Psychologists' evaluations of individual assessments: A comparison on the basis of graduate training and professional affiliation

Recent research on individual psychological assessments for personnel decision-making purposes has indicated a great deal of variability in practice. This study compared the responses of psychologists who evaluated the same set of assessment protocols on the basis of graduate training and professional affiliation. Results indicated few differences in evaluations of those assessed or in the way assessments were conducted. Concerns about training for and the practice of individual assessment are discussed.     

A Comparative Review of Current Practices in Personality Assessment Norming

Because consequential personnel decisions are often made by comparing an individual against a norm group, having accurate and representative norms is as important as having sound selection procedures. Existing standards provide specific guidance on selection procedures, but are less clear on norms. To fill this gap and define best practices, we (a) review existing literature and guidelines; (b) review current applied practices using 30 personality assessments offered in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada; and (c) provide recommendations for strengthening existing guidelines and helping publishers develop, present, and apply norms for personality assessments.     

Understanding biological and social influences on religious affiliation, attitudes, and behaviors: a behavior genetic perspective

Although the transmission of religiousness has been assumed to be purely cultural, behavior genetic studies have demonstrated that genetic factors play a role in the individual differences in some religious traits. This article reviews the extant behavior genetic literature and presents new analyses from the "Virginia 30,000" on the causes of variation in religious affiliation, attitudes, and practices, and relates these to personality as construed by Eysenck. Results indicate that religious affiliation is primarily a culturally transmitted phenomenon, whereas religious attitudes and practices are moderately influenced by genetic factors. Further, Eysenck's personality traits do not mediate genetic influences on religiousness, but significant negative genetic correlations are found between church attendance and liberal sexual attitudes. Implications and possibilities for future studies are discussed.     

Discrepancy between human resource research and practice: Comparison of industrial/organisational psychologists and human resource practitioners' beliefs

There is a large and growing body of research to show that human resource (HR) practices affect individual performance, organisational productivity and organisational performance. Academic findings about effective HR practices, however, have not readily been adopted by practitioners. A variety of theoretical and practical explanations have been advanced about the research–practice gap. Research by Rynes, Colbert, and Brown (2002) suggested that the research–practice gap is due to a lack of knowledge, but the extent to which these findings apply to the Australian context is unknown. The sample consisted of 102 industrial/organisational (I/O) psychologists and 89 HR practitioners. The main aim of the present study was to replicate and extend the work of Rynes et al. by examining and comparing the knowledge of I/O psychologists and HR practitioners. It was found that overall I/O psychologists were better informed about HR research than HR practitioners; in particular, they were more knowledgeable about management practices and recruitment and selection. In both groups, of the five content areas examined (Management Practices; General Employment Practices; Training and Development; Recruitment and Selection; and Compensation and Benefits), the greatest gaps were in Recruitment and Selection.     

Profiles of adolescents' clothing practices: purchase, daily selection, and care

The purpose of this study was to examine the clothing practices in the daily selection, care, and purchase of clothing by adolescents in order to determine the extent these practices are performed independently or influenced by others, and to identify the factors involved in the activities. Clothing Practice Profiles were developed for both sexes in the three age groups corresponding to divisions in the Oregon 4-H program. The age group comparison revealed increasing frequency of independent activity in all three clothing practice areas (selection, care, and purchase) as age increased. Parental influence appeared to decrease with increasing age. Siblings' influence was minimal. Peer influence on selection and purchase practices increased. Media influence on daily clothing selection practices and clothing purchase practices in terms of wearing or buying identical or similar clothing was minimal. Media influence in advertisements increased with age, but purchases of advertised clothing items remained about the same. Age group comparisons were also made for selection factors and other care and purchase practices, including responsibilities for care of the member's and family's clothing, planning clothing purchases, sources of funds and methods of paying for clothing, use of clothing label information, and purchase factors.     

Proctored Versus Unproctored Internet Tests: Are unproctored noncognitive tests as predictive of job performance?

