Measurement Issues Associated With Conditional Reasoning Tests Indirect Measurement and Test Faking

Measurement Issues Associated With Conditional Reasoning Tests Indirect Measurement and Test Faking The purpose of the study This is a comprehensive study of the psychical attributes of behavior in organizations. The study aims at exploring a new methodology that has been developed to aid in analyzing and assessing the hidden motives behind behavioral patterns of organizational employees. According to the authors of the article, Conditional Reasoning Tests are favorable since they reduce cognitive biases in the measurement of hidden motives.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Measurement Issues Associated With Conditional Reasoning Tests: Indirect Measurement and Test Faking specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The biases are associated with the ancient self-report surveys that have been used for an extended period. Conditional Reasoning Tests utilize indirect measurements that help to reduce the chances of a person knowing that his or her personality is being subjected to a test. According to the authors of the article, Conditional Reasoning Tests are used to measure an attribute of organizational behavior that is critical, yet it has been sidelined for a long time by corporate managers. While CRTs avoid measuring the mental capabilities of employees in organizations, they are designed to unearth the motivations behind certain behaviors that are exhibited by organizational employees. Such behaviors are founded in the personalities of individuals and steer the kind of responses and actions that they take in the organization (LeBreton et al., 2007). LeBreton et al. (2007) seek to ascertain that Conditional Reasoning Tests are subjected to measurement issues that are bound to affect the manner in which the tests are portrayed by the respondents. Therefore, the study is split into three tests that are aimed at exploring all the measurement issues that come with CRTs. The first study focused on the essence of sticking to indirect assessments in the administration of CRTs. The second study explored the possibility of result faking by the respondents when the assessment purpose was withheld. The third study focused on the comparison of tests for aggression in CRTs. The argument in the study As observed in the preceding section, the researchers in this article aimed at exploring the seemingly newer method of determining the behavioral patterns of employees by factoring the relative test of personality without the knowledge of the respondents or the employees. The authors dwell on two main perspectives of applying the Conditional Reasoning Tests in organizations. These are the relevance of holding to indirect assessments while applying the tests and the implication of withholding assessment tests on the nature and validity of responses that are given by the respondents. The authors also try to bring out the essence of utilizing the Conditional Reasoning Tests in organizations, as well as the issue of managing impression in organizations as it comes out in traditional methods of manag ing behaviors in organizations like self-report surveys.Advertising Looking for report on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An exploration of literature by the employees indicates tendencies by the employees to justify their behaviors even when such behaviors appear to be irrational to other people (LeBreton et al., 2007).  According to the authors, the variation in the behaviors of individuals has a profound effect on the work practices within organizations. This reiterates the need to determine the causative factors for the conduct of employees. This is what is explored by the authors in the article. Hidden elements of individual personalities play a critical role in shaping the nature of actions and interactions of people in organizations. The hidden elements of personality can be effectively brought out through the application of Conditional Reasoning Tests as opposed to the use of self-report surveys , which seem overrated in the contemporary psychological organizations (LeBreton et al., 2007). Findings of the research The structuring of the research into different parts helped to ascertain the varied degrees of the validity of the application of CRTs in determining the motivational factors behind certain behaviors. The findings of the research point to the fact that Conditional Reasoning Tests are more efficient that self-report surveys as they depict the influence of personalities of individuals on latent motives behind their behaviors. Individual reasoning, which has a profound impact on the behavior of an individual, is shaped by the inward personality of the individual depicted by the level of aggression. Individuals with higher levels of aggression portray behaviors that are bound to be harmful to other employees, yet they still seek to rationalize the set of behaviors that they represent. Such individuals are called justifiers who are identified through the deployment of the Justification of Aggression Scale used in CRTs. The findings indicate that