Chapter 7: Foundations of Selection
1. The last step of the selection process is the permanent job offer.
Ans: True
2. Work sampling includes a series of exercises used for selection, development, and performance appraisal.
Ans: False
Response: Work sampling is a selection device requiring the job applicant to actually perform a small segment of the job.
3. Criterion-related validity refers to the degree to which a particular selection device accurately predicts the important elements of work behavior.
Ans: True
4. If a selection device has high reliability it has low validity.
Ans: False
Response: A good selection device is both reliable and valid.
5. Therealistic job preview is a selection device that allows job applicants to learn negative as well as positive information about the job and organization.
Ans: True
Multiple Choice
6. Paul has successfully completed the initial screening phase of the selection process. What is his next step?
a) Screening inquiries
b) Screening interviews
c) Background check
d) Complete the application form
e) Screening personality test
Ans: d
Response A: No.
Response B: No.
Response C: No.
Response D: Correct!
Response E: No.
7. What is the percentage of all organizations in the United States that use some type of employment test?
a) About 80 percent
b) About 60 percent
c) About 45 percent
d) About 35 percent
e) About 25 percent
Ans: b
Response A: No.
Response B: Correct!
Response C: No.
Response D: No.
Response E: No.
8. Which of the following is not true regarding interviewing?
a) Prior knowledge about the applicant can bias the interviewer’s evaluation.
b) Structured interviews are less reliable than unstructured interviews.
c) The interviewer tends to favor candidates who share his/her own attitudes.
d) Negative information is usually given unduly high weight.
e) The order in which information is elicited influences evaluations.
Ans: b
Response A: True.
Response B: Correct!
Response C: True.
Response D: True.
Response E: True.
9. Minnie is interviewing for a job as a cheese tester. She is taken to the production line, and asked to taste and smell four different kinds of cheese coming from the conveyors. What stage of the selection process is involved?
a) Comprehensive interview.
b) Literacy test.
c) Work sampling.
d) Coaching.
e) This is just a break, not part of the process.
Ans: c
Response A: No.
Response B: You are just playing, right?
Response C: Correct!
Response D: No. That is not part of selection.
Response E: No. It is. Minnie would probably have been told it was to see a sample of her work.
10. What kind of interview is the most reliable?
a) Panel
b) Valid
c) Stress
d) Situational
e) Structured
Ans: e
Response A: No. Different emphases will occur with various candidates.
Response B: Nonsense answer.
Response C: Not really, unless the job has lots of pressure.
Response D: Depends on the situation. Not the best answer.
Response E: Correct!
11. Why do realistic job previews result in lower turnover rates?
a) More committed employees are hired.
b) Fewer job offers are made.
c) Higher salaries are offered.
d) Better benefits are provided.
e) They do not.
Ans: a
Response A: Correct!
Response B: Not necessarily.
Response C: Not relevant.
Response D: Not relevant.
Response E: Yes, they do.
12. Which of the following best describes the concept of predictive validity?
a) The degree to which a particular selection device accurately predicts the important elements of work behavior.
b) Validating tests by using current employees as the study group.
c) Validating tests by using prospective applicants as the study group.
d) A selection device’s consistency of measurement.
e) The degree to which test content represents, as a sample, situations on the job.
Ans: c
Response A: No. Criterion-related validity.
Response B: No. Concurrent validity.
Response C: Correct!
Response D: No. Reliability.
Response E: No. Content validity.
13.Which of the following is a legally appropriate question during a job interview?
a) Are you a Catholic?
b) Are you pregnant?
c) Are you legally entitled to work in the United States?
d) Does your faith keep you from working on Sunday?
e) You have a beautiful accent. Where are you from?
Ans: c
Response A: No. Discrimination based on religion.
Response B: No. Pregnancy discrimination.
Response C: Correct!
Response D: Discrimination based on religion.
Response E: Discrimination based on national origin.
14. Minna wants to increase the size of the applicant pool for entry level customer service representatives. This job requires an employment test on basic clerical and communication skills. What should Minna do?
a) Lower the cut score on the employment test.
b) Raise the cut score on the employment test.
c) Increase the validity of the employment test.
d) Increase the reliability of the employment test.
e) Make the test shorter.
Ans: a
Response A: Correct!
Response B: No. That would decrease the pool.
Response C: That’s always a good thing to do, but not relevant for this question.
Response D: That’s always a good thing to do, but not relevant for this question.
Response E: Not really related.
15. Company ABC is a software company. To hire its programmers, Company ABC uses a job knowledge test. The score of the test can vary from 0 to 100. A score of 0 indicates absolutely no knowledge in programming. Conversely, a perfect score of 100 indicates exceptional programming knowledge. It appears that individuals who received high scores on the job knowledge test ended up performing poorly as programmers after they were hired. What type of problem does this job knowledge test seem to have?
a) A predictive validity problem
b) A reliability problem
c) A content validity problem
d) A construct validity problem
e) A concurrent validity problem
Ans: a
Response A: Correct!
Response B: Maybe, but not the best answer.
Response C: Maybe, but not the best answer.
Response D: Maybe, but not the best answer.
Response E: Maybe, but not the best answer.