I-O Psychology Testing and the Workplace

In a 4–5 page assessment, suppose you are a human resources professional in an organization, deciding which type of test or tests to employ when screening prospective employees. Compare and contrast alternatives and, ultimately, support your choice of a test to use.

Because individual differences and behaviors influence job performance, industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists make use of assessments and tests to learn more about individuals and provide an explanation for their behavior in the workplace. In this assessment, you will compare and evaluate tests used by I-O psychologists.

SHOW LESS
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 2: Apply psychological principles and theories to human behavior in the workplace.
Compare the types of I-O psychology tests employed by organizations.
Competency 4: Apply psychological research findings related to industrial and organizational psychology.
Analyze how I-O psychology tests are used by organizations.
Determine the appropriate type of I-O psychology assessment to employ for a job description.
Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
Write coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics, as expected of a psychology professional.
Use APA format and style.
Competency Map
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Use this online tool to track your performance and progress through your course.
Toggle Drawer
Context
Read the Assessment 1 Context [PDF] document for information on the history of I-O psychology and its contributions to society.

Toggle Drawer
Questions to Consider
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

SHOW LESS
What is I-O psychology?
In what ways has culture played an important part in the field of I-O psychology?
Toggle Drawer
Resources
APA Resources
Because this is a psychology course, you need to format this assessment according to APA guidelines. Additional resources about APA can be found in the Research Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom. Use the resources to guide your work as needed.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Available from the bookstore.
APA Paper Template [DOCX].
SHOW LESS
Suggested Resources
The resources provided here are optional and support the assessment. They provide helpful information about the topics. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The PSYC-FP4200 – Foundations of Industrial and Organizational Psychology Library Guide can help direct your research. The Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.

I-O Psychology and Assessment
These resources provide information about I-O psychology, including its use in organizations and in relation to testing.

Landy, F. J., & Conte, J. M. (2016). Work in the 21st century: An introduction to industrial and organizational psychology (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Available from the bookstore.
Chapter 1, “What Is Industrial and Organization Psychology?” pages 1–41.
Chapter 2, “Methods and Statistics in I-O Psychology,” pages 47–80.
Chapter 3, “Individual Differences and Assessment,” pages 81–142.
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.siop.org
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Careers in psychology. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/careers.aspx
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Occupational employment statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes193032.htm
This resource provides employment statistics for I-O psychologists.
Annenberg Learner (Producer). (n.d.). Discovering psychology: Understanding research [Video] | Transcript. Retrieved from http://www.learner.org/series/discoveringpsychology/02/e02expand.html
Research on I-O Psychology
Sliter, M., Yuan, Z., & Boyd, E. M. (2013). Let’s be honest: Evidence for why industrial-organizational psychology research is trustworthy. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 6(3), 273–276.
Kepes, S., & McDaniel, M. A. (2013). How trustworthy is the scientific literature in industrial and organizational psychology?. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 6(3), 252–268.
Big Five Traits
The assessment uses a five-factor personality test as an example of testing for employee fitness. The following resources provide information about this example.

The Big Five Project. (n.d.). Personality test. Retrieved from http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive
Barron, L. G., Randall, J. G., Trent, J. D., Johnson, J. F., & Villado, A. J. (2017). Big five traits: Predictors of retesting propensity and score improvement. International Journal of Selection & Assessment, 25(2), 138–148.
Berry, C. M., Kim, A., Wang, Y., Thompson, R., & Mobley, W. H. (2013). Five-factor model personality measures and sex-based differential prediction of performance. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 62(1), 13–43.
Tests for Employee Screening
For this assessment, you will compare types of tests and select a test for a particular purpose. These resources will help with your search for information for those tasks.

Database Guide: Mental Measurements Yearbook.
Database Guide: PsycTESTS.
Research on Employment-Related Screening
The following resources present peer-reviewed articles about testing in employment screening. Search the Capella library for additional evidence to support your choice of an appropriate I-O psychology assessment for an organization.

Baez, H. B. (2013). Personality tests in employment selection: Use with caution [PDF]. Cornell HR Review, 1–10. Available from https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1060&context;=chrr
Gallagher, V. C., Maher, L. P., Gallagher, K. P., & Valle, M. (2017). Development and validation of a comprehensive work-related needs measure. Psychological Reports, 120(5), 914–942.
Holladay, C. L., David, E., & Johnson, S. K. (2013). Retesting personality in employee selection: Implications of the context, sample, and setting. Psychological Reports, 112(2), 486–501.
Lim, R. H., Lent, R. W., & Penn, L. T. (2016). Prediction of job search intentions and behaviors: Testing the social cognitive model of career self-management. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(5), 594–603.
Assessment Instructions
Introduction
Since individual differences and behaviors influence job performance, I-O psychologists make use of assessments and tests to learn more about individuals and provide an explanation for their behavior in the workplace. In this assessment, you will compare and evaluate tests used by I-O psychologists.

Preparation
Under the Suggested Resources heading in the Resources for this assessment, you will find a link to the online “Personality Test,” a five-factor personality test from the The Big Five Project. This test is often cited as an effective indicator of employee performance and fit for organizations—it can provide insight into the types of questions that interest organizations. However, there are many other tests to explore.

Conduct research on the Internet and use the Capella library to learn more about the various tests and assessments I-O psychologists and organizations use to evaluate potential employees. Some types of tests and assessments to consider include:

Cognitive tests.
The Test of Everyday Reasoning.
Critical reasoning tests.
GMAT critical reasoning practice questions.
Physical ability tests.
Sensory ability tests.
Psychomotor ability tests.
Personality tests.
The 16 Personality Factor (16PF) test.
Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness (DISC).
Emotional intelligence tests.
Multi-Dimensional Emotional Intelligence Quotient (MEIQ).
Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0).
Instructions
For this assessment:

Choose an organization you have worked for or volunteered at, or one that sells a favorite product of yours.
Search your chosen organization’s website or the Internet (or both) for career postings.
Identify a position that needs to be filled.
Address the following in your assessment:
Provide a brief description of the organization you have chosen.
Identify the position that needs to be filled and summarize the job requirements.
Based on your research, compare the types of tests available for screening employees for this position.
How are they different?
What are their various applications?
Choose the test (such as one of those listed above) that is the most appropriate for your organization. Address the following:
Why is the test you chose more appropriate than other types of tests?
How will your chosen organization use the results? Be specific.
What are the drawbacks to this test? Are there concerns with reliability, validity, the population it is designed for, or other factors? You may use information from Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) to provide evidence. Note: You will find a link to the Database Guide: Mental Measurements Yearbook in the Resources under the Suggested Resources heading.
How much will you rely on this test for hiring? Give examples.
Additional Requirements
Your assessment should meet the following requirements:

Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA format: Resources and in-text citations should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting guidelines.
Length: 4–5 typed, double-spaced pages, not including the title page and references page.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.
Number of resources: A minimum of 4 scholarly resources.