarchy closer to the self and away from the task. These findings are further moderated by task characteristics that are still poorly understood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)