Matakuliah : L0064 / Psikologi Industri &
Organisasi 1
Tahun
: 2007 / 2008
PENGETESAN PSIKOLOGI
Pertemuan 5 & 6
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you will be able to:
1. Explain the principles of psychological testing
2. Describe the implications of fair employment practices
3. Present an overview of a sample testing program
4. Describe the administrative implications of the different
types of psychological tests used in the workplace
5. Identify seven types of psychological tests used in the
workplace
6. Understand the limitations of psychological testing
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Principles of Psychological Testing
• Standardization
• Objectivity
• Test norms
• Reliability
• Validity
• Validity generalization
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Standardization
• Standardization refers to the consistency or uniformity
of the conditions and procedures for administering a
psychological test
• Maintaining standardized conditions is the responsibility
of the people administering the test
• Computer technology is helping ensure that people
taking a test receive the same instructions in the same
format
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Objectivity
• Objectivity refers to the scoring of the test results
• Objective tests have a scoring process that is free of
personal judgment or bias
• Subjective tests contain items such as essay questions
and can be influenced by the personal characteristics
and attitudes of the scorer
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Test Norms
• Test norms refers to the distribution of scores of a large
number of people similar to the job applicants being
tested
• Standardization sample refers to the scores of the
group of subjects used to establish test norms.
• Standardization sample scores serve as the point of
comparison for determining the relative standing of the
persons being tested
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Reliability
• Reliability refers to the consistency or stability of
a response on a psychological test
– Test-retest method is a way to determine reliability
by administering a new test twice to the same
subjects and correlating the two sets of scores
– Equivalent-forms method uses a test-retest
approach, but uses a different but similar test
(disadvantage is the difficulty and expense of
developing two separate forms)
– Split-halves method is determined by dividing the
items of a test into two groups and correlating the two
sets of scores
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Validity
• Validity is the most important test requirement and refers
to whether a test measures what it’s intended to
measure
– Criterion-related validity
• Predictive
• Concurrent
– Rational validity
• Content
• Construct
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Criterion-Related Validity
• Criterion-related validity is concerned with the
relationship between test scores and subsequent job
performance
– Predictive validity involves administering the test to
all job applicants and correlating test scores with later
performance
– Concurrent validity involves testing current
employees and correlating the results with job
performance (but there are problems of pre-selection
and differing motivation levels)
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Rational and Face Validity
• Rational validity relates to the nature, properties, and
content of a test, independent of job performance
measures
– Content validity assesses test items to ensure that
they adequately sample the skills the test is designed
to measure
– Construct validity attempts to determine the
psychological characteristics measured by a test
• Face validity is not a statistical measure; it is a
subjective impression of how well test items seem to be
related to the requirements of the job
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Validity Generalization
• Validity generalization is based on meta-analysis and
refers to the principle that tests valid in one situation may
also be valid in another situation
• Replaced concepts of situational specificity and
differential validity
• Endorsed by SIOP, the National Academy of Science
and included in Standards for Educational and
Psychological Testing of the APA
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Fair Employment Practices
• Fair employment legislation increased validity
research to document whether a test
discriminates against any particular group of job
applicants
• Studies indicate cognitive ability tests not biased
against Blacks
– Differences reflect societal discrimination
• Criterion-related validation procedures are
required, when feasible, by EEOC guidelines
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Fair Employment Practices
• Empirical demonstration of test validity does not
guarantee that a test will not be declared to be
discriminatory
– GATB (cognitive test)showed similar validities for
whites and minorities, but minority scores were lower
on average
– To avoid adverse impact, U.S. Employment Service
adopted race norming, adjusting minority scores
upward to equalize hiring rates
– The Civil Rights Act of 1991 prohibits race norming
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Fair Employment Practices
• When race norming was declared unlawful, banding
was suggested
• Banding is a controversial practice of grouping test
scores for minority applicants to equalize hiring rates
(order of selection within a band might not be by the
highest test score)
• Many tests have been modified for disabled persons and
are supported by empirical validation studies
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Overview of a Testing Program
• Investigate the nature of the job for which testing
will be used
• Choose or develop appropriate tests related to
job success
– Mental measurements Yearbook (1998) offers information on
reliability, validity, and norms
– Consider cost, time
• Validate the test and the items within (conduct
an item analysis)
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Overview of a Testing Program
• Ensure the items are not too easy or too difficult
• Once the validity and reliability are established, a cutoff
score must be determined
• Cutoff scores must consider the probability that a
minimally competent person would answer each test
item correctly
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Administering Psychological Tests
• Psychological tests can be categorized in two ways
– The manner in which they are administered
– The abilities they are designed to measure
• Individual and group tests
• Computerized adaptive tests
• Speed and power tests
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Individual and Group Tests
• Group tests are designed to be administered to a large
number of people at the same time
• Individual tests are designed to be administered to one
person at a time
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Computerized Adaptive Testing
• Computerized adaptive testing is a way of
administering tests to groups of people in which an
applicant’s response to one item determines the level of
difficulty of succeeding items
• Requires a larger initial investment but is more cost
effective in the long run than paper and pencil tests
• Little difference in scores between paper and pencil tests
and computerized tests, although time limits may be a
factor
