CHAPTER 1: Introduction to I/O Psychology 1913, Hugo Munsterberg publishes Psychology and Industrial Efficiency

(German version published in 1910).

 Industrial/organizational psychology - is a branch of psychology The term “industrial psychology” was seldom used prior to World War I. Instead, the
that applies the principles of psychology to the workplace. common terms for the field were “economic psychology,” “business psychology,” and
“To enhance the dignity and performance of human beings, and the organizations they work “employment psychology” (Koppes & Pickren, 2007).
in, by advancing the science and knowledge of human behavior” (Rucci, 2008).
1917, Journal of Applied Psychology first published
Principles of learning are used to develop training programs and incentive plans,
principles of social psychology are used to form work groups and understand 1918, World War I provides I/O psychologists with the first opportunity for large-
employee conflict, and principles of motivation and emotion are used to motivate scale employee testing and selection. (Army Alpha, for literate & Army Beta, for
and satisfy employees. those who can’t read)

John Watson, who is better known as a pioneer in behaviorism, served as a major in the
 Major Fields of I/O Psychology U.S. Army in World War I and developed perceptual and motor tests for potential
pilots.
The industrial approach focuses on determining the competencies
needed to perform a job, staffing the organization with employees who have those Henry Gantt, were responsible for increasing the efficiency with which cargo ships
competencies, and increasing those competencies through training. were built, repaired, and loaded

