Deck 2: Foundations of Recruitment and Selection I

Question 1

What concept is defined as the degree to which observed scores are free from random measurement errors?

A) validity
B) fairness
C) error score
D) reliability

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following statements applies to a test by the UK Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), as described in the "Sham Psychometric Test" controversy?

A) The test was appropriate because it had a valid goal: to help people find jobs.
B) The test was appropriate because it came from a larger test that had been validated by DWP.
C) The test was inappropriate because it showed strengths but not weaknesses.
D) The test was inappropriate because it had not been validated for use by DWP.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

An HRM used the identical measurement procedure to assess the same characteristic over the same group of people on different occasions. What method of estimating reliability was used?

A) test and retest
B) alternate forms
C) internal consistency
D) inter-rater reliability

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following concepts is defined as the hypothetical difference between an individual's observed score on any particular measurement and the individual's true score?

A) measurement error
B) standard deviation
C) lack of standardization
D) test and retest

Question 5

What is a potential outcome of a practice-based selection process?

A) the effective use of structured and consistent procedures
B) a defensible system with effective employees
C) increased productivity and competitiveness
D) human rights litigation and marginal employees

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a statement about reliability?

A) Reliability is an indication of the stability of measurements.
B) Reliability is the degree that observed scores are free from random errors.
C) Reliability is the amount of systemic errors relative to their true score.
D) Reliability is the consistency of a set of measurements over time.

Question 7

What is a defining characteristic of a practice-based selection process?

A) It is defensible.
B) It is intuitive.
C) It is system-wide.
D) It is structured.

Question 8

In the "Mystery Diners" article, what was the main selection mistake made by the manager?

A) not systematically analyzing the requirements of the job
B) failing to appreciate the importance of experience when judging a candidate
C) overemphasizing the physical appearance of candidates
D) considering customer preferences for pretty young wait staff

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a selection criterion for the Toronto Police Service?

A) The applicant must meet the vision standard for the Toronto Police Service.
B) The applicant must have successfully completed four years of secondary school education.
C) The applicant must be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant.
D) The applicant must not have a criminal record for which a pardon has not been granted.

Question 10

What is the best way for HR professionals to make sure that their selection decisions meet the standards set by courts and tribunals?

A) Completely eliminating such factors as age, gender, and disability when considering candidates
B) thoroughly analyzing required KSAO's for each position to be filled
C) avoiding making hiring decisions
D) using valid and reliable science-based methods when choosing BFOR's

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a reason to use practice-based selection approaches?

A) fit with organizational culture
B) comfort with the process
C) consistency of the process
D) flexibility and speed

Question 12

What is the first step in an organization's selection process?

A) reviewing the candidate pool for the job position
B) identifying knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes for the job position
C) acquiring job analysis information for the job position
D) developing performance indicators and job dimension for the job position

Question 13

For what is job analysis information used?

A) to ensure reliability throughout the selection process
B) to identify both the performance domain and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes linked to job performance
C) to ensure the selection process is fair, equitable, and unbiased
D) to ensure utility throughout the recruitment and selection process

Question 14

What is a potential outcome of a science-based selection process?

A) a significant number of qualified applicants
B) a defensible system with effective employees
C) a flexible, quick process that fits the organization's culture
D) a process that is comfortable and flexible for all employees

Question 15

What is the final step in the selection process?

A) developing performance indicators for the individuals who were hired with the process
B) gathering feedback from the individuals who were hired with the process
C) demonstrating that hiring decisions based on the selection system have utility
D) demonstrating that hiring decisions based on the selection system are reliable

Question 16

What is a defining characteristic of a science-based selection process?

A) It is flexible.
B) It is intuitive.
C) It is rational.
D) It is subjective.

Question 17

The Toronto Police Service requires candidates to show that they are Canadian citizen or permanent residents, are at least 18 years of age, and have a valid driver's licence and no record of criminal convictions. What would these requirements be classified as?

A) KSAO's
B) screening criteria
C) performance dimensions
D) reliable qualifications

Question 18

What concept is defined by the following: "systematic errors in measurement, or inferences made from those measurements, that are related to different identifiable group membership characteristics such as age, sex, or race?"

A) discrimination
B) unfairness
C) bias
D) validity

Question 19

Which of the following terms refers to relationships between observations?

A) a variance
B) a construct
C) a concept
D) a validation

Question 20

What do you get when you square the reliability coefficient?

A) the proportion of consistency in the true scores attributed to true differences on the measured characteristic
B) the proportion of error in the error scores attributed to true differences on the measured characteristic
C) the proportion of measurement error in the observed scores attributed to true differences on the measured characteristic
D) the proportion of variance in the observed scores attributed to true differences on the measured characteristic

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Validity concepts in selection apply only to test scores.
B) U.S. Labor Department guidelines suggest that tests with validity coefficients above .35 are very beneficial.
C) U.S. Labor Department guidelines suggest that only tests with reliability coefficients above .55 should be used in selection.
D) Employment tests have been shown to have no adverse impact on applicants.

Question 22

What concept is defined as the predicted average performance score of a subgroup?

A) subgroup prediction
B) differential prediction
C) systematic prediction
D) performance prediction

Question 23

The head of HR at Megatherium Industries wants to use a cognitive ability test for applicants to a management position. If she wants to follow science-based methods in selection, but is unwilling to run a validation study, what approach should she use to test validation?

A) use of best practices
B) comparison of test results of high-performing and low-performing employees
C) comparison of test questions with job content
D) use of validity generalization

Question 24

Refer to Figure 2.1. What occurs if the selection system does not have utility?

A) The job should be reanalyzed.
B) The selection system should be reviewed.
C) The selection system should be implemented.
D) The selection system should be validated.

