Introduction and empirical assessment of executive functioning as a predictor of job performance.

The primary purposes of this study were (a) to introduce the concept of executive functioning (higher-level cognitive processes which monitor events, actions, and outcomes) to the employee selection literature and (b) to provide an empirical assessment of executive functioning in relation to key selection variables. Two of the three main components of executive functioning (set shifting and inhibition) appear to have considerable potential for selection because of their unique nature (e.g., self-directed, goal-oriented) and because they appear to be only modestly associated with general mental ability. While our empirical results were inconsistent, there may be underlying reasons for this, such as the unstable nature of the retail job sector. We believe there is considerable justification for continued exploration of this unique and potentially promising construct, and identify a number of directions for future research.

Ethnic group differences in measures of job performance: a new meta-analysis.

The authors conducted a new meta-analysis of ethnic group differences in job performance. Given a substantially increased set of data as compared with earlier analyses, the authors were able to conduct analyses of Black-White differences within more homogeneous categories of job performance and to reexamine findings on objective versus subjective measurement. Contrary to one perspective sometimes adopted in the field, objective measures are associated with very similar, if not somewhat larger, standardized ethnic group differences (ds) than subjective measures across a variety of indicators. This trend was consistent across quality, quantity, and absenteeism measures. Further, work samples and job knowledge tests are associated with larger ds than performance ratings or measures of absenteeism. Analysis of Hispanic-White standardized differences shows that they are generally lower than Black-White differences in several categories.

Corrections for range restriction in structured interview ethnic group differences: the values may be larger than researchers thought.

Previous studies of standardized ethnic group differences in the employment interview have shown differences to be relatively small. Unfortunately, many researchers conducting interview studies have not considered the issue of range restriction in research design. This omission is likely to lead to underestimates of standardized ethnic group differences (d) when the interview is considered as an initial screening device or used in combination with other initial screening devices. The authors found that 2 forms of a behavioral interview were associated with standardized ethnic group differences of .36 and .56 when corrected for range restriction. These differences are substantially larger than previously thought and demonstrate the importance of considering a variety of study design characteristics in obtaining the appropriate parameter estimates.