Science and Validation Flashcards

What is the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP) primarily designed to ensure?

Answer: That selection procedures are job-related and do not cause unlawful discrimination

UGESP provides federal guidelines ensuring that selection procedures are valid, job-related, and do not result in unlawful adverse impact against protected groups.

In psychometrics, what does 'differential item functioning' (DIF) analysis detect?

Answer: Items that are harder for one demographic group than another after controlling for ability

DIF analysis identifies items where candidates of equal ability but different demographic groups perform differently, potentially flagging biased items.

The concept of 'bandwidth-fidelity tradeoff' in personality assessment refers to:

Answer: Balancing broad trait measurement against specific behavioral prediction

Broad (bandwidth) traits like Big Five factors predict many outcomes, while narrow (fidelity) traits predict specific behaviors more accurately — each has tradeoffs.

Which statistical technique is used to determine how much of the variance in job performance is explained by an assessment score?

Answer: Coefficient of determination (R²)

R² (the square of the validity coefficient) represents the proportion of criterion variance explained by the predictor, showing practical impact.

A 'transportability review' in pre-employment assessment validation is used to:

Answer: Justify using validity evidence from one organization in a similar context elsewhere

A transportability review examines whether existing validity evidence from comparable jobs or organizations can be applied to a new context without a full local study.

What distinguishes a 'criterion-referenced' interpretation of assessment scores from a 'norm-referenced' interpretation?

Answer: Criterion-referenced compares scores to a performance standard, not to other people

Criterion-referenced scoring evaluates whether an individual meets a defined performance standard, while norm-referenced compares individuals to each other.

In the context of PeopleAnswers behavioral assessments, why is it important to use a job-specific benchmark rather than a generic norm group?

Answer: Job-specific benchmarks increase predictive accuracy for that particular role

Job-specific benchmarks are built from data on high performers in a particular role, making score interpretation more relevant and predictive than generic population norms.