CODESP Evaluating Selection Process Effectiveness 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When evaluating criterion-related validity, what is the preferred criterion measure?
- Objective performance data tied directly to job duties (Correct answer)
- Supervisor liking ratings
- Attendance records alone
- Peer popularity scores
Correct answer: Objective performance data tied directly to job duties
The best criterion measure is an objective, job-relevant performance indicator that directly reflects the constructs being predicted.
Question 2: A selection battery shows high validity but also high adverse impact. Under CODESP principles, what should practitioners do first?
- Explore alternative procedures with less adverse impact and comparable validity (Correct answer)
- Immediately abandon the battery
- Increase the pass score to reduce hiring numbers
- Report only validity data to stakeholders
Correct answer: Explore alternative procedures with less adverse impact and comparable validity
Practitioners should investigate whether equally valid alternatives exist with less adverse impact before modifying or replacing the battery.
Question 3: What is 'criterion contamination' in selection research?
- The criterion measure is influenced by factors unrelated to actual job performance (Correct answer)
- The predictor score is mixed with criterion data
- Supervisors are unaware of test scores
- Random error inflates the correlation coefficient
Correct answer: The criterion measure is influenced by factors unrelated to actual job performance
Criterion contamination occurs when the performance rating or criterion data is affected by knowledge of predictor scores or by irrelevant factors.
Question 4: Which validity generalization concept allows organizations to apply validity evidence from prior studies to new settings?
- Meta-analysis-based validity transportability (Correct answer)
- Face validity
- Synthetic validity
- Incremental validity
Correct answer: Meta-analysis-based validity transportability
Validity generalization, often demonstrated through meta-analysis, supports transporting validity evidence across similar jobs and settings.
Question 5: A structured interview developed using a job analysis is best evaluated for which type of validity?
- Content validity (Correct answer)
- Construct validity
- Concurrent validity
- Predictive validity
Correct answer: Content validity
Structured interviews built from job analysis evidence are evaluated primarily through content validity, showing items represent critical job tasks.
Question 6: Which calculation is used to correct an observed validity coefficient for restriction of range in the predictor?
- Range restriction correction formula (Correct answer)
- Spearman-Brown formula
- Standard error of estimate
- Cohen's d formula
Correct answer: Range restriction correction formula
The range restriction correction formula (Thorndike's Case 2 or Case 3) adjusts observed correlations upward to estimate the true validity coefficient.
Question 7: In evaluating selection systems, 'incremental validity' refers to:
- The additional predictive power a new predictor adds beyond existing predictors (Correct answer)
- The increase in test scores over repeated administrations
- The validity gained by adding more test items
- The cumulative validity across multiple administrations
Correct answer: The additional predictive power a new predictor adds beyond existing predictors
Incremental validity measures how much unique variance in job performance a new predictor explains beyond what current predictors already explain.
CODESP Evaluating Selection Process Effectiveness 3
When evaluating criterion-related validity, what is the preferred criterion measure?