The organizational approach creates an organizational structure and Thomas A. Edison created a 150-item knowledge test that he administered to over
culture that will motivate employees to perform well, give them with the 900 applicants.
necessary information to do their jobs, and provide working conditions that are
safe and result in an enjoyable and satisfying work environment. Frank Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth , one of the pioneer scientists to improve
productivity and reduce fatigue by studying the motions used by workers.
Personnel psychology, deals with analyzing jobs, recruiting
1921, First Ph.D. in I/O psychology awarded to Bruce Moore and Merrill Ream at
applicants, selecting employees, determining salary levels, training Carnegie Tech
employees, and evaluating employee performance.
1932, First I/O text written by Morris Viteles
Organizational psychology are concerned with the issues of
leadership, job satisfaction, employee motivation, organizational 1933, Hawthorne studies were published, conducted at the Hawthorne
communication, conflict management, organizational change, and group plant of the Western Electric Company in the Chicago area,
processes within an organization. demonstrated that the interpersonal interactions between
managers and employees played a tremendous role in employee
Human Factors/Ergonomics concentrate on workplace design,
behaviour. It was initially designed to investigate such issues as the
human-machine interaction, ergonomics, and physical fatigue and stress.
effects of lighting levels, work schedules, wages, temperature, and rest
 Brief History of I/O Psychology breaks on employee performance. Employees changed their
behaviour and became more productive because they were being
In 1903, Walter Dill Scott wrote The Theory of Advertising, in which studied and received attention from their managers (Hawthorne
psychology was first applied to business. In 1911, he published Increasing effect.)
Human Efficiency in Business.
1937, American Association for Applied Psychology established
1945, Society for Industrial and Business Psychology established as Division 14 of
 Considerations in Conducting Research
APA with 130 members
1951, Marion Bills elected as first woman president of Division 14 1. Ideas, Hypothesis, Theories
1960, Division 14 renamed as Society for Industrial Psychology, membership
a) Idea (What to research)
exceeds 700
b) Hypothesis (Prediction)
1963, Equal Pay Act passed c) Theory (Previous research/logic)
2. Literature Reviews
1964, Civil Rights Act passed. First issue of The Industrial- Organizational
a) Journals consist of articles written by researchers directly reporting the
Psychologist (TIP) published
results of a study.
1970, Division 14 membership exceeds 1,100 b) Bridge publications are usually written by professors about a topic of
interest to practitioners, but they are not as formal or statistically complex
1971, B.F. Skinner publishes Beyond Freedom and Dignity as articles in journals.
c) Trade magazines contain articles usually written by professional writers
1980, Division 14 membership exceeds 1,800 who have developed expertise in a given field.
1982, Division 14 renamed Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
3. The Location of the Study
(SIOP)
a) Laboratory Research - low external validity, or generalizability
1986, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) holds first annual b) Field Research - Low on internal validity. Psychologists require that subjects
national conference separate from APA meeting participate in studies of their own free will—a concept called informed
consent.
1989, Supreme Court sets conservative trend and becomes more “employer 4. The Research Method to Be Used
friendly” a) Experiments - cause-and-effect relationships.
1990, Americans with Disabilities Act passed. SIOP membership exceeds 2,500 Two characteristics define an experiment:
(1) Manipulation of one or more independent variables
1991, Civil Rights Act of 1991 passed to overcome 1989 conservative Supreme and
Court decisions (2) Random Assignment of subjects to experimental and control
conditions.
1997, SIOP celebrates golden anniversary at its annual conference in St. Louis
In an experiment, the researcher intentionally manipulates one or more aspects of the
2000, SIOP membership exceeds 3,600 question of interest, called the independent variable, and measures the changes that
occur as a result of that manipulation, called the dependent variable.
2005, OFCCP and EEOC become more aggressive in fighting systemic discrimination
Those who received training are called experimental group, and those who did not
collectively called the control group.
Research in I/O Psychology b) Quasi-experiments. Often used to evaluate the results of a new program
implemented by an organization. No random assignment.
Why Conduct Research?
c) Archival Research. Involves using previously collected data or records to
1. Answering Questions and Making Decisions answer a research question.
2. Research and Everyday Life. Understanding research helps you to critically d) Surveys. Ask people their opinion on some topic.
listen and analyze results of these studies to make more intelligent decisions. e) Meta-analysis is a statistical method of reaching conclusions based on
3. Common Sense Is Often Wrong previous research.
 A meta- analysis results in one number, called the mean effect size, which indicates CHAPTER 2: Job Analysis and Evaluation Job Analysis
the effectiveness of some variable. Correlation coefficients (r) are used for
relationship between two variables. A difference score (d) is used for difference
Job Analysis—gathering, analyzing, and
between two groups.
structuring information about a job’s components, characteristics, and
5. Subject Samples
requirements (Sanchez & Levine, 2000).
a) Random sample
b) convenience sample
Importance of Job Analysis
Random assignment is important when using convenience samples, as research
indicates that random and nonrandom assignment result in different outcomes 1. Writing Job Descriptions. A brief, two- to five- page summary of the
(Shadish & Ragsdale, 1996). tasks and job requirements found in the job analysis.