As the usage of unproctored Internet testing (UIT) increases in selection settings, concerns about the validity of such practices must be addressed. While recent examinations of the issue have focused primarily on the practicality, ethics, and potential legal ramifications of UIT, this paper provides an examination of the criterion‐related validity of unproctored assessments. Using a database of validity evidence, we examine the predictive validity of several noncognitive assessments (i.e., personality and biodata) with respect to a number of subjective and objective job performance metrics. Results generally indicate that assessments administered in proctored and unproctored settings have similar validities. Limitations of this research and implications for practice are discussed.     

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Active Ingredients of Executive Coaching

We propose that I/O psychologists who coach executives have overlooked psychotherapy outcome research as a source of information and ideas that can be used to improve our executive coaching practices. This research, based on thousands of studies and many meta-analyses, has converged on the conclusion that four "active ingredients" account for most of the variance in psychotherapy outcomes. We describe how this literature has identified four primary "active ingredients" that account for most of the variance in psychotherapy outcomes: 1) Client/extratherapeutic factors (40%), 2) The relationship or alliance (30%), 3) Placebo or hope (15%), and 4) Theory and technique (15%). Working on the assumption that psychotherapy and executive coaching are sufficiently similar to justify generalization from one domain to the other, we describe these four active ingredients at length and explore how they may be at work in the executive coaching process. We also suggest that I/O psychologists have training and experience that allows us to leverage some of these active ingredients in our executive coaching (e.g., understanding of client individual differences related to coaching outcomes). But we also have areas of weakness (e.g., building a strong working relationship with an individual client) that may need to be bolstered with additional training and development experiences.     

Self‐reported attitude scales: current practice in adequate assessment of reliability,validity, and dimensionality

The development of methods to create self‐reported attitude scales has lost momentum, in part because of increased research focused on implicit measures. This paper reviews 162 papers on methodological approaches applied to the validation and assessment of attitude scales. Assessment of methodological approaches applied indicates that neither reliability, validity, nor dimensionality assessments are consistently used according to standard operating procedures or in accordance with best practice. Within current practices in the field of attitude scale development, the full potential of self‐report scales is not met, in part because of such methodological issues. The improvement of existing practices and adoption of promising new developments in attitude scale construction and evaluation are discussed, together with recommendations for best practice in scale validation.     

A survey of psychological assessment feedback practices

There have been no previous studies on how often psychologists conduct feedback and whether they view this practice as a useful component of assessment. To explore psychologists' feedback practices and their perception of the effects of feedback on their clients, the authors examined survey data from 719 psychologist members of the International Neuropsychological Society, the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and the Society for Personality Assessment who regularly conducted assessments as part of their professional activities. The results indicated that the majority of respondents (71%) frequently provided in-person assessment feedback to their clients and/or their clients' families. Furthermore, most respondents (72%) indicated that clients found this information to be helpful and positive. Factors contributing to perceived positive feedback effects, including graduate training and feedback session length, were also examined. Last, differences in the feedback practices of psychologists predominantly practicing neuropsychology versus those predominantly practicing personality assessment were sampled and discussed.     

Making a difference for young people with learning disabilities: A model for inclusive counselling practice

The prevalence of mental health problems in young people with learning disabilities and the disability rights movement provide the background to this paper. The aims are to investigate the inclusivity of counselling; gain insight into inclusive practices; and put forward a model for inclusive counselling practice. Mixed methodology provides quantitative and qualitative data through a survey of counsellors (n = 396) and a series of semi‐structured interviews (n = 15). The results produce six indicators of inclusive counselling, which are used to build a model for inclusive counselling practice: proactive approach to inclusion; focus on building relationships; operationalising equal opportunities policies; inclusive initial assessments; adopting flexible and creative approaches to counselling; and training and awareness raising. The implications for research and practice are to acknowledge the exclusive nature of the profession and address the issue of inclusion through training, professional development and further research in the field. The model for inclusive counselling practice is put forward as a tool for auditing existing counselling provision and as guidance for counsellors and policy makers in increasing inclustion of young people with learning disabilities in mainstream counselling.     

