Insights from an updated personnel selection meta-analytic matrix: Revisiting general mental ability tests' role in the validity-diversity trade-off.

General mental ability (GMA) tests have long been at the heart of the validity-diversity trade-off, with conventional wisdom being that reducing their weight in personnel selection can improve adverse impact, but that this results in steep costs to criterion-related validity. However, Sackett et al. (2022) revealed that the criterion-related validity of GMA tests has been considerably overestimated due to inappropriate range restriction corrections. Thus, we revisit the role of GMA tests in the validity-diversity trade-off using an updated meta-analytic correlation matrix of the relationships six selection methods (biodata, GMA tests, conscientiousness tests, structured interviews, integrity tests, and situational judgment tests) have with job performance, along with their Black-White mean differences. Our results lead to the conclusion that excluding GMA tests generally has little to no effect on validity, but substantially decreases adverse impact. Contrary to popular belief, GMA tests are not a driving factor in the validity-diversity trade-off. This does not fully resolve the validity-diversity trade-off, though: Our results show there is still some validity reduction required to get to an adverse impact ratio of .80, although the validity reduction is less than previously thought. Instead, it shows that the validity-diversity trade-off conversation should shift from the role of GMA tests to that of other selection methods. The present study also addresses which selection methods now emerge as most valid and whether composites of selection methods can result in validities similar to those expected prior to Sackett et al. (2022). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Politics speak louder than skills: Political similarity effects in hireability judgments in multiparty contexts and the role of political interest.

Recruiters increasingly cybervet job applicants by checking their social media profiles. Theory (i.e., the political affiliation model, PAM) and research show that during cybervetting, recruiters are exposed to job-unrelated information such as political affiliation, which might trigger similarity-attraction effects and bias hireability judgments. However, as the PAM was developed in a more polarized two-party political system, it is pivotal to test and refine the PAM in a multiparty context. Therefore, we asked working professionals from the United States (two-party context, N = 266) and Germany (multiparty context, N = 747) to rate an applicant's hireability after cybervetting a LinkedIn profile that was manipulated in a between-subjects design (party affiliation by individuating information). Key tenets of the PAM could be transferred to multiparty contexts: The political similarity-attraction effect predicted hireability judgments beyond job-related individuating information, especially regarding organizational citizenship behavior. In addition, in a multiparty context, these biasing effects of political similarity and liking were not attenuated. Yet, there were also differences: In a multiparty context, political similarity had to be operationalized in terms of political value similarity and recruiters' political interest emerged as a significant moderator of the effects. So, this study refines the PAM by showing in multiparty contexts the importance of (a) a values-based perspective (instead of a behavioral political affiliation perspective) and (b) political interest (instead of identification). Accordingly, we provide a more nuanced understanding of when political affiliation similarity contributes to perceived overall similarity in affecting liking and hireability judgments in cybervetting. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The chemistry between us: Illuminating complementarity patterns in interpersonal role-play assessment via moment-to-moment analyses.

In assessment and selection, organizations often include interpersonal interactions because they provide insights into candidates' interpersonal skills. These skills are then typically assessed via one-shot, retrospective assessor ratings. Unfortunately, the assessment of interpersonal skills at such a trait-like level fails to capture the richness of how the interaction unfolds at the behavioral exchange level within a role-play assessment. This study uses the lens of interpersonal complementarity theory to advance our understanding of interpersonal dynamics in role-play assessment and their effects on assessor ratings. Ninety-six MBA students participated in four different flash role-plays as part of diagnosing their strengths and weaknesses. Apart from gathering assessor ratings and criterion measures, coders also conducted a fine-grained examination of how the behavior of the two interaction partners (i.e., MBA students and role-players) unfolded at the moment-to-moment level via the Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics (CAID) measurement tool. In all role-plays, candidates consistently showed mutual adaptations in line with complementarity principles: Affiliative behavior led to affiliative behavior, whereas dominant behavior resulted in docile, following behavior and vice versa. For affiliation, mutual influence also occurred in that both interaction partners' temporal trends in affiliation were entrained over time. Complementarity patterns were significantly related to ratings of in situ (role-playing) assessors but not to ratings of ex situ (remote) assessors. The effect of complementarity on validity was mixed. Overall, this study highlights the importance of going beyond overall ratings to capture behavioral contingencies such as complementarity patterns in interpersonal role-play assessment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Designing pareto-optimal selection systems for multiple minority subgroups and multiple criteria.

