VALIDITY GENERALIZATION RESULTS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OCCUPATIONS

The Schmidt-Hunter interactive validity generalization procedure was applied to validity data for cognitive abilities tests for law enforcement occupations. Both assumed artifact distributions, and distributions of artifacts constructed from information contained in the current sample of studies were used to test the hypothesis of situational specificity and to estimate validity generalizability. Results for studies using a criterion of performance in training programs showed that validities ranged from .41 to .71, and for four test types the hypothesis of situational specificity could be rejected using the 75% decision rule. For the remaining test types, validity was generalizable, based on 90% credibility values ranging from .37 to .71. Results for studies using a criterion of performance on the job indicated that the hypothesis of situational specificity was not tenable for three test types, which had validities between .17 and .31. For the remaining test types, estimated mean true validities ranged from .10 to .26 and were generalizable to a majority of situations. Results for both groups of studies were essentially identical for the two types of artifact distribution. Possible reasons for the apparently lower validities and lesser generalizability for job performance criteria are discussed, including possible low validity of the criterion (due to lack of opportunity by supervisors to observe behavior) and the potential role of noncognitive factors in the determination of law enforcement job success. Suggestions for specifically targeted additional research are made.     

Technology and guidance: a balance

The following symposium discusses the place of technology in guidance and some of the concerns involved. Tiedeman, a leading authority on technological applications in guidance, takes the position that guidance technology is an important new development. Schmidt, who has written widely in the areas of psychology and counseling, questions the place of technology in guidance and society and underlines some of the concerns related to the adoption of technology. The authors' discussions of “one-way” versus “two-way” thinking and the problem of control over the technology should be of interest to readers concerned with applying technology in guidance.     

THE VALIDITY and FAIRNESS OF EMPLOYMENT and EDUCATIONAL TESTS FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS: A REVIEW and ANALYSIS

This study examined the questions of whether employment and educational tests demonstrate either differential validity or test unfairness to Hispanic Americans relative to the majority group. Relevant data from 19 published and unpublished studies formed the basis of the review and analysis. Results for employment tests, based on a very large amount of data, indicated that differential validity occurs no more frequently than would be expected on the basis of chance plus the operation of various statistical artifacts. The frequencies of slope and intercept differences between Hispanic and majority regressions were also within the chance range. A similar pattern of results obtained for the more limited amount of data available on educational tests. Taken together, the results provide strong evidence that tests are neither differentially valid for, nor unfair to, Hispanics. These findings are consistent with the results of previous studies of test validity and fairness for blacks.     

research techniques for counselors: the multiple baseline

Practitioners in counseling must also be applied researchers. Counselors can no longer rely on intuition, personal opinion, or statistical studies to determine their effectiveness. In this article multiple baseline techniques are offered as applied research strategies for counselors who wish to evaluate the effects of the techniques they are using.