It is suggested that bias--when associated with a predictor, a test, or a statistical estimator--is not always bad, in spite of the immediate negative response evoked by the word, bias. Four settings are described to illustrate situations in which a procedure should not be summarily rejected due to bias: (1) educational researchers rejected the…

Comparisons are made of the groups of Army officers that were procured through various programs and of various categories within the Army Reserve Officers' Training Program (ROTC). The criterion for these comparisons was the final course grades in the Officer Basic Courses (OBC) of the 13 career branches. Two samples were studied; one sample…

The potential usefulness of computerized tests for supplementing paper-and-pencil measures for predicting job performance abilities was the objective of a series of studies. This report covers the initial test development and analysis research. Eight computerized tests were constructed to measure five personal attributes identified in previous…

Research which resulted in the development of the United States Employment Service Specific Aptitude Test Battery for use in selecting inexperienced or untrained individuals for training as Maintenance Repairer is described. Occupational norms were established in terms of minimum qualifying scores for each significant aptitude measure, which when…

The study outlines the development of a methodology for meaningfully estimating the value of classification information used by the Air Force to make selection and job assignment decisions which lead to the satisfaction of first-term enlisted manpower requirements. The methodology, called the optimal allocation strategy, is employed to solve a…

This study documents trends in the number and quality of applicants for superintendency over time and the success rate of female applicants throughout the search process. Substantial data indicate a gender bias in selecting superintendents. Data collected in New York in 1999 were compared to 1995 data to determine if the size and quality of the…

Analyzed 102 taped screening interviews. Found what recruiters really ask is considerably different from what literature says candidates should be prepared to answer. Recruiter questions were coded into categories of "type of question." Focused on category called New Information (about the applicant, job preferences, and particular job or…

Evaluated the negative effect, fairness, and competence of Affirmative Action (AA) policies based on surveys from 235 college students. Results indicate that, although sex-based AA may result in certain social psychological costs for females, the same effect may not occur as a function of race. (GR)

This document contains three papers from a symposium on enhancing individual readiness through human resource development (HRD). "Secondary School Administrator's Perception of Enhancing Self-Worth through Service" (Thomas Li-Ping Tang, Emily James Weatherford) presents results of a study to examine secondary school administrators' endorsement of…

The effectiveness of the current selection system used to hire eligibility technicians was studied, and the predictive relationship between existing selection instruments and job performance criteria was investigated. Eligibility technicians are employees of San Diego County (California) whose duties include determining the eligibility of…

Japanese universities have been characterized by critics as "leisurelands" where students concentrate too much on amusements and too little on learning. While university experience for Japanese students does not always result in acquiring testable academic knowledge as efficiently as in high school, the university does provide a setting…

A study examined the effects of the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit (TJTC) on employment patterns among those eligible for and those ineligible for TJTC. The rate at which TJTC-eligible persons penetrated the labor market and the resultant displacement of persons not eligible were examined in terms of TJTC-related variables, personal characteristics, and…

In recent years, social scientists have developed an increased interest in the processes by which individuals are matched to jobs. This involves both an examination of the characteristics of job seekers who are rewarded in labor markets and an analysis of how employers evaluate worker characteristics when making hiring and promotion decisions. Of…

This paper reviews recent research in the Netherlands on the application of decision theory to test-based decision making about personnel selection and student placement. The review is based on an earlier model proposed for the classification of decision problems, and emphasizes an empirical Bayesian framework. Classification decisions with…

To determine what interviewers perceived to be important factors in the interviewing process and whether the sex of the interviewer or type of organization he or she worked for influenced their perceptions of such factors, a questionnaire was administered to 42 personnel managers from randomly selected places of business and government offices.…