6. Running the Study. To ensure that data are collected in an unbiased In other words, the job analysis is the process of determining the work activities and
fashion, it is important that all instructions to the subjects be stated requirements, and the job description is the written result of the job analysis.
in a standardized fashion and at a level that is understandable.
2. Employee Selection. By identifying requirements, it is possible to
a) Debrief. Be told the purpose of the experiment and be given a chance
select tests or develop interview questions that will determine
to ask questions about her participation.
whether a particular applicant possesses the requirements of the job.
7. Statistical Analysis. After all data have been collected, the results are
3. Training. Job analyses yield lists of job activities that can be
statistically analyzed.
systematically used to create training programs.
a) Intervening variable. A hypothetical variable used to explain causal
links between other variables.
4. Personpower Planning. One important but seldom employed use of
job analysis is to determine worker mobility within an organization.
 Ethics in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Peter Principle: promoting employees until they eventually reach their highest level
Ethical dilemmas are ambiguous situations that require a of incompetence
personal judgment of what is right or wrong because there are no rules,
policies, or laws guiding such decisions. Individuals often rely on their 5. Performance Appraisal
morals and personal values, which often leads to different decisions by
different people in similar situations. 6. Job Classification. Job analysis enables a human resources
professional to classify jobs into groups based on similarities in
In life, we often encounter two types of ethical dilemmas: Type A and Type B. requirements and duties.
In a Type A dilemma, there is a high level of uncertainty as to what is
Job classification is useful for determining pay levels, transfers, and promotions.
right or wrong, there appears to be no best solution, and there are both positive
and negative consequences to a decision.
7. Job Evaluation Job analysis information can also be used to
In a Type B dilemma, also called rationalizing dilemmas. Usually,
determine the worth of a job.
individuals know what is right but choose the solution that is most advantageous to
them.
8. Job Design. Can be used to determine the optimal way in which a job
should be performed.
9. Compliance with Legal Guidelines. Any employment decision must
be based on job related information.
 10. Organizational Analysis. During the course of their work, job  Preparing for a Job Analysis
analysts often become aware of certain problems within an
organization. Who Will Conduct the Analysis?
Typically, a job analysis is conducted by a trained individual in the
For example, during a job analysis interview, an employee may indicate that she does human resources department, but it can also be conducted by job
not know how she is evaluated or to whom she is supposed to report. The discovery
incumbents, supervisors, or outside consultants.
of such lapses in organizational communication can then be used to correct problems
and help an organization function better.
How Often Should a Job Description Be Updated?
 Writing a Good Job Description The typical answer is that a job description should be updated if a
job changes significantly.
1. Job Title. If the job title indicates the true nature of the job, potential An interesting reason that job descriptions change across time is job crafting –the
applicants for a position will be better able to determine whether their informal changes that employees make in their jobs (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001).
skills and experience match those required for the job.
Which Employees Should Participate?
2. Brief Summary. The summary need be only a paragraph in length but In a committee-based job analysis, a group of subject matter
should briefly describe the nature and purpose of the job. experts (e.g., employees, supervisors) meet to generate the tasks performed,
the conditions under which they are performed, and the KSAOs needed to
3. Work Activities. Lists the tasks and activities in which the worker is perform them.
involved.
In a field-based job analysis, the job analyst individually
interviews/observes a number of incumbents out in the field.
4. Tools and Equipment Used. Lists all the tools and equipment used to
perform the work activities in the previous section.
Which particular employees will participate? It may be determined
through:
5. Job Context. Describes the environment in which the employee
 Job Competence.
works and should mention stress level, work schedule, physical
 Race.
demands, level of responsibility, temperature, number of co-workers,
 Gender.
degree of danger, and any other relevant information.
 Education Level.
 Personality.
6. Work Performance. Contains a relatively brief description of how an
 Viewpoint.
employee’s performance is evaluated and what work standards are
expected of the employee.
What Types of Information Should Be Obtained?
7. Compensation Information. This section of the job description should Concerns the level of specificity, should the job analysis break a job
contain information on the salary grade, whether the position is down into very minute, specific behaviors, or should the job be analyzed at a
exempt, and the compensable factors used to determine salary. more general level? Is it a formal or an informal requirement?

8. Job Competencies. This section contains what are commonly called job Formal requirements for a secretary might include typing letters or filing memos.
Informal requirements might involve making coffee or picking up the boss’s children
specifications or competencies. These are the knowledge, skills, from school.
abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) that are necessary to be
successful on the job.
 Conducting a Job Analysis  Using Other Job Analysis Methods

