VALCOR: A program for estimating standard error, confidence intervals, and probability of corrected validity

VALCOR is a Turbo-Basic program that corrects the observed (uncorrected) validity coefficients for criterion and predictor unreliability and range restriction in the predictor. Furthermore, using the formulas for the standard error of functions of correlations derived by Bobko and Rieck (1980), the program provides an estimation of the standard error, the confidence intervals, and the probability of the corrected validity coefficients. In this way, the probability and the boundaries of the corrected validity coefficients may be reported together with the probability of the uncorrected validity coefficients. The results are presented on the computer screen and may be saved in an external file.     

Within-individual variability in self-concepts and personality states: Applying density distribution and situation-behavior approaches across cultures

Within-individual variability in self-concepts and everyday personality states and affects was investigated in two experience sampling studies using density distribution and situation-behavior approaches. In all seven cultures sampled, within-individual variability was substantial and self-concept and personality state variability exhibited moderate convergence. Variability in personality and affect states was moderately predicted by perceived need satisfaction in the situations. The density distribution and situation-behavior approaches were moderately convergent in identifying the most variable individuals, but the pattern of cultural differences differed in the two methods. Contrary to cultural psychology perspectives, cultural differences in within-individual variability did not consistently correspond to cultural differences in individualism–collectivism, dialecticism, or tightness.     

Quality service in supermarkets: a proposal of measurement

This assignment has the aim of going deeply into the study of service quality perception in supermarkets. The research tries to find the criterion used when rating the services received in a supermarket and also to elaborate an instrument to measure the service quality in this context. From the review of the existing bibliography, four theoretical factors and a thirteen items scale have been composed. These four factors are: price, product, service and image and fresh product. In order to check the psychometrical properties of the questionnaire we carried out a computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) with a sample of 300 interviews. The results obtained allow us to show a scale with a factorial structure of 4 dimensions that throws up optimal indexes of reliability and validity. At the same time we conclude that the variable called establishment global rate is an important variable in the perceptive structure of the consumers.     

A training program to improve the memory of children with Down's syndrome

This study starts out from the general agreement about the explicit memory deficits in children with Down's syndrome. Our aim is to explore the possibilities of the computer as a valuable instrument with which to train memory by teaching cognitive rehearsal strategies. The sample was made up of 40 students with Down's syndrome and was divided into two research groups: control and experimental. The results show a clear tendency towards memory improvement in the experimental group. These results can be considered indicators of the effectiveness of the intervention. They are also very interesting for education, in the sense that teachers can help the students with Down's syndrome to improve their memory capacity.     

Adaptation of the Sydney Attribution Scale in a Spanish college population

The aim of this study was to analyse the psychometric properties of the Sydney Attribution Scale in a sample of 1,508 college students. Factor analysis identified six factors: Success/Ability, Success/Effort, Success/External Causes, Failure/Ability, Failure/Effort, and Failure/External Causes. Success and failure factors accounted for an adequate percentage of the variance. Internal consistency was acceptable, similar in the success scales and in the failure scales, and higher in the internal scales than in the external scales. The results also showed a clear predictable pattern of relationships between dimensions of self-attribution, and between these dimensions and several measures of general self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, satisfaction with the studies, satisfaction with performance, and satisfaction with knowledge, which supports the construct validity of the SAS.     

The role of spatial attention and other processes on the magnitude and time course of cueing effects

We are quite often exposed to multiple objects present in the visual scene, thus attentional selection is necessary in order to selectively respond to the relevant information. Objects can be selected on the basis of the location they occupy by orienting attention in space. In this paper, we review the evidence showing that attention can be oriented in space either endogenously, on the basis of central cues, predictive of the relevant location, or exogenously, automatically triggered by the salient properties of visual stimuli (peripheral cues). Several dissociations observed between orienting on the basis of the two types of cues have led to the conclusion that they do not represent just two modes of triggering the orienting of the very same attentional mechanism, but rather they modulate processing differently. We present a theoretical framework according to which endogenous predictive cues facilitate target processing by orienting attention, thus amplifying processing at the attended location. In contrast, apart from attentional orienting, peripherally presented discrepant cues might trigger additional cue-target event-integration and event-segregation processes, which modulate processing in a different way, thus leading to cueing effects that are exclusively triggered by peripheral cues.     

Estimating Coefficients of Equivalence and Stability for Job Performance Ratings: The importance of controlling for transient error on criterion measurement

Previous research on measurement error in job performance ratings estimated reliability using coefficients: alpha, test–retest, and interrater correlation. None of these three coefficients control for the four main sources of error in performance ratings. For this reason, coefficient of equivalence and stability (CES) has been suggested as the ideal estimate of reliability. This article presents the estimates of CES for a time interval of 1, 2, and 3 years. The values obtained for a single rater were .51, .48, and .44, respectively. For two raters, the values were .59, .55, and .51. The findings suggest that previous reliability estimates based on alpha, test–retest, and interrater coefficients overestimated the reliability of job performance ratings. In the present study, the interrater coefficient overestimates reliability by 13.6–25.4% for an interval time of 1–3 years, as it does not control for transient error. Results also showed that the importance of transient error increases as the length of the interval between the measures increases. Based on the results, it is suggested that corrected validities based on interrater reliability underestimate the magnitude of the validity. The implications of these findings for future efforts to estimate criterion reliability and predictor validity are discussed.     

Cognitive and GMA Testing in the European Community: Issues and Evidence

This article reviews the evidence on General Mental Ability (GMA) and cognitive ability tests in connection with employment in the European Community (EC). Five themes are reviewed: prevalence, applicant reactions, testing standards, criterion validity, and recent advances. The first section shows that GMA and cognitive ability tests are used more often in Europe than in America. The second section, regarding applicant reactions, shows that the studies carried out in the EC have shown that there are no differences between Europe and America. The third section shows that there is an initiative to harmonize the standards used across the European countries. In the fourth section, we report on a validity generalization study carried out using the primary studies conducted in Great Britain and Spain. The results showed that GMA and cognitive tests are valid predictors of job performance and training success in both countries and they generalize validity across occupations. Furthermore, the size of the observed validity estimates is similar to those found in the American meta-analyses. Finally, two recent advances are mentioned: the British "Project B" and the use of virtual reality technology for predicting job performance.     

The impact of cortisol reactivity to acute stress on memory: sex differences in middle-aged people

Stress has been identified as a main factor involved in the cognitive changes that occur during the aging process. This study investigated sex differences in the relationship between the magnitude of the acute stress-induced salivary cortisol response and memory performance among middle-aged people. To this end, 16 men and 16 women (aged 54-72 years) were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test and a control condition in a crossover design. Afterwards their memory performance was measured using a standardized memory test (Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test). Only among women, there was an acute impact of stress on memory performance and a significant relationship between a higher cortisol response to the stressor and poorer memory performance in both the stress and control conditions. Additionally, a poorer memory performance was related to earlier timing of sexual maturation (age at menarche), which was also marginally related to higher cortisol reactivity to stress. These results confirm that sex is a critical factor in the relationship between cortisol and poor memory performance. Furthermore, the findings emphasize a strong link between the individual cortisol response to stress and memory functioning among postmenopausal women.