Currently used Pareto-optimal (PO) approaches for balancing diversity and validity goals in selection can deal only with one minority group and one criterion. These are key limitations because the workplace and society at large are getting increasingly diverse and because selection system designers often have interest in multiple criteria. Therefore, the article extends existing methods for designing PO selection systems to situations involving multiple criteria and multiple minority groups (i.e., multiobjective PO selection systems). We first present a hybrid multiobjective PO approach for computing selection systems that are PO with respect to (a) a set of quality objectives (i.e., criteria) and (b) a set of diversity objectives where each diversity objective relates to a different minority group. Next, we propose three two-dimensional subspace procedures that aid selection designers in choosing between the PO systems in case of a high number of quality and diversity objectives. We illustrate our novel multiobjective PO approaches via several example applications, thereby demonstrating that they are the first to reveal the complete gamut of eligible PO selection designs and to faithfully capture the Pareto trade-off front in case of more than two objectives. In addition, a small-scale cross-validation study confirms that the resulting PO selection designs retain an advantage over alternative designs when applied in new validation samples. Finally, the article provides a link to an executable code to perform the new multiobjective PO approaches. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Correcting for range restriction in meta-analysis: A reply to Oh et al. (2023).

Oh et al. (2023) question a number of choices made in our article (Sackett et al., 2022); here we respond. They interpret our article as recommending against correcting for range restriction in general in concurrent validation studies; yet, we emphasize that we endorse correction when one has access to the information needed to do so. Our focus was on making range restriction corrections when conducting meta-analyses, where it is common for primary studies to be silent as to the prior basis for selection of the employees later participating in the concurrent validation study. As such, the applicant pool information needed for correction is typically not available. Sackett et al. (2022) highlighted that in many situations, range restriction will be small; so, the inability to correct for it results in only a modest underestimate of validity. Oh et al. mention settings that would result in substantial range restriction; here, we present our rationale as to why we view such settings as uncommon rather than as making up the bulk of the studies contributing to meta-analyses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Arousing Motives or Eliciting Stories? On the Role of Pictures in a Picture-Story Exercise.

Picture-story exercises (PSE) form a popular measurement approach that has been widely used for the assessment of implicit motives. However, current theorizing offers two diverging perspectives on the role of pictures in PSEs: either to elicit stories or to arouse motives. In the current study, we tested these perspectives in an experimental design. We administered a PSE either with or without pictures. Results from N = 281 participants revealed that the experimental manipulation had a medium to large effect for the affiliation and power motive domains, but no effect for the achievement motive domain. We conclude that the herein chosen pictures cues function differentially across motives, as they aroused the affiliation and power motives, but not the achievement motive.

Multiple, speeded assessments under scrutiny: Underlying theory, design considerations, reliability, and validity.

Recently, multiple, speeded assessments (e.g., "speeded" or "flash" role-plays) have made rapid inroads into the selection domain. So far, however, the conceptual underpinning and empirical evidence related to these short, fast-paced assessment approaches has been lacking. This raises questions whether these speeded assessments can serve as reliable and valid indicators of future performance. This article uses the notions of stimulus and response domain sampling to conceptualize multiple, speeded behavioral job simulations as a hybrid of established simulation-based selection methods. Next, we draw upon the thin slices of behavior paradigm to theorize about the quality of ratings made in multiple, speeded behavioral simulations. In two studies, various assessor pools assessed a sample of 96 MBA students in 18 3-min role-plays designed to capture situations in the junior management domain. At the individual speeded role-play level, reliability and validity were not ensured. Yet, aggregated across all assessors' ratings of all speeded role-plays, the overall score for predicting future performance was high (.54). Validities remained high when assessors evaluated only the first minute (vs. full 3 min) or received only a control training (vs. traditional assessor training). Aggregating ratings of performance in multiple, heterogeneous situations that elicit a variety of domain-relevant behavior emerged as key requirement to obtain adequate domain coverage, capture both ability and personality (extraversion and agreeableness), and achieve substantial validities. Overall, these results show the importance of the stimulus and response domain sampling logic and send a strong warning to using "single" speeded behavioral simulations in practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of emotions as mechanisms of mid-test warning messages during personality testing: A field experiment.