Do organizational conditions influence teacher implementation of effective classroom management practices: Findings from a randomized trial

Although there is a growing evidence base about effective classroom management practices, teacher implementation of these practices varies due to a number of factors. A school's organizational health is one aspect of the broader social environment that has been hypothesized to influence implementation of interventions. Yet, empirical evidence is limited on whether organizational contexts can influence teacher implementation of effective interventions and subsequently, classroom environments and student outcomes. In the present study, teachers in an urban school district were randomly assigned to receive training in the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program (IY TCM), a classroom management intervention. We examined how teacher perceptions of their school environment moderated intervention effects for previously established treatment outcomes – implementation of effective classroom methods, students' social behaviors, emotional regulation, and social competence. Results showed that treatment effects on teacher implementation and student outcomes were moderated by teachers' sense of affiliation to their school. Specifically, main effects on implementation of effective classroom management strategies were only observed among teachers whose perceptions of initial teacher affiliation was low or average; whereas main effects on student outcomes were only found for teachers with initial high levels of affiliation.     

The Reciprocal Transfer of Learning from Journals to Practice

A strong case can be made for the reciprocal transfer of learning between the journals and practice, as well as for blurring the distinction between the science and practice of I/O psychology. This is because journals consistently provide answers for practice, and the implementation of the answers provides a basis for publication and subsequent research. The author's research and practice in the areas of employee motivation, performance appraisal, training, and personnel selection are used in support of these arguments.     

It’s not Easy Becoming Green: Student-Therapist Perceptions of Family Therapy in an Eco-sustainable age

Recent attention given to environmental concerns has been vaulted to the forefront of American society and the world. This has resulted in an increase in ecologically minded practices known as the ‘go green’ movement. Despite the overlap between environmental sustainability and systemic thought, marriage/couple and family therapists (M/CFTs) have remained relatively silent regarding ecologically friendly practices within training and clinical practice. In this qualitative study (the first one of its kind), we asked 25 M/CFT trainees to describe their perceptions of ecological and family sustainability in general, as well as in the context of applying eco-informed language and practice into their therapy. In general, M/CFT trainees reported that although they believe that ecological practices are important for families, they struggle with what the inclusion of such practices might look like practically. Implications for clinical practice and training are presented as well as suggestions for future research.     

Psychometric Evaluation of a Controlled Social Affiliation Paradigm: Findings From Anxiety,Depressive Disorder,and Healthy Samples

Social impairments are common across many psychiatric conditions. Standardized dyadic assessments intended to elicit social affiliation between unacquainted partners are used to elucidate mechanisms that disrupt relationship formation and inform possible treatment targets; however, the psychometric properties of such paradigms remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a controlled social affiliation paradigm intended to induce connectedness between a target participant and trained confederate. Individuals with an anxiety or depressive disorder diagnosis (clinical group; n = 132) and those without (control group; n = 35) interacted face-to-face with a trained confederate; partners took turns answering a series of increasingly intimate questions about themselves. Social connectedness, affect, and affiliative behavior measures were collected during the interaction. Participant symptom and social functioning measures were collected to examine validity. The paradigm elicited escalating social connectedness throughout the task for both participants and confederates. Parallel forms (i.e., different question sets) elicited similar affiliation outcomes. Self-reported (but not behavioral) affiliation differed across some demographic variables (e.g., participant gender, Hispanic ethnicity). Within-task affiliation measures were associated with one another and with global social connectedness and social anxiety symptom measures, but not with somatic anxiety measures. Clinical participants reported lower social affiliation and positive affect reactivity and higher negative affect reactivity than healthy participants. These findings provide initial psychometric support for a standardized and controlled dyadic affiliation paradigm that could be used to reliably probe social disconnection mechanisms across psychopathology.     

Organizational Attractiveness and Individual Differences: Are Diverse Applicants Attracted by Different Factors?

Recruiting is a critical staffing activity for organizations, but its impact on the job seeker is poorly understood. Much remains to be learned about individual differences in reactions to recruitment efforts. This paper discusses the results of a study of MBA candidates that examined (a) the relative importance of various job, organizational, diversity, and recruiter characteristics on assessments of organizational attractiveness, and (b) the extent to which these assessments differed when applicant race and gender are taken into account. Results confirmed that relative to organizational, diversity, and recruiter characteristics, job factors were reported as most important to organizational attraction. However, within the job, diversity, and recruiter characteristics categories interesting gender and/or race differences emerged. The implications of these differences for research and for practices are offered.     

