Individual Differences

1
Individual Differences

• Work Psychology
• Understanding Human Behaviour in the Workplace

2
Intelligence Intelligence Testing

• Few psychological concepts received more
  attention resisted clarification of definition
• What it has become is what intelligence tests
  measure
• ....manifested in abilities such as reasoning,
  comprehension, judgment and insight etc.
• Early mental ability testing Cattell, 1890
  Galton, 1890
• Beginnings of modern paradigm for intelligence
  testing Binet Simon (1905-61)
• Attempted to identify intellectual ability
  disregarding intervening variables (SES,
  instruction)
• Developed battery of tests focusing on higher
  mental processes (attention, memory, thinking and
  other cognitive processes)
• Recommended specific testing procedures based on
  maximal performance

3
Structural Models of General Intelligence

• Spearman - early 1900s hierarchical model of
  general intelligence (g)
• Guilfords Model of Intellect (1920s)
  Thurstone
• emphasises not intelligence but intelligences
  and differentiates between e.g. ability to
  memorise material versus generating new ideas
• Major influence in todays tests designed to
  assess specific abilities within the given range
  of comprehension, reasoning or evaluation

4
SLIDE 3.4
5
Spearmans Hierarchical Model of Intelligence
6
Occupational Ability Tests

• Verbal Numerical
• Diagrammatic/Abstract Mechanical
• Spatial Clerical
• Dexterity Sensory
• 3 main categories of tests
• Measures of global ability/ general intelligence
• WAIS, Ravens Matrices, AH4, AH6
• Measures of specific mental abilities
• GATB, DATB verbal, numerical, mechanical
  reasoning, spatial relations, clerical speed
  accuracy
• Measures of aptitude
• sales, clerical, mechanical etc.

7
Standardization in Testing

• Objectivity is achieved through
• conditions, content, instructions, time, scoring,
  interpretation
• Most ability tests are norm-referenced
• Scores compared to individuals in norm group
  (representative and N 100 )
• Norm systems
• Rank-order based (Grade, Percentile
• Standard score systems (Z-score, T-Score)

8
Systems models of intelligence

• Gardeners Multiple Intelligences (MI)
• Sternbergs Triarchic theory of intelligence
• Emotional intelligence
• Daniel Goleman suggested Emotional Intelligence
  1995
• Does EI provide incremental validity in
  predicting job performance over and above
  measures of cognitive ability?

9
Emotional intelligence

• 3 main conceptualisations of EI
• Goleman, 1995
• Bar-On, 2000
• Mayer and Salovey, 1997.
• Goleman definition of EI
• abilities such as being able to motivate oneself
  persist in the face of frustrations to control
  impulse delay gratification to regulate ones
  moods and keep distress from swamping the ability
  to think to empathize to hope
• Criticism is that the definition is overinclusive

10
Emotional intelligence

• Bar-On (1997 2000) defines EI as an array of
  non-cognitive capabilities, competencies and
  skills that influence ones ability to succeed in
  coping with environmental demands and pressures.
  
• Produced the first commercially available measure
  of EI, based on a self-assessment instrument
  called the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQi).
• Model domains include intrapersonal intelligence
  interpersonal intelligence stress management
  adaptability.

11
Emotional intelligence

• Mayer and Salovey et al (2000) define EI as a
  extending traditional models of intelligence a
  concept of intelligence that processes and
  benefits from emotions. From this perspective,
  EI is composed of mental abilities, skills or
  capacities
• Suggest that traditional measures of intelligence
  fail to measure individual differences in the
  ability to perceive, process, and effectively
  manage emotions and emotional information

12
Personality

• Personality characteristic patterns of
  behaviour and modes of thinking that determine a
  persons unique way of interacting with the
  environment
• Theoretical models include
• Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, Social Learning,
  Type, Trait/Psychometric - (e.g. Costa McCrae,
  Eysenck, Cattell)
• Trait - any persisting characteristic (emotional,
  behavioural, cognitive) which influences the way
  personality is manifested in a relatively
  permanent and consistent way
• Measures used in occupational applications are
  often trait-based psychometrics

13
Overview of Personality Approaches in Selection

• The Big Five (Openness, Conscientiousness,
  Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism. e.g
  NEO, Goldberg)
• Eysencks 3 factor model (Psychoticism,
  Extroversion, Neuroticism)
• Cattells 16 Personality Factors (16PF measure)
• Occupational Personality Questionnaire OPQ (SHL)
• MBTI (Jung) - (Extroversion - Introversion,
  Sensing - Intuition, Thinking - Feeling, Judging
  - Perceiving)

14
The Big Five

• Current acceptance of 5 dimensions of personality
  (universal template)
• Costa McCrae (1980-90s) Goldberg (1990s)
• Extroversion - warmth, gregarious, activity
• Neuroticism - anxiety, impulsiveness
• Openness To Experience - ideas, aesthetic,
  innovation
• Agreeableness - compliance, straightforwardness
• Conscientiousness - order, dutifulness,
  competence
• NEO-PI-R, NEO-FFI (Costa McCrae, 1992)

15
Example Items (NEO)
16
Eysencks 3 Factor Model

• Introversion - Extroversion sociable, lively,
  active, assertive, dominant, venturesome
• Neuroticism - Stability anxious, depressed,
  tense, low self-esteem, emotional, moody
• Psychoticism - Normality aggressive,
  egocentric, impulsive, creative tough-minded