Ralph A. Alexander

Attitudinal Congruence and Similarity as Related to Interpersonal Evaluations in Manager-Subordinate Dyads

This field study examined the relationship of both actual similarity and perceptual congruence with job satisfaction and performance evaluation in 194 manager-subordinate dyads. Among other finding...

Effect of Error Variance Heterogeneity on the Power of Tests for Regression Slope Differences

In moderated regression analysis with both a continuous predictor and nominal-level (group membership) variables, there are conditions in which the hypothesis of equal slopes of the regression of Y onto X across groups is equivalent to the hypothesis of equality of X-Y correlations across groups. This research uses those conditions to investigate the impact of heterogeneity of error variance on the power accuracy of the F test for equality of regression slopes. The results show that even when sample sizes are equal, the test is not robust and, under unequal sample sizes, the pattern of excessively high or excessively low reflection rates can be severe

A New and Simpler Approximation for ANOVA Under Variance Heterogeneity

A new approximation is proposed for testing the equality of k independent means in the face of heterogeneity of variance. Monte Carlo simulations show that the new procedure has Type I error rates that are very nearly nominal and Type II error rates that are quite close to those produced by James’s (1951) second-order approximation. In addition, it is computationally the simplest approximation yet to appear, and it is easily applied to Scheffé (1959)-type multiple contrasts and to the calculation of approximate tail probabilities.

An investigation of two measures of career indecision

Abstract The present study compared two recent scales developed to measure career indecision, the Career Decision Scale and the Vocational Decision-Making Difficulty Scale. The subjects were 857 male and female undergraduates. The scales were factor analyzed, the total scores were correlated, and the factor structures were examined for similarities and differences. Test-retest correlations were performed on the items, the total scores, and the factor scores of both measures. Subjects who were satisfied with their career choices were compared with subjects who were unsure, dissatisfied, or undecided about their career choices using the items, total scores, and factor scores. The results are discussed along with the implications for the future development of the scales.

A review of age changes in perceptual information processing ability with regard to driving

Age related changes in the sensory modalities of hearing and vision, along with changes in the information processing abilities of selective attention, perceptual style, and perceptual-motor reaction time, were reviewed in the context of driving behavior. Literature reported, indicated age related changes in these abilities have relevance for the understanding of the driving behavior of the older adult.

One answer to the demand for accountability: Selection utility as an investment decision

Abstract An examination of selection utility models demonstrates that they bear a considerable resemblance to capital budgeting models well established in the finance literature. Five applications of capital budgeting to selection utility are suggested and discussed. Capital budgeting concepts are recommended as a rich source of further practical and theoretical development of selection Utility models.

An examination of least-squares regression modeling of catastrophe theory.

Although catastrophe theory appears to have substantial heuristic value in many areas of psychology, its acceptance has, to some extent, been hampered by the lack of a well-developed analytic framework. Two recent articles by Guastello (1987, 1988) suggest that a change-score least-squares regression model provides a method for testing catastrophe theory models. This article reviews these regression analysis procedures. The problems in the approach are detailed, then demonstrated with computer-generated data sets

Rating ability in performance judgments : the joint influence of implicit theories and intelligence

Abstract The purpose of this study was to approach the issue of rating ability by examining the influence of rater implicit theories and rater intelligence on rating outcomes. Using the inferential accuracy model ( Jackson, 1972 ), raters were identified as either possessing a normative or idiosyncratic implicit theory of the occupation of college instructor. In a laboratory setting, 50 normative and 50 idiosyncratic raters judged the videotaped performance of either a good or poor lecturer. Results showed that (a) intelligence was positively related to rating accuracy and to possessing a normative implicit theory, (b) rater type moderated the relationship between intelligence and rating accuracy, and (c) controlling for intelligence, normative raters committed stronger halo effects than idiosyncratic raters. These results were discussed in relation to furthering the understanding of rating ability.

The Multifactorial Nature of Extraversion-Introversion in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Eysenck Personality Inventory

The study was designed to test the construct validity of extraversion-introversion and to explore the nature of the concept as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI). The psychometric properties of the MBTI have been inadequately studied, whereas those of the EPI have been investigated extensively. Responses of 840 subjects to the two measures were submitted in toto to factor analysis. Of the seven factors retained, three measures of extraversion appeared: Factor 2 (a sociability component), Factor 4 (an impulsivity/non-planning component), and Factor 7 (a liveliness/risk-taking/jocularity component). Findings supported the view of extraversion-introversion as a complex construct (Eysenck and Eysenck, 1977; Guilford, 1977; Howarth, 1976). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator-Extraversion Introversion (MBTI-EI) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator-Judging Perceiving (MBTI-JP), scales were found, surprisingly, to be factorially valid measures of impulsivity/non-planning. Implications and suggested research are discussed.

Estimating the standard error of projected dollar gains in utility analysis.

In the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest in utility or cost-benefit analyses of personnel interventions. Much of the impetus stems from Schmidt, Hunter, McKenzie, and Muldrow (1979). Their empirical method for estimating the dollar value of the standard deviation of performance (SDy) brought about a renewed focus on utility research by providing one means for overcoming a serious obstacle to the application of utility estimation. Since 1979, alternative methods for estimating SDy have been developed (Cascio, 1982; Cascio & Ramos, 1986; Eaton, Wing, & Mitchell, 1985) and a number of authors have called for wider use of utility analysis in personnel research (Cascio, 1980; Landy, Farr, & Jacobs, 1982; Schmidt, Hunter, & Pearlman, 1982). Although most utility analyses have evaluated selection procedures, recent work has extended its use to other human resource interventions such as recruitment (Boudreau & Rynes, 1985), training (Landy etal., 1982), promotions (Cascio & Ramos, 1986), and employee flow through the work force (Boudreau & Berger, 1985). Throughout the literature on utility estimation there is an important omission. Neither in the early developmental work on utility analysis nor in the recent refinement, extension, and application literature do we find a consideration of the standard error of estimates of utility gains from personnel interventions. Although it is obviously useful for an organization to have an estimate of the expected value of returns from investments in human resources, the variance associated with such estimates is also crucial to organizational decision making, if for no other reason than to determine whether the confidence interval includes zero. Most if not all of the variables entering a typical utility analysis have some variability (or uncertainty) associated with them (Alexander & Cronshaw, 1984; Alexander, Cronshaw, & Barrick, 1986; Cronshaw & Alexander, 1983, 1985), and most recent empirical studies of utility analysis report standard errors for at least some of these variables. In none of this literature is the extension made to the standard error of the overall utility estimate. This article details the method for calculating this standard