Step 1: Identify Tasks Performed  General Information about Worker Activities

To identify the major job dimensions and the tasks performed for
each dimension, the tools and equipment used to perform the tasks, and  Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) is a structured instrument
the conditions under which the tasks are performed. developed at Purdue University by McCormick, Jeanneret, and Mecham
 Gathering Existing Information. (1972). The PAQ contains 194 items organized into six main dimensions:
 Interviewing Subject Matter Experts. (People who are information input, mental processes, work output, relationships
knowledgeable about the job and include job incumbents, with other persons, job context, and other job- related variables
supervisors, customers, and upper-level management.) such as work schedule, pay, and responsibility.
 Observing Incumbents. (The job analyst observes incumbents
performing their jobs in the work setting.)  Job Structure Profile (JSP). A revised version of the PAQ was
 Job Participation. developed by Patrick and Moore (1985). The major changes in the
revision include item content and style, new items to increase
Step 2: Write Task Statements the discriminatory power of the intellectual and decision-
Will be used in the task inventory and included in the job description. making dimensions, and an emphasis on having a job analyst, rather
than the incumbent.
A properly written task statement must contain an action (what is done) and an
object (to which the action is done). Often, task statements will also include such
components as where the task is done, how it is done, why it is done, and when it
 Job Elements Inventory (JEI). Another instrument designed as
is done. an alternative to the PAQ, developed by Cornelius and Hakel (1978).
The JEI contains 153 items and has a readability level
Step 3: Rate Task Statements appropriate for an employee with only a tenth-grade education
Conduct a task analysis—using a group of SMEs to rate each task
statement on the frequency and the importance or criticality of the task being  Functional Job Analysis (FJA) was designed by Fine (1955) as a quick
performed. method that could be used by the federal government to analyze
and compare thousands of jobs.
Step 4: Determine Essential KSAOs.
Identify the KSAOs needed to perform the tasks.  Information about Tools and Equipment
 Knowledge is a body of information needed to perform a task.
 A Skill is the proficiency to perform a learned task.  Job Components Inventory. Developed by Banks, Jackson, Stafford,
 Ability is a basic capacity for performing a wide range of different and Warr (1983) used in England. It consists of more than 400
tasks, acquiring knowledge, or developing a skill. questions covering five major categories: tools and equipment,
 Other characteristics include such personal factors as personality, perceptual and physical requirements, mathematical
willingness, interest, and motivation and such tangible factors as requirements, communication requirements, and decision
licenses, degrees, and years of experience. making and responsibility. It is the only job analysis method
containing a detailed section on tools and equipment.
Step 5: Selecting Tests to Tap KSAOs
Will be used to select new employees and include such methods as
interviews, work samples, ability tests, personality tests, reference checks,
integrity tests, biodata, and assessment centers.
  Information about Competencies required to determine the levels.

 Occupational Information Network (O*NET). Is a national job Step 3: Determining the Factor Weights
analysis system created by the federal government to replace the Because some factors are more important than others, weights must
Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) which had been in use since the be assigned to each factor and to each level within a factor. Here is the
1930s. O*NET is a major advancement in understanding the process for doing this:
nature of work, in large part because its developers understood that 1. A job evaluation committee determines the total number of points that will be
distributed among the factors.
jobs can be viewed at four levels: economic, organizational, 2. Each factor is weighted by assigning a number of points. The more important
occupational, and individual. the factor, the greater the number of points that will be assigned.
 Critical Incident Technique (CIT). Was developed and first used by 3. The number of points assigned to a factor is then divided into each of the
levels. If 100 points had been assigned to the factor of education, then 20 points
John Flanagan and his students at the University of Pittsburgh, it wass
(100 points/5 degrees) would be assigned to each level.
used to discover actual incidents of job behavior that make the 4. The total number of points for a job is compared with the salary currently being
difference between a job’s successful or unsuccessful paid for the job.
performance.
 Determining External Pay Equity
 Job Evaluation
With external pay equity, the worth of a job is determined by comparing the
Job Evaluation —process of determining a job’s worth. It is job to the external market (other organizations). External equity is important if an
typically done in two stages: determining internal pay equity and organization is to attract and retain employees.
determining external pay equity.
To determine external equity, organizations use salary surveys. Sent
to other organizations, these surveys ask how much an organization pays its
 Determining Internal Pay Equity
employees in various positions.
Internal pay equity, involves comparing jobs within an organization to ensure
The amount of money a job is worth is called direct compensation.
that the people in jobs worth the most money are paid accordingly.

