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05 Terms to Remember

Adverse Impact: Occurs when a selection procedure disproportionately affects protected groups, often measured by the 80% rule.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Prohibits disability discrimination and requires reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals who can perform essential job functions.

Assessment Centers: Structured evaluations using multiple raters and exercises to assess managerial potential.

Base Rate: The percentage of current employees performing successfully, used to evaluate the effectiveness of selection systems.

Behavioral Description Interviews: Interviews that focus on past behavior by asking candidates to describe specific situations and actions.

Biographical Information (Biodata): Data collected about past behaviors and experiences to predict future job performance.

Cognitive Ability Testing: Tests measuring general mental ability, consistently among the most valid predictors of job performance.

Concurrent Validity: Assesses how well a test correlates with current employee performance.

Cost-Benefit Analysis: Weighs the costs of a selection system against the benefits of improved hiring outcomes.

Decision Accuracy: Measures how well a selection system distinguishes between successful and unsuccessful hires.

Disparate Impact: Unintentional discrimination resulting from neutral practices that disproportionately affect protected groups.

Disparate Treatment: Intentional discrimination based on protected characteristics.

Employee Referral Programs: Recruitment strategy where current employees refer candidates, often with incentives.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): Federal agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination.

Essential Functions: Core job duties that must be performed, used to determine reasonable accommodations under the ADA.

External Recruitment: Seeking candidates from outside the organization to bring in new skills and perspectives.

Internal Recruitment: Filling positions with current employees through promotions or transfers.

Job Analysis: Systematic process of identifying job requirements and the KSAOs needed for success.

KSAOs (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics): Attributes required to perform a job effectively.

Multiple Cutoff Approach: Selection model requiring candidates to meet minimum scores on all assessments.

Multiple Hurdle Method: Sequential selection process using inexpensive assessments first to screen candidates.

Multiple Regression: Statistical method combining predictors to estimate job performance.

Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCBs): Voluntary behaviors that contribute to organizational effectiveness beyond job duties.

Personality Testing: Measures individual traits; often used alongside cognitive tests to improve prediction and reduce adverse impact.

Predictive Validity: The extent to which test scores predict future job performance.

Prima Facie Case: Initial evidence suggesting discrimination, often based on statistical disparities.

Recruitment: The process of attracting qualified candidates to apply for open positions.

Selection Batteries: Sets of assessments used together to improve prediction of job success.

Structured Interviews: Standardized interviews with consistent questions and scoring, based on job analysis.

Validity: The degree to which a selection method accurately measures what it intends to and predicts job performance.

License

Industrial/Organizational Psychology TxWes Copyright © by Dr. Jay Brown. All Rights Reserved.