there is no relationship between the cognitive ability of an individual and the conditional reasoning test (LeBreton et al., 2007). LeBreton et al. (2007) observe that the disclosure of the assessments’ purpose in CRTs results in the faking of responses and it is undesirable in identifying the underlying motives for behavior. The study indicates that the nature of response to self-personality survey reports by job seekers and the incumbent employees is not isomorphic to the character of employees. Employees are bound to fake their behavior when they learn of the real purpose of the CRTs. Faking is highly minimized in CRTs when indirect measurement is embraced. This makes the CRTs attain the attribute of identifying the reasons behind certain behaviors and the modalities of controlling such actions.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Measurement Issues Associated With Conditi onal Reasoning Tests: Indirect Measurement and Test Faking specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Relating the outcomes of the study to the workplace The contemporary workplace is confronted with a lot of issues, most of which emanate from the behavior of employees in organizations. This study explores a founded model of identifying the psychological motivators of the actions of people in organizations. Organizational behavior is a crucial attribute of organizational performance that implies the essence of understanding the behavior of employees by corporate managers. The employees are considered to be critical resources in the discharge of organizational practices, thus identifying and moderating the behaviors of employees is a crucial determiner of the mood of a given workplace. Understanding the personality of employees through the deployment of Conditional Reasoning Tests can help in understanding the characters of employees. This determines t he individual and interactive behavior of organizational employees. This means that this study is useful to organizational managers, especially the managers who deal with human resource development (LeBreton et al. 2007). How the study can be integrated in the employee selection process Employers continuously seek employees who can match certain tasks in organizations. It is, therefore, important to determine the employees who are best suitable to perform given tasks if an organization wants to attain a desirable level of performance. The process of recruitment is important in any organization since it determines the nature of employees who are captured by an organization. This study depicts a model that can be used to ascertain the personality of recruits, as described in the recruitment process in organizations. Most employees have a tendency of hiding specific attributes of behavior when seeking employment opportunities in organizations. In such cases, an organization may be pred isposed to the practice of such employees later. To avoid such a situation, Conditional Reasoning Tests can be applied as a way of developing a platform on which the behavior of employees can be determined by the managers of the company. Individuals who are highly aggressive can be assigned to tasks that match such level of aggression as determined by the CRTs. Continuous assessment of the personality of employees is critical because contemporary organizations exhibit a high level of dynamism that may sway the behavior of employees. Personality profiles for given sets of jobs can be easily set by basing on the findings of this research. With conditional reasoning tests, the faking personality test results are highly reduced (LeBreton et al., 2007).Advertising Looking for report on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Weakness of using only using self-report personality This research attempts to exhibit the validity of utilizing Conditional Reasoning Tests as opposed to the use of self-report personality, which is considered to be inefficient in determining the personality of individuals and their influence on underlying motives and behaviors. The explicit use of self-reports is subjected to some weaknesses that raise the rate of faking results in personality tests. Self-report surveys directly measure the personality attributes of individuals; thus, the level of faking of personality results is quite high. Self-report personality tests have been found to portray results that do not reflect the real personalities of individuals, thereby predisposing organizations to fake characters. Feelings, thoughts, motives and attitudes of individuals tend to be hidden by the individuals who seek to protect some attributes of their behavior. Specific self-report personality tests may take a relatively long ti me, resulting in the loss of interest and tiredness on the side of the employees and causing them to give incorrect responses. Therefore, it can be argued that such tests are subjected to either good faking or bad faking (LeBreton et al., 2007). Reference LeBreton, J. M. et al. (2007). Measurement issues associated with conditional reasoning tests: indirect measurement and test faking. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(1), 1-16.

