Same Test, Better Scores: Boosting the Reliability of Short Online Intelligence Recruitment Tests with Nested Logit Item Response Theory Models

Martin Storme; Nils Myszkowski; Simon Baron; David Bernard

doi:10.3390/jintelligence7030017

Same Test, Better Scores: Boosting the Reliability of Short Online Intelligence Recruitment Tests with Nested Logit Item Response Theory Models

Journal of Intelligence ◽

10.3390/jintelligence7030017 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 17 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Martin Storme ◽

Nils Myszkowski ◽

Simon Baron ◽

David Bernard

Keyword(s):

Intelligence Testing ◽

Job Applicants ◽

Nested Logit ◽

General Mental Ability ◽

Ability Estimates ◽

Nominal Response Model ◽

Ability Levels ◽

Larger Sample ◽

Item Response Theory Models ◽

Practical Recommendations

Assessing job applicants’ general mental ability online poses psychometric challenges due to the necessity of having brief but accurate tests. Recent research (Myszkowski & Storme, 2018) suggests that recovering distractor information through Nested Logit Models (NLM; Suh & Bolt, 2010) increases the reliability of ability estimates in reasoning matrix-type tests. In the present research, we extended this result to a different context (online intelligence testing for recruitment) and in a larger sample ( N = 2949 job applicants). We found that the NLMs outperformed the Nominal Response Model (Bock, 1970) and provided significant reliability gains compared with their binary logistic counterparts. In line with previous research, the gain in reliability was especially obtained at low ability levels. Implications and practical recommendations are discussed.

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Prologue to the Forum: Vocabulary Across the School Grades

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/2019_lshss-19-00007 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 461-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Suzanne M. Adlof

Keyword(s):

Word Learning ◽

Vocabulary Instruction ◽

Elementary Grades ◽

Reading Disorders ◽

Vocabulary Intervention ◽

New Words ◽

School Grades ◽

Grade Levels ◽

Ability Levels ◽

Instructional Settings

Purpose This prologue introduces the LSHSS Forum: Vocabulary Across the School Grades. The goals of the forum are to provide an overview of the importance of vocabulary to literacy and academic achievement, to review evidence regarding best practices for vocabulary instruction, and to highlight recent research related to word learning with students across different grade levels. Method The prologue provides a foundational overview of vocabulary's role in literacy and introduces the topics of the other ten articles in the forum. These include clinical focus articles, research reviews, and word-learning and vocabulary intervention studies involving students in elementary grades through college. Conclusion Children with language and reading disorders experience specific challenges learning new words, but all students can benefit from high-quality vocabulary instruction. The articles in this issue highlight the characteristics of evidence-based vocabulary interventions for children of different ages, ability levels, and language backgrounds and provide numerous examples of intervention activities that can be modified for use in individual, small-group, or large-group instructional settings.

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Biographical Data Differentiating College Attenders from Nonattenders at Various Ability Levels

Measurement and Evaluation in Guidance ◽

10.1080/00256307.1970.12022421 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 217-224

Author(s):

Dale Prediger

Keyword(s):

Biographical Data ◽

Ability Levels

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Beyond Intelligence Testing

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040/a000117 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 320-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Serge Nicolas ◽

Zachary Levine

Keyword(s):

Social Psychology ◽

Experimental Psychology ◽

Intelligence Testing ◽

Developmental Psychology ◽

Mental Life ◽

Applied Psychology ◽

Important Research ◽

Memory Research ◽

English Translations ◽

The Many

Though Alfred Binet was a prolific writer, many of his 1893–1903 works are not well known. This is partly due to a lack of English translations of the many important papers and books that he and his collaborators created during this period. Binet’s insights into intelligence testing are widely celebrated, but the centennial of his death provides an occasion to reexamine his other psychological examinations. His studies included many diverse aspects of mental life, including memory research and the science of testimony. Indeed, Binet was a pioneer of psychology and produced important research on cognitive and experimental psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, and applied psychology. This paper seeks to elucidate these aspects of his work.

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The Validity of Specific Cognitive Abilities for the Prediction of Training Success in Germany

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000110 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 123-133 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Wiebke Goertz ◽

Ute R. Hülsheger ◽

Günter W. Maier

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Personnel Selection ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mental Ability ◽

Occupational Category ◽

General Mental Ability ◽

Training Success ◽

Specific Cognitive Abilities ◽

Better Than

General mental ability (GMA) has long been considered one of the best predictors of training success and considerably better than specific cognitive abilities (SCAs). Recently, however, researchers have provided evidence that SCAs may be of similar importance for training success, a finding supporting personnel selection based on job-related requirements. The present meta-analysis therefore seeks to assess validities of SCAs for training success in various occupations in a sample of German primary studies. Our meta-analysis (k = 72) revealed operational validities between ρ = .18 and ρ = .26 for different SCAs. Furthermore, results varied by occupational category, supporting a job-specific benefit of SCAs.

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Is Retest Bias Biased?

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000149 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 45-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jason G. Randall ◽

Anton J. Villado ◽

Christina U. Zimmer

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Emotional Stability ◽

Adverse Impact ◽

Mental Ability ◽

Ability Test ◽

General Mental Ability ◽

Psychological Mechanisms

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to test for race and sex differences in general mental ability (GMA) retest performance and to identify the psychological mechanisms underlying these differences. An initial and retest administration of a GMA assessment separated by a six-week span was completed by 318 participants. Contrary to our predictions, we found that race, sex, and emotional stability failed to moderate GMA retest performance. However, GMA assessed via another ability test and conscientiousness both partially explained retest performance. Additionally, we found that retesting may reduce adverse impact ratios by lowering the hiring threshold. Ultimately, our findings reinforce the need for organizations to consider race, sex, ability, and personality when implementing retesting procedures.

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Self-Promoting and Modest Job Applicants in Different Cultures

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000034 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 70-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Marianne Schmid Mast ◽

Denise Frauendorfer ◽

Laurence Popovic

Keyword(s):

Cultural Background ◽

Job Applicants ◽

Presentation Style ◽

Interview Situation ◽

French Speaking ◽

Different Cultures

The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the recruiter’s cultural background on the evaluation of a job applicant’s presentation style (self-promoting or modest) in an interview situation. We expected that recruiters from cultures that value self-promotion (e.g., Canada) will be more inclined to hire self-promoting as compared to modest applicants and that recruiters from cultures that value modesty (e.g., Switzerland) will be less inclined to hire self-promoting applicants than recruiters from cultures that value self-promotion. We therefore investigated 44 native French speaking recruiters from Switzerland and 40 native French speaking recruiters from Canada who judged either a self-promoting or a modest videotaped applicant in terms of hireability. Results confirmed that Canadian recruiters were more inclined to hire self-promoting compared to modest applicants and that Canadian recruiters were more inclined than Swiss recruiters to hire self-promoting applicants. Also, we showed that self-promotion was related to a higher intention to hire because self-promoting applicants are perceived as being competent.

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