Deck 11: Ability Tests for Selection

Question 1

The Otis Self-Administering Test of Mental Ability was the first group-administered mental ability test to have widespread use in industry.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Mental ability tests actually measure several distinct abilities.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test measures understanding of mechanical or physical principles.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Differential validity is a term used to describe the hypothesis that employment tests are less valid for minority group members than nonminorities.

Question 5

While mental ability tests are valid across many occupations, they are not equally valid among occupations.

Question 6

Mental ability tests are not interchangeable.

Question 7

The Minnesota Clerical Test has consistently resulted in disparate impact.

Question 8

Mental ability tests and I.Q.tests are the same type of test.

Question 9

Meta-analysis has consistently shown that there are significant differences in mean test scores on cognitive ability among racial/ethnic groups.

Question 10

Aptitude tests and achievement tests measure the same thing.

Question 11

Cognitive ability tests have yet to demonstrate adverse impact.

Question 12

The use of paper-and-pencil tests to assess mechanical ability has exceeded the use of performance tests.

Question 13

A score obtained from a general mental ability test is as good a predictor of job performance as is a composite score obtained from a test of specific abilities using multiple scales.

Question 14

Mental ability tests are valid for many jobs and increase in predictability of job performance as the job becomes more complex.

Question 15

While women score lower than men on strength and endurance tests, they also demonstrate lower performance on jobs that require these abilities.

Question 16

In general, courts have placed a more stringent demand for reasonable accommodation on employers when the disabled individuals are new workers as opposed to employees who are returning to work after illness or injury.

Question 17

Ability tests measure what a person has learned and can learn.

Question 18

One conclusion that can be drawn from mental ability validity generalization studies is that these tests are stable across organizations.

Question 19

Clerical ability tests have predominantly measured perceptual speed and accuracy in processing verbal and numerical data.

Question 20

The courts have consistently held that height and weight requirements are reasonable measures of strength.

Question 21

Why did the growing use of ability tests come to an abrupt halt during the late 1960s and 1970s?

A)because ability tests were becoming more costly to administer to large numbers of applicants
B)because other, more valid predictors of job performance became available
C)because of EEO laws and early Supreme Court decisions that specifically addressed a few of the most popular of these tests
D)because research evidence questioned the validity of these tests for predicting job performance

Question 22

When an applicant takes a test without the presence of an organizational representative who monitors the testing behavior of the applicant they are taking a(n):

A)easy test.
C)unproctored test.
B)proctored test.
D)unprotected test.

Question 23

In terms of validity, which of the following selection methods are approximately equal to cognitive ability tests?

A)assessment centers
C)personality inventories
B)interview
D)projective techniques

Question 24

Mental ability tests are among the least valid of all selection tests.

Question 25

Which type of physical ability test demonstrates relatively more adverse impact against females?

A)cardiovascular endurance
C)coordination
B)flexibility
D)balance

Question 26

A minimum reliability estimate of _____________ is commonly thought to be necessary for selection use.

A)-1.00 to 1.00
C).50 to .75
B).20 to .30`
D).85 to .9

Question 27

Research has consistently identified all but which of the following factors or components of physical abilities?

A)anaerobic strength
C)cardiovascular endurance
B)muscular strength
D)movement quality

Question 28

Studies of the effects of coaching have found that it has a huge effect on test scores.

Question 29

Validity studies for the same job have found which of the following to be true?

A)Corrections to the validity coefficients have lowered the magnitude of these coefficients.
B)The coefficients for performance are, as a whole, higher than those for training.
C)The validity coefficient for the predictor and criterion measures is stable across organizations.
D)Previous estimates of the validity of ability tests were quite accurate.

Question 30

What is the general conclusion of studies examining differential validity?

A)Differential validity exists, but it has a minor impact on selection.
B)Differential validity exists, and it has a major impact on selection.
C)Much more research is needed before we can conclude anything about differential validity.
D)Differential validity does not exist.

Question 31

What is a useful way to differentiate among ability tests?

A)content, breadth
C)speed, power
B)length, depth
D)physical, mental

Question 32

A social downside of the use of mental ability tests is that adverse impact usually occurs when these tests are used in selection.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT an ability that has been extensively used to select employees for physically demanding jobs?

A)static strength
C)gross body mass
B)dynamic strength
D)stamina

Question 34

All of the following selection methods have demonstrated less adverse impact than cognitive ability tests EXCEPT:

A)assessment centers
C)interview
B)academic performance
D)personality inventories

Question 35

____________________ is a technique for analyzing the interrelationships among several tests or a set of tests.

A)Factor analysis
C)Validity analysis
B)Reliability analysis
D)Correlation analysis

Question 36

Which of the following is true about the Wonderlic Personnel Test?

A)It is an individually administered test.
B)It is not a timed test.
C)The primary factor measured is verbal comprehension.
D)There is one basic form for the test.

Question 37

Testing experts do not know whether transforming a paper-and-pencil test into an electronic form changes applicants' performance.

Question 38

Which of the following is as inexpensive and easy to administer and score as a cognitive ability test?

A)assessment centers
C)interview
B)academic performance
D)biodata

Question 39

Which of the following is not measured by mechanical ability tests?

A)spatial visualization
C)mechanical information
B)perceptual speed and accuracy
D)accuracy in processing verbal and numerical data

Question 40

Unproctored Internet testing allows the processing of applicants to be completed and applicants to be selected more quickly than does traditional testing.

Question 41

Which of the following statements concerning the use of validity generalization for establishing the validity of a cognitive ability test is true?

A)There have been few court cases and the decisions have not been consistent.
B)There have been few court cases but the decisions have been consistent.
C)There have been many court cases and the decisions have not been consistent.
D)There have been many court cases but the decisions have demonstrated validity.

Question 42

Which of the following has been shown to result in the most claims of discrimination?

A)cognitive ability tests
C)physical ability tests
B)unstructured interviews
D)structured interviews