APA Industrial-Organizational Psychology 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which selection method has consistently shown the highest validity for predicting job performance across a wide range of jobs?
- Unstructured interviews
- Reference checks
- General cognitive ability (GCA) tests (Correct answer)
- Personality inventories
Correct answer: General cognitive ability (GCA) tests
Meta-analytic research (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998) demonstrates that general cognitive ability tests have the highest validity coefficients for predicting job performance across occupations.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a job analysis in I-O psychology?
- Evaluating employee performance after hiring
- Systematically collecting information about tasks, duties, and competencies required for a job (Correct answer)
- Designing compensation and benefits packages
- Assessing organizational culture
Correct answer: Systematically collecting information about tasks, duties, and competencies required for a job
Job analysis is the foundation of I-O practice, providing systematic information about job duties, required KSAOs (knowledge, skills, abilities, other characteristics), and working conditions.
Question 3: Maslow's hierarchy of needs places which need at the apex of the pyramid?
- Safety needs
- Esteem needs
- Belongingness needs
- Self-actualization (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Self-actualization
The top of Maslow's hierarchy is self-actualization — the drive to realize one's full potential and pursue intrinsic growth and meaning.
Question 4: Which concept describes the degree to which a job provides workers with direct and clear information about their performance?
- Task identity
- Skill variety
- Autonomy
- Feedback from the job (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Feedback from the job
In Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model, feedback from the job refers to the degree to which carrying out work activities provides the employee with direct information about their effectiveness.
Question 5: What is 'adverse impact' in employee selection?
- Any test that is negatively correlated with job performance
- When a selection procedure selects a substantially lower proportion of a protected group than the majority group (Correct answer)
- An illegal interview question that causes distress
- A performance rating bias against older workers
Correct answer: When a selection procedure selects a substantially lower proportion of a protected group than the majority group
Adverse impact occurs when a facially neutral selection practice results in disproportionately lower selection rates for a legally protected group, often assessed using the 4/5ths (80%) rule.
Question 6: Herzberg's two-factor theory distinguishes between 'hygiene factors' and 'motivators.' Which of the following is a motivator?
- Company policy
- Salary
- Achievement and recognition (Correct answer)
- Working conditions
Correct answer: Achievement and recognition
Herzberg classified achievement, recognition, advancement, and the work itself as motivators that produce job satisfaction and increased performance.
APA Industrial-Organizational Psychology 1
Which selection method has consistently shown the highest validity for predicting job performance across a wide range of jobs?