A personal reflective account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A personal reflective account - Essay Example It is also essential to note that our team leader adopted a hands-on approach during the entire process and he did this through constantly checking on how the team members were doing as well as helping them where he felt that they were not undertaking their tasks as they were supposed to. Furthermore, the moral support that he gave to the team members played a key role in making the event a success because all of us were encouraged to give our best. Communication played a significant role in our success because the team kept in constant touch to ensure that all went well. This is especially the case where tasks were assigned to different individuals and it was essential to ensure that there was constant coordination of activities so that some members of the team would not be left behind (Paauwe and Boon 2009, p.38). I believe that communication also allowed for greater interaction within the team and it helped in the development of friendships, which helped in enhancing the working environment. The event was a success because the communication that existed within the team allowed its members to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses; allowing to a smooth transition into working together in such a way that they functioned as if they had known each other all their lives. Communication enhanced the manner through which the team was able to develop a plan for the event and execute it; removing all the potential fri ctions that would have otherwise led to the disruption of the team’s activities (Harrison and Lock 2004, p.34). As a result of the willingness of the team members to communicate with each other, we were able to make the event a success; increasing our potential to do better. During our work on planning and implementation of the event, I was able to recognise both our strengths and weaknesses and this, I believe, will be helpful in our

Education Politics in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education Politics in UK - Essay Example This is also sometimes seen as a form of social control, Education as 'handmaiden': the education system serves the industrial process and the economy by producing a trained workforce, and by providing childminding services, Social change (or 'social engineering'). The education system has been seen as a means of bringing about social change.1 Many social theorists think that for many decades education has suffered through unsuccessful traditional policies to which there always has been a need for fundamental changes in the structure and nature of educational institutions. Educational policies have been dealt with profound and often confrontational debates over the nature and purposes of education in society, particularly those between education, the economy and the nation. The changes initiated during the period altered the power relationships which had underpinned the education system since the 1944 Education Act, which itself had shaped the post-war educational world. Free elementary education was introduced in England in 1870; secondary schools were fee-paying until 1944. 80% of children left after elementary education, which after 1918 finished at 14. The 1944 Education Act introduced free secondary education. ... guments for comprehensives are they reduce the likelihood of discrimination or disadvantage on the basis of class, and that they improve the prospects of children of middling ability. The main argument against is that the selective system may be more consistent with the idea of equality of opportunity. Working class children who went to grammar schools did better than those who go now to comprehensive schools. The current political agenda in the light of educational policies and inclusion require us to analyse the facts behind educational policies highlighting Governmental efforts behind inclusion. When in 1990s Industrial mentoring movement initiated, it involved almost 17,000 pupils in hundreds of British schools to take benefit from those thousands of companies that encouraged their business people and allow them to volunteer as mentors2. From 1994 to 1998, the education was escorted by the European Youthstart Initiative who funded almost a hundred programmes of employment-related guidance, education and training for socially excluded young people in the UK, and the majority of these included mentoring. However, the political extravaganza remain a significant part of the Initiative, where the Institute of Career Guidance (ICG) co-ordinated the Mentoring Action Project (MAP), the largest such programme in Britain to that date3. The MAP remained a success which took over almost one quart er of statutory careers services in England and Wales, thereby allocating mentors to 1,700 young people4. During the same period, the Dalston Youth Project, a voluntary sector scheme working with young black offenders in London's deprived East End, became nationally lauded as an exemplar of mentoring for socially excluded youth. The National Mentoring Network (NMN) in 1994 was

Critical Reflection Essay Example for Free

Critical Reflection Essay Chronic Conversion Disorder Billy Lockhart Troy University- Montgomery, AL Chronic Conversion Disorder In this article the author is doing a case study on a patient known as Ms. T. The article is on Chronic Conversion Disorder Masking Depression and Anxiety: The case of Ms. T. by Dr. Robert C. Kores. A case formulation with therapeutic focus and direction, and follow-up information regarding a patient with somatic concerns is presented. A Conversion Disorder was diagnosed with underlying depression and anxiety. A lack of secure attachment and a nurturing environment were core issues. Family of origin and suppressed feelings and choices, was ridged and hypercritical, rejecting and abusive. The reason for the research was the cause and treatment of a conversion disorder. In this article the Dr. Kores goes through the patient’s life to determine the cause of this disorder. A Conversion Disorder causes patients to suffer from neurological symptoms, such as numbness, blindness, paralysis, or fits without a definable organic cause. It is thought that symptoms arise in response to stressful situations affecting a patients mental health and Conversion disorder is considered a psychiatric disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-5). The author came to the conclusion that Ms. T had grown up in an emotionally challenging home with excessive punishment, ridged rules and forced isolation. She felt disconnected, uninvolved and all alone. When she had married she thought that her husband would not be neglectful. However her husband was emotionally and physically abusive. When she became unable to cope with the abuse she became psychotically depressed and ultimately was psychiatrically hospitalized. She begins to cope by somatic eye closing and head shaking symptoms and was in denial. This led to hysterical blindness in her early thirties. Dr. Kores states that the eye closing may have served as behavior designed to elicit parental support and care and attachment that she never had in early childhood. He then states it could represent â€Å"this is not where I see myself† or â€Å"I cannot see myself here again†. Ms. T. may have viewed herself as a failure as a spouse or adult taking all the blame from the abusive relationship. Ms. T was believed to think she deserved all the â€Å"bad† that was happening to her and she had inadequate problem solving skills. Course of Treatment Dr. Kores states that his therapeutic efforts were directed toward altering her dysfunctional thinking and enhancing her problem solving skills. Dr. Kores used behavioral activation strategies to help her gain more positive reinforcement and increase her social interaction. Dr. Kores had to gain the trust of Ms. T. in order to help her. I believe that the reason this is important to me is because it helps me understand that stress can cause us to react in different ways. In the case of Ms. T. she began to squint her eyes and shake her head. Now if we didn’t know better it could be thought as faking to get attention. However now that I understand what Conversion Disorder is I will never think that again. I think this is important to me because I want to work with veterans someday and I want to be able to help them get through difficult situation that life has thrown at them. References: Troy Library portal, and journal by Dr. Robert C. Kores â€Å"Chronic Conversion Disorder Masking Depression and Anxiety: The Case of Ms. T.†

