title: The Structured Employment Interview: An Examination of Construct and Criterion Validity

authors: Levine, Anne B.

subjects: selection

abstract: This study extends the literature on interview validity by attempting to create a structured employment interview with both construct- and criterion-related validity.  For this study, a situational interview was developed with the specific purpose of enhancing the interview's construct validity while retaining the interview's predictive power.  To enhance the construct validity, two guidelines were applied to the creation of the interview based on previous research in interview and assessment center literature limit the number of applicant characteristics to be rated to 3; and (2) ensure that the dimensions to be measured are conceptually distinct. Based on these two guidelines, three constructs were chosen for assessment of real estate sales agents extraversion, proactive personality and customer orientation.  
The critical incident technique was used to develop six interview items.  To test the construct validity of the interview, the six items were correlated with other measures, specifically, self-report questionnaires and managers' ratings, of extraversion, proactivity and customer orientation.  Correlations were weak, at best (rs ranged from -.06 to .25).  To test the predictive validity of the interview, the six items were correlated with both objective and subjective measures of performance.  Predictive validities were stronger, ranging from .23 to .30.  These findings are consistent with previous research on employment interviews which have found that although the predictive validity of the interview is strong, the construct validity is very weak, leaving researchers to wonder what it is that the interview is actually measuring. 
Possible explanations for these findings are offered, and the implications of these findings are discussed.

text: The Structured Employment Interview: An Examination of Construct and Criterion Validity This study extends the literature on interview validity by attempting to create a structured employment interview with both construct- and criterion-related validity.  For this study, a situational interview was developed with the specific purpose of enhancing the interview's construct validity while retaining the interview's predictive power.  To enhance the construct validity, two guidelines were applied to the creation of the interview based on previous research in interview and assessment center literature limit the number of applicant characteristics to be rated to 3; and (2) ensure that the dimensions to be measured are conceptually distinct. Based on these two guidelines, three constructs were chosen for assessment of real estate sales agents extraversion, proactive personality and customer orientation.  
The critical incident technique was used to develop six interview items.  To test the construct validity of the interview, the six items were correlated with other measures, specifically, self-report questionnaires and managers' ratings, of extraversion, proactivity and customer orientation.  Correlations were weak, at best (rs ranged from -.06 to .25).  To test the predictive validity of the interview, the six items were correlated with both objective and subjective measures of performance.  Predictive validities were stronger, ranging from .23 to .30.  These findings are consistent with previous research on employment interviews which have found that although the predictive validity of the interview is strong, the construct validity is very weak, leaving researchers to wonder what it is that the interview is actually measuring. 
Possible explanations for these findings are offered, and the implications of these findings are discussed.

year: 2006

title: The effect of a trapping procedure on the stress response of wild rainbow trout

authors: Clements, Shaun  P.

subjects: biology

abstract: Fish traps are a common research and management tool in which fish are subjected to procedures that elicit a stress response in other contexts. The effects of trapping on the stress response of sexually mature, wild rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were investigated during their upstream spawning migration by measuring concentrations of plasma cortisol, lactate, and glucose. Males had significantly lower basal plasma cortisol concentrations (6.1 ± 0.8 ng/mL [mean ± SE]) than females (21.4 ± 5.9 ng/mL). Similarly, the plasma cortisol response in males was significantly lower than that in females for all experiments. Fish working the barrier before entering the trap had increased concentrations of plasma cortisol. Confinement in the trap also induced a stress response. Plasma cortisol concentrations increased to 185.1 ± 40.9 ng/mL in males and 549.1 ± 60.1 ng/mL in females after confinement for 1 h. After processing, the magnitude of the stress response and the relative duration of recovery was less in fish that were confined longer in the trap. However, resting cortisol concentrations in females were not reached after 40 h of recovery in either group. Recovery to resting concentrations of plasma lactate occurred within 15 h after processing. In contrast, concentrations of plasma glucose remained significantly elevated at 40 h after processing. Postspawning fish had significantly lower plasma concentrations of cortisol, glucose, and lactate following application of an extreme stressor compared with prespawning fish. Based on the results of this study, we conclude that the trapping procedure induces a severe and prolonged stress response in wild rainbow trout.

text: The effect of a trapping procedure on the stress response of wild rainbow trout Fish traps are a common research and management tool in which fish are subjected to procedures that elicit a stress response in other contexts. The effects of trapping on the stress response of sexually mature, wild rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were investigated during their upstream spawning migration by measuring concentrations of plasma cortisol, lactate, and glucose. Males had significantly lower basal plasma cortisol concentrations (6.1 ± 0.8 ng/mL [mean ± SE]) than females (21.4 ± 5.9 ng/mL). Similarly, the plasma cortisol response in males was significantly lower than that in females for all experiments. Fish working the barrier before entering the trap had increased concentrations of plasma cortisol. Confinement in the trap also induced a stress response. Plasma cortisol concentrations increased to 185.1 ± 40.9 ng/mL in males and 549.1 ± 60.1 ng/mL in females after confinement for 1 h. After processing, the magnitude of the stress response and the relative duration of recovery was less in fish that were confined longer in the trap. However, resting cortisol concentrations in females were not reached after 40 h of recovery in either group. Recovery to resting concentrations of plasma lactate occurred within 15 h after processing. In contrast, concentrations of plasma glucose remained significantly elevated at 40 h after processing. Postspawning fish had significantly lower plasma concentrations of cortisol, glucose, and lactate following application of an extreme stressor compared with prespawning fish. Based on the results of this study, we conclude that the trapping procedure induces a severe and prolonged stress response in wild rainbow trout.

year: 2002

title: End-user informed demographic projections for Hamilton up to 2041

authors: Cameron, Michael Patrick

subjects: cohort component model

abstract: This report provides a set of projections of the population of Hamilton City and the larger Hamilton Zone. The projections have been calculated by means of the cohort component model. The projections can be considered alongside official Statistics New Zealand projections, but differ from the latter in terms of assumptions made about net migration. These assumptions constitute a number of scenarios that were informed by the Hamilton City Council and local consultations. These scenarios are linked to the potential impact of a number of economic development activities. The report also contains projections of the number of households, the labour force and two ethnic groups: Māori and New Zealand Europeans. In addition, a dwellings-based methodology is used to produce small area (Census Area Unit) projections. Across the scenarios, Hamilton City’s projected population growth over the next two decades ranges from 13.8 percent to 36.0 percent. This is between 1.5 to 12.2 percentage points higher than the corresponding projected national growth.

text: End-user informed demographic projections for Hamilton up to 2041 This report provides a set of projections of the population of Hamilton City and the larger Hamilton Zone. The projections have been calculated by means of the cohort component model. The projections can be considered alongside official Statistics New Zealand projections, but differ from the latter in terms of assumptions made about net migration. These assumptions constitute a number of scenarios that were informed by the Hamilton City Council and local consultations. These scenarios are linked to the potential impact of a number of economic development activities. The report also contains projections of the number of households, the labour force and two ethnic groups: Māori and New Zealand Europeans. In addition, a dwellings-based methodology is used to produce small area (Census Area Unit) projections. Across the scenarios, Hamilton City’s projected population growth over the next two decades ranges from 13.8 percent to 36.0 percent. This is between 1.5 to 12.2 percentage points higher than the corresponding projected national growth.

year: 2007-12