Question 25

What concept is defined as follows: the decrease in magnitude of the validity coefficient associated with measurement error of the predictor, the criterion, or both?

A) sampling error
B) regression
C) attenuation
D) differential prediction

Question 26

Which of the following is correct?

A) A test can be reliable but not valid.
B) Construct validity is another term for content validity.
C) Bias refers to the reaction of test takers to a particular test.
D) A test can be valid but not reliable.

Question 27

Which of the following concepts refers to the use of different selection rules for different identifiable subgroups?

A) subgroup differential
B) subgroup bias
C) subgroup norming
D) subgroup fairness

Question 28

Refer to Figure 2.1. What process does line C represent?

A) validating the job analysis, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes, and performance domain
B) utilizing the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes' constructs to clarify the performance dimensions
C) translating the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes' constructs into valid measurable predictors
D) establishing criterion-related validity

Question 29

To estimate reliability, it is important to adopt a strategy to develop approximations of parallel measures. Which of the following is NOT such a strategy?

A) internal consistency
B) test and retest
C) intra-rater agreement
D) alternate forms

Question 30

To test validity, a content sampling strategy is often applied to the selection process. Which of the following is NOT a step in this content sampling strategy?

A) A scoring scheme is developed for the selection assessments.
B) Tasks of the target position are identified by job experts.
C) Job experts independently rate the reliability of each task.
D) Job experts evaluate the relationship between performance and job success.

Question 31

What two strategies are typical methods that a researcher uses to acquire evidence for test-criterion relationships?

A) criterion-related and correlation
B) inference and intuition
C) differential and selective
D) predictive and concurrent

Question 32

Which employment test has been identified as being biased in favour of males?

A) Bennett Mechanical Comprehension test
B) Wonderlic Personnel test
C) Toronto Police Service physical abilities test
D) cognitive ability test

Question 33

Refer to Figure 2.1. What process does line E represent?

A) validating the job analysis, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes and performance domain
B) predicting which applicants will be successful in their position
C) utilizing the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes constructs to clarify the performance dimensions
D) translating the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes constructs into valid measurable predictors

Question 34

The employer's goal in selection is to hire an applicant who possesses the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes to perform the job being filled.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a broad category of factors that affect reliability?

A) lack of standardization
B) temporary individual characteristics
C) seasonality
D) chance

Question 36

Refer to Figure 2.1. What relationship does line A represent?

A) the relationship among job analysis, KSAOs, and performance management
B) the relationship between the performance domain and the KSAOs that contribute to the job performance
C) the relationship between the KSAOs and performance competencies
D) the relationship among job analysis, KSAOs, and performance criteria and dimensions

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a technical quality of a testing procedure?

A) standardized test administration
B) test reliability
C) validity evidence
D) careful test development

Question 38

What could an employer do to establish concurrent validity?

A) compare test results with performance ratings of existing employees
B) compare test results with employee performance ratings after one year on the job
C) compare test results with results of previously validated test
D) have experts determine whether the test accurately measures the current content of the job

Question 39

Refer to Figure 2.1. What process does line D represent?

A) validating the job analysis and identifying performance criteria
B) clarifying the performance domain and utilizing the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes' constructs
C) defining the performance domain and developing related criterion measurements
D) validating the selection system

Question 40

In their mid-1970s research, what procedure did researchers Schmidt and Hunter use to challenge the idea that a validity coefficient is specific to the context in which it is measured?

A) validity generalization
B) meta-analysis
C) range restriction
D) attenuation

Question 41

An employer's recruitment and selection-process goal is to attract and hire an applicant who possesses the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes to successfully perform the job.

Question 42

Since TS Inc. is a small, growing aviation company, the CEO makes the hiring decisions based on his years of experience as well as his gut feeling. He started the business 10 years ago with 10 employees and the company has grown to over 30 employees. The CEO has asked you, the HRM, to explain some of the differences between the use of his practice-based selection approach and an empirical-based process. Also explain what challenges you anticipate he would face in using validation techniques.

Question 43

If an employer does not have a reliable and valid selection process, it can still make a correct guess about an applicant that will have positive benefits for the organization.

Question 44

Validity is the degree to which observed scores are free from random measurement errors.

Question 45

When candidates are asked different questions from one interview to the other, validity is reduced.

Question 46

The goal of selection is to identify job candidates who have those attributes required for success on the job.

Question 47

The reliability coefficient is the degree that true scores correlate with one another.

Question 48

Employers must know the legal and professional standards in order to increase the likelihood that their selection processes are compliant.

Question 49

Hiring decisions must be defensible; they must meet legal requirements and professional standards of reliability and validity.

Question 50

The principle that every test taker should be assessed in an equitable manner is known as equity.

Question 51

Measurement error can be thought of as the hypothetical difference between an individual's observed score on any particular measurement and the individual's true score.

Question 52

Describe the process and components of selection model Figure 2.1.

Question 53

How does science affect the selection process?

Question 54

Issues of fairness need to be determined statistically.

Question 55

Scribe Engineering, a medium-sized information technology company, is having difficulties recruiting and retaining several of its administrative assistant positions. Traditionally, Scribe has used a practice-based selection process. As the new HRM, what would you suggest to the CEO?

Question 56

What is reliability? Identify three factors affecting reliability.

Question 57

An employer's employment decisions must be rational and intuitive.

Question 58

The HR manager focuses on one variable, usually job performance, in the selection process.

Question 59

Achieving fairness often requires compromise between conflicting interests.

Question 60

Choose a specific job you are familiar with and choose one characteristic that you think is critical to successfully performing that job. If you were the HRM hiring for this position, what would you consider in measuring the characteristic and job performance to ensure reliability and validity?

Question 61

What is fairness? Why is it an important concept in selection?

Question 62

What is validity in selection? Describe four validation strategies.

Question 63

What is bias in selection?