The role of intentional forgetting in employee selection

The authors examined the effects of forbidden information on the employee-selection process. They presented the participants with 4 applicants for the position of cashier-stockperson. One of the applicants (the Target Applicant) provided a mixture of forbidden and job-relevant information; the remaining applicants gave no forbidden information. Some of the participants were told before they reviewed the applicants what types of information were to be considered as forbidden, and they were instructed to disregard any such information in the applications. The remaining participants were not aware of the presence of the forbidden information, nor were they instructed to disregard such information. The participants who were instructed to disregard the forbidden information rated the Target Applicant more favorably than did those who were not aware of its presence. Moreover, those in the disregard condition recalled less of the forbidden information and more of the job-relevant information about the Target Applicant than did those in the no-instruction condition. These data patterns support laboratory-based studies on intentional forgetting.     

Personnel selection to control employee violence

There is a range of on-the-job violent behaviors which are costly and of concern to employers. This review of research shows that on-the-job violence can be predicted when standardized instruments and a statistical model of prediction are used for personnel selection. The research shows that persons will reveal violent tendencies on psychological tests.This is intended as an introductory non-technical business note for managers and human resource professionals.For an empirically based review contact the first author or see: Slora, K.B., Joy, D.S., Jones, J.W., & Terris, W. (1991). The prediction of on-the-job violence. In J.W. Jones (Ed.)Preemployment honesty testing: Current research and future directions. Westport, CT: Quorom Books.     

Gamification in employee selection: The development of a gamified assessment

Gamification has attracted increased attention among organizations and human resource professionals recently, as a novel and promising concept for attracting and selecting prospective employees. In the current study, we explore the construct validity of a new gamified assessment method in employee selection that we developed following the situational judgement test (SJT) methodology. Our findings support the applicability of game elements into a traditional form of assessment built to assess candidates' soft skills. Specifically, our study contributes to research on gamification and employee selection exploring the construct validity of a gamified assessment method indicating that the psychometric properties of SJTs and their transformation into a gamified assessment are a suitable avenue for future research and practice in this field.     

Context effects on group-based employee selection decisions

The decoy effect occurs when preferences between two alternatives reverse as a result of the manipulation of a third alternative (i.e., a decoy) such that it is dominated by only one of the two original alternatives. Previous research has demonstrated this effect in employee selection decisions, but only when decisions were made by individuals. The present investigation was designed to test the generalizability of the phenomenon to decisions made by groups, and to determine the influence of process and outcome accountability on the decoy effect. Results showed that the overall decoy effect held for both individual and group decisions. However, for both individuals and groups, the decoy effect held only when decision makers knew they would have to justify their decision processes.     

Think fast: The role of thin slices of behavior in employee selection decisions

This study integrates past research addressing decision‐making, employee selection, and influence processes in an attempt to provide both a theoretical and empirical foundation for future research addressing initial impressions throughout the interview process. Using data from a simulated hiring situation comprised of 28 recruiters and 229 applicants, the results suggest that initial impressions formed at the beginning of the interview make a substantive impact on final impressions. However, impressions formed at the career fair do not appear to impact final impressions without considering the interactive effects of decision confidence. Hypotheses proposing that decision confidence would moderate linkages between initial impressions formed at the beginning of the interview and both interview scores and final impressions were not supported. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for selection.     

The adequacy of language 1

he notion of linguistic adequacy (the adequacy of sentences to express or describe) is explicated in terms of a set theoretical model of the communication situation. Roughly: a message is adequate to the degree it answers the receiver's questions. Adequacy is distinguished from openness, in such a way that a message can be both completely adequate in a communication event and also “inexhaustibly open”;. Using this explication it is possible to translate and clarify several familiar philosophical theses concerning the adequacy of language. The view that “humanistic”; language differs from scientific language is clarified and criticized. Seven types of empirical test of the explication are discussed.     

Perceived fairness in employee selection: the role of applicant personality

The present study investigated the role of applicant personality in relation to applicant procedural and distributive justice perceptions after being informed of an organization’s reject/accept selection decision. A sample of 503 students completed a selection test, believing the results would be used to make initial selection decisions for an organization recruiting from the university. Participants were presented with selection decisions (randomly assigned) two weeks later, and procedural and distributive justice perceptions were assessed. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that agreeableness, openness to experience, and test-taking self-efficacy were positively related with perceptions of procedural and distributive justice. Neuroticism was negatively associated with distributive justice perceptions. The relationships of test-taking self-efficacy with procedural and distributive justice were moderated by the organization’s selection decision.     

