Abstract In this introduction, the rationale and conceptual outline of this volume are described. A brief description of how each chapter fits in this outline as well as the content of each chapter are presented. The book is organized into nine parts: (I) Introduction and Overview; (II) Historical and Social Context of Selection and the Nature of Individual Differences; (III) Research Strategies; (IV) Individual Difference Constructs; (V) Measures of Predictor Constructs; (VI) Performance and Outcomes Assessment; (VII) Societal and Organizational Constraints on Selection; (VIII) Implementation and Sustainability of Selection Systems; and (IX) Conclusions and Future Directions. Each chapter also includes suggestions regarding research and practice issues that require additional attention.

Abstract In the last several decades, there have been four major advancements in assessment: item response theory, structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis, multilevel modeling, and big data analytics. In personality assessment, ideal point models and ipsative measures reflect novel approaches. The dimensionality of personality is also being requestioned, and the relationship of new ideas in this area to the Big Five is not clear and deserves attention. big data analytics allow for the measurement of new constructs using existing data from multiple sources. Of most concern in this area is the nature of the constructs assessed. Finally, while cognitive assessments are perhaps the most accepted of our tools, attention to their reconceptualization in light of advancements in other areas of psychology is likely overdue.

The psychometric soundness of measures has been a central concern of articles published in the Journal of Applied Psychology (JAP) since the inception of the journal. At the same time, it isn't clear that investigators and reviewers prioritize psychometric soundness to a degree that would allow one to have sufficient confidence in conclusions regarding constructs. The purposes of the present article are to (a) examine current scale development and evaluation practices in JAP; (b) compare these practices to recommended practices, previous practices, and practices in other journals; and (c) use these comparisons to make recommendations for reviewers, editors, and investigators regarding the creation and evaluation of measures including Excel-based calculators for various indices. Finally, given that model complexity appears to have increased the need for short scales, we offer a user-friendly R Shiny app (https://orgscience.uncc.edu/about-us/resources) that identifies the subset of items that maximize a variety of psychometric criteria rather than merely maximizing alpha. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Research presented illustrates the impact on the demographic makeup of selected applicants when using a composite of cognitive predictors for selection compared to a composite of cognitive and noncognitive predictors. A large sample of American college applicants was used to simulate selection across a wide range of selection ratios using the two composites. Selection rates for Black individuals generally increased and Asian American selection rates generally decreased when the cognitive and noncognitive composite was used compared to the use of the cognitive composite. Results demonstrate that adding noncognitive predictors to a selection process utilizing cognitive predictors can have some beneficial impact on selection rates for some demographic groups, but does not eliminate the detrimental impact resulting from using cognitive predictors for some minority groups.

The construct validity of the Job Eiagncstic Survey was examined in terms of its ability to detect. expected mean differences in perceived job characteristics between people in: (a) !larl3e and small organizations, (b) large and small work groups and (c) high and low status jobs. these subgroups were cc¢pared using .multivariate and univariate stepwise regressive analyses. Examination of significant effects and mean• differences provided overall support of the construct validity of the Job Eiagnostic Survey and suggest that macro variables such as organizational size and work group size are reflected in people's perceptions of their jobs. (Author) Organizational Size, W.rk Group Size, Job Level, and Perceived Job, Characteristics

Past research on cultural correlates of biased items in multiple‐choice tests have almost always considered post‐hoc explanations that have not been very convincing and they have considered only differential subgroup responses to the correct or preferred answer. In an effort to determine the degree to which culture explains the difference between Chinese and Americans’ responses to a situational judgement test (SJT), 135 options to 25 SJT items were rated on the degree to which they reflected seven dimensions of culture. Ratings of the cultural content of the options were significantly and moderately correlated with Chinese–American differences in Most Likely responses to the options. In addition, a loglinear analysis of differential distractor functioning (DDF) yielded results consistent with the hypothesis that culture was at least partly the reason for subgroup differences in option choices and the resultant findings of DDF. The results suggest that SJTs and perhaps other non‐academic measures must be used with caution across cultural groups.Practitioner points Consultation with experts and test takers in the cultures with which you hope to use an instrument should always precede test use. Review with them both the item stems and options (if any) for items that may have a different meaning across cultural groups. Measurement invariance of instruments used with different cultural groups should be assessed. When sample sizes do not permit sophisticated analyses such as confirmatory factor analyses or item response theory analyses, examine and seek to understand any simple descriptive statistics that reflect a difference across cultural groups. There should be an examination of examine response differences to distractors in multiple‐choice items as well as differences in responses to correct options.

