ABSTRACT
Although situational judgment tests have a long history in the psychological assessment literature and continue to be frequently used in employment contexts, there has been virtually no summarization of this literature. The purpose of this article is to review the history of such tests and present the results of a meta-analysis on criterion-related and construct validity. On the basis of 102 coefficients and 10,640 people, situational judgment tests showed useful levels of validity (rho = .34) that were generalizable. A review of 79 correlations between situational judgment tests and general cognitive ability involving 16,984 people indicated that situational judgment tests typically evidence relationships with cognitive ability (rho = .46). On the basis of the literature review and meta-analytic findings, implications for the continued use of situational judgment tests are discussed, particularly in terms of recent investigations into tacit knowledge.
Subject(s)
Employee Performance Appraisal , Forecasting , Humans , Predictive Value of Tests , Problem Solving , Professional Competence , Psychology, Industrial , Psychometrics , Task Performance and AnalysisABSTRACT
In place of the old-fashioned, casual interview, which is unreliable and occasionally invalid in the context of EEO and affirmative action developments, the authors propose the adoption of structured interviewing for job selection. They contend that objective testing--oral, written and physical--would be more reliable, avoid the labyrinth of EEO, and ultimately yield better candidates for the jobs offered.