Essay Questions 91. Define what is meant by reliability and validity in the employment selection context, and discuss the relationship of reliability to validity. 92. Briefly describe how both...

Essay Questions

91. Define what is meant by reliability and validity in the employment selection context, and discuss the relationship of reliability to validity.

92. Briefly describe how both a concurrent criterion-related validation study and a predictive criterion-related study are conducted. Identify at least two potential advantages of the predictive criterion-related validation study.

93. You have recently developed a new work sample test to be used in the selection of skilled tradesmen at a furniture plant. Because of past discrimination claims at the plant (18 of the 19 current skilled tradesmen are white and male), legal counsel has advised you that a validation effort should be undertaken before the test is actually used as a basis for selection decisions. Forecasting efforts identified a potential shortage of 10 skilled tradesmen in the coming year due to growth, changes in the production process, and turnover. As a result, you are eager to put the test into use as soon as possible. Under these circumstances, what would be the best validation strategy to use? Defend your choice.

94. You are considering using a standardized cognitive ability test in your selection of employees for the job of production supervisor at a small parts manufacturing plant in Ohio. For a number of reasons, it is not possible for you to conduct your own original validation study. However, numerous validation studies have been conducted on the test in other settings, and their findings have consistently yielded a validity coefficient of approximately .40. Describe the steps that you would go through to establish the generalizability of those previous findings to your use of the test in the Ohio plant.

95. Define utility and then identify and discuss at least five factors likely to affect the utility of any test.