This study focuses on the role of emotions in personnel selection and faking research. In particular, we posit that emotions are likely to be activated when applicants receive warning messages from organizations. Drawing on Nabi (Nabi, Communication Theory, 9, 1999, 292) cognitive-functional model of discrete negative emotions, we propose and empirically test the effects of three discrete negative emotions (guilt, fear, and anger) triggered by a warning message during a personality test on personality score accuracy and perceived test fairness. Participants in this within-subjects field experiment were 1,447 applicants for graduate school at a large public university in China. They completed two parallel forms of a personality test: one within a selection context, and another within a developmental context 6 months later as a baseline measure. In the selection context, a warning (or a control) message was randomly assigned to participants during the personality test. Emotions and perceived test fairness were measured after the test was completed. Results indicated that guilt, fear, and anger each played a unique role. Guilt explained how mid-test warnings improved personality score accuracy among fakers, whereas fear accounted for why nonfakers over-corrected their personality scores. Finally, anger explained why the mid-test warnings reduced perceived test fairness for both fakers and nonfakers. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

A comprehensive examination of the cross-validity of pareto-optimal versus fixed-weight selection systems in the biobjective selection context.

The article presents evidence for the cross-validity potential of fixed-weight (FW) versus Pareto-Optimal (PO) selection systems in biobjective selection situations where both the goals of diversity and quality are valued and the importance of the goals is undecided a priori. The article extends previous research by also studying the cross-validity potential of selection systems in the practically most important sample-to-sample cross-validity scenario. We address three research questions: (a) Do different PO systems show comparable levels of relative (i.e., proportional) achievement upon cross-validation? (b) Do PO systems achieve higher levels of relative achievement upon cross-validation than FW selection systems?, and (c) How does the achievement of PO and FW systems, in terms of adverse impact ratios and average performance of the selected applicants, evolve under cross-validation? As a key result, in case of sufficiently large applicant pools (typically 100 applicants or more), PO systems had on average a higher cross-validity potential than the corresponding FW systems. Yet, even for applicant pools as large as 500, FW systems may match the merits of PO systems and we present a straightforward procedure to decide which FW systems may offer a comparable cross-validation potential than the PO systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Weighting admission scores to balance predictiveness-diversity: The Pareto-optimization approach.

CONTEXT: Although many medical schools seek to improve diversity, they grapple with the challenge of how to weight the scores of different admission methods to achieve a balance between obtaining high predictiveness and ensuring diversity in the selected student pool. Yet, in large-scale employment settings, substantial progress has been made on this front: Pareto-optimization has been introduced as an elegant statistical tool to assist decision makers in determining the weights assigned to selection methods in advance (before the selection has taken place) so that a selection system is designed to achieve an optimal balance as reflected by the trade-off that one outcome (e.g., predictiveness) cannot be improved without harm to the other outcome (e.g., diversity). AIMS: This paper reviews the theory and research evidence about Pareto-optimization and explains how Pareto-optimization permits medical schools to better balance predictiveness and diversity in medical admission systems. METHODS: After reviewing common weighting schemes (unit, regression-based and ad hoc weighting) and their drawbacks, we introduce the theory and logic of Pareto-optimization for better balancing predictiveness and diversity. To this end, we also offer an illustrative example. Next, we review the mathematical basis and available research evidence regarding Pareto-optimization. Finally, we discuss potential criticisms (i.e., complexity and legal concerns). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to traditional unit weighting, regression-based weighting and ad hoc weighting, Pareto-optimization leads to substantial increases in diversity intake (up to three times more), while keeping the predictiveness of the selection methods at the same level. Moreover, the Pareto-optimization is robust to sampling variability and variability of the input selection parameters.

Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection: Addressing systematic overcorrection for restriction of range.

