Deck 3: Individual Differences and Assessment

Question 1

Measures of general mental ability do not always guarantee success on the job because

A)some jobs also require physical strength and interpersonal skills.
B)many general mental ability tests are not reliable.
C)some general mental ability tests are biased against certain protected groups.
D)some jobs may ask people to take on too much work,resulting in burnout.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Perceptual-motor abilities are

A)mental abilities that combine memory and recall.
B)physical abilities that combine strength and stamina.
C)physical attributes that combine the senses and motion.
D)mental abilities that combine a persons IQ and "g."

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Vision,hearing,touch,and smell are types of

A)sensory abilities.
B)sensorimotor abilities.
C)motor abilities.
D)psychomotor abilities.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Understanding and predicting worker behavior by simply measuring "g" describes the

A)g-ocentric model.
B)intelligence quotient.
C)triarchic approach to intelligence.
D)general mechanical ability.

Question 5

Dr.Hendry was asked to develop a selection system for hiring firefighters.She will most likely use a cognitive ability test to assess

A)to what extent each applicant can learn new procedures.
B)to what extent each applicant possesses any given personality trait.
C)applicants' ability to maintain a particular level of physical activity.
D)the overall character of the applicant.

Question 6

According to the text,the ___________ is person-centered and looks for qualities or characteristics within a person that will help us understand that persons' behavior.The __________ sets about measuring such characteristics.

A)psychometrician; human factors
B)psychometrician; differential psychologist
C)differential psychologist; psychometrician
D)differential psychologist; human factors

Question 7

Psychomotor abilities include all of the following except

A)reaction time.
B)kinesthetic feedback.
C)dexterity.
D)coordination.

Question 8

Early individual differences tests focused on measuring

A)interests.
B)opinions.
C)beliefs.
D)intelligence.

Question 9

Another term that describes aerobic endurance is

A)strength.
B)flexibility.
C)stamina.
D)agility.

Question 10

For selection purposes,I-O psychologists assume that a person's intelligence and personality

A)can increase given the proper training.
B)remain relatively stable over time.
C)will decrease without proper training.
D)remain stable in work settings but decrease in settings outside of the work environment.

Question 11

To qualify for a job,an applicant is asked to lift a 100-pound sack over his head once.This requirement is most likely used to assess the applicant's

A)psychomotor abilities.
B)stamina.
C)muscular power.
D)reaction time.

Question 12

"g" is an abbreviation for

A)goal setting.
B)general mental ability.
C)growth capacity.
D)giftedness.

Question 13

The phenomenon in which new generations seem to be smarter than their parents is referred to as:

A)the Intelligence Quotient.
B)the Flynn effect.
C)"g."
D)the taxonomic approach.

Question 14

I-O psychologists have recently defined intelligence as

A)the ability to recall important dates and events.
B)the ability to learn and adapt to an environment.
C)the speed and accuracy of memory.
D)the ability to store large amounts of information in working memory.

Question 15

_______________ often refers to specific abilities such as memory and reasoning,whereas _______________refers to a more general ability to adapt to an environment.

A)Cognitive ability; intelligence
B)Intelligence; cognitive ability
C)Cognitive ability; determination
D)Intelligence; personality

Question 16

The physical functions of movement,associated with coordination,dexterity,and reaction time,are referred to as

A)psychomotor abilities.
B)cognitive abilities.
C)mental abilities.
D)muscular endurance.

Question 17

Mental ability refers to a person's

A)ability to control one's emotions.
B)capacity to reason,plan,and solve problems.
C)ability to notice changes in his/her body position.
D)ability to be motivated by a supervisor.

Question 18

Defining intelligence can be problematic because

A)personality characteristics account for more variance in job outcomes.
B)intelligence is very unstable over time.
C)different cultures have different views about who an "intelligent person" is.
D)the formula for calculating intelligence is complex.

Question 19

An I-O psychologist is screening firefighter recruits to examine strength,flexibility,and stamina.These traits would best be tested by

A)physical ability tests.
B)IQ tests.
C)differential psychology.
D)general mental ability tests.

Question 20

A test is designed to measure coordination,dexterity,and reaction time.These are classified as

A)psychosocial abilities.
B)perceptual-motor abilities.
C)sensory abilities.
D)psychomotor abilities.