Examining the role and functions of self-development in healthcare therapy trainings: A review of the literature with a modest proposal for the use of learning agreements

Many healthcare trainings with a psychodynamic orientation encourage or require students to commit to a process of personal development, such as provided through attending individual psychotherapy and/or an experiential ‘as if therapy’ group. This paper reviews recent literature about training in psychodynamically oriented practices within counselling psychotherapy, psychiatry, the creative arts therapies and clinical psychology. The results indicate that the mandatory personal development dimension of therapy training needs urgent reassessment. Results of studies consistently call for further research about the direct benefits of personal development on students’ development of skills for therapy practice. There is minimal evidence to indicate what self-development through individual psychotherapy can specifically deliver in terms of eventual professional competence. To address some aspects of the current lacuna, this paper summarises the recommendations for training programmes available from the current research, and makes a modest proposal for the use of learning agreements, rather than only mandated hurdle requirements, to ensure that the incremental steps by which the student attains expected requirements is negotiated and agreed within regularised, and widely accepted university course procedures.     

The Influence of Spirituality and Religion on Coping for Combat‐Deployed Military Personnel

A paucity of research exists examining the role of spirituality/religion (S/R) as a protective factor for combat‐deployed military personnel. The purpose of this study is to (a) define the underlying structure of items from an author‐developed instrument measuring coping, beliefs, and support; and (b) examine how S/R affiliation, activities, and practices affect coping responses for 279 combat‐deployed military personnel. Significant predictors of coping included support, age, Christian affiliation, and frequency of S/R practices. The authors found that beliefs, S/R practices prior to deployment, previous combat deployments, and first deployment were not significant predictors of coping. Implications for counselors and future research are addressed.     

A SURVEY OF INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT PRACTICES BY I/O PSYCHOLOGISTS

Individual assessment, defined as one psychologist making an assessment decision for a personnel-related purpose about one individual, was the focus of a survey of a segment of the Division of Industrial and Organizational Psychology of the American Psychological Association. A response rate of 31.6% was obtained. The responses of 163 individuals who conduct individual assessment to questions about their practices and of 153 individuals who do not conduct individual assessment to questions concerning their attitudes toward individual assessment were examined. Findings regarding what types of assessment are typically conducted, how methods are chosen, what methods are typically used, how findings are relayed to client organizations and assessees, and how practices are evaluated are reported. Implications for training and practice as well as areas for research are discussed.     

National Study of School Psychologists’ Use of Evidence-Based Assessment in Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study aimed to better understand predictors of evidence-based assessment practices for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Nationwide, 402 school psychologists were surveyed for their knowledge of and training and experience with ASD on assessment practices, including reported areas of training needs. The majority of school psychologists reported that they did not engage in comprehensive assessment of ASD, which was defined as assessments that consider all areas of development in addition to the use of ASD-specific instruments. Results from logistic regression revealed that experience and training, working with young children with ASD, and geographic location predicted use of evidence-based assessment practices. Experience and training with ASD was the strongest predictor of evidence-based assessment. No differences in training needs were indicated by school psychologists whose practices were consistent with evidence-based assessment and those whose practices were not. Overall, the results identified gaps between best and current practices by school psychologists and highlight areas of need for additional training and professional development.     

Self‐supervision,surveillance and transgression

Transgression is not only an inevitable part of systemic supervision but is also necessary if we are to work towards innovative and inclusive supervisory and therapeutic practice. Defying culturally generated ‘rules’ of systemic practice can allow for more relevant and productive ways of talking. Systemic practitioners are increasingly finding themselves trying to practice systemic therapy in employing authorities and training courses which are dominated by inflexible professional narratives and manualised procedures. Our profession is committed to ethical inner and outer dialogue, to self‐ and relational reflexivity as distinct from the rule‐bound surveillance culture in which we live and work. Systemic supervisors and therapists may find themselves at odds with monological institutional discourse and attempts from within our own profession to manualise practice. I introduce examples from supervisory conversations to illustrate how supervisors can develop more culturally sensitive practices through supporting practitioners to hear and have heard their own marginalised and oppressed voices and those of their clients.