© 2013 by Nelson Education1 Selection II: Testing

© 2013 by Nelson Education 2 Chapter Learning Outcomes  After reading this chapter you should:  Have a good understanding of psychological tests and their use in selection  Know the advantages and disadvantages of using some of the more popular selection testing procedures, including personality and ability testing  Understand the importance and limitations of cognitive ability testing  Be able to understand the Five-Factor Model of Personality and its relationship to employment testing

© 2013 by Nelson Education 3  Be aware of controversial testing methods related to honesty or integrity, physical fitness, and drug use  Appreciate the potential of work samples, simulations, and assessment centres as selection procedures  Understand how both test validity and test utility can be used to evaluate testing effectiveness  Be aware of how job applicants may view the use of different employment tests Chapter Learning Outcomes (continued)

4  Psychological Testing:  a standardized procedure used to obtain an assessment of a person’s psychological construct  Use of tests  Employment testing  Testing Standards  Professional Guidelines  Code of Ethics  Who can test? Psychological Testing

5  Cautions:  Informed consent  Access to test results  Privacy and confidentiality  Language and culture  Disability Psychological Testing (continued)

© 2010 Nelson Education Ltd. 6  Abilities are general traits or characteristics on which people differ. – e.g. finger dexterity  Skill refers to an individual’s degree of proficiency or competency on a given task. – e.g. keyboarding at an angle  Aptitude is a specific, narrow ability or skill that may be used to predict job performance. – e.g. having an aptitude for keyboarding my relate to success in dispatching  Cognitive abilities refers to intelligence, general mental ability, or intellectual ability. – e.g. reasoning, memory, problem solving, etc. Ability & Aptitude Tests

© 2010 Nelson Education Ltd. 7  Multiple aptitude test batteries  Practical intelligence/job knowledge (Tacit knowledge)  Emotional intelligence  Psychomotor ability tests  Physical & Sensory/Perceptual ability tests Ability & Aptitude Tests (continued)

© 2013 by Nelson Education8 Personality Testing  The Big Five Personality Dimensions:  Conscientiousness  Emotional stability  Openness to experience  Agreeableness  Extroversion

© 2013 by Nelson Education 9  Psychomotor abilities: traits or characteristics that involve the control of muscle movements  Examples include:  finger dexterity  Multi-limb coordination  reaction time  arm-hand steadiness  manual dexterity Psychomotor Abilities

© 2013 by Nelson Education 10  Physical abilities: traits or characteristics that involve the use or application of muscle force over varying periods of time, either alone or in conjunction with an ability to maintain balance or gross body coordination  Sensory/perceptual abilities: traits or characteristics that involve different aspects of vision and audition, as well as the other senses Physical and Sensory/Perceptual Ability Tests

© 2013 by Nelson Education11  Physical fitness tests and Medical Examinations: ensure that an applicant meets minimum standards of health to cope with the physical demands of the job  Tests should be administered only after the applicant has been given an offer of employment  Offer of employment made conditional on the applicant’s passing the test or exam Physical Fitness and Medical Examinations

© 2013 by Nelson Education 12  Honesty/integrity testing: self-report inventories designed to assess employee honesty and reliability  Increasingly popular method of screening out potentially dishonest employees  Work Samples and Simulation Tests:  Tend to be used to assess skills and competencies  Require the job candidate to produce behaviours related to job performance under controlled conditions that approximate those found in the job Other Testing