This paper systematically revisits prior meta-analytic conclusions about the criterion-related validity of personnel selection procedures, and particularly the effect of range restriction corrections on those validity estimates. Corrections for range restriction in meta-analyses of predictor-criterion relationships in personnel selection contexts typically involve the use of an artifact distribution. After outlining and critiquing five approaches that have commonly been used to create and apply range restriction artifact distributions, we conclude that each has significant issues that often result in substantial overcorrection and that therefore the validity of many selection procedures for predicting job performance has been substantially overestimated. Revisiting prior meta-analytic conclusions produces revised validity estimates. Key findings are that most of the same selection procedures that ranked high in prior summaries remain high in rank, but with mean validity estimates reduced by .10-.20 points. Structured interviews emerged as the top-ranked selection procedure. We also pair validity estimates with information about mean Black-White subgroup differences per selection procedure, providing information about validity-diversity tradeoffs. We conclude that our selection procedures remain useful, but selection predictor-criterion relationships are considerably lower than previously thought. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Prompt-specificity in scenario-based assessments: Associations with personality versus knowledge and effects on predictive validity.

Many scenario-based assessments (e.g., interviews, assessment center exercises, work samples, simulations, and situational judgment tests) use prompts (i.e., cues provided to respondents to increase the likelihood that the information received from them is clear, sufficient, and job-related). However, a dilemma for practitioners and researchers is how general or specific one should prompt people's answers. We posit that such differences in prompt-specificity (i.e., extent to which prompts cue performance criteria) have important implications for the predictive validity of scenario-based assessment scores. Drawing on the interplay of situation construal and situational strength theory, we propose that prompt-specificity leads to differential relationships between scenario-based scores and external constructs (personality traits vs. knowledge), which in turn affects the predictive validity of scenario-based assessments. We tested this general hypothesis using intercultural scenarios for predicting effectiveness in multicultural teams. Using a randomized predictive validation design, we contrast scores on these scenarios with general (N = 157) versus specific (N = 158) prompts. As a general conclusion, prompt-specificity mattered: Lesser prompt-specificity augmented the role of perspective taking and openness-to-experience in the intercultural scenario scores and their validity for predicting intercultural performance, whereas greater prompt-specificity increased the role of knowledge in these scores and their validity for predicting in-role performance. This study's theoretical and practical implications go beyond a specific assessment procedure and apply to a broad array of assessment and training approaches that rely on scenarios. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity.

Many organizational representatives review social media (SM) information (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) when recruiting and assessing job applicants. Despite this, very little empirical data exist concerning the SM information available to organizations or whether assessments of such information are a valid predictor of work outcomes. This multistudy investigation examines several critical issues in this emerging area. In Study 1, we conducted a content analysis of job seekers' Facebook sites (n = 266) and found that these sites often provide demographic variables that U.S. employment laws typically prohibit organizations from using when making personnel decisions (e.g., age, ethnicity, and religion), as well as other personal information that is not work-related (e.g., sexual orientation, marital status). In Study 2 (n = 140), we examined whether job seekers' SM information is related to recruiter evaluations. Results revealed that various types of SM information correlated with recruiter judgments of hireability, including demographic variables (e.g., gender, marital status), variables organizations routinely assess (e.g., education, training, and skills), and variables that may be a concern to organizations (e.g., profanity, sexual behavior). In Study 3 (n = 81), we examined whether structuring SM assessments (e.g., via rater training) affects criterion-related validity. Results showed that structuring SM assessments did not appear to improve the prediction of future job performance or withdrawal intentions. Overall, the present findings suggest that organizations should be cautious about assessing SM information during the staffing process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

How Our Work Influences Who We Are: Testing a Theory of Vocational and Personality Development over Fifty Years.

This study examines the developmental influences of occupational environments on personality traits from childhood to adulthood. We test aspects of a theory of vocational and personality development, proposing that traits develop in response to work experience following corresponsive and noncorresponsive mechanisms. We describe these pathways in the context of situations of vocational gravitation and inhabitation. In a sample from the Hawaii personality and health cohort (N = 596), we examined associations of childhood and adulthood personality traits, with occupational environments profiled on the RIASEC model. Mediations tests confirmed that work influenced personality development from childhood to adulthood for Openness/Intellect. We observed multiple reactivity effects of occupation environments on adulthood traits that were not associated with corresponding selection effects.

The role of Situations in Situational Judgment Tests: Effects on construct saturation, predictive validity, and applicant perceptions.

