Jose M. Cortina

A meta-analytic investigation of conscientiousness in the prediction of job performance: examining the intercorrelations and the incremental validity of narrow traits.

Researchers of broad and narrow traits have debated whether narrow traits are important to consider in the prediction of job performance. Because personality-performance relationship meta-analyses have focused almost exclusively on the Big Five, the predictive power of narrow traits has not been adequately examined. In this study, the authors address this question by meta-analytically examining the degree to which the narrow traits of conscientiousness predict above and beyond global conscientiousness. Results suggest that narrow traits do incrementally predict performance above and beyond global conscientiousness, yet the degree to which they contribute depends on the particular performance criterion and occupation in question. Overall, the results of this study suggest that there are benefits to considering the narrow traits of conscientiousness in the prediction of performance.

Testing Interaction Effects in LISREL: Examination and Illustration of Available Procedures

The concomitant proliferation of causal modeling and hypotheses of multiplicative effects has brought about a tremendous need for procedures that allow the testing of moderated structural equation models (MSEMs). The seminal work of Kenny and Judd and Hayduk has been drawn on by several authors in the past 10 years, thus producing procedures that allow for such tests. Yet, utilization of MSEMs in empirical research has been quite rare. The purposes of this article are twofold. First, the authors discuss general issues with respect to multivariate normality, indicators of latent products, the nature of latent products, and identification problems in MSEM. Second, they review and illustrate techniques that are available for the testing of interaction effects in structural equation models.

The looming maladaptive style : Anxiety, danger, and schematic processing

The importance of cognitive styles as psychological antecedents of psychopathology has gained increasing acceptance over the past 2 decades. Although ample research has explored cognitive styles that confer vulnerability to depression, cognitive styles that confer vulnerability to anxiety have received considerably less attention. In the present investigation, we examined the looming maladaptive style (LMS) as a cognitive style that functions as a danger schema to produce specific vulnerability to anxiety, but not to depression. In 4 studies, we examined the psychometric properties of a revised measure of the LMS, its predictive utility, and its effects on threat-related schematic processing. Results provided evidence for the validity of the LMS and indicated that it predicts anxiety and schematic processing of threat over and above the effects of other cognitive appraisals of threat, even in individuals who are currently nonanxious.

On the Logic and Purpose of Significance Testing

There has been much recent attention given to the problems involved with the traditional approach to null hypothesis significance testing (NHST). Many have suggested that, perhaps, NHST should be abandoned altogether in favor of other bases for conclusions such as confidence intervals and effect size estimates (e.g., Schmidt, 1996). The purposes of this article are to (a) review the function that data analysis is supposed to serve in the social sciences, (b) examine the ways in which these functions are performed by NHST, (c) examine the case against NHST, and (d) evaluate interval-based estimation as an alternative to NHST.

Apples and Oranges (and Pears, Oh My!): The Search for Moderators in Meta-Analysis

The purpose of this article is to review current practices with respect to detection and estimation of moderators in meta-analysis and to develop recommendations that are driven by the results of this review and previous research. The first purpose was accomplished through a review of the meta-analyses published in Journal of Applied Psychology from 1978 to 1997. Results show, first, that practices with respect to both the execution of and the reporting of results from searches for moderators are highly variable and, second, that findings relevant for detection of moderators (e.g., percentage variance attributable to artifacts, SDρ, etc.) are often highly inconsistent with what has been suggested in the past. These practices held regardless of time of publication, specificity of the question addressed in the paper, and content area. Detailed suggestions for modifications of current practices are offered.

When is it Acceptable to Accept a Null Hypothesis: No Way, Jose?

Previous research has suggested that there exists a bias in the social sciences against no-effect hypotheses. This is regrettable given the importance of establishing not only when an effect does occur but also the boundary conditions of that effect. The purposes of this article are two-fold The first purpose is to review relevant portions of the history of hypothesis testing in an attempt to identify the sources of bias against hypotheses of no effect. The second purpose is to develop and describe rigorous methods for providing evidence in support of no-effect hypotheses-methods that avoid some of the problems traditionally associated with no-effect conclusions.

Conscientiousness and reactions to psychological contract breach: a longitudinal field study.

The authors examined the role of employee conscientiousness as a moderator of the relationships between psychological contract breach and employee behavioral and attitudinal reactions to the breach. They collected data from 106 newly hired employees within the 1st month of employment (Time 1), 3 months later (Time 2), and 8 months after Time 1 (Time 3) to observe the progression through contract development, breach, and reaction. Results suggest that conscientiousness is a significant moderator for 4 of the 5 contract breach-employee reaction relationships examined (turnover intentions, organizational loyalty, job satisfaction, and 1 of 2 facets of job performance). Specifically, employees who were lower in conscientiousness had more negative reactions to perceived breach with respect to turnover intentions, organizational loyalty, and job satisfaction. In contrast, employees who were higher in conscientiousness reduced their job performance to a greater degree in response to contract breach. Future research directions are discussed.

Degradation of Validity Over Time: A Test and Extension of Ackerman's Model

The dynamic nature of the predictor-criterion relationship has long been a concern in psychology, especially with regard to the deterioration of validity over time. The authors examine P. L. Ackermans ( 1987, 1988) hypothesized relationships between different types of predictors and criteria over time using data from previous longitudinal studies. Expert ratings categorized predictors and criteria according to P. L. Ackermans model. Regression results support the predicted negative curvilinear relationship between cognitive ability and consistent and inconsistent task performance but do not support the predicted relationships between perceptual speed ability and psychomotor ability and consistent and inconsistent task performance. Deterioration of validity was more ubiquitous than has been suggested previously, and the pervasive form of deterioration was cubic with a negative trend. Findings are discussed in the context of catastrophe-chaos models.

Big Things Have Small Beginnings: An Assortment of “Minor” Methodological Misunderstandings

Most statistical/methodological topics seem to have certain components that are poorly understood by many researchers. The purpose of this paper was to discuss some of the problem areas in significance testing, meta-analysis, multiple regression, factor analysis, structural equations modeling, validity, and outliers. These topics were chosen because they have generated a variety of problems for researchers, and because these problems have come to my attention through reviews of journal submissions, discussions with colleagues, and my own reading of the published literature.

The Earth Is Not Round (p = .00)

Continued discussion and debate regarding the appropriate use of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) has led to greater reliance on effect size testing (EST) in published literature. This article examines the myth that uncritical replacement of NHST with EST will improve our science. The use of NHST and EST is described along with a summary of the arguments offered in support and against both. After addressing the veracity of these assertions, the article describes the concept of the translation mechanism and compares the success of NHST and EST as mechanisms. Finally, the authors suggest changes that may facilitate translation in future research.