MGMT969

Lecture 8
Chapter 11

Ability Tests
Ability Tests
Standardized measures of knowledge (e.g.,
physical, mental, mechanical, and clerical abilities)
that result from formal learning experiences
Mental Ability Tests/IQ Tests not based on
learning
Traditional Forms of Ability Tests
Aptitude tests: Measure knowledge acquired without
formal training
Achievement tests: Measure current levels of
previously acquired knowledge
Development of Mental Ability Tests
Binet and Simon
Developed an intelligence test to measure
the mental age (academic achievement) of
French school children
Published as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence
Scale in the U.S.
Otis Self-Administering Test of Mental Ability
The first group-administered mental ability
test to have widespread use in industry
What Is Measured by Ability Tests
Content and Academic Achievement
Mental ability tests are validated by correlating test
scores with educational achievement as criteria.
Scoring of Tests
General tests provide overall mental ability score
Other tests either provide separate scores on each
abilities, then sum scores to report a total score, or
they measure separate abilities and do not
combine the scores into a general ability measure.
(eg Verbal, Numerical, Spatial ability)
The Wonderlic Personnel Test
Developed in 1938, in wide use thereafter
50 multiple-choice item test taken in 12 minutes
Content: vocabulary, commonsense reasoning,
arithmetic reasoning and computation, analogies,
perceptual skill, spatial relations, number series,
scrambled sentences, and knowledge of proverbs.
Mainly measures verbal comprehension, with
deduction and numerical fluency being the next two
factors in order of importance.
TABLE 12.2 Example Items Similar to Items on the Wonderlic Personnel Test
NOTE: An (*) indicates the correct response.
The Validity of Mental Ability Tests
Project A
A multiple-year effort to develop a selection
system appropriate for all entry-level positions in
the U.S. Army
Involved the development of 65 predictor tests
that could be used as selection instruments
Produced results indicating that general mental
ability tests are valid selection instruments
across a large variety of military jobs
Project A Validity Coefficients
SOURCE: Jeffrey J. McHenry, Laetta M. Hough, Jody L. Toquam, Mary A. Hanson, and Steven Ashworth, Project A
Validity Results: The Relationship between Predictor and Criterion Domains, Personnel Psychology 43 (1990): 335354.
Validity Generalization Studies
Variations in Validity?
Validity coefficients for the same combination of
mental ability tests and job performance measures
differ greatly for studies in different organizations.
These differences were thought to be caused by
undetermined organizational factors that affected the
correlation between selection instruments and criteria.
Selection specialists concluded that a validation study
is necessary for each selection program developed.
However: Meta-analysis of differences indicates
otherwise
Validity Generalization Results for Various Jobs
NOTE: Data for missing cells are not reported.
Validity Results for Mental Ability Tests Across Jobs
SOURCE: John Hunter, Cognitive Ability, Cognitive Aptitudes, Job Knowledge,
and Job Performance, Journal of Vocational Behavior 29 (1986): 340362.
NOTE: Data for empty cells are not reported.

Validity of Mental Ability and
Other Selection Tests
SOURCE: Frank L. Schmidt and John E. Hunter, The Validity and Utility of Selection Methods in Personnel Psychology:
Practical and Theoretical Implications of 85 Years of Research Findings, Psychological Bulletin 124 (1998): 262274.
Validity Generalization Studies (contd)
Implications for Selection
1. It is no longer necessary to conduct validity studies
within each organization.
There are no organizational effects on validity;
therefore the same predictor (selection
instrument) can be used across all organizations.
It is necessary only to demonstrate through job
analysis that the job is similar to the job in the
validity generalization study.
2. A general mental ability test score is as good a
predictor of job performance as is a composite score
from a test of specific abilities using multiple scales.
Conclusions
The use of ability tests requires careful attention
by an organization in the development of its
selection programs.
The traditional viewpoint of validation studies
within a single organization is outdated.
Cognitive ability tests are among the most valid
of all selection tests for a large number of jobs.
Effects of Coaching and Practice
Coaching Effects: Training appears to have
minimal effect on test scores.

Practice Effects
Repetition improves test scores due to:
A better understanding of the test format and
methods of responding
Reduction of test anxiety on subsequent tests
Learning the specific skills tested
However, practice-increased scores do not translate
into increased job training performance
Mechanical Ability Tests
Mechanical Ability
Characteristics that tend to make for success
in work with machines and equipment
Testing Methods
Manual performance (assembly/manipulation)
Written problems
Abilities Measured
Spatial visualization
Perceptual speed and accuracy
Mechanical information
Summary. Ability tests are:
Useful as valid predictors of job performance.
Cheap when purchased from a test publisher.
Fast - most take 30 minutes or less to complete.
Easy - administered individually or in group settings.
Versatile - may come in several languages.
Scorable - have a ready-made scoring key.
Understandable - reflect knowledge that is job based.
Sometimes poorly developed and sold to the unwary.