Step 1: Determining Compensable Job Factors

The first step in evaluating a job is to decide what factors CHAPTER 3: Legal Issues in Employee Selection The Legal
differentiate the relative worth of jobs. Possible compensable job factors
include: Process
 Level of responsibility
 Physical demands
 Mental demands
Resolving the Complaint Internally
 Education requirements
 Training and experience requirements Policies involve such forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
 Working conditions as a grievance process, mediation, and
arbitration.
Step 2: Determining the Levels for Each Compensable Factor With a grievance system, employees take their complaints to
For a factor such as education, the levels are easy to determine (e.g., an internal committee that makes a decision regarding the
high school diploma, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree). For factors such complaints.
as responsibility, a considerable amount of time and discussion may be
 With mediation, employees and the organization meet with a with the results of the job analysis.
neutral third party who tries to help the two sides reach a mutually agreed
upon solution. An important step in selecting employees is recruitment: attracting
people with the right qualifications to apply for the job. The first decision is
With arbitration, the two sides present their case to a neutral third whether to promote someone from within the organization (internal
party who then makes a decision as to which side is right. recruitment) or to hire someone from outside the organization (external
If binding arbitration is used, neither side can appeal the decision. If nonbinding recruitment).
arbitration is used, the parties can either accept the decision or take the case to
court
Media Advertisements
 Newspaper Ads (respond by calling, apply- in-person ads,
Harassment send-résumé ads, or blind box)
 Electronic Media (television and radio to advertise job
Types of Harassment openings)
Legally, sexual harassment can take one of two forms: quid pro quo or
hostile environment. Situation-Wanted Ads (placed by the applicant rather than by organizations.)

With quid pro quo, the granting of sexual favors is tied to such Recruiters
employment decisions as promotions and salary increases. An example of a  Campus Recruiters.
quid pro quo case of harassment is a supervisor who tells his secretary that  Outside Recruiters. More than 75% of organizations use such outside
recruiting sources as private employment agencies, public employment
she must sleep with him to keep her job.
agencies, and executive search firms
a) Employment agencies operate in one of two ways. They charge
In a hostile environment case, sexual harassment occurs when an either the company or the applicant when the applicant takes the
unwanted pattern of conduct related to gender unreasonably interferes job.
with an individual’s work performance. Though men and women differ in b) Executive search firms, better known as “head hunters”, the jobs
their perceptions of what constitutes harassment, the courts have ruled that they represent tend to be higher-paying, non–entry-level positions.
such conduct can include comments, unwanted sexual or romantic advances, Always charge their fees to organizations rather than to applicants.
or the display of demeaning posters, signs, or cartoons. c) Public employment agencies are designed primarily to help the
unemployed find work, but they often offer services such as career
a) Pattern of Behavior. For conduct to be considered sexual harassment advisement and résumé preparation.
based on a hostile environment, it must be a pattern of behavior rather
than an isolated incident. It becomes harassment if the co- worker Incentives. When unemployment rates are low, organizations have to take extra
measures to recruit employees. One of these measures is to offer incentives for
continually makes unwanted romantic or sexual overtures or
employees to accept jobs with an organization.
repeatedly makes inappropriate remarks.
b) Based on Gender. To be considered sexual harassment, conduct must be
due to the sex of the employee.
Realistic Job Previews involve giving an applicant an honest
c) Negative to the Reasonable Person. Any pattern of behavior based on
assessment of a job.
gender that causes an employee discomfort might constitute sexual
harassment.
A variation of the RJP is a technique called an expectation-lowering procedure (ELP).
Unlike an RJP, which focuses on a particular job, an ELP lowers an applicant’s
CHAPTER 4: Employee Selection: Recruiting and Interviewing expectations about work and expectations in general

Job Analysis. The methods used to select employees should tie in directly
Employment Interviews

