Establishing Job-Relatedness Validation Test Bank Chapter 15

Test Bank

Chapter 15

Establishing Job-Relatedness: Validation

True/False

1. The EEOC considers all criteria used in making employment decisions to be “tests.”

2. While often confused, cognitive tests are distinctly different from cognitive ability tests.

3. A problem with integrity tests is their propensity to being manipulated by the test-taker.

4. Language proficiency tests can only be used to test English.

5. Criminal background checks could possibly have a disparate impact on ethnic groups.

6. Both credit and background checks are important in avoiding negligent hiring charges.

7. Requiring a secretary to type a letter on a personal computer using a specific word-processing package would be a selection criterion with construct validity.

8. Of the different validation methods, construct validity is probably the most complicated.

9. An overriding factor in deciding to use construct validation is the availability of an individual with psychometric skills and expertise needed for this level of analysis.

10. Content validity is demonstrated by empirical data proving a selection procedure is predictive of the important elements of the job in question.

11. Under predictive validation the correlation coefficients between test and performance are determined by administering the test to current employees.

12. It is possible that the results of a concurrent validation may be biased because of the sample.

13. Predictive validation is a means of establishing criterion-related validity.

14. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient is a parametric statistic.

15. Variable X is called the criterion variable and represents the performance criterion.

16. A strong negative correlation means that a change in the score of X indicates commensurate change in the score Y in the opposite direction.

17. The EEOC advocates the use of tests of significance.

18. Tests of significance help reduce the likelihood that the correlations are merely a random error.

19. The complaining party can offer evidence that there are other employment practices that would accomplish the same objective as a challenged employment practice, but would have less disparate impact on a protected class.

20. Performance appraisals known as graphic rating scales may be particularly susceptible to a high degree of subjectivity.

Multiple Choice

1. The term business necessity is synonymous with:

A. reliability

B. job related

C. adverse impact

D. disparate impact

2. In the absence of __________, the employer is unlikely to succeed with the validation of the selection requirement.

A. conciliation

B. disparate impact

C. job analysis

D. qualified privilege

3. If an employer can prove that a candidate who lacks the requisite education is unlikely to perform the essential TDR, then the education requirement is __________.

A. a business necessity

B. job related

C. A or B

D. neither A nor B is correct

4. Which is a means by which the relationship between candidate qualifications and successful job performance is evaluated?

A. validation

B. conciliation

C. vesting

D. utilization analysis

5. The EEOC considers all criteria used in making employment decisions to be:

A. illegal

B. valid

C. discriminatory

D. tests

6. These are useful in assessing the individual’s ability to process information quickly and accurately.

A. personality tests

B. cognitive ability tests

C. physical ability tests

D. language proficiency tests

7. __________ attempt to assess traits which predict the candidate’s predispositions to react in a given way to environmental stimuli.

A. Personality tests

B. Cognitive tests

C. Physical ability tests

D. Language proficiency tests

8. Which is closely tied to a personality test?

A. honesty and integrity test

B. cognitive test

C. background check

D. none of the above

9. These tests may measure hand-eye-coordination.

A. personality tests

B. cognitive tests

C. physical ability tests

D. language proficiency tests

10. In the United States, language proficiency tests are limited to testing one’s ability to speak:

A. English

B. Spanish

C. either of the above

D. any language, as they are not limited to certain languages

11. These tests generally result in disparate impact for several ethnic groups.

A. criminal background checks

B. credit checks

C. both of the above

D. neither of the above

12. According to the EEOC’s Uniform Guidelines, which of the following requirements for a job would constitute a test?

A. two-year college degree

B. score of 21 on the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability exam

C. a height of no less than 73”

D. all of the above

13. Which is not a type of validation study recognized by the EEOC?

A. content validity

B. competency-based validity

C. construct validity

D. criterion-related validity

14. Which type of validation study is the most appropriate method for jobs which are physical in nature and have observable activities?

A. content validity

B. competency-based validity

C. construct validity

D. criterion-related validity

15. __________ involves having the applicant perform a “fair sample” of the work required to be performed in the job in question.

A. Countervailing statistics

B. Construct validity

C. Concurrent validation

D. Content validity

16. Which of the following is a good example of content validation?

A. asking a candidate to take a test, and using that score to determine job knowledge

B. asking a firefighter candidate to cook a meal in less than 30 minutes

C. having an applicant for a welder’s position complete a series of welds

D. none of the above

17. An overriding factor in deciding to use construct validation is the availability of personnel with a high level of expertise in this type of statistical analysis.

A. construct validation

B. concurrent validation

C. content validity

D. all of the above

18. As defined, construct validity is really __________ validation studies.

A. two

B. three

C. four

D. five

19. Test scores have __________ if they are an accurate predictor of job performance.

A. concurrent validation

B. construct validity

C. criterion-related validity

D. content validity

20. In conducting criterion-related validation between the predictor of performance and the actual performance, what two means of data collection are available to HR professionals?

A. concurrent validation and content validation

B. concurrent validation and predictive validation

C. content validation and construct validity

D. construct validity and predictive validation

21. Which is a negative aspect of using concurrent validation?

A. most expensive method

B. extremely time consuming

C. results can be biased

D. all of the above

22. When __________ is used, the test is given to applicants rather than current employees.

A. content validation

B. concurrent validation

C. construct validity

D. predictive validation

23. Pearson’s r assumes that the variables being assessed are:

A. normally distributed

B. randomly distributed

C. weakly correlated

D. strongly correlated

24. When would a “test” be considered to be validated?

A. if a moderate to strong correlation was produced

B. if a moderate to weak correlation was produced

C. if a very weak correlation was produced

D. none of the above

25. Using Pearson’s r, the closer the correlation coefficient approaches _____, the weaker the relationship.

A.–1

B. +1

C. 0

D. None of the above

26. How well the independent variable predicts a change in the dependent variable is a matter of:

A. triviality

B. magnitude

C. remand

D. strict scrutiny

27. If a large increase in values of X tends to be associated with a large decrease in the values of Y, the correlation would be:

A. uncorrelated

B. strong negative

C. strong positive

D. weak negative

28. A test of significance is a means by which one can assess the probability of a __________.

A. type I error

B. type II error

C. type III error

D. type IV error

29. A __________is useless to an employer if it cannot be shown to accurately measure the essential functions of the job it alleges to evaluate.

A. job specification

B. qualified privilege

C. job description

D. performance appraisal

30. Which of the following would not give an employer a defense if his or her performance appraisal was challenged?

A. Employee rated only on specific job dimensions

B. Raters assessed for validity

C. Raters assessed for reliabilty

D. Single rater performance appraisal

Essay

1. Identify and explain the purpose of eight different employment tests that are recognized by the EEOC.

2. Describe the three methods for conducting a validation study.

3. If an employer establishes an employment practice as a business necessity, describe the complaining party’s last opportunity for a rebuttal.

Even if the employer is able to establish the business necessity of the employment practice creating the statistical imbalance, the complaining party is afforded one last opportunity to challenge that practice. The complaining party can offer evidence that there are other practices that would accomplish the same objective as the challenged practice, but would have less disparate impact on the protected class. Employers could be directed to adopt another selection criterion or test that would have less disparate impact. However, this “criterion” would have to accomplish the same end as the rejected criterion.

Page: 419–420