The Russian Peasant in Pre-Revolutionary Times Essay -- Russian Histor

The Russian Peasant in Pre-Revolutionary Times Russia in the late 19th and early 20th century was riddled with social and economic hardships throughout the countryside and inner cities. The Russian peasant was faced with widespread poverty and poor living conditions throughout their entire life. The economic situation and the living conditions drove the peasants and working class to rebel and begin the Russian revolution that would change the face of the country and impact the world forever. The peasants were the lowest ranking social group in Russia. Some peasants owned tracks of land that they farmed, while others worked nobles’ land for money and food. Peasants had literally no rights under czarist rule. The nobles bought and sold the peasants as needed. The women usually cooked the food, while the men served the nobles and all of their guests. The peasants ate only a few basic foods, which consisted mainly of dark bread, porridge, cereal, or meal boiled in water. Peasant families who owned land normally owned strip farms. In strip farming, tracks of land were divided up into different parcels. Each peasant family in a village had control over a certain number of parcels and they could farm it as necessary. This type of farming was ineffective because the different tracks of land were spread about, sometimes at a distance of miles. This resulted in peasants wasting time â€Å"needless journeys-to-work, consumed land in boundary furrows and headlands, resulted in fields that were too remote to cultivate properly and prevented innovation† (Pallot, 276). This also created tension between neighbors in disputes over confusing land boundaries. Peasants being forced to live together in small villages also increased the risk of... ... scare that swept the world in response to communist Russia. - Edelman, Robert. Proletarian Peasants. New York: Cornell University Press, 1987. - Dunn, Stephen and Ethel Dunn. The Peasants of Central Russia. Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc., 1967 - Worobec, Christine D. Peasant Russia. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 1995. - Inkeles, Alex. Social Change in Soviet Russia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1968. - Geiger, Kent. The Family in Soviet Russia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1968. - Pallot, Judith. â€Å"Imagining the rational landscape in late imperial Russia.† Journal of Historical Geography, 26, 2 (2000): 273-291. Links: http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/2163/bolintro.html http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/1169/history/revolut.html http://www.historychannel.com

