AN EXAMINATION OF IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT USE AND EFFECTIVENESS ACROSS ASSESSMENT CENTER EXERCISES: THE ROLE OF COMPETENCY DEMANDS

We report 2 studies that examine how promotional candidates use verbal and nonverbal impression management (IM) tactics across several structured assessment center exercises that differ in the competency demands they place on candidates. Based on the competency-demand hypothesis ( Shoda, Mischel, & Wright, 1993a, 1993b ), it was predicted that IM use would occur most frequently and have the strongest effects on assessor evaluations in exercises that place greater demands on candidates' interpersonal skills than in exercises that depend primarily on technical skills. In both studies, IM tactics were generally used more frequently and there was more variability in IM use for those exercises requiring candidates to display interpersonal competencies (i.e., the role-plays and mock presentation) relative to the exercise that did not (i.e., the tactical exercise). The relationship between IM use and assessor evaluations was also influenced by the competencies assessed by the exercises, and IM use related to both interpersonal and noninterpersonal ratings of performance.     

MISSING LINKS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CURRICULUM: FOUR DIMENSIONS FOR CHANGE

Our society is changing at a pace hardly imagined a century, even a few decades ago. The role of education is crucial in helping prepare our young people to both cope with and take responsibility for shaping these changes in ways consistent with the values of a free society. To this end, four overarching themes for change in curriculum are examined: (1) the competencies and attitudes needed to understand and engage in systems thinking; (2) the development of self and inter-personal knowledge and skills; (3) understanding of the connectiveness of knowledge; and (4) the ability to think critically.     

AN INTERNATIONAL LOOK AT SELECTION PRACTICES: NATION AND CULTURE AS EXPLANATIONS FOR VARIABILITY IN PRACTICE

A survey of 959 organizations in 20 countries was undertaken to assess whether differences in staffing practices are due in part to nation and culture. Cultural differences in uncertainty avoidance and, to a lesser extent, power distance, explained some of the national differences observed in the extensiveness of method use. Implications for understanding the best approaches to selection on a global basis are discussed.     

The Logical Levels of Complementary,Symmetrical, and Parallel Interaction Classes in Family Dyads

It was postulated that the parallel interaction class is a higher logical order than complementary and symmetrical interaction, which appear to be of the same logical type. Father-mother, father-child, and mother-child dyads of 48 families were categorized into complementary, symmetrical, and parallel classes using the Relationship Styles Inventory. Each of the dyads in these three categories was then randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions in which they jointly resolved a moral dilemma. In one condition, the dyads were asked to follow complementary rules, while in the second condition they were instructed to follow symmetrical rules. Results indicated that parallel dyads adjusted to both the complementary and symmetrical conditions, whereas symmetrical and complementary dyads did not successfully accommodate rules outside their own class. The implications in terms of therapeutic intervention and further research are discussed.     

WORK SAMPLE TESTS IN PERSONNEL SELECTION: A META‐ANALYSIS OF BLACK–WHITE DIFFERENCES IN OVERALL AND EXERCISE SCORES

Work sample exams are generally thought to have either low or comparatively low levels of ethnic group differences when used for personnel selection. Such exams are sometimes called “simulation exercises” and involve having applicants perform a set of tasks that are similar to those performed on the job. The nearly ubiquitous meta‐analytic value of Black–White subgroup differences in the literature is d= .38. Unfortunately, this estimate is plagued by a variety of problems (e.g., range restriction, inclusion of nonwork sample tests). Further, there are virtually no analyses that examine how the saturation of different constructs influence work sample tests. We gathered available data for Black–White ethnic group differences and found that overall work sample differences were markedly larger for samples of job applicants (d= .73) than previously thought. We also examined how different exercises and saturation of different constructs influenced work sample ds. For example, work sample test ratings of cognitive and job knowledge skills were associated with a mean observed d= .80, whereas ratings of various social skills were associated with mean observed ds that varied from .21 to .27. We urge scientists and practitioners to consider both the method and the constructs that are targeted when forecasting predictor ds.