Recent theorizing and empirical evidence suggesting that Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) are more context-independent than previously thought has sparked a debate about the role of situation descriptions in SJTs. To contribute to this debate and add to our understanding of how SJTs work, this article conceptually embeds SJT performance in a situation construal model and examines the effects of situation descriptions on the construct saturation and predictive validity of SJT scores, as well as on applicant perceptions. Across two studies (N = 1,092 and 578) and different SJTs, personality and cognitive ability were equally important determinants of SJT performance regardless of whether situation descriptions were presented or omitted. The effects of removing situation descriptions on the criterion-related validity of SJT scores differed depending on the breadth of the criteria. For predicting global job performance criteria (in-role performance and organizational citizenship behavior), SJT validity was not significantly affected, whereas it decreased for predicting more specific criteria (interpersonal adaptability, efficacy for teamwork). Finally, the effects of omitting situation descriptions in SJTs on applicant perceptions were either negligible or small. Implications for SJT theory, research, and design are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Situational judgement tests for selection: Traditional vs construct-driven approaches.

CONTEXT: Historically, situational judgement tests (SJTs) have been widely used for personnel selection. Their use in medical selection in Europe is growing, with plans for further expansion into North America and Australasia, in an attempt to measure and select on 'non-academic' personal attributes. However, there is a lack of clarity regarding what such tests actually measure and how they should be designed, scored and implemented within the medical and health education selection process. In particular, the theoretical basis from which such tests are developed will determine the scoring options available, influencing their psychometric properties and, ultimately, their validity. METHODS: The aim of this article is to create an awareness of the previous theory and practice that has informed SJT development. We describe the emerging interest in the use of the SJT format to measure specific constructs (eg 'resilience', 'dependability', etc.), drawing on the tradition of 'individual differences' psychology. We compare and contrast this newer 'construct-driven' method with the traditional, pragmatic approach to SJT creation, often employed by organisational psychologists. Making reference to measurement theory, we highlight how the anticipated psychometric properties of traditional vs construct-driven SJTs are likely to differ. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to traditional SJTs, construct-driven SJTs have a strong theoretical basis, are uni- rather than multidimensional, and may behave more like personality self-report instruments. Emerging evidence also suggests that construct-driven SJTs have comparable predictive validity for workplace performance, although they may be more prone to 'faking' effects. It is possible that construct-driven approaches prove more appropriate at early stages of medical selection, where candidates have little or no health care work experience. Conversely, traditional SJTs may be more suitable for specialty recruitment, where a range of hypothetical workplace scenarios can be sampled in assessments.

Situational judgment tests as measures of 21st century skills: evidence across Europe and Latin America / Los tests de juicio situacional como medida de las habilidades para el siglo XXI: evidencia en toda Europa y América Latina

Over the years, various governmental, employment, and academic organizations have identified a list of skills to successfully master the challenges of the 21st century. So far, an adequate assessment of these skills across countries has remained challenging. Limitations inherent in the use of self-reports (e.g., lack of self-insight, socially desirable responding, response style bias, reference group bias, etc.) have spurred on the search for methods that could complement or even substitute self-report inventories. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) have been proposed as one of the complements/alternatives to the traditional self-report inventories. SJTs are low-fidelity simulations that confront participants with multiple domain-relevant situations and request to choose from a set of predefined responses. Our objectives are twofold: (a) outlining how a combined emic-etic approach can be used for developing SJT items that can be used across geographical regions and (b) investigating whether SJT scores can be compared across regions. Our data come from Laureate International Universities (N = 5,790) and comprise test-takers from Europe and Latin America who completed five different SJTs that were developed in line with a combined emic-etic approach. Results showed evidence for metric measurement invariance across participants from Europe and Latin America for all five SJTs. Implications for the use of SJTs as measures of 21st century skills are discussed

A lo largo de los años, varias organizaciones gubernamentales de empleo y académicas han identificado una lista de habilidades para superar con éxito los desafíos del siglo XXI. Hasta ahora, una evaluación adecuada de estas habilidades en los países ha continuado siendo un reto. Las limitaciones inherentes al uso de autoinformes (p. ej., falta de autoconocimiento, respuestas socialmente deseables, sesgo en el estilo de respuesta, sesgo del grupo de referencia, etc.) han estimulado la búsqueda de métodos que puedan complementar o incluso sustituir inventarios de autoinforme. Los tests de juicio situacional (TJS) se han propuesto como uno de los complementos/alternativas a los inventarios tradicionales de autoinforme. Los TJS son simulaciones de baja fidelidad que enfrentan a los participantes con múltiples situaciones de dominio relevantes y solicitan elegir entre un conjunto de respuestas predefinidas. Tenemos un doble objetivo: (a) explicar cómo se puede utilizar un enfoque emic-etic combinado para desarrollar ítems de TJS que se puedan emplear en todas las regiones geográficas y (b) investigar si las puntuaciones de los TJS se pueden comparar entre regiones. Nuestros datos provienen de las Laureate International Universities (N = 5,790) y están compuestos por examinandos de Europa y América Latina que cumplimentaron cinco TJS diferentes que se desarrollaron de acuerdo a un enfoque emic-ethic. Los resultados mostraron la existencia de invarianza en la medición en los participantes de Europa y América Latina para los cinco TJS. Se discuten las implicaciones para el uso de TJS como medida para detectar habilidades en el siglo XXI

