Validity and utility of selection methods (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998)

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Reference Title: The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel research (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998)
Author: Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Publication Date: 1998
Course Level: Advanced
Credits: 1
Price: $10.00
About This Course: This article is often cited as providing an authoritative meta-analysis of the validity of various personnel selection procedures.
  1. Overview of this CE Home-Study Program
  2. Information About the Course
    1. Educational Objectives
    2. Target Audience
    3. Schedule
    4. Cost and Refund/Cancellation Policy
    5. Author Credentials
    6. Number of CE Credits Offered
    7. Location and Format
    8. Detailed Description of Program Material
  3. Conflict of Interest Statement

1. Overview of this CE program (top)

This home study course entails the independent study of the journal article "The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel research: Practical and Theoretical Implications of 85 Years of Research Findings" (Schmidt and Hunter, 1998), followed by the completion of a multiple-choice test on-line. Participants who receive a passing grade of 75% or higher on the test will receive 1 CE credit. Failing participants may retake the test as often as they wish at no additional charge, and receive CE credit when they do pass. Participants must complete the User Satisfaction Survey before they will receive CE credit.

A copy of the journal article for this course is available at this website, where you may purchase a copy of the journal article for about $12.

More detailed information on the content of this article is given in section 2h below.

APR Testing Services is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. APR Testing Services maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

2.a Educational Objectives (top)

Upon completion of this home study program, the participant will be able to:

  1. Report the magnitude of the predictive validity of selection procedures such as: types of interviews, work sample tests, and assessment centers.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the incremental predictive validity of these same measures over the use of tests of general mental ability alone.

2.b Target Audience (top)

This CE program is intended for psychologists who hold a doctoral degree. The course may be taken by other interested professionals (e.g.,senior human resource executives and consultants; upper-level managers).

2.c Schedule (top)

Access to program registration and post-test is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

2.d Cost and Refund/Cancellation Policy (top)

The fee for this home-study program is $10, which is $10 per CE credit. The fee is fully refundable for 60 days or until the post-test is taken, whichever comes first.

A copy of the journal article for this course is available at this website, where you may purchase a copy of the journal article for about $12.

2.e Author Credentials (top)

The authors of the journal article you will read for this home-study course are Dr. Frank Schmidt and Dr. John Hunter. These authors pioneered the use of meta-analysis in employee selection research. Dr. Frank Schmidt is the Ralph L. Sheets Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Iowa. He received the Distinguished Career Achievement Award for Contributions to Research Methods from the Research Methods Division of the Academy of Management in 2002. Dr. Hunter (deceased) was a Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University, and a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

2.f Number of CE Credits Offered (top)

Participants who complete this course by taking and passing the multiple-choice test will receive 1 CE credit.

2.g Location and Format (top)

This activity requires independent home-based study of a journal article (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998). Following completion of the reading material, participants complete an Internet-based multiple-choice post-test on the article content.

2.h Detailed Description of Program Material (top)

Publication citation:

Schmidt, F.L. and Hunter, J.E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel research: Practical and Theoretical Implications of 85 Years of Research Findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 262-274.

Article abstract:

This article summarizes the practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research in personnel selection. On the basis of meta-analytic findings, this article presents the validity of 19 selection procedures for predicting job performance and training performance and the validity of paired combinations of general mental ability (GMA) and the 18 other selection procedures. Overall, the 3 combinations with the highest multivariate validity and utility for job performance were GMA plus a work sample test (mean validity of .63), GMA plus an integrity test (mean validity of .65), and GMA plus a structured interview (mean validity .63). A further advantage of the latter 2 combinations is that they can be used for both entry level selection and selection of experienced employees. The practical utility implications of these summary findings are substantial. The implications of these research findings for the development of theories of job performance are discussed.

3. Conflict of Interest Statement (top)

APR Testing Services (APR) has no known conflict of interest with respect to this CE program. APR has not received any commercial support for this CE program.