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Speed Tests and Power Tests
• Speed tests
– Have a fixed time limit, at which everyone taking the
test must stop
– Large-scale testing easier as tests can all be
collected at same time
• Power tests
– Have no time limit
– Items generally more difficult than speed test
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Types of Psychological Tests
• Cognitive abilities
• Interests
• Aptitudes
• Motor skills
• Personality – Big Five
• Integrity tests
• Situational judgment tests
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Cognitive Ability Tests
• Widely used for employee selection because they are
highly effective in predicting success in the workplace
• A meta-analysis indicated that CA tests had highest
validity for predicting success in job training and
performance (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998)
• Another study (Kuncel, Hezlett, & Ones, 2004) indicated
that cognitive ability required for success in college was
not significantly different from that required for jobs with
moderate to high levels of complexity in business world
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Examples of Cognitive Ability Tests
• Otis Self-Administering Tests of Mental Ability for
lower level, non-managerial jobs
• Wonderlic Personnel Test is a 50 item test of general
mental ability (12 minute limit) and correlates with
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
• Revised Beta Examination (Beta-III), a nonverbal
measure of cognitive ability for those who can’t read
• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R),
individually administered (11 subtests)
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Interest Tests
• Assess a person’s interests and preferences
– Try to match applicant’s interests to jobs where
successful incumbents hold similar interests
• They are used primarily for career counseling
– Easy to fake, therefore of little use for selection
• Interest does not guarantee success
• Examples:
– Strong Interest Inventory
– Kuder Occupational Interest Survey
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Aptitude Tests
• Measure specific abilities, such as mechanical or
clerical skills
• Examples:
– Minnesota Clerical Test measures perceptual speed
and accuracy required for clerical duties
– Revised Minnesota Paper Form Board Test
measures mechanical ability & artistic orientation
– Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test has
questions about principles of mechanical operation
– Computer Competence Tests assesses knowledge
of basic computer terminology and application
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Motor Skills Tests
• Measure muscle coordination, finger dexterity,
and eye-hand coordination
• Examples
– Purdue Pegboard simulates assembly-line
conditions and measures coordination needed for
factory work
– O’Connor Finger Dexterity Test & O’Connor
Tweezer Test both measure finger dexterity for
occupations requiring precise manipulative skills
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Personality Tests
• Assess personal traits and feelings
• Two approaches
– Self-report inventories include questions dealing
with situations, symptoms, and feelings; may have
problems with honesty of responses
– Projective techniques present an ambiguous
stimulus, such as an inkblot, to test-takers who project
their thoughts, wishes, and feelings in an effort to give
it meaning; there are problems with subjectivity
• Rorschach Inkblot Test
• Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
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Examples of Self-Report Inventories
• Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey
yields scores on 10 traits
• Minnesota Personality Inventory (MMPI-2),
first published in 1943, is the most frequently
used personality test for employee selection and
clinical work
– Especially useful for jobs requiring a high level of
psychological adjustment
– Repeated administrations result in less extreme
scores
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Examples of Self-Report Inventories
• California Psychological Inventory provides scores on
17 personality dimensions
– Used to predict success in teaching and health care
– Has scales to identify leadership and management potential,
creative potential, and social maturity
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Big Five Personality Factors
• The “Big Five”
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Extraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Neuroticism
Openness to experience
• Conscientiousness and extraversion are
effective in predicting job performance,
particularly for jobs requiring autonomy
• Agreeableness and conscientiousness are
important for teamwork
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Integrity Tests
• Used to predict and detect employee dishonesty
• Two types
– Overt integrity tests which directly assess attitudes toward theft
and other dishonest behaviors
– Personality-oriented integrity tests which measure counterproductive behaviors such as general delinquency, impulse
control, and conscientiousness
• Women tend to score higher than men on overt integrity
tests
• The concept probably measures conscientiousness
which would explain why integrity tests are valid
predictors of performance
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Situational Judgment Tests
• A series of job-related situations designed to test
judgment in the workplace
• Applicants choose best and worst alternatives to solve
problem
• Example is the Supervisory Practices Test
• Meta-analysis indicates high predictive validity for wide
range of jobs
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Limitations of Psychological Testing
• Uncritical Use – need to appraise test’s norms,
reliabilities and validities for the purpose at hand
• Rejection of qualified applicants
• Faking
• Retaking – scores improve with practice
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APA Ethics Code for Use of Psychological
Tests
• Test users – administrators and evaluators should be
aware of the principles of tests, measurement, and
validation
• Test security - tests should only be sold to professionals
who will safeguard their use
• Test interpretation - scores should only be given to those
qualified to interpret them; the test taker has the right to
know the test score and what it means
• Test publication - tests shouldn’t be released without
background research to support the developer’s claims
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Privacy Issues
• Some tests may be criticized for the use of
questions about personal and intimate issues
• Questions must be related to performance of the
job for which the person is applying
• Personal questions about sex, religion, political
beliefs, and health have been successfully
challenged in court as unwarranted invasions of
privacy
– See “Newsbreak” on pg. 124
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Key Terms
• Aptitude tests
• Banding
• Computerized adaptive
tests
• Criterion-related validity
• Group tests
• Individual tests
• Interest tests
• Objective tests
• Personality tests
• Power tests
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Projective techniques
Race norming
Rational validity
Reliability
Self-report personality
inventories
Speed tests
Standardization
Subjective tests
Validity
Validity generalization