Types of Interviews
1. Structure level determiners, can be scored simply on the basis of whether the
answer given was correct or incorrect.
a) Structured interview is job-related, asked to all applicants, and
standardized scoring.  Typical-Answer Approach. The idea behind this is to create a list of
all possible answers to each question, have subject-matter experts
b) Unstructured interview interviewers ask anything they want, no
(SMEs) rate the favorableness of each answer, and then use these
consistency required in questions asked to each applicant, and may
ratings to serve as benchmarks for each point on a five-point scale.
assign numbers of points at their own discretion.
 Poor Intuitive Ability  Key-Issues Approach. A problem with the typical- answer approach
 Lack of Job Relatedness is that there are many possible answers to a question, and applicants
 Primacy Effects or “first impressions” often provide answers that could fit parts of several different
 Contrast Effects performance of one applicant may affect the benchmarks.
interview score given to the next applicant
 Negative-Information Bias negative information apparently weighs 
more heavily than positive information 
 Interviewer-Interviewee Similarity 
 Interviewee Appearance

 Nonverbal Cues

2. Style

a) One-on-one interviews involve one interviewer interviewing one 
applicant. 
b) Serial interviews involve a series of single interviews. 
c) Return interviews are similar to serial interviews with the 
difference being a passing of time between the first and subsequent 
interview. 
d) Panel interviews have multiple interviewers asking questions and 
evaluating answers of the same applicant at the same time. 
e) Group interviews have multiple applicants answering questions 
during the same interview. 
3. Medium
a) Face-to-face interviews, both the interviewer and the applicant
are in the same room. Job Search Skills
b) Telephone interviews are often used to screen applicants but do
Successfully Surviving the Interview Process
not allow the use of visual cues (not always a bad thing)
c) Videoconference interviews are conducted at remote sites. Scheduling the Interview. What will affect the score, however, is
d) Written interviews involve the applicant answering a series of when applicants arrive for the interview.
written questions and then sending the answers back through
Before the Interview. Learn about the company, one of the most
regular mail or through email.
commonly asked unstructured interview questions (“What do you know
about our company?”) is used to determine the applicant’s knowledge of
Creating a Scoring Key for Interview Answers
the organization.
 Right/Wrong Approach. Some interview questions, especially skill-
 During the Interview. Nonverbal behaviors should include a firm Leniency. Research is clear that most letters of recommendation are
handshake, eye contact, smiling, and head- nodding. Desired verbal positive: less than 1% of references rate applicants as below average or poor
behaviors include asking questions, subtly pointing out how you are
Keep in mind that applicants choose their own references!
similar to the interviewer, not asking about the salary, not speaking
slowly, and not hesitating before answering questions.
Knowledge of the Applicant. A second problem with letters of
After the Interview. Immediately following the interview, write a recommendation is that the person writing the letter often does not know
brief letter thanking the interviewer for her time. the applicant well, has not observed all aspects of an applicant’s behavior, or
both.
CHAPTER 5: Employee Selection: References and Testing
Reliability. The third problem with references and letters of
A reference check is the process of confirming the accuracy of recommendation involves the lack of agreement between two people who
information provided by an applicant. provide references for the same person.
A relatively recent trend in reference checking is for employers to “Google” an Extraneous Factors. Mehrabian (1965) and Weins, Jackson, Manaugh,
applicant’s name to find more information about the applicant and Matarazzo (1969) found that even though most letters of recommendation
are positive, letters written by references who like applicants are longer
A reference is the expression of an opinion, either orally or through
than those written by references who do not.
a written checklist, regarding an applicant’s ability, previous performance,
work habits, character, or potential for future success. Three ethical guidelines that reference providers should follow:
 First, explicitly state your relationship with the person you are
A letter of recommendation is a letter expressing an opinion
recommending.
regarding an applicant’s ability, previous performance, work habits,  Second, be honest in providing details.
character, or potential for future success.  Finally, let the applicant see your reference before sending it, and give him
the chance to decline to use it.
Résumé fraud lying on their résumés about what experience or education
they actually have. Predicting Performance Using:
1. Applicant Knowledge - Used primarily in the public sector, especially
Checking for Discipline Problems for promotions. Job knowledge tests are designed to measure how
much a person knows about a job.