The presence of a general factor has been found in previous research on the utilization of personality tests in selection contexts. Termed the Ideal Employee Factor (IEF), this factor is thought to represent an effort to present oneself as an ideal employee to some degree on all items in the test. Examining the responses to biodata and situational judgment items, we provide evidence for the existence of a factor similar to the IEF within the college admissions context, termed the Ideal Student Factor (ISF), but the magnitude of this factor relative to specific factors was small. Mixed support was found for the hypothesized differences in the factor loadings on the ISF for different constructs included in the model. The presence of the ISF was not found to substantially impact the validity of other predictors within this study. The overall conclusion is that this general factor would not impact the use of these biodata and situational judgment items in college admissions.

In academic settings, recent work has shown that feelings of connectedness among students are associated with attrition intentions and retention. However, research has not examined how perceptions of connectedness and motivation to succeed prior to matriculation relate to early attrition intentions. Via moderated regression analyses, we find embeddedness and motivational constructs play unique predictive roles, and that ethnicity moderates the relationship between embeddedness and attrition intentions. Additionally, mediation analyses indicate that embeddedness and aspects of motivation can have an indirect effect on attrition intentions through perceptions of complementary and supplementary fit. Finally, moderated mediation analyses reveal that the indirect effect of embeddedness on attrition intentions through Complementary Fit is stronger for ethnic minorities. These findings demonstrate the broad range of consequences embeddedness and other attitudinal constructs held by students prior to matriculation can have on subsequent behavior and attitudes.

The present research compares the operation of situational judgement and biodata measures between Chinese and U.S. respondents. We describe the development and past research on both measures, followed by hypothesized differences across the two groups of respondents. We base hypotheses on the nature of the Chinese and U.S. educational systems and cultural value differences from the GLOBE studies (House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, & Gupta, 2004). Results indicate some evidence of mean differences across groups at the scale level but little effect of national origin when examining the test battery as a whole. We conclude with recommendations concerning the use of situational judgment and biodata measures in situations in which the evaluated individuals come from different cultural contexts.

The use of noncognitive measures enhances the prediction of various individual outcomes. Although structured measures of noncognitive constructs are routinely used in employee selection, they are rarely used to predict college student success. Situational judgment, biodata measures, and other methods of measurement address constructs that add to the prediction of grade point average and are major correlates of other student outcomes. Employers and college administrators indicate that outcomes other than task performance and grades are important. Because noncognitive attributes are the best predictors of these alternative outcomes, it seems they should be included in the set of criteria used by college admissions personnel. Several issues should be addressed if noncognitive measures are used more frequently, including the possibility of their use in other ways than for selection only, the minimizing of the influence of faking, and the reaction of various constituencies to their use in college admissions decisions.

The inclusion of situational judgment tests (SJTs) in a battery of predictor measures has become increasingly common in personnel selection research and practice. Unlike cognitive ability and personality measures which have an extensive literature and large database, the empirical evidence on SJTs is much less well established and the theoretical or conceptual underpinnings of SJTs are much less well understood. This chapter summarizes what we now know and do not know about SJTs and identifies specific directions for future research. We begin with a summary of the research on the criterion-related validity of SJTs. This is followed by a discussion of several important issues involving the construct validity of SJTs that have not been adequately addressed in extant research. The chapter ends with an agenda for future research that, if effectively implemented, should contribute to our understanding and effective use of SJTs in personnel selection.

This article reviews 100 years of research on recruitment and selection published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Recruitment and selection research has been present in the Journal from the very first issue, where Hall (1917) suggested that the challenge of recruitment and selection was the Supreme Problem facing the field of applied psychology. As this article shows, the various topics related to recruitment and selection have ebbed and flowed over the years in response to business, legal, and societal changes, but this Supreme Problem has captivated the attention of scientist-practitioners for a century. Our review starts by identifying the practical challenges and macro forces that shaped the sciences of recruitment and selection and helped to define the research questions the field has addressed. We then describe the evolution of recruitment and selection research and the ways the resulting scientific advancements have contributed to staffing practices. We conclude with speculations on how recruitment and selection research may proceed in the future. Supplemental material posted online provides additional depth by including a summary of practice challenges and scientific advancements that affected the direction of selection and recruitment research and an outline of seminal articles published in the Journal and corresponding time line. The 100-year anniversary of the Journal of Applied Psychology is very much the celebration of recruitment and selection research, although predictions about the future suggest there is still much exciting work to be done. (PsycINFO Database Record

Informal observations concerning journal content indicates that research investigating organizational behavior topics, including work on the structure of groups and determinants and consequences of group process along with the role of leadership in groups, has increased. Some topics have disappeared (e.g., job analysis, human factors, union-related work, consumer behavior) and others are declining (e.g., research methods, psychometrics). Perhaps the biggest change is in the length of articles, which is mostly a function of the inclusion of greater numbers of references and appendix material. Publishing some of this material in supplementary online materials is now current practice in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Concerns about use of journal space may also be entirely moot, if electronic publishing as opposed to print publishing becomes the norm.