Evaluating Selection Process Effectiveness Flashcards

Which statistic best indicates whether a selection test predicts job performance across different subgroups equally well?

Answer: Differential item functioning (DIF)

DIF analysis detects items that perform differently across subgroups (e.g., race, gender) beyond what ability differences would predict.

A selection process yields a high false-negative rate. What is the primary organizational consequence?

Answer: Qualified candidates are incorrectly rejected

A high false-negative rate means the process rejects applicants who would actually have succeeded, causing loss of qualified talent.

Under the Uniform Guidelines, when is a validity study required for a selection procedure?

Answer: When the procedure has adverse impact and is used for employment decisions

The Uniform Guidelines require validity evidence when a selection procedure has adverse impact on a protected class and is used in employment decisions.

What does a utility analysis estimate in the context of selection?

Answer: The dollar value of improved performance gained by using a valid selection procedure

Utility analysis quantifies the economic benefit of using a valid selection instrument compared to random hiring.

Which method evaluates selection effectiveness by comparing the performance of hired applicants to a pre-employment test score, collected after hiring?

Answer: Predictive validation

Predictive validation collects test scores at application and later correlates them with actual job performance data after hiring.

The 'selection ratio' is defined as:

Answer: The number hired divided by the number of applicants

The selection ratio equals the number of people hired divided by the total number of applicants for a position.

Which index reflects the degree to which a test score is free from measurement error?

Answer: Reliability coefficient

The reliability coefficient (e.g., Cronbach's alpha, test-retest r) indicates consistency and freedom from random measurement error.