Arne Evers

Conflict and well‐being at work: the moderating role of personality

Purpose – This study examines the moderating influence of the Big Five factors of agreeableness, extraversion, and emotional stability on the relationship between conflict and well‐being.Design/methodology/approach – Two field studies were conducted in which respondents were asked to fill out questionnaires during work hours; the first study involved a health care organization, the second one a manufacturing organization.Findings – In performing sets of hierarchical regressions it was shown that conflict was negatively associated with well‐being, especially when individuals were low in agreeableness, low in emotional stability or low in extraversion.Research limitations/implications – We proposed directional relations between conflict and individual well‐being, however we cannot rule out the alternative in which reduced well‐being leads to more conflict. Future research using a cross‐lagged design with longitudinal data is needed to establish causal relationships.Practical implications – The most straight...

Passive responses to interpersonal conflict at work amplify employee strain

Interpersonal conflict at work correlates with stress related outcomes such as psychological strain and exhaustion. Consistent with conflict theory, we argued that this relationship is moderated by the way conflict is managed. Cross-sectional data collected in The Netherlands, from students with part-time jobs (Sample 1, n = 104), healthcare workers (Sample 2, n = 191), and mid-level administrative personnel (Sample 3, n = 161) indeed revealed that conflict was related to psychological strain and exhaustion especially when interpersonal conflict was managed passively (through avoiding and yielding). Active conflict management strategies (forcing and problem solving) did not moderate the relationship between interpersonal conflict and employee strain. Implications for conflict theory, for future research, and for practice are discussed.

The Dutch review process for evaluating the quality of psychological tests: History, procedure, and results.

This article describes the 2009 revision of the Dutch Rating System for Test Quality and presents the results of test ratings from almost 30 years. The rating system evaluates the quality of a test on seven criteria: theoretical basis, quality of the testing materials, comprehensiveness of the manual, norms, reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity. The update concentrated on two main issues. First, the texts of all criteria were adapted to apply to both paper-and-pencil tests and computer-based tests. Second, the items and the recommendations with respect to the seven criteria were extended to include new developments. The most important extensions are item response theory for test development, continuous norming, domain-referenced interpretation and criterion-referenced interpretation, and the use of non-traditional, modern types of reliability estimation. Longitudinal results show a steady increase of average test quality, but the quality of the norms and the (lack of) research on criterion validity still appear to be a matter of concern.

Improving Test Quality in the Netherlands: Results of 18 Years of Test Ratings

Tests belong to the toolbox of most psychologists and are intensively used in many countries. Despite this popularity it appears we still know little about their quality. This article gives the description of the Dutch rating system for test quality and analyses the results of test ratings from the past 18 years. The rating system evaluates the quality of a test on 7 criteria: Theoretical basis and the soundness of the test development procedure, Quality of the testing materials, Comprehensiveness of the manual, Norms, Reliability, Construct validity, and Criterion validity. The results show a steady increase in average test quality that can be attributed to two processes. First, new tests are generally of higher quality than tests that have fallen into disuse and, secondly, the quality of existing tests is improving through maintenance and revision. However, optimism should be tempered because the quality of the norms and the (lack of) research on criterion validity still appear to be a matter of concern.

High sensory-processing sensitivity at work

In this study, the construct validity of an instrument for the measurement of sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS), was examined. Among the outcomes, first, the results confirm an earlier conclusion of researchers that the HSPS does not measure a one-dimensional construct. Most hypotheses concerning relationships with the personality variables sense of coherence, alienation, self-efficacy, and negative affectivity were supported. Second, the SPS-construct was introduced into the field of work stress. Positive relationships with work stress facets pertaining to the second stage of stress were found. Third, the user-friendliness of the HSPS was addressed by shortening the instrument without affecting its reliability and validity. Implications for interventions are discussed.

The Internationalization of Test Reviewing: Trends, Differences, and Results

In this article, the characteristics of five test review models are described. The five models are the US review system at the Buros Center for Testing, the German Test Review System of the Committee on Tests, the Brazilian System for the Evaluation of Psychological Tests, the European EFPA Review Model, and the Dutch COTAN Evaluation System for Test Quality. For each model, a short description of the review procedure, the content of the model, and the format of publication is given. A comparison between the models shows that they differ on most of these procedural, content-related, and format aspects, although there is general agreement with respect to the qualities of a test that have to be reviewed. The strengths and weaknesses of each approach are discussed. Special attention is given to differences with respect to content, which should be addressed in the future.