Question 21

Jill received a 77% on a test,and her professor decides to curve the test.The professor compares Jill's score to other students' scores in her class.The professor decides to assign Jill a B+ because her score was high relative to everyone else's.When assigning the B+,the professor used a process called

A)storming.
B)grouping.
C)norming.
D)performing.

Question 22

"Street smarts" is a non-scientific term for

A)academic knowledge.
B)procedural knowledge.
C)declarative knowledge.
D)material knowledge.

Question 23

Tacit knowledge is formally called

A)academic knowledge.
B)procedural knowledge.
C)declarative knowledge.
D)material knowledge.

Question 24

Jack received a 75% on his statistics quiz.Jack's score reflects that

A)he is an average test taker.
B)he is a C student in statistics.
C)he is intelligent but lacks motivation to work hard in this class.
D)without reference to a norm group,little is known about what the score means.

Question 25

Pauline is in the process of completing a management training program for her job.During her training program,she completed intelligence tests,personality tests,and a physical abilities test.Which term best describes these assessments?

A)mental tests
B)test battery
C)speed tests
D)group tests

Question 26

Personality factors are most predictive when the employee has

A)a great amount of control on the job.
B)a moderate amount of control on the job.
C)a little amount of control on the job.
D)no control on the job.

Question 27

A concern with the construct of emotional intelligence (EI)is

A)a person's emotional intelligence is often a reflection of his/her socio-economic status.
B)few studies have failed to show that EI predicts job performance above and beyond "g" and the Big 5 personality dimensions.
C)just as a person's intelligence changes over time,so does a person's emotional intelligence.
D)emotional intelligence has high construct validity but low face validity.

Question 28

The term used to describe an objective and standardized procedure for measuring a psychological construct using a sample of behavior is

A)task.
B)criterion.
C)norm.
D)test.

Question 29

The Big 5 personality dimension that best predicts the success of expatriates is

A)conscientiousness.
B)extraversion.
C)openness.
D)agreeableness.

Question 30

John has read several books about how to repair a car engine,even though he has never seen one up close.Joy,on the other hand,grew up in her parents' auto shop and repairs car engines on a daily basis.When it comes to car repair,it is appropriate to say that John has _____________ knowledge,whereas Joy has _____________ knowledge.

A)procedural; tacit
B)tacit; procedural
C)declarative; procedural
D)procedural; declarative

Question 31

Which one of the following statements is true?

A)The Five Factor Model is a taxonomy for work-related physical attributes.
B)Personality tests can predict behavior with 100% accuracy.
C)Personality is often defined as the typical way that an individual has of responding.
D)Agreeableness is positively related to success in all aspects of work for all occupations.

Question 32

Achievement and dependability are facets of which Big Five personality dimension?

A)conscientiousness
B)openness to experience
C)agreeableness
D)extraversion

Question 33

The term ___________ was given to psychological tests by Cattell in 1890.

A)general test
B)mental test
C)quotient test
D)intelligence test

Question 34

Norming refers to the practice of

A)comparing given scores to other relevant scores.
B)transforming scores from many different tests into standard scores.
C)selecting people who fall within a normal range.
D)collecting data in a valid and reliable manner.

Question 35

The acronym "KSAO" stands for

A)knowledge,skills,agreeableness,and organization.
B)knowledge,skills,abilities,and organization.
C)knowledge,skills,abilities,and other characteristics.
D)knowledge,skills,agreeableness,and openness.

Question 36

The Five Factor Model of personality includes the following personality dimensions:

A)conscientiousness,agreeableness,emotional stability,extraversion,openness to experience.
B)conscientiousness,agreeableness,emotional stability,extraversion,introversion.
C)conscientiousness,integrity,emotional stability,extraversion,openness to experience.
D)conscientiousness,agreeableness,emotional stability,extraversion,intelligence.

Question 37

Melanie takes a test in his Industrial-Organizational Psychology class.Her score will most reflect her:

A)emotional knowledge.
B)declarative knowledge.
C)procedural knowledge.
D)life knowledge.

Question 38

Joe has recently taken a personality test.The test reveals that Joe is high in conscientiousness,agreeableness,and emotional stability.Based on the notion of a functional personality at work,Joe is also likely to have high

A)integrity.
B)extraversion.
C)introversion.
D)intelligence.