Сase of Microsoft

External factors are considered to be extrinsic to an organization, those over which it has limited or no control. These affect the industry in which the organization is operating. Such as the technological environment in the case of Microsoft which would affect the entire information technology sector. At the same time very powerful and leveraged players in a sector such as Microsoft would be able to shape the external environment to a certain degree by exercising leverages of control such as monopoly over software codes. Despite this it is not possible for companies to affect other major external factors such as the social and political environment. An increasingly important external factor emerging today is environmental protection including laws, policies and stipulations which have to meet international standards. Frequently the most significant external factor is competition. In the embryonic stage of growth of an industry, a company may not encounter competition and would not feel the impact of the same. However an industry which is reaching maturity will be posed greater threat from competition and this factor would have to be considered by the management as it would impinge on growth or even survival. Toyota Motor Co is a salient example wherein its entry into the American as well as the global market has become a major external consideration for all automobile manufacturers in the World, particularly legacy brands as General Motors and Ford in the United States. The political environment of a country also has a major role to play in the growth of any industry. China is the most prominent example of the same. Opening of the Chinese markets to external players has been one of the greatest factors which have contributed to Chinese growth in the past two decades. Internal factors on the other hand can be shaped by the management by providing it positive or negative inputs. These factors could include diverse issues ranging from human resources, branding, financial resources, product development, research, information technology and labor relations. There is a frequent conflict between the inter se priorities of the internal factors. Human resources assume a significant factorial value in many companies today and when linked with research and development will determine on how the company operates in a knowledge economy. IBM thus focuses its attention on a strong human resource base which can contribute to normal operations as well as research and development. Management of financial resources is an important facet which has to be considered deliberately by any company. This will determine a company’s financial viability at a given time. Mismanagement can ruin a company as indicated by the example of Enron which had to go into liquidity due to unethical financial practices of its management. Traditionally it is felt that the management has an overriding control over the internal factors as opposed to external factors, though at times there is a powerful influence of issues such as the social environment on say branding. Many multi nationals find this quite difficult to absorb and even retail giants as Wal-Mart had to adapt their brand to conditions obtained in an external market as France before they could develop their chain in Europe. Information technology absorption has become a powerful internal factor which is affecting expansion of many companies. With development of concepts such as e commerce or e business and enterprise resource planning, it has become increasingly important for an organization to place all its operations on line. While this is clearly an internal factor, its external linkage cannot be ignored. The primary difference as would be seen from the examples above is the degree of control that a management has on factors affecting business. Where the controlling factors are located externally, these are considered as external factors and need to be evaluated accordingly. However where based internally these will be considered within the ambit of internal factors. b. Discuss an example where an organization might be able to increase its control/influence over an external factor. To increase its control over an external factor, management would have to take into consideration a number of factors including at times reviewing the core product profile of the company without sacrificing its overall brand image. Companies as Coca Cola and Pepsi have through their deep penetration in developing countries created conditions where they are able to control the entire soft drinks market in many locations in South and South East Asia altering social preferences and tastes of people. McDonald has been the most leveraged player in altering food and social habits which are external factors in developing countries. It has achieved this by a judicious mix of local products even introducing vegetarian burgers in India along with its traditional Burgers. Having changed its product profile, the company has been able to penetrate many traditionally hostile markets to American food industry. c. Since external factors can impact the profitability of an organization, why do we have financial performance as an internal factor? In determining whether a factor is to be considered as an internal or an external one, the key attribute to be considered is the ability of an organization to develop strategies and responses for growth and the control it has over the same. Applying this parameter would indicate that financial performance is an internal factor. Profitability is just one aspect of financial performance of a company. Profitability not only depends on the external environment including competition, economic factors, money markets and currencies but has greater linkage with internal factors such as liquidity, activity and growth of capital. Profitability of a company is determined by gross and net profit margins, returns on assets and equity which are all considered as a part of internal factors. The structuring of the company finances to include debt and equity ratio which is a purely internal function also has an important role to play in profitability thereby leading to its consideration as an internal factor. d. How does misclassifying an internal factor as an external factor in the EFE impact the analysis? The EFE is a comparative analysis of various factors which affect the external environment of an organization. The evaluation is based on weight age given to each factor based on relative importance. Generally 10 opportunities or threats are considered in an EFE Matrix with each provided a weight age between 0 and 1 out of a sum total of 1 based on impact on profitability. Â  There after ratings are also provided to each factor based on a scale of 1 to 4 with 4 being the best. The weight distribution will be balanced between threats and opportunities and will finally represent the strengths and opportunities in an organization. By including an internal factor the entire evaluation matrix is likely to be skewed by a minimum of 5 to 10 % which would emerge as a major flaw in the EFE, thereby resulting in neglect of other more important external factors. Based on the EFE the management will determine that the internal factor placed in EFE matrix can be controlled only in a limited way through internal inputs, thereby neglecting it to a large extent, resulting in a drop in performance in the particular field. Thus if labor relations has been placed wrongly in the EFE, the management will only consider external inputs that are likely to affect it such as legal statutes and central memorandums and neglect internal management possibly resulting in poor labor relations in the company. References David, Fred R. (1999) STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT. Electronically reproduced

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