Stability of biodata keys and dimensions across English-speaking countries: A test of the cross-situational hypothesis

Questions have been raised about the generalizability of biodata instruments across situations. In the present study, the stability of a biodata scoring key and factor structure was examined across two situations—the insurance industry in the United States and the United Kingdom/Republic of Ireland. Results indicated that the validity of a biodata scoring key could be successfully transported. Confirmatory factor analysis, using a maximum likelihood estimation procedure (LISREL), also indicated that the biodata factor structure was stable across the countries and cultures. The reliability and validity of the dimension scores also were successfully transported. The results provide new support for the contention that biodata keys, as well as underlying dimensional structures, can generalize across situations, specifically English-speaking countries and cultures.This research was conducted while the first two authors were at LIMRA, International.