Question 39

The use of personality tests in organizations decreased in the late 1960's and early 1970's because

A)there was no need for selection because there were more jobs than people.
B)personality tests were used only for training purposes.
C)of questions about invasion of privacy and the possible discriminatory effects of tests.
D)employers were skeptical of the value of testing their potential employees.

Question 40

When many ability and personality attributes are assessed with a collection of tests,this is known as a

A)test battery.
B)speed test.
C)group test.
D)performance test.

Question 41

Tests that are tailored to course or training material are

A)knowledge tests.
B)cognitive ability tests.
C)agility tests.
D)personality tests.

Question 42

____________ is a value judgment about actions or decisions based on test scores.

A)Graphology
B)Bias
C)Culture
D)Fairness

Question 43

A notable difference between speed tests and power tests is that

A)speed tests measure reaction time,whereas power tests measure muscular strength.
B)speed tests are quantifiable,whereas power tests are not quantifiable.
C)speed tests often provide greater variability between candidates than do power tests.
D)speed tests require logical thinking,whereas power tests rely upon instinct.

Question 44

Which of the following tests would most likely be of concern to advocates of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

A)speed test
B)power test
C)group test
D)performance test

Question 45

Tests that have no rigid time limit are

A)speed tests.
B)power tests.
C)group tests.
D)individual tests.

Question 46

The well-known Rorschach Inkblot Test is an example of a(n)

A)speed test.
B)power test.
C)group test.
D)individual test.

Question 47

A veterinary technician is taking a test in which she must conduct x-rays and vaccination administrations.This test would be an example of a(n)

A)speed test.
B)power test.
C)individual test.
D)performance test.

Question 48

Tests used to eliminate candidates who are clearly unsuitable for employment are referred to as

A)screen out tests.
B)screen in tests.
C)differential diagnosis tests.
D)conventional practice tests.

Question 49

An intelligence test consisting of 20 difficult questions is created.There is enough time given so that most of test takers have enough time to finish answering all of the questions.This test is an example of a

A)speed test.
B)power test.
C)test battery.
D)performance test.

Question 50

Tests that have the advantage of saving time and money are called

A)speed tests.
B)power tests.
C)group tests.
D)performance tests.

Question 51

The exams in this course are examples of

A)individual tests.
B)knowledge tests.
C)cognitive ability tests.
D)psychomotor tests.

Question 52

A cognitive ability test that uses 50 items to assess verbal,numerical,and spatial abilities is known as the

A)Wonderlic Personnel Test.
B)Bennett Test of Mechanical Comprehension.
C)Primary Mental Abilities Test.
D)Differential Aptitude Test.

Question 53

Cameron is asked during an interview to explain how she would handle a particular situation while on the job.Cameron is most likely taking part in a(n)

A)unstructured interview.
B)situational interview.
C)categorical interview.
D)situational judgment test.

Question 54

Tests that can predict outstanding performance by discovering positive attributes a candidate may possess are referred to as:

A)screen out tests.
B)screen in tests.
C)differential diagnosis tests.
D)conventional practice tests.

Question 55

A timed (15 minutes)intelligence test is created.There are 50 questions,and most test takers do not finish answering all of the questions.The test score is calculated by how many items each test taker is able to complete correctly in the time allowed.This test is an example of a

A)speed test.
B)power test.
C)test battery.
D)performance test.

Question 56

Which of the following tests cannot be administered until after an offer of employment has been made?

A)psychomotor test
B)general mental ability test
C)screen in personality test
D)screen out personality test

Question 57

If a test underpredicts criterion scores for one group as compared to another,then the test is likely

A)biased.
B)unbiased.
C)incorrectly developed.
D)fair.

Question 58

As part of their military training,soldiers are required to practice until they can hit a target 75% of the time using an AK47 attack rifle.In this example,the test would be best characterized as a(n)

A)cognitive test battery.
B)knowledge test.
C)psychomotor abilities test.
D)temporal-spatial test.

Question 59

The textbook offers all the of following criticisms of individual assessments except

A)they are often unreliable across assessors.
B)they often invade the privacy of the candidate by asking information that is unrelated to the work associated with the job.
C)individual assessment is not validated as rigorously as other forms of assessment.
D)individual assessment consistently leads to discrimination against protected groups.

