ARE WE GETTING FOOLED AGAIN? COMING TO TERMS WITH LIMITATIONS IN THE USE OF PERSONALITY TESTS FOR PERSONNEL SELECTION

We recently published an article in which we highlighted a number of issues associated with the use of self-report personality tests in personnel selection contexts ( Morgeson et al., 2007 ). Both Ones, Dilchert, Viswesvaran, and Judge (2007) and Tett and Christiansen (2007) have written responses to this article. In our response to these articles we address many of the issues raised by Ones et al. and Tett and Christiansen. In addition to a detailed response, we make the following 4 key points: (1) Our criticisms of personality testing apply only to the selection context, not to all research on personality; (2) the observed validities of personality tests predicting job performance criteria are low and have not changed much over time; (3) when evaluating the usefulness of using personality tests to select applicants, one must not ignore the observed, uncorrected validity; and (4) when discussing the value of personality tests for selection contexts, the most important criteria are those that reflect job performance. Implications for personality testing research and practice are discussed.     

Ordinary People: Using a Popular Film in Group Therapy

A time-limited, topic-oriented counseling group using the popular film Ordinary People prepared adolescents in residential treatment for reentry into their families and communities.     

Attitudinal and Normative Factors as Determinants of Gay Men's Intentions to Perform AIDS-Related Sexual Behaviors: A Multisite Analysis1

The purpose of this study was to test the applicability of the theory of reasoned action as a basis for understanding and predicting gay men's intentions to perform AIDS-related sexual behaviors. A total of 314 self-identified gay or bisexual men from Seattle, Denver, and Albany participated in the study. They were asked to indicate their intentions to perform 15 specific sexual behaviors chosen to represent different degrees of risk of contracting AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, they were asked to respond to items measuring the attitudinal and normative considerations regarding each behavior. As expected, the results showed that the gay men's intentions were significantly predicted by the two factors. More interesting, it was found that, although attitudes are consistently the more important determinants of intentions for all the respondents, the importance of normative considerations varies across cities. This difference in normative considerations is interpreted in light of the differences in the structure of the three gay communities. Implications for designing sample-specific intervention programs are discussed.     

FACTORS AFFECTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM TRAINED TASKS ON THE JOB

One factor that can affect the transfer of technical skills to the job is the extent to which the trainee is given the opportunity to perform trained tasks on the job. The opportunity to perform trained tasks was conceptualized as consisting of three dimensions: breadth, activity level, and type of tasks performed. Graduates from an Air Force technical training program and their supervisors ( N = 180) responded to questionnaires measuring these three dimensions and various organizational, work context, and individual factors 4 months after the airmen had completed the training program. The results indicated that airmen obtained differential opportunities to perform trained tasks and that these differences were related to supervisory attitudes and workgroup support as well as the trainee's self-efficacy and cognitive ability. Implications for training research and practice are discussed.     

Choosing Outcome Assessment Devices: An Organizational and Conceptual Scheme

The assessment of counseling outcome is an important issue that has theoretical, ethical, empirical, and practical significance. Our examination of the state of the science, however, revealed much diversity and disorder. To impose order on this chaos, an organizational and conceptual scheme consisting of content, source, technology, and time orientation dimensions was proposed. The scheme's utility was demonstrated through a review of and application to outcome studies found in two leading counseling journals over the past 3 years. The conceptual scheme was further illustrated through an in-depth application to one specific outcome study. This scheme may guide future outcome research efforts, and its utility may be broadened to include the selection of outcome instruments in career counseling and supervision research.     

Predictors of Client Satisfaction in Executive Outplacement: Implications for Service Delivery

This study examined various program components of professional outplacement relative to client satisfaction using a sample that comprised a majority of former executives seeking jobs. Results from a pencil-and -paper client survey suggest that outplacement content components (job search training, preparation) and process components (consultant relationship, clarity of expectations, assistance in maintaining focus) were better predictors of client satisfaction when compared with contextual components (library, software, administrative support). Findings from this study suggest that issues of self-efficacy may make a key contribution not only to client satisfaction, but to the design and the administration of outplacement services.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK EXPERIENCE AND JOB PERFORMANCE: A CONCEPTUAL AND META-ANALYTIC REVIEW

A gap in the conceptual development of the work experience construct was addressed by creating a framework specifying two dimensions along which work experience measures can vary. The dimensions of measurement mode (amount, time, and type) and level of specificity (task, job, organizational) formed nine separate categories of measures of work experience. The usefulness of the conceptual framework was tested by conducting a meta-analytic review of the existing literature on work experience using the dimensions in the framework as potential moderators of the experience-performance relationship. Results of the meta-analysis ( N = 25,911; K = 44) revealed an estimated population correlation of 27 between experience and performance after correcting for sampling error and criterion unreliability. In addition, the results showed that amount ( M = .43) and task-level ( M = .41) measures of work experience had the highest correlations with measures of job performance. In addition, work experience had the highest correlations with hard (e.g. work samples) as opposed to soft (e.g. ratings) measures of job performance ( M = .39 vs. M = .24). Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

COLLEGE STUDENTS'ATTITUDES TOWARD EMPLOYEE DRUG TESTING PROGRAMS

Drug testing programs are becoming increasingly popular, but little is known about attitudes toward various aspects of common testing programs. This study examined college students'attitudes toward several aspects of drug testing programs. Results indicate that testing is seen, under some circumstances, as appropriate and necessary. However, attitudes toward most aspects of testing were characterized by extreme variability. Virtually all aspects of drug testing programs are strongly accepted by some individuals and strongly rejected by others. Furthermore, attitudes toward employee drug testing do not appear to vary as a function of employment experience, qualifications, or political inclinations, and are not strongly related to the individual's exposure to others'drug use. One of the few consistent correlates of approval of employee drug testing was the individual's drug use; self-report frequency of drug use was negatively correlated with the acceptability of employee drug testing.     

FOOLING YOURSELF WITH CROSS-VALIDATION: SINGLE SAMPLE DESIGNS

The most commonly used cross-validation design involves drawing a single sample and partitioning that sample into derivation and holdout subsamples. This type of design allows one to adjust for random sampling error, but like formula estimates of cross-validity, is insensitive to violations of sampling assumptions. As is shown in a small Monte Carlo study, results obtained in non-representative samples, which are known to be invalid in the population, will nonetheless hold up well under cross-validation when single-sample designs are employed. It is suggested that single-sample cross-validation estimates possess no clear-cut advantages over formula estimates, and thus are not worth the effort or the loss of degrees of freedom.