We examine the appropriateness of response speed and response consistency as data quality indicators within online samples. Across several inventories, results show that response consistency decreases dramatically at response rates faster than 1 second per item. Our results suggest that careless responding may be fairly common in online samples and often functions to increase the expected correlation between items in a survey, which has implications for the likelihood of false positives and the analysis of factor structure. Given how careless responding can influence estimated associations between variables, we strongly recommend that researchers include response speed and consistency screens in their research and provide empirically informed cut points for data screens that should be useful across a wide range of instruments and settings.

Determining whether different items provide the same information or mean the same thing within a population is a central concern when determining whether different scales or constructs are overlapping or redundant. In the present study, we suggest that retest-adjusted correlations provide a valuable means of adjusting for item-level unreliability. More exactly, we suggest dividing the estimated correlation between items X and Y measured over measurement interval |d| by the average retest correlations of the items over the same measurement interval. For instance, if we correlate scores from items X and Y measured 1 week apart, their retest-adjusted correlation is estimated by using their 1-week retest correlations. Using data from four inventories, we provide evidence that retest-adjusted correlations are significantly better predictors of whether two items are consensually regarded as “meaning the same thing” by judges than raw-score correlations. The results may provide the first empirical evidence that Spearman’s (1904, 1910) suggested reliability adjustment do—in certain (perhaps very constrained!) circumstances—improve upon raw-score correlations as indicators of the informational or semantic equivalence of different tests.

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Profile approaches to operationalizing person-organization (P-O) fit as the within-person correlation between an individual’s ideal organization characteristics and their actual organization characteristics regularly find strong associations between P-O fit and an individual’s work attitudes. However, profile correlation indices and other overall indices of P-O fit regularly confound normative and distinctive components of fit—that is: the extent to which the person’s organization culture fits the culture that would be preferred by the average person, and the extent to which their organization fits an individual’s idiosyncratic preferences. Here, we show how these two normative and distinctive P-O fits can be differentiated and related to an individual’s attitudes about their organization experience. Utilizing data from 723 participants from four samples, we show that the degree to which an individual’s description of their organizational culture corresponds to the normative ideal organizational culture may account for nearly all of the large associations regularly found between overall P-O fit indices and positive workplace attitudes. In contrast, the degree of fit between an individual’s work environment and their distinctive or idiosyncratic preferences may play a relatively small role in predicting the positive workplace attitudes. We discuss broader implications for the design of organizational cultures and the more general understanding of the nature of P-O fit.

Abstract. The influence of a candidate’s physical appearance on interview evaluations is well documented. However, few models exist that explain how and why specific components of physical appearance influence interviewer perceptions. We address this discrepancy by identifying the primary components of appearance and integrating findings from the appearance literature to explain the relationship between candidate appearance and interview evaluations. We propose that interviewers compare traits inferred from a candidate’s physical appearance with traits associated with their prototype for the job position. Interviewers perceive a strong person-job fit when these traits align, which is indicated by a prototype match. By detailing this progression in the proposed conceptual model, this paper answers calls from recent research and provides new directions for future inquiry.

Short measures are commonly used when conducting research involving emotions. However, obtaining appropriate estimates of reliability for short measures is traditionally problematic and is a reoccurring concern in emotion research. To address this issue, we compare the withinsession test-retest and factor analysis methods for estimating the reliability of items in the PANAS-X. Results indicate that within-session test-retest ( ( ) ) estimates outperform the factor analysis method by demonstrating stronger relationships with item properties relevant to reliability and validity-related criteria. In addition, ( ) estimates appropriately generalize across samples with various instruction stems and prevent corrections for attenuation greater than 1.00. Therefore, we encourage researchers to use the corresponding average item-level ( ) estimates reported here to correct for attenuation when examining single-items from the PANAS-X if a test-retest design is not feasible.

Despite substantial evidence supporting the positive impact of employee work engagement on organizational outcomes, it remains unclear how engagement changes in demanding work settings within a given time frame. Drawing on the job demandsresources model, we examine the weekly dynamic patterns of vigor, dedication, and absorption (three dimensions of work engagement), as well as the relationship between self-efficacy and the trajectories of these three dimensions. Two field studies were conducted to examine our hypotheses. In Study 1, with the use of a sample of 111 entrepreneurs participating in a 5-day-long Gobi hike designed to enhance professional development, we found that vigor, dedication, and absorption declined over time and that self-efficacy was positively associated with initial vigor, dedication, and absorption. In Study 2, to extend the findings of Study 1, we collected data from 106 employees in various industries using a daily diary survey across five consecutive workdays. Analyses of linear growth models indicates a consistent decline in dedication and absorption, with a positive effect of self-efficacy on all three dimensions of daily engagement.