Question 60

In a police hiring test,candidates must fire a weapon at a target.This is a test of

A)psychomotor ability.
B)knowledge.
C)personality.
D)mental ability.

Question 61

Handwriting analysis is also called

A)polygraph.
B)graphology.
C)lithograph.
D)lie detection.

Question 62

Biodata refers to a selection technique that collects information

A)about applicants' previous jobs,education,training,and personal history.
B)obtained by measuring the applicant's physiological responses to particular questions.
C)about applicants' medical ailments.
D)about a candidate's emotional intelligence.

Question 63

The "in-basket" technique is a type of

A)assessment center method.
B)intelligence assessment.
C)group test.
D)projective test.

Question 64

When interviewees are asked specific questions about how they would respond to hypothetical scenarios,a(n)__________ interview is being conducted.

A)group
B)unstructured
C)situational
D)structured

Question 65

The ___________ model proposes that the events that make up a person's history are not accidental or random but instead represent choices made by the individual.

A)Predisposition
B)History
C)Life choices
D)Ecology

Question 66

A collection of procedures that is used for evaluation and that is administered to groups of individuals is called a(n)

A)group test.
B)assessment center.
C)cluster test.
D)en masse center.

Question 67

During an interview,an applicant for a customer service representative position is asked how she would deal with an upset customer over the phone.This is called a(n)_____ interview question.

A)cognitive
B)situational
C)structured
D)independent

Question 68

In seeking to hire several new employees,an interviewer asks the same questions to each applicant,and each applicant is assigned a score based on his or her answers.This is an example of a(n)__________ interview.

A)group
B)unstructured
C)situational
D)structured

Question 69

A paper and pencil test that presents the candidate with a written scenario and then asks the candidate to choose a response from a series of alternatives is a(n)

A)work sample test.
B)situational judgment test.
C)situational interview.
D)contingencies test.

Question 70

When two methods of assessment show little relationship to each other,but when taken together increase a test's relationship with job performance,it can be said that together they have

A)incremental validity.
B)content validity.
C)construct validity.
D)face validity.

Question 71

When Dr.Duran uses information about an applicant's background and experiences to make inferences about their abilities,interests,and personality characteristics,she is using

A)a test battery.
B)a work sample test.
C)the ecology model.
D)the developmental model.

Question 72

When a test asks indirect questions about honesty and social responsibility,it is called a(n)__________ test.

A)overt integrity
B)personality-based integrity
C)biodata
D)graphology

Question 73

When a test asks direct questions about past honesty behavior,such as stealing,it is called a(n)__________ test.

A)overt integrity
B)personality-based integrity
C)biodata
D)graphology

Question 74

Personality-based integrity tests

A)ask direct questions about a person's past honesty behavior.
B)infer integrity from broad constructs.
C)examine a person's actual behavior in situations in which they are tempted to be dishonest.
D)contact references that a candidate provides on the job application,specifically looking for discrepancies.

Question 75

Caroline is applying for a job as an airline pilot.As one of her requirements,she is asked to complete several maneuvers in a flight simulator.This type of test can be best characterized as a(n)

A)work sample test.
B)achievement test.
C)cluster test.
D)situational judgment test.

Question 76

Which of the following industries/organizations cannot use a "lie detector" test as part of the employment screening process?

A)nuclear weapons labs
B)FBI
C)CIA
D)computer assembly plants

Question 77

Which of the following best describes the existing data on interviews?

A)Structured interviews and unstructured interviews are equally reliable.
B)Structured interviews are less reliable than unstructured.
C)Structured and unstructured interviews are both less valid than personality tests.
D)Structured interviews are more reliable and valid than unstructured interviews.

Question 78

An interview consisting of specific questions and detailed outlines is called a(n)_____ interview.

A)structured
B)unstructured
C)situational
D)cognitive

Question 79

In a job interview,the interviewer asks different questions of each candidate and there is no formal scoring method.This is an example of a(n)____________.

A)group interview
B)unstructured interview
C)situational interview
D)structural interview

Question 80

Tests that ask questions directly about the candidate's past honesty behavior as well as attitudes toward various behaviors,such as employee theft,can be best described as

A)personality-based integrity tests.
B)overt integrity tests.
C)polygraph tests.
D)situational judgment tests.