Psychological Tests in Business

Kornhauser, Arthur W.; Kingsbury, Forrest A.

doi:10.2307/3901566

Cited by 31 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The use of the tenn criterion to describe a measure of an employee's success (Bingham, 1926) or job proficiency (Burtt, 1926) also emerged in the 1920s (Austin & Villanova, 1992). This test-criterion method, familiar to present-day I/0 psychologists and described in the 1920s by sources such as Freyd (1923Freyd ( -1924, Kornhauser and Kingsbury (1924), and Bingham and Freyd (1926), consisted of the following general steps: (a) A job analysis is conducted to obtain relevant factors necessary for job success; (b) A criterion, or measure of success, is selected. Criteria can be objective (e.g., number of items sold) or subjective (e.g., supervisor rankings); (c) Select or construct a predictor, generally History of Research and PracLice in I/0 Psychology some type of test; (d) Correlate predictor scores with criterion scores to see whether there is a relationship; and (e) If there is a relationship, use a decision rule, regression for example, to determine acceptance or rejection of individual applicants.…”

Section: Employee Selection and Testing 13mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For industrial psychology and testing, there was initial success, followed by overconfidence and overselling in the mid 1920s, disillusion by business, and a period of decline in the late 1920s (Sokal, 1984). To be fair, individuals other than psychologists were promoting tests, and reputable psychologists (e.g., Kornhauser & Kingsbury, 1924) were careful not to oversell the usefulness of these tests. In addition, there were psychologists who went beyond the simplistic "square peg in a square hole" view of personnel selection.…”

Section: Employee Selection and Testing 13mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A historical survey of research and practice in industrial and organizational psychology.

Vinchur¹,

Koppes²

2011

APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol 1: Building and Developing the Organization.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The understanding of psychology is one of the most important roads to success for the modem business man. Industrial and commercial work are in thousandfold contact with mental life. Salesmanship and advertising, learning and training for technical labor , choosing the right position and selecting the right employe, greatest efficiency of work and avoidance of fatigue, treatment of customers and of partners, securing the most favorable conditions for work and adapting the work to one's liking, and ever so many other problems stand b efore the business world and cannot be answered bu t by psychology (Miinsterberg, 1918, p. v).The above quotation by Hugo Miinsterberg is typical of the ambition and confidence (some migh t say overconfidence) of at least some of the founders of industrial-organizational (110) psychology. Although the results of more than 100 years of applying psychology to organizations have caused us to be a bit more humble and circumspect in our pronouncements, it is true that the science and practice of I/0 psychology have made a fair am ount of progress in dealing with Miinsterberg's concerns. The field has had an in teresting and eventful history. As I/0 psychology has expanded and matured, we have seen an increased interest in this history. This is most welcome, as it is our belief that knowledge and appreciation of history is essential fo r deep understanding. Tracing the evolution of ideas in substantive areas of 1/0 psychology and examining the litany of insights, incremental progress, and missteps that resulted in the current state of the field can lead to a richer appreciation and understanding for researchers and practition ers alike.Previous historical overviews of I/0 psychology vary in emphasis, orientation, and detail. Examples include Ferguson (1962)(1963)(1964)(1965),1 who built his history around the Carnegie Institute of Technology's (CIT's) Division of Applied Psychology. Baritz (1960), although critical of industrial psychology's close ties with management, provided a great deal of information about early industrial psychology, as did Napoli (1981) in his history of the psychological profession. A chapter by Hilgard (1987) concentrated on the history of I/0 psychology in the United States; Warr (2007) provided an overview of the development of I/0 ou tside of the United States; and McCollom (1968) and Viteles (1932) gave summaries of the early years of the field both inside and outside of America. Katzell and Austin (1992) offered a contextual approach to American 1/0 psychology history, as did Koppes (2003). A recent book edited by Koppes (2007) took a topical approach to I/0 history. Many other excellent histories of 1/0 psychology have focused on specific conten t areas, individuals, or time We thank Bianca Falbo, Shelly Zedeck, and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments. All errors are our own. 1 Leonard W. Ferguson completed a series of pamphlets ~overi n g 14 chapters (one volume and part of another) of a planned 12-volume history of industrial psychology centere...

show abstract

Section: Employee Selection and Testing 13mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Employee Selection and Testing 13mentioning

confidence: 99%

A historical survey of research and practice in industrial and organizational psychology.

Vinchur¹,

Koppes²

2011

APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol 1: Building and Developing the Organization.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…By the early 1920s, industrial psychologists had developed a methodology for empirically determining the validity of their testing procedures that would be recognizable to present‐day I/O psychologists. As described in contemporary texts and articles such as Bingham and Freyd (1926), Freyd (1923–24), and Kornhauser and Kingsbury (1924), the method consisted of the following general steps. (i) Conduct a job analysis to obtain factors relevant for success on the job.…”

Section: Employee Selection and The Emphasis On Quantificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One possible reason was the failure of tests to deliver what they promised (Hale 1992; Sokal 1984). Although much overselling was done by nonpsychologists, reputable industrial psychologists such as Kornhauser and Kingsbury (1924) urged caution in their use. The stock market crash of 1929 and subsequent economic depression further reduced industry's demand for the industrial psychologist's services (Hale 1992).…”

Section: World War I and Beyondmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Industrial Psychology: A Very Brief and Highly Selective History

Vinchur

2008

Sociology Compass

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This essay provides a brief overview of the historical contributions of early industrial psychology to organizational studies. A description of present-day industrialorganizational psychology is first presented. Factors both inside and outside psychology that influenced the development of industrial psychology are discussed, followed by the history of industrial psychology in the early years of the twentieth century. In the USA, initial activity in industry by psychologists was in advertising; however, employee selection then became the major focus. Reflecting their training in experimental psychology, early industrial psychologists favored a quantitative, scientific approach to selection that emphasized empirical verification of the effectiveness of their interventions. Part of finding a niche for their scientific approach to organizations was debunking pseudoscientific approaches to selection such as character analysis.

show abstract

“…A number of recent American publications in this field are critically summarized by Kornhauser and Kingsbury (179), and by Link (185).…”

Section: Experimental Studies In Vocational Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%