The descriptive adequacy of qualitative findings

Abstract

This article describes ways of understanding early injuries in the life journey affect the experience of clients in therapy. After introducing Langer's (1951) distinction between discursive and presentational symbolism, I describe the ways that presentational symbolism is used to subsume early life experiences including early traumas. Many clients wind up stuck in early developmental injuries and often have experiences that seem chaotic both to them and their therapists. However, if the therapist can understand the nature of presentation‐ally symbolized experiences, a truly transforming relationship can be created. Clinical examples will be used to illustrate my points.     

Reactions to gay men: Contact and overcorrection in an employee selection simulation

The current study examines the role of contact on reactions to gay and heterosexual targets by U.S. heterosexual college students. Aversive bias research finds that minority group members receive unfavorable evaluations only when non-category-based information justifies bias. We argue that under other conditions, namely absence of conditions justifying bias, minority group members receive more favorable evaluations than non-minorities, an effect we term overcorrection. We apply this research to the study of attitudes toward gay men. The current study examines this effect on evaluations of a highly qualified male job candidate who is either gay or heterosexual and flawed or not flawed. We predicted and found, among 180 college students, that the overcorrection effect was present only for those individuals who have experienced no friendships with gay men. Those individuals who do have gay male friends did not exhibit overcorrection. We interpret this result as an indication that individuals who have gay friends (contact) ignore category information such as gay/ heterosexual and are more likely to exhibit truly egalitarian ratings. Implications for aversive bias and outgroup covariation perspectives are discussed. We presented portions of this paper at the 2000 Western Psychological Association conference, Maui, HI.     

The determinants of employee benefits satisfaction

This study developed a multidimensional scale of benefits satisfaction and utilized a discrepancy model to examine the determinants of employee benefits satisfaction. The empirical findings are based on the survey responses of 205 employees in a hospital. The results indicate that pay level, female gender and exempt status employees are positively related to benefits satisfaction. Further, age and education level are negatively related to benefits satisfaction.     

Reactions to gay men: Contact and overcorrection in an employee selection simulation

The current study examines the role of contact on reactions to gay and heterosexual targets by U.S. heterosexual college students. Aversive bias research finds that minority group members receive unfavorable evaluations only when non-category-based information justifies bias. We argue that under other conditions, namely absence of conditions justifying bias, minority group members receive more favorable evaluations than non-minorities, an effect we term overcorrection. We apply this research to the study of attitudes toward gay men. The current study examines this effect on evaluations of a highly qualified male job candidate who is either gay or heterosexual and flawed or not flawed. We predicted and found, among 180 college students, that the overcorrection effect was present only for those individuals who have experienced no friendships with gay men. Those individuals who do have gay male friends did not exhibit overcorrection. We interpret this result as an indication that individuals who have gay friends (contact) ignore category information such as gay/ heterosexual and are more likely to exhibit truly egalitarian ratings. Implications for aversive bias and outgroup covariation perspectives are discussed. We presented portions of this paper at the 2000 Western Psychological Association conference, Maui, HI.     

Organizational climate and company productivity: The role of employee affect and employee level

Consistent with a growing number of models about affect and behaviour and with a recognition that perception alone provides no impetus for action, it was predicted that associations between company climate and productivity would be mediated by average level of job satisfaction. In a study of 42 manufacturing companies, subsequent productivity was significantly correlated in controlled analyses with eight aspects of organizational climate (e.g. skill development and concern for employee welfare) and also with average job satisfaction. The mediation hypothesis was supported in hierarchical multiple regressions for separate aspects of climate. In addition, an overall analysis showed that company productivity was more strongly correlated with those aspects of climate that had stronger satisfaction loadings. A second prediction, that managers' perceptions of climate would be more closely linked to company productivity than would those of non‐managers, was not supported. However, managers' assessments of most aspects of their company's climate were significantly more positive than those of non‐managers.     

The adequacy condition as a definition of elementary interpretation

A definition of elementary interpretation, equivalent (up to isomorphisms) to the ones of [3] and [4], is given. The defining condition, used here, seems to confirm that intuitions agree with the choice of the class of elementary interpretations, which was done in [3].     

Getting interested in interests for employee selection: Key concerns and areas for future research

The paper by Wille and De Fruyt suggests that vocational interests should be used throughout the human resources cycle and provides a useful model that can facilitate the application of interests throughout this process. This commentary builds on their review to discuss the unique benefits and challenges of implementing vocational interests in the employee selection process. Using research from the employee selection literature, we also discuss potential solutions for many of the issues raised by Wille and De Fruyt. Therefore, our commentary is meant to supplement the focal article and answer specific questions about why and how vocational interests can be used in this high-stakes setting.