Assessing meaningful within-person variability in Likert-scale rated personality descriptions: An IRT tree approach.

Personality researchers and clinical psychologists have long been interested in within-person variability in a given personality trait. Two critical methodological challenges that stymie current research on within-person variability are separating meaningful within-person variability from (a) true differences in trait level; and (b) careless responding (or person unreliability). To partly avoid these issues, personality researchers commonly only study within-person variability in personality states over time using the standard deviation (SD) across repeated measurements of the same items (typically across days)-a relatively resource-intensive approach. In this article, we detail an approach that allows researchers to measure another type of within-person variability. The described approach utilizes item-response theory (IRT) on the basis of Böckenholt's (2012) three-process model, and extracts a meaningful variability score from Likert-ratings of personality descriptions that is distinct from directional (trait) responding. Two studies (N = 577; N = 120-235) suggest that IRT variability generalizes across traits, has high split-half reliability, is not highly correlated with established indices of IRT person unreliability for directional trait responding, and correlates with within-person SDs from personality inventories and within-person SDs in a diary study with repeated measurements across days 20 months later. The implications and usefulness of IRT variability from personality descriptions as a conceptually clarified, efficient, and feasible assessment of within-person variability in personality ratings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Constructed response formats and their effects on minority-majority differences and validity.

The inflow of immigrants challenges organizations to consider alternative selection procedures that reduce potential minority (immigrants)-majority (natives) differences, while maintaining valid predictions of performance. To deal with this challenge, this paper proposes response format as a practically and theoretically relevant factor for situational judgment tests (SJTs). We examine a range of response format categories (from traditional multiple-choice formats to more innovative constructed response formats) and conceptually link these response formats to mechanisms underlying minority-majority differences. Two field experiments are conducted with SJTs. Study 1 (274 job seekers) contrasts minority-majority differences in scores on a multiple-choice versus a written constructed response format. Written constructed responses produce much smaller minority-majority differences (d = .28 vs. d = .92). In Study 2 (269 incumbents), scores on a written constructed versus an audiovisual constructed format are compared. The audiovisual format further reduces minority-majority differences (d = .09 vs. d = .41), with validities remaining the same. Results are suggestive of cognitive load as a contributor to the reduction in minority-majority differences, as are rater effects: Scores of raters evaluating transcribed audiovisual responses, which anonymized test takers, produce larger differences. In sum, altering response modality via more realistic response formats (i.e., the audiovisual constructed format) leads to significant reductions in minority-majority differences without impairing criterion-related validity. Implications for selection theory and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

A dual-process theory perspective to better understand judgments in assessment centers: The role of initial impressions for dimension ratings and validity.

Insight into assessors' initial impressions has the potential to advance knowledge on how assessors form dimension-based judgments and on possible biases in these ratings. Therefore, this study draws on dual process theory to build and test a model that integrates assessors' dimension ratings (i.e., systematic, slow, deliberate processing mode) with their initial impressions (i.e., intuitive, fast, automatic processing mode). Data collection started with an AC where assessors provided ratings of assessees, and an online survey of assessees' supervisors who rated their job performance. In addition, two other rater pools provided initial impressions of these assessees by evaluating extracted 2-min video clips of their AC performance. Initial impressions from both of these samples were positively related to assessors' dimension ratings, which supports assumptions from dual process theory and might explain why assessors' dimensional ratings are often undifferentiated. Initial impressions did not appear to open up the doors for biases and stereotypes based upon appearance and perceptions of liking. Instead, assessors picked up information that assessees transmitted about their personality (i.e., Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability). Implications for further research on initial impressions and AC dimension ratings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).