Paul M. Muchinsky

The Correction for Attenuation

This article examines the statistical correction for attenuation and the controversies surrounding the procedure. Although originally developed for test construction purposes, the correction for attenuation is also used in meta-analysis and assessments of validity generalization. Since Spearmans classic article in 1904, correct use and interpretation of the correction for attenuation has been debated. The logic of the double and single correction formulae is discussed as well as the correction producing validity coefficients greater than 1.00. Three types of misapplications and misinterpretations of the correction in published literature are presented. The article concludes with arguments pertaining to the use of the correction formula, and it attempts to sharpen the focus of issues that have led to differences of opinion about its meaning and purpose.

Emotions in the workplace: the neglect of organizational behavior

This paper addresses itself to a long-neglected topic in organizational behavior: emotions in the workplace. Possible reasons for this neglect are presented, as well as emerging reasons for its consideration. It is proposed that the workplace is a rich arena for the manifestation of human emotions, both positive and negative. An examination of emotions in the workplace has both a theoretical and practical appeal, and may serve to help bridge the scientist–practitioner gap. Copyright

Prediction of dysfunctional job behaviors among law enforcement officers

This study examined the predictability of dysfunctional job behaviors among law enforcement officers using 3 scales (Responsibility, Socialization, and Self-Control) of the California Psychological Inventory (H. G. Gough, 1995) that were hypothesized to assess the construct of conscientiousness, and 3 construct-oriented life history indices (drug use, criminal, work). Law enforcement officers were classified into disciplinary and control groups (n = 109 each), using a matched-case control study design. Mean differences between the 2 criterion groups on the 6 predictor variables were all statistically significant and in the hypothesized direction. The results are discussed in the context of conscientiousness as an explanatory construct, the relationship between life history and personality constructs, and methodological concerns in the development of construct-oriented life history indices.

Opposite Ends of the Same Stick? Multi-Method Test of the Dimensionality of Individualism and Collectivism

The construct of individualism–collectivism (IND-COL) has become the definitive standard in cross-cultural psychology, management, and related fields. It is also among the most controversial, in particular, with regard to the ambiguity of its dimensionality: Some view IND and COL as the opposites of a single continuum, whereas others argue that the two are independent constructs. We explored the issue through seven different tests using original individual-level data from 50 studies and meta-analytic data from 149 empirical publications yielding a total of 295 sample-level observations that were collected using six established instruments for assessing IND and COL as separate constructs. Results indicated that the dimensionality of IND-COL may depend on (a) the specific instrument used to collect the data, (b) the sample characteristics and the cultural region from which the data were collected, and (c) the level of analysis. We also review inconsistencies, deficiencies, and challenges of conceptualizing IND-COL and provide guidelines for developing and selecting instruments for measuring the construct, and for reporting and meta-analyzing results from this line of research.

The Neurotic Dimension of Vocational Indecision: Gender Comparability?

This study examines the relationship between neuroticism and career indecision in separate samples of men and women. College students (151 men, 183 women) constituted the samples. Career indecision was measured by the Career Decision Profile (CDP; Jones, 1989). Constructs used in the study that assess neuroticism included perceived stress, positive and negative affectivity, and state-trait anxiety. In addition, five life history factors predictive of vocational decision-making were also included. Separate cluster analyses were performed for each sample, resulting in two 2-cluster solutions. The first, the maladaptive clusters (high in stress, anxiety, and negative affectivity), emerged for both genders. The second clusters did not replicate across gender. Women in the second cluster, who were well-adapted, exhibited strong academic and scientific interests. The second cluster for men, although exhibiting low stress and anxiety, did not have high scores on any career decision-making variables. The results are discussed in the context of gender differences and the neurotic dimension of career indecision.

Prediction of Law Enforcement Training Performance and Dysfunctional Job Performance With General Mental Ability, Personality, and Life History Variables:

Two studies were conducted on personnel in the field of law enforcement. Study 1 examined the predictability of law enforcement candidates who failed to complete either academy or field training versus a matched-case control sample who passed training. Study 2 examined the predictability of lawenforcement officers who were formally disciplined for inappropriate behavior on the job versus a matched-case control sample who were not disciplined. General mental ability, personality, and life history variables served as the predictors of these criteria. The predictive accuracy of a specially constructed life history veracity index (an internal validity scale) was also examined. The results revealed that both criteria were predictable, but with differential accuracy across the predictor types. These findings are discussed in the context of recent research on the selection of law enforcement personnel, the major constructs assessed in the study, and issues associated with longitudinal validational research.

Validation of personality constructs for the selection of insurance industry employees

One hundred and nine employees working in clerical jobs in an insurance company participated in a concurrent criterion-related validity study. The employees were administered the Hogan Personality Inventory which consists of six basic scales and six occupational scales. Five criterion measures were collected: a within-department forced quintile distribution by the manager, and managerial ratings of the job factors of job knowledge, interpersonal skills, organization, and overall performance. The twelve test scores were correlated with each of the five criterion measures. The results revealed the Adjustment, Clerical Aptitude and Managerial Potential scales correlated significantly (p<.05) with each of the five criteria, while the Service Orientation scale correlated significantly with three of the five criteria. The results were discussed in the context of using personality scales to forecast job performance in the insurance industry.

Validation of intelligence and mechanical aptitude tests in selecting employees for manufacturing jobs

One hundred ninety-three manufacturing employees who produce electro-mechanical components participated in a concurrent criterion-related validity study. The employees were administered three tests: The Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test (Form S); The Flanagan Aptitude Classification Test-Mechanics; and the Thurstone Test of Mental Alertness (Form A). Job performance was measured by a supervisor rating of fifteen job dimensions, assessed at two points in time separated by 60 days. Correlational and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between test scores and job performance ratings. The results revealed that the Bennett Mechanical Comprehension test was the best single predictor of job performance (uncorrectedr =.38), and the incremental gain in predictability from additional tests was not significant. The results were discussed in the context of the changing nature of manufacturing jobs and the inadequacy of conventional mechanical aptitude tests to be sensitive to these changes.

An assessment of the construct validity of three job evaluation methods: A field experiment

Federal statutes recommend the analysis of four job attributes as measures of job worth, and the National Academy of Sciences recommends using one job evaluation method across classifications in an...

Utility estimates of job performance as related to the Data, People, and Things parameters of work

Summary The purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of the Schmidt-Hunter global estimation method of assessing utility across a broad range of jobs. Ninety-five industrial/organizational psychologists estimated the utility of performance in 24 carefully selected jobs. The utility estimates were compared to the Data, People, and Things worker function parameters from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. The majority of jobs (62.5 per cent) produced significantly positively skewed distributions of dollarvalued job performance. The Data, People, and Things parameters accounted for 46 per cent of the variance in the non-symmetry of the utility distributions and 33 per cent of the variance in the inter-rater reliability of the utility estimates. The implications of the results were discussed for utility assessment, and explained from a decision theoretic perspective. ? 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.