An important issue in personnel selection and test validation has been the nature of performance criteria and more specifically the existence of dynamic criteria. There is a continuing debate regarding the extent to which performance and validity coefficients remain stable over time. We examine research within work, laboratory, and academic settings and evaluate existing models of dynamic criteria. Building on previous models, we propose an integrative model of dynamic criteria that identifies important issues for ability and performance constructs and discusses how variables related to the task, job, and organization can affect the temporal stability of criterion performance and the ability-performance relationship.

A laboratory study was conducted to examine the effects of learning‐oriented versus performance‐oriented feedback of task performance. The research also examined the role of self‐efficacy as a moderator. Subjects were college students participating for course credit. The task involved using a computerized simulation of the Space Shuttle's Remote Manipulation System (RMS). Results provided evidence of the beneficial effects of learning‐oriented feedback on performance for the performance dimension addressed in the feedback. Results also provided evidence that self‐efficacy moderates the effects of feedback type (learning‐oriented versus performance‐oriented) on the performance dimension addressed in the feedback. Results are discussed in terms of the cuing and directional functions of feedback and the processes through which feedback influences performance.

We investigated the role of multiple forms of feedback and of alternative measures of motivation in feedback‐goal‐performance processes. Results indicated that when performance‐based and normative‐based feedback are both provided, the two forms of feedback have differential effects on personal goals and intrinsic motivation, supporting our predictions. Moreover, measures of self‐efficacy and personal goals worded in relation to performance were more strongly related to performance‐based feedback, while self‐efficacy and personal goals measures worded in relation to normative information were more strongly related to normative‐based feedback, as predicted. These results highlight the importance of investigating more complex feedback environments and examining the role of alternative measures of motivational variables to increase our understanding of motivational processes.

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