Negligent hiring, If an organization hires an applicant without 2. Applicant Ability - Used primarily for occupations in which applicants
checking his references and background and he later commits a crime are not expected to know how to perform the job at the time of hire.
while in the employ of the organization, the organization may be found liable Instead, new employees will be taught the necessary job skills and
for negligent hiring if the employee has a criminal background that would knowledge.
have been detected had a background check been conducted. a) Cognitive ability includes such dimensions as oral and written
Negligent reference if former employer does not provide relevant comprehension, oral and written expression, numerical facility,
information to an organization that requests it. originality, memorization, reasoning (mathematical, deductive,
inductive), and general learning.
Predicting Future Performance b) Perceptual ability consists of vision (near, far, night, peripheral),
color discrimination, depth perception, glare sensitivity, speech
Low validity is largely due to four main problems with references and letters of
(clarity, recognition), and hearing (sensitivity, auditory attention,
recommendation:
sound localization).
 c) Psychomotor ability includes finger dexterity, manual dexterity, 5. Personality, Interest, and Character
control precision, multi-limb coordination, response control, a) Personality Inventories are becoming increasingly popular as an
reaction time, arm-hand steadiness, wrist-finger speed, and speed- employee selection method, in part because they predict
of-limb movement performance better than was once thought, and in part because
d) Physical ability tests are often used for jobs that require physical they result in less adverse impact than do ability tests.
strength and stamina, such as police officer, fire-fighter, and b) Interest Inventories are designed to tap vocational interests. The
lifeguard. Physical ability is measured in one of two ways: job most commonly used interest inventory is the Strong Interest
simulations and physical agility tests. Inventory (SII), which asks individuals to indicate whether they like
3. Applicant Skill - measure the extent to which an applicant already has or dislike 325 items such as bargaining, repairing electrical wiring,
a job-related skill. and taking responsibility.
a) Work sample, the applicant performs actual job-related tasks c) Integrity tests (also called honesty tests) tell an employer the
probability that an applicant would steal money or merchandise
b) Assessment center is a selection technique characterized by the
use of multiple assessment methods that allow multiple assessors to d) Conditional reasoning tests were initially developed by
actually observe applicants perform simulated job tasks (Joiner, James (1998) to reduce these inaccurate responses and get a
2002). more accurate picture of a person’s tendency to engage in
aggressive or counterproductive behavior.
Development and Component
 The in-basket technique is designed to simulate the types of
daily information that appear on a manager’s or employee’s desk. e) Graphology, the idea behind handwriting analysis is that
 Simulation exercises are the real backbone of the assessment the way people write reveals their personality, which in turn
center because they enable assessors to see an applicant “in should indicate work performance.
action.”
Predicting Performance Limitations Due to Medical and Psychological
 Work Samples. Usually, when a simulation does not involve a
Problems:
situational exercise, it is called a work sample.
 Leaderless Group Discussions. In this exercise, applicants meet 1. Drug testing certainly is one of the most controversial testing
in small groups and are given a job-related problem to solve or a methods used by HR professionals. HR professionals believe not
job-related issue to discuss. only that illegal drug use is dangerous but also that many
 Business games are exercises that allow the applicant to employees are under the influence of drugs at work.
demonstrate such attributes as creativity, decision making, and 2. Psychological exams usually consist of an interview by a clinical
ability to work with others. psychologist, an examination of the applicant’s life history, and the
4. Prior Experience - Applicant experience is typically measured in one of administration of one or more of the psychological tests
four ways: experience ratings of application/résumé information, 3. Medical Exams In these exams, the physician is given a copy of
biodata, reference checks, and interviews. the job description and asked to determine if there are any medical
a) Experience Ratings the idea that past experience will predict conditions that will keep the employee from safely performing the
future experience. job.
b) Biodata is a selection method that considers an applicant’s life,
school, military, community, and work experience. Once a decision has been made regarding which applicants will be hired, those who
c) Reference check will not be hired must be notified. Rejected applicants should be treated
d) Interview well because they are potential customers and potential applicants for
other positions that might become available in the organization.